Almost half of engineers (45.7 per cent) are intimidated by certain aspects of job hunting, prompting us to ask what part of the process strikes the most fear in Engineer readers.
For some, a new year means a fresh start and a new job, but the job application process can be stressful with a fear of rejection and taking time off for interviews being just two potential stumbling blocks.
For 41 per cent of respondents to last week’s poll, interview tasks or tests are off-putting elements to the application process, followed by 21 per cent who baulk at having to update their CV and cover letter.
A further 16 per cent of the 400 respondents cited fear of rejection as being a deterrent to changing jobs, and eight per cent indicated that they’d struggle to manage time for interview. The remaining 16 per cent were unphased by the options presented, opting instead for ‘none of the above’.
Agencies and HR departments were in the firing line in the Comments that followed. Taking aim at both, S Martin said: “Getting past the ignorant HR department staff who have no clue about engineering, and what the specific demands and requirements the role requires and then speak to you as though they are something superior because they work in the HR department, and in many cases are unqualified lackies.
“Agencies who work on a few buzz words and often send you along for an interview with above HR department and lack the basic understanding of the role and its requirements, and often you are sent simply to make up the numbers and among those sent, they hope someone will be suitable for the role.”
Also getting straight to the point, Michael Bradley said: “Having to deal with incompetent idiots in the agencies who haven’t a clue what a real engineer does is my pet hate. All I want to know is what company is offering the role and where it is. I can then decide if I’m interested in working for them. But all they understand is a list of keywords.”
How do you feel about job hunting? Keep the debate alive in Comments below. All comments are moderated. Our guidelines for comments can be found here.
Filling in endless damn web forms with the same information included in my CV. The same CV the company has already asked for.
That and signing up for career websites for each company.
Agents saying they’ve looked at my CV & got the perfect job – which matches nothing on the CV at all. A good example as a mechanical engineer being asked by agents to apply for electrical engineering roles
The sheer randomness of the whole process – it is usually difficult for the interviewee to know what the interview is really looking for (never mind what they say) and just as difficult for the interviewer to work out whether the candidate really does have what you re looking for!
I can hold my best with the best!!! When turning up for an interview and being asked to complete an aptitude TEST, highly insulting,, And at an interview being asked my age, no evidence of a skill shortage at all.
My pet hate is having my time wasted by the agencies – sending you to an interview for a job for which you are overqualified (and would get bored with quickly).
My biggest fear is being asked awkward questions like “why did you leave job X/why do you want to leave your current job?” Is it a test to see how good you are at lying?
Hi Ian
I ask “why did you/do you want to leave X” because I’m interested in the candidate’s aspirations and motivations, how they would fit within my team and the likelihood of them ‘jumping ship’ at the earliest opportunity (!).
Having to deal with incompetent idiots in the agencies who haven’t a clue what a real engineer does is my pet hate. All I want to know is what company is offering the role and where it is. I can then decide if I’m interested in working for them. But all they understand is a list of keywords.
What you end up getting is – we’ll send your CV to some companies and see if they’re interested. When you point out that this is totally inappropriate they don’t understand that your personal details are not their Agency’s commodity.
The solution lies with companies being honest about what roles they have on offer, and simply referring any enquiries to their preferred agency(s). This is particularly useful for short term contractors like myself as I repeatedly have to use the rubbish job boards and keep reading between the lines to see if the roles are of any interest to me before talking to the aforementioned agency staff.
and all this long before the dreaded HR get involved!
They will bu**er up anything that ‘proper’ Engineers and managers have arranged.
Like Pekka says…
I hate rewriting my CV to slice it up to suit their questions, and depending on the company that could be enough to make me avoid them. My CV has become a pretty efficient structure to cover my skills and experience without repeating myself or mentioning anything banal… which is what an employer risks getting if I have to answer over 12 questions to compare myself to their 12 key criteria. Read my CV, if you like let’s meet, and if you’re struggling to see how I fulfill certain key criteria then ask me!
Getting past the ignorant HR department staff who have no clue about engineering, and what the specific demands and requirements the role requires and then speak to you as though they are something superior because they work in the HR department, and in many cases are unqualified lackies.
Agencies who work on a few buzz words and often send you along for an interview with above HR department and lack the basic understanding of the role and its requirements, and often you are sent simply to make up the numbers ans among those sent, they hope someone will be suitable for the role.
You’ve hit the nail on the head !
Having done a bit of interviewing in the past, I have to say it is time consuming to go through dozens of CVs all laid out in different formats and extracting the information into a spreadsheet, so you can whittle the applicants down to a shortlist for greater scrutiny, before then inviting for interviews. So I can see why employers ask for a standard format. As for aptitude tests, I consider them to be VITAL, I’ve known candidates who ‘talked a good fight’ at the interview but performed poorly at the test and on one notable occasion actually walked out rather than be found to have no knowledge whatsoever of AutoCAD
In reply to your comment, If I couldn’t do the JOB, I wouldn’t apply! I certainly wouldn’t like to walk out of a JOB, and I too have had loads of interview experience!!
sadly not everyone is as honest … I was surprised, when I first got roped in to the process, how many people would apply, even if they didn’t have a qualification stated as a requirement in black & white in the job description – perhaps they thought it would be overlooked, on their charisma alone; how much easier it is to blag about more intangible qualities “having experience in xyz …” translates to “they’d done it twice”
Perhaps Trevor’s HR pals are confusing experience (which often/usually simply means length of time since graduation (or whatever) or ‘age’ ) with an experience: which can be a one-off, take 30 seconds and alter one’s entire life thereafter. But getting some HR clerk to understand the difference? unlikely. The question which really sorts sheep from goats? “what have you done yourself?” Try that on the second-raters who are usually involved. It often works.
Wasn’t it one of the Marx? Bros who said he “would never join any club (and isn’t a firm/employer just that) that thought he was suitable for membership.” I jest, but its all about Chemistry, surely.
“What time is it, Smith”? ” What time would you like it to be sir?!
Hi Mike – I take it you aren’t an advocate of the ‘10,000 hour rule’ theory then https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outliers_(book)
Knowing when applying for a Position that I know fits my experience to a tee,that my CV will be overlooked because of my age alone…
Receiving a inquiry from a prospective Employer,replying with all the relevant Information asked for,and then no result or even rejection and if you drop a polite e.mail its oh, so sorry that position was filled in house or whatever lame excuse for being alien to humanity….
Hey Trev,
You realise that as the company advertising the role the onus is on you, not the applicant, right? I mean we are not obliged to apply. You are extending the invitation for us to apply to your role. Its like I invite you to a party. How would you like it if I tested your capacity to get drunk and flirt with your wife before being allowed through the door? Its your problem if you have to spreadsheet and read resumes etc. And no, there is no conceivable excuse for not reading every darn resume and replying to every application.