Employers say jobseekers are ill-prepared for interviews

JOBS might be much harder to come by at the moment but jobseekers aren’t trying much harder to get them.

That’s the finding of an extensive survey that discovered employers are far from impressed with the preparation many prospective employees are putting in to job applications and interviews.

The survey, carried out by Hays Ireland recruitment company last month, questioned 1,565 jobseekers and 623 employers about whether the difficult jobs environment had made any difference to their tactics for getting and filling the precious few vacant positions.

While 58% of jobseekers said they were putting more preparation into interviews, only 16% of employers noticed a significant improvement in the preparedness of the candidates coming into their office.

But that’s not surprising as the two sides differ on what they consider sufficient preparation. Employers are most likely to expect a candidate to have spent between two and five hours preparing, but jobseekers are likely to consider two hours the maximum.

On the plus side, 71% of jobseekers are virtuous enough not to go out socialising the night before an interview, and the 27% who say they would go out stress they would still be in bed at a reasonable time, but a cavalier 2% say an interview the following morning wouldn’t put any restraints on their social life.

Possibly they’re among the fatalistic 3% who say they’re putting less effort into preparing for interviews now because they feel that in the current climate they are less likely to get a job anyway.

Surprisingly, given the scarcity of jobs and the increased competition for available positions, less than half of jobseekers (38%) say they always or usually tailor their CV to each job they apply for – a figure that tallies with the experience of employers, 36% of whom say they feel they are receiving tailored CVs. The 22% of jobseekers who say they rarely or never tailor their CVs to fit the job aren’t fooling anyone as the same percentage of employers say they feel the CVs they receive are rarely or never tailored with the specific job in mind.

Richard Eardley, managing director of Hays, said it wasn’t surprising that the majority of jobseekers claimed to be spending more time preparing for interviews given that there were more people applying for fewer jobs.

“However, it is clear from the survey that candidates are still failing to meet employer expectations when it comes to preparation and performance at interview,” he said. “We would give candidates a few simple, golden rules to follow if they secure an interview.

“Firstly, preparation is key – investing half a day in what could turn out to be your future career doesn’t seem too much to ask. Secondly, know your CV, be able to demonstrate your key strengths and, vitally, be able to make your skills relevant to the job.

“Finally, demonstrate enthusiasm. It’s an old adage but if you don’t make it abundantly clear that you want the job, you probably won’t get it.”