DO EMPLOYERS TAKE THE MICK OUT OF YOUNG JOBSEEKERS?
A university graduate has said he was asked to dance to a Daft Punk track during a job interview at Currys, the electronics superstore, saying he felt “degraded”, “crushed” and stripped of his “professional dignity”. The case has sparked a wider debate among young jobseekers about the way you are treated by employers during the recruitment process. Some say that you have been asked to complete tasks or answer questions that seem unrelated to the role you’ve applied for. Others hate the idea of video CVs, or feel uncomfortable with the screening ‘challenges’ recruiters set. And many more of you simply complain that too much time and effort is expected of candidates at the application stage – when many employers don’t even bother to respond.
Alan Bacon, 21, had applied for a role at the Cardiff branch of the chain, after finding job-hunting ‘extremely hard’ because of the fierce competition. He turned up for a group interview as requested but was left ‘incredulous’ when the applicants were expected perform a dance. Alan – who has applied for 300 jobs since graduating – told the BBC:
“I think everyone initially thought it was a joke – but they were serious. It started with a cheap clip art image on the board of two people dancing then they said, guess what we’re going to make you do now? Dance.”
Alan left the University of South Wales in July with a degree in documentary, film and TV – and moved to Cardiff in hope of finding work. With ambitions to make science documentaries, Curry’s had advised him that he would have five minutes in which to talk about his hobbies and interests. But instead of showcasing his abilities, Alan found himself robot-dancing in front of a group of strangers. He remembered:
“I’d spent the past week researching the company and looking forward to being able to express myself and talk about what I love doing. I just felt so embarrassed and uncomfortable. Another older gentleman had been made redundant from a past job of 20 years and had just had a child. He really needed the job, but watching him dance to rap music was sad.
“I’ve been to quite a few job interviews and have never had to do anything like it before. On the surface I had to look positive – I was smiling and laughing along with it – but inside I felt degraded. The minute you start making someone dance before asking them any questions you wash away any professional dignity and leave them feeling crushed.”
Despite the humiliation, Alan was rejected and is still looking for work. Curry’s has apologised for the bizarre interview segment, admitting that the ‘team building exercise’ was not part of its official recruitment process. A spokesperson said:
“We are very sorry to those interviewees impacted on this occasion and would like to invite them back to attend an official interview where they will be given a proper opportunity to demonstrate how they can contribute to our business.”
Graduate Fog is seriously unimpressed by this story – but it is good that a wider debate has been opened about the way some employers treat young jobseekers as part of their recruitment process. We have had dozens of complaints from graduates who feel they have been asked to complete tasks – or answer questions – that seem unrelated to the role they are applying for. Others say you are required to spend hours on your application – yet often receive no reply at all. With so many young people enduring the job hunt day in, day out – often with very little response from employers – it is fair that they should expect more respect than this.
*DO YOUNG JOBSEEKERS DESERVE MORE RESPECT?
Has an employer ever asked you questions that didn’t seem related to the job you were applying for – or asked you to perform a task that seemed inappropriate or unfair? Are unreasonable demands routinely placed on young jobseekers? For example, is it fair that you are asked to spend so long on your application – yet often receive no reply at all? Are assessment centres and interviews too time-consuming – and is it fair that you’re expected to pay your own travel expenses?
After looking for a job in the music industry after completing a music business degree, i have just been accepted to a job as a waitress. at the recruitment day, as a ‘team building exercise’- we were given bin liners and ribbon and told to make dresses for a fashion parade which we then had to perform in front of the people assessing us.
this cant even be considered a ‘one off’ as the training day was run by the company itself and had a team from about 10 different sites running it looking for new team members.
i dont even want to say the name of the company because it is 1) a big company and 2) the only job ive been able to get after four months of unemployment.
@Daisy – Thanks for this – but i don’t quite understand – you did this fashion parade as part of an interview process for a waitressing job?
@Tanya Yup. we were split into groups and had to create an outfit from glitter glue, ribbons and bin liners for a fashion parade we then had to perform. it was to see how well we worked as a team.
A bit over the top, but I don’t see anything too wrong with that to be honest…The ‘parade’ thing was unnecessary, but the creative side, working in a team is quite a good exercise. PC Worlds process on the other hand is down right disgraceful, as there wasn’t even an element of team-work or anything to it. To get someone to stand up and dance for absolutely no reason in front of people is disrespectful, and I imagine hurtful. If it had been me in that situation, I wouldn’t have bothered, I’d had given them a piece of my mind and walked out!
I’ve recently accepted a new job (MUCH better than my fast food manager job!), and out of all of the interviews I’ve had recently, it was one of the very few where the managers treated me with respect. My general experience of employers is that they are smug, knowing they are in control and calling the shots…It’s a bit like someone holding the hand of another person hanging over a cliff…the person holding the ‘dangler’ can demand them to do whatever they like as they are in control. P’s me right off!
I dont think i would care so much about the parade thing if it wasnt for the fact that we had been doing team exercises all day. the parade was the last thing we did that day- after building towers out of newspaper as part of a team (aiming to get the highest and strongest) and games that involved throwing a tennis ball back and forth around a group while hopping on one leg (more balls got thrown in periodically, it was meant to see how we cope under pressure)
i found the whole thing fun, but thats because im pretty creative. im sure there are people older and wiser than i am who wouldnt be so willing to stoop to a level for a waitressing job that they would do exercises that in practice had nothing to do with the job/nothing that wasnt already covered throughout the day.
Sorry I didn’t read about the waitressing aspect (I tend to just quick glance and not read the full posts – my bad and a bad habit!) You’re quite right in it being totally unnecessary for a waitressing job. Quite pathetic actually. However, well done on getting a job. It’s VERY hard to get anything these days.
Alan was right to dance. What choice did he have? When you are competing with thousands of other job seekers you have to do what they say. You are not in a position to bargain. They hold all the cards.
I don’t know if Alan was on benefits but if he was walking out of an interview would have been sufficient grounds to sanction his £56 a week for a period of time.
It is likely that some at the Curry’s interview were not in the position to say no as a refusal to dance to Daft Punk could have resulted in losing several hundreds of pounds which could be the difference between a hot meal that night and going hungry.
In such a situation what choice do you have but to dance?
I think with there being more workers than jobs that the power has swung so far to the side of employers that they can pretty much get away with anything.
Grad- they could only have done this if he had told the Jobcentre or Work Programme provider that he had an interview, or told the employer that he was in receipt of benefits (which is none of the employer’s business anyway). My advice would definitely be not to tell Work Programme providers when you have an interview because if you don’t get the job, they will then use that as an excuse to send you on an ‘inteview skills’ course, for which they will get even more money from the government. Work Programme providers do not acknowledge factors such as stitch-ups and nepotism as reasons for candidates being unsuccessful at interview, instead preferring to blame it all on them.
@a4esucks My Job Centre adviser stated people enjoy their participation in the Work Programme. Is this not the case? 🙂
You should have asked your adviser to define enjoyment, LOL!
Sad indictment of the state of affairs that companies have to rely on Unpaid Interns to conduct a Professional Recruitment Round, and instead adopt an insolent and insidious attitude.
Unfortunately, insofar as such insolence may only manifest at an interview, it must be down to the candidate to treat the exercise with a sense of level headedness and professionalism that is warranted, thank the personnel clerk for the option, and whilst ignoring them swiftly move the discussion onto the next question.
Other examples of insolence come to mind.
Firstly, I applied for a Web Developers Job, and I received a telephone call from the employer asking me to spend a few hours working on a project. In response to the question “When is the interview?” the Clerk confirmed “Oh, there wont be an interview”, to which I responded by thanking them for their time, and gave them a number of links where software could be downloaded for free.
Secondly, I applied for a job through an agency, to which they responded by asking me to participate within a “Dragons Den” type of scenario – unfortunately, again, they weren’t scheduling date/time of interviews. I abhore wasting time, and suggested that they get back to me when interviews had been scheduled.
Thirdly, I applied for temporary work requiring a commitment of 18 hours over christmas. After the third telephone discussion with an agency clerk, they said they were prepared to offer the work, but asked me if I understood the implications of being self employed, and being on call for future work. Although I stated that I was quite happy to consider a permanent contract, and enquired as to what Salary they were prepared to offer, I also confirmed that the position which was being advertised was only advertised for 18 hours. When it became clear that they were only going to offer a Zero Hour Contract, and after a 25 minutes circular telephone discussion, I thanked them for their time, and put the phone down.
The world has gone mad. If it wasn’t soul destroying I’d be happy to live off the state. The government wants to make work pay, well it’s about time employers and companies were brought into line.
yo sushi
make you do a 90 sec video clip plus attach your CV, i seen this on the Stratford Westfield site
matthew
@matthew evans – can’t see it on their main site, do you have a link? i’m working on a story about video CVs, not sure i’m a fan!
@ Tanya
It was an advert on the wall
I can take a picture, and send it to you next time I am there
@Matthew – great, please do 🙂