[job]graduate recruitment[rant]

[-Blue Moon-]

I've recently learnt that graduate recruitment is a pile of crap for many many reasons.

first is that i currently work in HR (after working in finance for 3yrs) and have realised that if you dont know someone, or if you dont have 4yrs experience whilst curing cancer in angola, chances are you're not going to get the job.... oh... by the way... we NEVER check your degrees here... so if you want to lie and say you got a 1st from oxford, we'd never know any differently - and you can get the interview you wanted.

Most annoyingly: The same couple hundred people get the interviews for every job and every company out there, because every company's recruitment teams are looking for the same thing. (i know i shouldnt really be complaining seeing as i've had more than my share of interviews, but it is frustrating and shows that recruiters are just sheep)

I went on an assessment centre for Rolls Royce 2 weeks ago - didn't get it because I was totally unprepared and hungover. I met a lot of nice people there, as there were 30+ of us interviewing for 6 jobs.

Last week I went on two graduate assessment centres... Research Machines was the first one, where I met one of the Rolls Royce grads. "this is strange" I thought, we had a chat again - and they pretty much ruined the job/day for me, because the more I found out the more I didn't want it. I didn't get it but who cares...

The very next day I went to a T-Mobile interview... with 2 of the guys who were just at the RM one with me. When I arrived I met 2 people from the Rolls Royce one.

I knew how the assessment centres worked by then - I was confident, gregarious, knowledgeable and thought I had the job in the bag...

I just got a phone call saying that I had a lack of energy and didn't seem passionate about Finance. PASSIONATE ABOUT FINANCE? What do they want me to do, freaking backflips? They told me that my testing was in the top 1% in both tests and i did their stupid role playing exercises and i listened, i involved others and i made smart and funny contributions -- in short i showed them i was intelligent and had a personality and that i wanted the job. as an HR professional i know there wasnt much more i could have done - i know the core competencies they're looking for and i demonstrated them all.

but to be rejected for a 'lack of energy' FFS... it's finance. you want calm relaxed people in finance, not the office joker. i'm really upset about that job because i really wanted it.

so now i have 3 days before my temporary contract expires, and I will have to take a school leaver's job on £5.50ph... i'm tempted to move back to the USA where i had a good job lined up for me in New Mexico, but that would mean leaving my girlfriend...

Anyways...
I have one final assessment centre Friday. It's for AXA... If anyone has some advice then please let me know, because i feel like nothing is enough for these pricks.

-tux