Most annoying recruitment practices

[thelawnet]

Here are some of mine:

• forms with mandatory fields that shouldn't be mandatory (I didn't do an SQE prep course, stop asking me)
• errors in underlying data feeds that the suppliers refuse to fix (e.g., missing schools)
• brittle in-house application systems which ask lots of questions but flake out during submission
• third-party application systems that have you re-enter identical data for multiple firms
• ridiculous recruitment games testing sub <100ms reaction times and claiming this represents your ability to work under pressure
• spelling mistakes and other errors in the third-party recruitment tests
• having all 3000 applicants go through multiple involved stages of computerised application before a human even looks at it
• not replying to applications at all, or till after the relevant date (e.g., the vacation scheme start date)
• seeing the same right/wrong test questions being used for multiple law firms
• zero feedback/indication of whether you passed or failed the computerised test

 

[Toenails]

1. graduate recruitment being vague making their recruitment process a mystery
2. firms using the Watson Glaser as form of filtering but people can pay for resources making it not inclusive
3. being cold to applicants once they’ve rejected them
4. using artic shores - no inclusive at all
5. Third party application that won’t let me see questions unless I do the whole application first
6. sugar coating everything
7. silly 50-100 word motivational application questions
8. video interview prep times of 30 seconds
9. application questions totally over 1500 words
10. using the same video interview questions as the previous year allowing many to know the answers beforehand

 

[thelawnet]

1. graduate recruitment being vague making their recruitment process a mystery
2. firms using the Watson Glaser as form of filtering but people can pay for resources making it not inclusive
3. being cold to applicants once they’ve rejected them
4. using artic shores - no inclusive at all
5. Third party application that won’t let me see questions unless I do the whole application first
6. sugar coating everything
7. silly 50-100 word motivational application questions
8. video interview prep times of 30 seconds
9. application questions totally over 1500 words
10. using the same video interview questions as the previous year allowing many to know the answers beforehand

50-100 words questions are fine, idk, at least it doesn't take too long to write,

the 30 second video interview is definitely a bad one! If you want a real interview, then have your staff arrange an interview with me. talking into a webcam with 30 seconds preparation isn't really representative of anything.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Not really limited to recruitment practices but:

1) Ghosting - from candidates and recruiters

2) Lack of reasonable response time to important issues like asking for reasonable adjustments

3) Bad handwriting on written feedback forms (yep, many firms are still old school with hand written assessment forms)

4) People applying multiple times for the same vacancy with slightly different versions of their names thinking it won’t get picked up (eg if I applied as Jess Booker in one application and Jessica Booker in another). It does get picked up very easily!

5) How many people apply last minute - it still blows my mind every time that people will register and start an application an hour before it closes.

6) candidates not turning down offers in a timely manner and holding on to them until it’s too late to backfill

 

[thelawnet]

Oh yeah I have another one.

"Dear Simmons & Simmons, your video interview glitched during submission, can you reset it for me, as advised in the email."

<silence>

"Dear Simmons & Simmons, further to my previous email, could you please reset the interview?"

<silence>

<....>
"Dear Candidate, you did not complete the interview, you can re-apply next year."

 

[Toenails]

Not really limited to recruitment practices but:

1) Ghosting - from candidates and recruiters

2) Lack of reasonable response time to important issues like asking for reasonable adjustments

3) Bad handwriting on written feedback forms (yep, many firms are still old school with hand written assessment forms)

4) People applying multiple times for the same vacancy with slightly different versions of their names thinking it won’t get picked up (eg if I applied as Jess Booker in one application and Jessica Booker in another)

5) How many people apply last minute - it still blows my mind every time that people will register and start an application an hour before it closes.

6) candidates not turning down offers in a timely manner and holding on to them until it’s too late to backfill

these are great points

I think there are a few more candidate ones you could add

1. complaining a firm hasn’t responded to even thought they’re non rolling and the deadline hasn’t passed
2. asking if it’s too late to apply to a firm the day before they close
3. doing vs with a TC offer that they’ve accepted
4. asking others who completed a vi for the questions making it unfair and ultimately giving them an advantage
5. consistently seeking attention

 

[Jessica Booker]

these are great points

I think there are a few more candidate ones you could add

1. complaining a firm hasn’t responded to even thought they’re non rolling and the deadline hasn’t passed
2. asking if it’s too late to apply to a firm the day before they close
3. doing vs with a TC offer that they’ve accepted
4. asking others who completed a vi for the questions making it unfair and ultimately giving them an advantage
5. consistently seeking attention

Sounds like you might be in the wrong place based on what you have said - the forums are a place where people are more than welcome to ask these type of questions.

 

[Toenails]

Sounds like you might be in the wrong place based on what you have said - the forums are a place where people are more than welcome to ask these type of questions.

it is not acceptable to ask others for vi questions i think that was a rule i read on tcla i think. number 2 mimics your number 5

the rest were not questions they were statements

 

[Jessica Booker]

it is not acceptable to ask others for vi questions i think that was a rule i read on tcla i think. number 2 mimics your number 5

the rest were not questions they were statements

People can ask. There is no rule in stopping people asking. The TCLA rule stops people from providing the specific wording to video interview questions in the public forums (unless the firm has put them in the public domain themselves) and we just advise that people take their own risks in sharing such information privately.