I’ve had the same, applied for a graduate training role as soon as i left uni (the scheme interviewed in July, started in September, 3-4 years.)

Heard nothing except the standard “thanks for your application, we’ll be in touch”.

Had a call one day mid september, just after i’d walked into the house after a night/early shift asking me to come in for an interview the following morning. 80 odd miles away, spent the whole day (i should have been sleeping!) sorting a hire car, time off work, finding my suit (in a box in the attic IIRC).

Aced the interview, got the job. So not all bad. Started 2 weeks after the interview.

On the same graduate scheme that i’d heard nothing about for 3 months……..

Have been turned down for a role as i wasn’t suitably qualified or experienced. Ended up 3 or 4 years later (through a series of mergers/acquisitions/sideways moves) as the boss of the guy who did get the job.

Another interview i completely failed to impress in as i’d spent the previous 48 hours in hospital having tests/observation done. So not slept for 3 or 4 days, got home at 10 ish, interview at 12.
I must have looked like shit. Apparently the job was a joke and the guy who did get it quit after 8 weeks.

“We can’t match the scope of the role with the level of your ambition.”

I read that as: “Your prospective boss was worried you’d make him look bad.”

I hadn’t formally applied for a job, but the Army made it clear that I was:

(a) too light; and
(b) probably queer.

🙂

Three reasons why I turned down a job in 2012.

1) They offered me 12% less than it was advertised for, stating that even the revised figure was breaking their pay structure.
2) I did a test run on the commute and it was horrendous.
3) The guy that was hiring and would be my direct boss wore an open neck shirt, a chunky gold chain with matching bracelet, rings and watch, brown slip-on shoes (with little golden ornamental buckles) and light grey trousers that were a bit too tight for his chubby ass. This combined with his 70’s style Luke Skywalker hair cut that had been enhanced with streaks and his sun bed tan prompted me to think that he was an arsehole. I bet that the Jag outside was his.

Points 1 and 2 meant that it was a non starter. Point 3 meant that I had no regrets in knocking them back.

expressed an interest in an internal role at current place a few years ago. it was 2 grades higher than my current role. i was told by the colleague handling it that i lacked the necessary experience to carry out the job….funny thing is that they are now employing people fresh out of uni with zero experience to do the same job on the next grade above mine….most of them stick it for about 6 months and then bugger off. the ones who stick around do nothing except making massive database mistakes that my team have to clear up.

3) The guy that was hiring and would be my direct boss wore an open neck shirt, a chunky gold chain with matching bracelet, rings and watch, brown slip-on shoes (with little golden ornamental buckles) and light grey trousers that were a bit too tight for his chubby ass. This combined with his 70’s style Luke Skywalker hair cut that had been enhanced with streaks and his sun bed tan prompted me to think that he was an arsehole. I bet that the Jag outside was his.

Car salesman?

I was told that I would bring too much instability to their development. This is after I had explained that a solid, structured test process was needed to make their product better.

Odd that this would get in the way of things, but then their whole business plan was “make stuff until we get bought by Cisco”. Start-ups, got to love ’em.

It is a probability game for me …

I have never asked for the reasons why I did not get the job in the past.

If they don’t want you they can make up 1001 reasons to reject.

I find that the standard reply tends to be ” … there are better candidates then you …”.

Also I don’t understand why people think they should insist on being offered the job …

I got turned down for an account manager job (covering Scotland and N Ireland) for being English.

Turned down for funding for a training course because I wasn’t already working in the department, it was given to someone in the department who has already got the qualification from a different institution, and now I’m in the department, someone else has the same qualification twice and I’ve none, go figure.

franksinatra – Member
I got turned down for an account manager job (covering Scotland and N Ireland) for being English.

Fair enough coz your life might be put in danger covering those areas … 😛

dammit – other thread!

I find that the standard reply tends to be ” … there are better candidates then you …”.

I’d hazard that in the vast majority of cases this is the real reason. Just that no-one likes to say that to people.

I work in maintenance and at the last interview I was told that I gave too much detail in my answers.

I’d hazard that in the vast majority of cases this is the real reason. Just that no-one likes to say that to people.

Or more simply ‘I don’t like the look of you’.

I applied for loads of graduate schemes last year of uni- I even applied for Toys R Us graduate scheme- Only to get a letter back stating ‘I was over qualified’. It was a bloody graduate scheme!

I got turned down for an account manager job (covering Scotland and N Ireland) for being English.

Is that even legal?

Another education one.

“You just don’t look like what I think a Head of Department should look like.”

…one morning two letters came through my letter box -one offering me the role of chief executive of a contemporary art gallery and the other turning me down for the role of part-time temporary gas meter reader.

That’s just reminded me, 6 months after I started working for the company I’m still working for (more that 18 years now 😯 ) I got a letter from them saying

‘thank you for your application to work for [company name] but unfortunately we don’t have a suitable position for you right now, however we will keep your details on record….’

Was once told in feedback that I didn’t get the job because my personality was too strong and while I was well suited to the job I would probably end up dominating my line manager.

An ‘friend’ went for a reasonably high power job, panel I/v as part of it, dawned on him slowly that he had had proper hi jinx funky woop woop time with one of the panel. Was uncomfortable.

colournoise – Member
Another education one.

“You just don’t look like what I think a Head of Department should look like.”

You have a beard? My Dad got turned down for similar to you – the beard was a factor. For his next interview he shaved it off; the main interviewer (of course) had a beard 🙂

Maintenance Electrician in an Aluminium smelter.
Aced the interview and technical tests, offered the job, given a starting date, passed the medical assessment, quit my old job and then got a phone call to say that they were retracting the job offer due to my mild asthma (despite all the lung function tests in my medical being fine!)

Had to go un-quit my old job sharpish!

mrwhyte – Member
I applied for loads of graduate schemes last year of uni- I even applied for Toys R Us graduate scheme- Only to get a letter back stating ‘I was over qualified’. It was a bloody graduate scheme!

I went on some of that, worked there as a student and got put forward for it once I had graduated, absolute joke of a course just as I expected. Left as soon as I got offered a job relevant to my degree.

Is that even legal?

No, it is not. Some fights just not worth having though.

…told I was too young (no longer a problem).

Just after finishing my degree course in IT, I applied for a stop gap job as a data entry clerk. I was turned down on the grounds that I didn’t have sufficient qualifications in information technology 😯

Had a great interview. They liked me, we talked about the assholes at my previous employers ( who they all knew) and we got on really well.
As I left they said ” we’ll be seeing you soon Laurie”.
I pointed out my name was John, and Laurie was someone I worked with (not an asshole though).
I didn’t get the job, Laurie did. I met one of the interview board at a party who confessed it would have been too embarrassing to employ me…

Another education one.

“You just don’t look like what I think a Head of Department should look like.”

My dad used to work for an LEA and had to sit in on interviews for teachers. In one school where they were interviewing for a deputy head there was a too-young, under-experience applicant who hadn’t interviewed well. As the panel were whittling down the selection to decide on who to offer the post to my dad would move the young guy off the centre of the table and the Head would move him back into contention. Others would get moved off the table, the young guy would be moved off again, moved back on by the head and so on.

My dad had to take the Head aside and ask what was going on – it turned out the school had some pretty feisty parents to contend with. You young guy, who the Head had encourage to apply was fairly accomplished , sizeable, rugby player, although the school had a Deputy Head post to fill, what they were effectively trying to do was use that vacancy to recruit was a bouncer.

So perhaps in this instance ‘You just don’t look like what I think a Head of Department should look like’ meant ‘you don’t look like Terry Tate’

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBrYvX5MojQ[/video]

Royal Navy AIB told me I came from

a rough northern town

Why it took three days to suss that out when my home address on the application form gave the game away is beyond me