Trapped in a Catch 22 subjectivity loop

I was interested in Kevin Kerrigan’s letter (Personnel Today, 17 May) about subjectivity in recruitment. I am actively seeking a new position and am amazed at the unprofessional recruitment practices out there.

Over the past year, I have made a number of applications to a major professional services firm for positions on the recruitment team.

When I applied for assistant-level positions I was told that the job was too junior and I would get bored easily; for the officer-level position, I was told that as my career has consisted of a number of fixed- term contracts (not through choice) I am viewed as ‘a risk’. I would not mind if they reached these conclusions after an interview, but they are just assumptions from my CV.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

Email(Required)

OptOut

From time to time, we will send you emails about selected products, events and services from Personnel Today and OHW+ - but you can choose to opt-out at any time. If you do not wish to receive these emails, please tick this box.

Name

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Δ

It is a sad reflection on the recruitment team when they base their decisions on subjectivity and assumptions, rather than proven ability to do the job.

Martin Simpson
Recruitment officer

Don’t undervalue subjective opinions