Evaluation of job applications, 2012 to 2015

In my previous post I mentioned I got a job with FRISS on 23 June 2015. After a trial period, I received an annual contract, my first one ever. I’ll be eternally grateful to FRISS for pulling me out of the financial insecurity and uncertainty with my temporary contract at OGD. Before that, I had applied for plenty of other jobs since my graduation in August 2012. Let’s review these job applications.

The kind of jobs I applied for was highly variable. To mention some recurring categories: traineeships (management, IT, financial and other), consultant (often IT), policy advisor, PhD’s in Public Administration, personal assistant to politicians, service desk employee, service manager, service level manager, service delivery manager.

I’ve made an spreadsheet to keep track of all my job applications with application dates, deadlines and response dates. I’ve also listed the results of my efforts. I think I’ve tracked almost all job applications, perhaps not the earliest. So let’s see the statistics.

In approximately three years I applied for 106 jobs. Of these 11 were open applications (not aimed at a specific vacancy). During 8 application procedures I had to take an assessment: for 5 assessments I failed, for 3 I succeeded. The applications resulted in 19 job interviews (a share of 18% of the total).

Some of the job application procedures also included inhouse days. On these days you participate with other applicants in a program which might include visits to customers of the company or an introduction to company by its employees. Even though it didn’t get a job with these companies, I generally have positive memories about these events. EVG Start, a company training employees for posting at IT companies, is a good example. They had an inhouse day at a data center and a useful exercise on presentation skills.

Unfortunately, there are more companies which treat job applicants like trash. TOPdesk for example. The job interview I had with them was my second since I graduated. Due to a combination of inexperience and nerves I botched the interview. As I expected, I was not accepted for the job. Yet, when I applied a year later for a totally different job posting, I was told they would not consider my application because I had not made a good impression a year ago. In my reply I acknowledged that I had not made a good impression then and appealed to the possibility that people can change, especially after a year, but they would not have any of it. TOPdesk was my only experience with an HR department which brands you for life.

The most ridiculous and downright stupid attitude was shown by the HR employees of KPN. When I applied for their management traineeship which required an academic master’s degree, I was told they only accepted candidates who possess a VWO secondary education degree. No consideration was giving to the fact that my academic achievements were above average. In the Netherlands, VWO gives access to university. I took a different route and got a HAVO secondary education degree, then went to a university of applied science, then to a university. Whether you have HAVO or VWO degrees doesn’t matter, a master’s degree from a university is the same end result for everyone. This was too difficult for KPN’s HR department to comprehend. I was infuriated. If I was not good enough for KPN, I decided they were not good enough for me. I quickly canceled my mobile network and internet subscriptions with KPN’s subsidiary companies. They will never receive another cent from me.

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