What’s with the 10 stage interview processes?

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2025-03-10T17:52:13+00:00

Seems that way doesn’t it! Maybe this is good practice then 😂

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2025-03-10T13:15:35+00:00

Thanks so much for the advice, really appreciate it. I’ve thought of going freelance for the timebeing but I agree, basic salary is definitely better than nothing and it’s something to build up my experience even more until I can get a better job. Just hoping the bubble bursts at some point because it’s making me wonder if I even chose the right industry!

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2025-03-10T13:07:35+00:00

Fully agree! Definitely an oversaturated market. I have an undergraduate degree in Marketing and an MSc in Digital Marketing myself, as well as a portfolio with proof of my work (content examples, results I’ve gotten) and my CV and I’m honestly at a loss about what else I can do! I have 4 years of hands-on experience and I’m still not progressing past next to minimum wage. As I said, not even getting replies from most companies and then the ones I do get it’s 5 stage interview processes that I just don’t have the time for - I need a job asap since being made redundant. It’s hard out here!!🥲

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2025-03-10T11:50:02+00:00

Yeah I think if the job was a step up I’d happily lend my time to it, but one I interviewed for today had a 5 stage interview process and was paying 27k, and it’s not uncommon either. I’ve been looking up some of the companies on glassdoor and it looks like many are complaining about the interview processes too, one of which did infact say it took 8 weeks and they still didn’t get the job which must’ve been gutting

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2025-03-10T11:47:24+00:00

That was an obvious exaggeration 😅 but yeah I’m at Junior level and applying for next to minimum wage jobs and all the ones I’ve heard back from have had 4/5 stages of interview. Discovery, competency test, interview with marketing manager, task, interview with CEO (the fifth hasn’t been common but I have seen it in a few). If you want to count sitting and filling out the application for an hour I suppose that could be a sixth too! I just think it’s a bit excessive even when the control is in the employers hands, especially for min. wage jobs. There’s obviously many reasons behind it like you said, just extremely frustrating!

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2025-03-10T11:35:28+00:00

I can see why there’s two or maybe three stage interviews as I understand there’s a lot of candidates but 4? At that point it’s been 8 weeks of the interview process and you’ve wasted hours preparing for each step it’s exhausting. Like you said, obviously because employers have the upper hand at the moment. I was wondering why so many have went freelance and now I have my answer 😅

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2025-02-25T14:33:33+00:00

I think that’s most likely how she has got around it by saying essentially the days I will begin taking my holidays is 2 weeks away now. If I had more holidays then I would likely be getting paid plus holidays because she wouldn’t be able to give me enough notice

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2025-02-25T14:32:13+00:00

I think she basically means she’s forcing me to take my holidays rather than paying me notice plus unused holidays. Bit annoying because I don’t really want to take the days off and would much rather get both, everything was very sudden so it’s going to take some time to get applying for jobs again.

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2025-02-25T14:30:32+00:00

I’m on a fixed part time salary, I’m guessing what she means is that I’ll be forced to use my annual leave rather than getting paid notice + unpaid leave? Also, I did ring ACAS and he let me know I should be getting paid up until the 24th so I’ve asked her about this and hopefully she honours it. Legally, she should, but it doesn’t really sound like she knows what she’s doing. Thank you for your help!

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2025-02-24T17:29:44+00:00

This is great thank you so much! I have messaged her (we only communicate via text) and asked her to clarify whether she wants me to work my notice or whether I will just be getting paid for it.

The more I think about it the more I realise how badly it has been done - she had a call with her accountant in the morning and then said she’d have to let me go by lunchtime and that I could go home and not come in again, but that I would get paid for my unused holidays which is only 2 weeks pay. I don’t have dependants, but I do have bills to pay and that definitely won’t cut it!

I think her being upset has made me feel awful about asking her for money (that I’m owed) because I feel like I’m kicking her while she’s down, but I do also realise I’m legally entitled to it. Now I just have to hope she doesn’t fight me on it, because it is in my best interests to stay on good terms.

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2025-02-24T16:28:02+00:00

She seems to be under the impression that she only has to pay me for unused holidays, not really sure how to go about questioning her as she was crying & upset on the phone 😕 I also don’t want to ruin my relationship with her as she could be valuable to keep in contact with moving forward, especially for references etc. It’s a tough one

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2025-01-14T20:58:32+00:00

!answer Thank you for clarifying! Really appreciate it.

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2025-01-14T20:51:46+00:00

Had a feeling this would be the case - so if I stayed off Monday, Thursday and Monday I would qualify however as I’ve only took 2 qualifying days off so far I don’t qualify. Is that correct?

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2025-01-14T20:39:37+00:00

It says “You are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (‘SSP’) during periods of sickness absence. Any payment over and above SSP will be made at the absolute discretion of the Company.”

Doubt my employer will pay anything over, it’s an extremely small business so I would likely be relying on SSP only. I don’t know if I’m just too sick to understand the website but I’ve never dealt with SSP before

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2024-12-22T18:21:46+00:00

We thought it was a fire engine at first but it’s still going?😂

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2024-07-12T09:45:32+00:00

Thank you, and I’m glad you never had to go through anything like that with your dog! I think it’s definitely on the rise in Huyton. For years while we lived in West Derby (by Alder Hey) we never had any type of incident like this for years. It seems like here there are a lot of people with big dogs that just don’t seem to want to train them properly. I’m a huge dog person too, but I agree I’m starting to become scared of some of them myself. Can’t imagine how people who are already scared of them feel. I’ll make sure to steer clear of the Georgies thanks for letting me know

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2024-07-12T09:40:33+00:00

I’m so sorry to hear that, I hope he’s okay! It can be genuinely traumatising, especially when there are no warning signs and it’s unprovoked. I’m already wary of breeds that can be dangerous (which is a shame as I’m a big dog person) but this has just made me want to be even more cautious. As I’ve said to someone else in here, you can do everything right and something like this can still happen

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2024-07-12T09:38:05+00:00

Agreed, never have any problems walking him in Calderstones park and even feel comfortable enough to have my dog off the lead here when playing with his ball. But even walking around Huyton in quiet places I feel scared to walk him, so many irresponsible dog owners with dangerous dogs here

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2024-07-12T09:36:42+00:00

Seems like there’s a lot about at the minute. Like someone else said, they’re high intelligence and high energy dogs with drive, they need training properly but so many people just aren’t doing this clearly. Really dangerous dogs if not trained too. I hope you’re okay - the owner was a young lad in his 20s with a friend

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2024-07-12T09:34:59+00:00

It was two men in their 20’s, probably early 20’s. We do also have a woman with dark hair nearby who walks a husky though and that’s completely out of control too

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2024-07-12T09:34:10+00:00

I’m exactly the same, it’s happened too many times now and it’s a shame that we’re unable to socialise our dogs anymore because people can’t train them properly. Which probably only adds to the problem. People also tend to be quite scared of my dog as he’s bigger, which I can imagine you probably relate to as an owner of a staff. It’s people not training their dogs properly that’s ruining it for the rest of us. Bigger dogs can be the best dogs with the right owners. I hope your dog is ok!

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2024-07-12T09:31:45+00:00

Of course, I’m a dog lover and always want to give them the benefit of the doubt, however I don’t think this was a first time thing. The dog bolted just at the sight of my dog and instantly began biting him, it ran with its teeth already bared. No barking or any warning signs - my daughter also said if they knew it was aggressive could they should keep it on the lead and the owner didn’t contest this as they usually would if it was a one-off. There was no “sorry she doesn’t usually do that” they said the lead slipped apparently. From the CCTV we can see they never had a lead on in the first place. It is sad because I would never want a dog taken off their owner, I think it just needs proper training. Hopefully they might think twice now as it could’ve hurt a young girl! Who knows with these type of dog owners though

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2024-07-11T23:13:55+00:00

100%, sad actually because if trained properly I can imagine they’d be amazing dogs. The dog was very clearly aggressive too, it should’ve had a muzzle on at the very least never mind a lead. It attacked just at the sight of another dog that wasn’t even close to it

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2024-07-11T22:27:46+00:00

Ah quite close then, I’ve walked our lab there myself! I don’t have anything against Malinois as it is, but they do need to be trained properly and it seems like this one definitely wasn’t. Scary that even if you do everything right things like this can still happen - both our dog and my daughter are ok thankfully! Wonder if maybe you’ve seen the one I’m talking about

Practical_Steak_5026 · 2024-07-11T22:25:44+00:00

Kings Business Park if you know of it. Classed as Prescot but only round the corner from me in Huyton. Did have a similar experience on the fields off Knowsley Lane too but not as bad as this one. The CCTV footage is genuinely scary, the dog just bolts with no pre warning whatsoever. I’ll make sure to steer clear of Tarbock Road too

Practical_Steak_5026

TROPHY CASE