Job/staff/interview nightmare!!!!

[tizer]

Am I on my own or is anyone else having a nightmare trying to find staff? Recently I have had 2 positons of part time grooms available and from the 7 people who applied, 2 failed to return to my request for a C.V! one didn't even turn up for her interview, one got offered another job and took it before interview, one was late for interview and lied! ones car died so couldn't get to interview, one came to interview and then emailed to say she couldn't get child care after all and one is on a weeks trial! The job is just a simple part time Mon - Fri 8-12 job, but what a nightmare trying to fill it!
Is anyone else having trouble?

 

[littlemisslauren]

Yes we had a full time position advertised since march. We had plenty of applications from completely unsuitable people, several failed interviews and one girl starting and leaving within a month for another job with more money.

Have you got any equine colleges close to you? The staff may be able to suggest ex students / current ones or spread the word about your vacancy?

 

[Tickles]

I hate to say it but in this climate there are two good reasons why you may not have much success...

1) If people are in a job they are feeling lucky to have it and nto wanting to take the risk of moving somewhere new where they don't feel as secure

2) The role you're offering just isn't that attractive/advertised in the right places. Have you considered things like... travel costs/options to your location (would 1 full-time person make more sense than 2 part time?), career progression or favourable terms & conditions (what is it that would make someone want to, forgive my french, shovel your horse's **** compared to any other horse's? Could you adjust the times to fit around someone's availabel childcare/college commitments etc?).

 

[tizer]

Thanks for the reply Tickles, in response, the government keep telling us there is massive unemployment and all of the people who applied didn't have jobs! My yard is next to a main road with bus transport, 1 full time person couldn't do the work. The yard is indoor, heated tack room with TV to watch whilst cleaning tack, always chocolate there too! I am just shocked at peoples attitude, like turning up late to an interview, lying that they had spoken to me to tell me they were running late!!! (um my phone never even rang)! Not turning up to an interview and not letting me know! etc. etc. Is it me or is there a certain amount of decorum missing!!!!

 

[sprite1978]

Could you change the times to 9-1pm? It might make it an atractive offer to someone who has kids. Is this a minimium wage job? TBH, some people need a full time job, and part time pay just isnt worth taking. If it is minimum wage, then its going to be just over £100 per week, for 5 days of hard work and early mornings. Not an attractive option for me.

 

[starbar]

The yard is indoor, heated tack room with TV to watch whilst cleaning tack, always chocolate there too!

Where are you...I'll do it!

 

[phoebeast]

Where are you based? I would gladly take a job.

 

[Kaylum]

Yes we are wondering whats happened here as well we have advertised a job 3 times now which is well paid in IT and have had a couple of applicants who live in india.

People have got lazy into thinking everyone is going to go for the job so its not worth going for. We have even taken off some of the requirements but still no takers.

 

[fatpiggy]

You only have to look into the average school to see this starting. Kids can't get up on time (parents, hello where are you?), sloppy late homework, gobby attitude followed by hissy fits if they are told they are wrong, (parents again), not prepared to work hard and work their way up, happier to sit on their backsides and claim jobseekers (not exactly seeking work of course though) and only interested in their mobile phones and their social life. When I finished my A-levels and was waiting to go to Uni, my mother told me in no uncertain terms she wasn't having me unemployed and on the social in her house and I found a backbreaking but enjoyable job (minimum wage of course) at a local organic fruit and veg farm. I started it the day after my last exam so no nice break for me! I also had to give most of my earnings to mum for my board and lodgings and had just a few quid left for myself (although she gave it all back to me when I went up to Uni - thanks Mum!). i work at a traditional redbrick Uni with an excellent reputation and you wouldn't believe what you hear coming out of students mouths. Abuse of menial staff is par for the course - one colleague was told by a group of students that he had no right to be in the same lift as them with his trolley of purchased consumables being moved upstairs. He asked them what course they were doing then pointed out that this was in fact his second job and that as he already had a BA in education, social work qualifications and a well paid job in the community he was in fact rather better qualified them then already and to come and see him again when they had graduated, but in the meantime they were just spoiled little gobs***tes - nice one!

And then people wonder why all the jobs go to smart, intelligent, well educated and keen workers from Poland and the like.

 

[Kaylum]

You only have to look into the average school to see this starting. Kids can't get up on time (parents, hello where are you?), sloppy late homework, gobby attitude followed by hissy fits if they are told they are wrong, (parents again), not prepared to work hard and work their way up, happier to sit on their backsides and claim jobseekers (not exactly seeking work of course though) and only interested in their mobile phones and their social life. When I finished my A-levels and was waiting to go to Uni, my mother told me in no uncertain terms she wasn't having me unemployed and on the social in her house and I found a backbreaking but enjoyable job (minimum wage of course) at a local organic fruit and veg farm. I started it the day after my last exam so no nice break for me! I also had to give most of my earnings to mum for my board and lodgings and had just a few quid left for myself (although she gave it all back to me when I went up to Uni - thanks Mum!). i work at a traditional redbrick Uni with an excellent reputation and you wouldn't believe what you hear coming out of students mouths. Abuse of menial staff is par for the course - one colleague was told by a group of students that he had no right to be in the same lift as them with his trolley of purchased consumables being moved upstairs. He asked them what course they were doing then pointed out that this was in fact his second job and that as he already had a BA in education, social work qualifications and a well paid job in the community he was in fact rather better qualified them then already and to come and see him again when they had graduated, but in the meantime they were just spoiled little gobs***tes - nice one!

And then people wonder why all the jobs go to smart, intelligent, well educated and keen workers from Poland and the like.

Agree with this. They dont think they have to work because they dont. Bring back Youth training schemes for 3 years.

 

[Gamebird]

If it is minimum wage, then its going to be just over £100 per week, for 5 days of hard work and early mornings. Not an attractive option for me.

I appreciate your point about 9-1 being better for people who have kids to take to school but I'm afraid the rest of your post typifies why the OP can't fill her position.

4 hours a day is not 5 days of hard work - 10 hour shifts are hard work. 8am is hardly an early start, especially in the horse industry. Plenty of people start work on yards at 6.30. I've never had a job on a yard which started later than 7.30am.

If I were out of work I'd much rather get off my behind and take £100/week for 20 hours (though it must be more than that as that is below min wage) than stay in bed and take a State handout. It IS a part time job but it's an entry on your CV and at the very least shows future employers that you've taken the effort to do something. Plus you've got all afternoon/evening free to take another job to up the money a bit.

Sorry OP, but as long as there are people who think like that I'm afraid you're going to have trouble finding an employee.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Could you change the times to 9-1pm? It might make it an atractive offer to someone who has kids. Is this a minimium wage job? TBH, some people need a full time job, and part time pay just isnt worth taking. If it is minimum wage, then its going to be just over £100 per week, for 5 days of hard work and early mornings. Not an attractive option for me.

9.00 - 1.00 may make it more attractive to someone who has children to drop off at school however if there is a partricular reason you need them there at 8.00 then obviously you can't alter the hours.

"Just over £100 per week for 5 days hard work & early mornings"??? It's only 4 hours a day for Christ sake & getting in to work for 8.00am isn't early!!! I can't understand why you aren't getting someone who wants a little part time work, this should suit many down to the ground.

Don't give up, you'll find someone ideal for the job at some point.

(GAMEBIRD, honestly I didn't copy your post.....I suppose great minds think a like!!!)

 

[tizer]

Wow, real people who think like I do! It is infact paid just over minimum wage, I bend over backwards to alter the amount of day that people want to work so they don't loose their benefits!!!!! but at the end of the day I am running a business and I work for a lot less than minimum wage, last weekend when one of my livery horses was very ill, I didn't blink at working 15 hour days. I do feel that perhaps the government pay people a little to much to sit at home and watch Jeremy Kyle. I had my first job when I was 13 and old enough to work part time, I have never claimed a penny I have only ever earn't it. When I had finished my time at Huntley School of Equitation, I felt I needed to learn more about young horses before I came home, so I worked for NO PAY! for 3 months and lived in a mobile home with no heating during the winter and slept on a colapsable kitchen table to get the experiance I felt I needed. Yes that is 3 whole months of no pay for 3 whole months of 6 day week working and I loved it, I learnt a huge amount it was fabulous. This is a hard industry but I am offering a good little job and I am not even in the sticks i'm only 3 miles from the centre of Bristol!
Thank you to all of you who have posted back.

 

[Silent Knight]

I've had the same problems and I offered training on the job. It's a sad fact that a lot of people are unemployable because of their work ethic not abilty

 

[Calcyle]

Just to say I think it's a great shame you're not me - at any point in the past year and a half I would've done nearly anything for that job - it's pretty much exactly the kind of thing I've been looking for, but no one near me has offered anything remotely similar. Good luck finding someone, I'm absolutely stunned you've struggled so far. I just don't understand most people!

 

[PoppyAnderson]

It's a sad fact that a lot of people are unemployable because of their work ethic not abilty

and isn't that the case. tell them to cut their hair, take all the metalwork out of their ears, lips, face etc, get a wash, pull their pants up from around their knees, stop talking like a wannabe gangsta, stop being a lazy goodfornothing oh, and stop their benefits - I think this may just turn a lot of people from unemployable to miraculously employable overnight.

 

[Mancha]

It's a shame you're not nearer me, it sounds ideal! I promise i'd turn up for an interview aswell
There are definately people out there who'll be suitable, but like anything there's plenty that aren't and there does have to be a certain amount of sorting through them all!

 

[OWLIE185]

I am afraid to say that with the present work culture you are going to have to up the salary if you want to find someone.

 

[sprite1978]

9.00 - 1.00 may make it more attractive to someone who has children to drop off at school however if there is a partricular reason you need them there at 8.00 then obviously you can't alter the hours.

"Just over £100 per week for 5 days hard work & early mornings"??? It's only 4 hours a day for Christ sake & getting in to work for 8.00am isn't early!!! I can't understand why you aren't getting someone who wants a little part time work, this should suit many down to the ground.

Don't give up, you'll find someone ideal for the job at some point.

(GAMEBIRD, honestly I didn't copy your post.....I suppose great minds think a like!!!)

I probably didnt word my thoughts as i should. - I agree that there are jobs out there when people are willing to work. With that in mind, I would prefer to do any job where i could do full time hours and get more wages in return for it. Rather than going to work for 5 mornings, which would often leave the rest of each day unproductive. unless you are lucky enough to findanother part time job which fits in well.

FTR - I often start earlier than 7am, and work until 6pm! -

 

[SonnysHumanSlave]

I would do it, agree though if you changed it to 9-1pm you would have millions of applications.
Sounds like you've had some right numpties.

 

[Serephin]

Yup, and I don't think it is a new thing either, its just far worse now - 10 years ago we were trying to fill an administrative role - all of the people that turned up were no good, but some of them left us with our mouths dropped open at that things they said in an interview, their attitudes etc. After the last one had gone I turned to my OH and said, well I'll do it then!!

We have had youngsters more recently and they have been horrendous, think they know everything, incapable of walking without dragging their feet, resent being asked to do anything, gobby, I could go on. Wouldn't touch one with a barge pole now, although some of the older ones are no better.

 

[whiteclover]

I'd do it if you were nearer me. Ive got 2 interviews this week. I should go off now and rehearse my answers.

 

[Onyxia]

My first job was as a working pupil, I did 7am to 7pm, hour for lunch (which almost always ended up taken in office answering the phone) and 30 mins for breakfast and I worked six day weeks.
While it was extremly rewarding, it wass hard work. A half day five days a week is a very nice job!


OP, can I ask what age the group the problem candidates were?
I keep getting told I am too old for a WP job now (cheek! Not even 30 untill the summer ) and won't get a place anywhere
I hope it's just a few people being odd, I would have thought someone who has been there, shoveled that and still wants to do the job would be a good prospect!

 

[pinklilly]

I wish the job was near me! 8 am is perfectly do-able, most schools have breakfast clubs or childminders will take kids to school. Try starting work at 4.30 am when you have a 3 year old child, that's when grandparents are useful.

 

[ischa]

There are people out there myself has been looking and due to kids can only do part times 9-2
As someone has said maybe do times abit later for mums
Also discripted job propley and what's involved and offered
I traveled just Under a hr yesterday both there and back to
Go for a meeting about a part time job which was suppose to have been mucking out et she
forgot to mention it wasn't for mucking out it was for painting of fencing , mending fencing , poo picking for 22 acres making feeds for 22 horses for 2 hr aday for £10 a day
I was not impressed

 

[horsesatemymoney]

I don't think this is just the horse industry- I do some odd weekend work, in a factory, when they need staff- min wage, packing clothes into boxes, perfect (I think!) fir students like me....but the agency can't find people to work there, for love nor money, at weekends!

 

[sprite1978]

After the last one had gone I turned to my OH and said, well I'll do it then!!

I hope he interviewed you

 

[PoppyAnderson]

Some people need to learn to string a coherent sentence together first, otherwise the real world of work will never want them.

 

[sprite1978]

Some people need to learn to string a coherent sentence together first,

That applies to this forum sometimes...

 

[jhoward]

op slight different take and may not be doable

i work the same kind of hours as you advertise, i get paid MW but i also get 2 round bales of straw and 2 round bales of hayledge a month. as well as bottles of wine and normally over payment hehe