Students and weekend job interviews.

I didn't have to like it. It gave me some money and I did the job well.

If you are only looking for a Saturday job, while at school, it is unlikely that you want a career in it. My first job was clearing tables in a chain store restaurant- I loathed it.

These multinationals - Macdonalds comes to mind - often claim they offer career prospects. If that's true, putting the casual labour through a demanding selection process makes sense. Then if a better job comes up, they already know the quality of the people doing the menial stuff. And if it's a job where you meet members of the public, it doesn't matter how low down the hierarchy you are, you can do a lot of damage by being rude or disobliging.

Student rep counts too. It all adds up.

That's true soontobe, I hadn't thought of that. He is the student rep for his course too, so that should count for something.

In his final years at school he was shown some wacky tests. For example, building a tower as high as possible with straws. As (like his father) he is an engineering musician, he had no trouble at all with that one, as apparently they were looking for logical, creative independent thinkers.

riverwalk yes they were and plenty of GPs too.

As I'm job seeking this so depressing - I'm not sure I could even begin some of these wacky tests.....

There will be people at the university that can give references.

Can he get a job in the university shop?
That is what one of my sons did. They are open for many hours, and know that students can only put their names down for a number of shifts. So several students are needed to help keep it going.

I didn't see any such implication?

DS spent weeks trailing around shops trying to get a weekend job. Now he take little one-offs advertised by the university, such as a couple of weeks ago he was a marshall for a half marathon. I worry because he isn't managing to build up any kind of job experience, or future referees.

Are you suggesting that these tests are designed to screen out people who have a mental health condition and thereby discriminate against them or that people living with mental health conditions are not suitable to work in and environment where they will come into contact with the public and therefore need to be screened out?

It seems a bit ridiculous to me and I would find it quite humiliating. I have some sympathy with the lady who stormed off.

Ah I thought you were talking about the OP riverwalk, apologies.

I am sure that a quick chat would be enough to know whether someone could stack shelves one day a week.

I'm confused Jess by your reference to mental illness - I certainly didn't mention mental illness.

Teetime is a former nurse and I understood from her post that her exercises were for existing NHS staff on training courses, not for applicants to stack shelves at Asda.

I was betting that no NHS Medical Consultants, you know those people who are at the top of the food chain in the NHS, were made to disco dance or play with spaghetti.

medical riverwalk they are not trying to screen for mental illness are they?
I think these tasks are set because everyone knows that interviews are really not much good at predicting success in a job. (just how good you are at interviews) and then someone in HR comes up with a home grown "test" that is cheap to administer.
A more scientific approach would be to use a reputable personality profile but that is quite expensive and probably overkill for self stacking.

I bet no medical consultants were involved in these exercises Teetime.

I should also say I have frequently been the 'dick with the clipboard' on many occasions and seen many people develop their skills as a result of such training exercises.

Apparently they had already been tested on using their initiative by being asked to check shelf displays by making sure all labels were facing the right way etc. Some objects had obviously been placed there to see how the applicants dealt with them like a couple of discarded boxes on the floor, bits of cellophane wrapper shoved between items etc.

They were obviously being watched to see who picked up the boxes and put them in a safe place and removed any untidy debris from the shelves.

A worthwhile exercise I would think so why not leave it at that?

Not a dance but these kinds of 'management challenges' are continually set on training and development courses for all kinds of professionals and high flyers. I've had to build lego towers, a raft across a lake, abseil down a cliff as well as numerous tough interviews with people like the ones Alan Sugar has interviewing his apprentices not for a new job but for keeping the I already had - but that's the joy of the modern NHS for you.

I agree Gill - there must be less demeaning ways of finding out who is likely to be a good team-player.

Professionals and high-flyers are not given spaghetti and marshmallows to play with, or expected to perform a dance.

and yes Iam it does sound like something out of Alice in Wonderland, surreal alternative universe. When will this madness end?

I still don't understand why some dick with a clipboard, setting pointless tasks is a good or valuable thing to do.

That is the trouble. It is not just qualifications that some people lack. They lack vital social skills too.

I dont quite understand what you mean by social experience.

Life is hard for these people.

What happens to the people who lack social skills, have little social experience and no chance of competing with bright 6th formers who are likely to have more of both these assets.

Oh yes, on the dole and demonised, sanctioned if they're late or miss an appointment at the job centre or fail to apply for a million impossible jobs before breakfast - no housing benefit for under 25's, bedroom tax imposed on the dad they spend half the week with and who is also desperately applying for jobs. One dad I know found himself self employed as an events organiser after a recent appointment at the job centre. It's like living in Alice in Wonderland. He's no more chance of succeeding than I have of becoming a brain surgeon. That chap has lived in his 2 bed place for 20 years plus, had two children to live with him half the week throughout most of that time. He's now being charged the bedroom tax because the young people live at their mothers home for the purposes of housing benefit allocation.

I apologise for having moved this thread away from its original point merlotgran. I can see the positives for the employer in this kind of interview, but feel so sorry for individuals who would find the process truly terrifying

My daughter used to continually swing from side to side trying to look at everyone, until someone kindly pointed out her mistake!