Frustrating applications
In a career workshop, Hans tells us about a frustrating experience in a job application. “I applied for a postdoc position that was advertised. I was not invited. When I visited the research group’s homepage a few months later, I saw that they didn’t hire anyone!”
It happens surprisingly often that a position is advertised that doesn’t even exist – or that there is someone who will get the position, regardless of how strong the other applicants are. “How can you tell that there is an insider, so you have no chance from the start and could save yourself time?” I ask the group.
The university administration was satisfied: the target of zero applications was achieved through overly specific job description.
I have experienced such a situation myself – from the other side. My own postdoc position was originally planned for 18 months. When I applied for a six-month extension, we had to advertise it officially. Of course, there was no interest in pushing me out of my position.
“How do you think we worded this job advertisement to save ourselves and the applicants time?” I rephrase my previous question. “I would phrase it so specifically that only you would fit it,” Josh replies. That’s exactly how it went: In the job advertisement, we asked for experience in the field of my doctorate that had nothing to do with the postdoc and also for fluency in German. The university administration was satisfied: the target of zero applications was achieved through overly specific job description.
“How should I deal with it if I don’t get any response from the employers?” asks Urzula. ‘Don’t get upset’ is easy to say here. However, if we understand why we sometimes don’t get a response, then some of our anger will disappear. Of course, sloppiness or even disrespect can lead to us not getting a response. The most common reason, however, is legal: If the employer gives a reason for rejecting you, there is always a risk because you could try to read a form of discrimination into the arguments for the rejection.
The application process can demand a lot of patience from us. If you understand the employer’s motivations, you can avoid frustration or at least frame it in a way that doesn’t get you down.
This article was first published in Nachrichten aus der Chemie (issue 10-2024). See here the German original.
If you´re interested in the tricks in the application process, you might be interested in our workshop Job application and interview strategies.