Job Discussion Forums

[basiltherat]

I think this is fair comment. Anyone have any differing views or why it should not be sent in reply to those 3-line job ads.

Dear Sir / Madam,

I refer to you advertisement on xxx.net in which you state your need for an English language trainer.

At this time I wish to show tentative interest in the position.Tentative because the information in the advertisement was insufficient for me to be certain. Details about the position such as working hours, contact hours, accommodation arrangements, flight costs, types of classes, course types etc and especially salary, or at least a salary range, were totally lacking.

I am certain you would not like to have to wade through piles of CVs, the contents of which do not meet your requirements simply becaiuse you have failed to supply sufficient details about the position in your ad but would rather receive applications only from those who have themselves already ascertained by knowing these details upfront that they could or are qualified and adequately experienced to do the work competently and feel their worth fairly rewarded.

As such, once you have provided me with details such as those outlined above by return email, I may or may not formally apply by sending you my CV.

In the meantime, I thank you for you attention and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best
Ben

[MarkM]

I agree that not enough info is given in many ads. Advertisers do this for a reason. They just want to arouse interest at this stage. Your message is confrontational, which is not a good look for an initial contact. Most advertisers would just ignore a message like that. If you really want more information, just ask for it. You will also maximise your chances of getting a response by providing some background info about yourself.

Thats my 2cents worth, anyway .

[johnslat]

Dear basiltherat,

Unless you have a lot of time on your hands, why bother? Just ignore them.

You can bet that your message will fall upon deaf ears, anyway.

Regards,
John

[Glenski]

Bad as a 3-line ad is, I don't agree that sending such a letter will accomplish anything.

Even if they do realize how weak their ad was, do you think they would want someone to work for them with such an attitude in a request for information?

[AGoodStory]

Years ago I had the notion that I could single-handedly raise the abysmal wages many employers in my area were getting away with paying. I sent in cv's, or called about ads for jobs I had absolutely no interest in. When the salary was disclosed, I would profess great surprise that the employer expected to find someone to work for such stingy wages. "It sounds like an interesting position, but, of course, I couldn't possibly accept that salary." Or, "How much was that again? Surely you don't mean per MONTH?" Or, "Have you really had applicants willing to work for that amount?"

For reasons no longer clear to me, it seemed a worthwhile endeavor at the time, and it was highly entertaining! Your letter reminded me of this, and I just assumed you weren't really interested in the position, just trying to give the employer a little eye-opener. I think they would need to get many such responses before they'd get the message, however. (And I always thought that if I could have rounded up a few dozen "job applicants," each responding to several ads per week, we could have made employers in a particular area think twice about offering laughable wages.)

[basiltherat]

I appreciate all comments made; in particular those which are critical of the letter.

While fully realizing that the recipient will most likely read it, shrug their shoulders and dispose of it into the trash, I think it puts across a point and may, perhaps in the minority of cases, be some food for thought for just a few of those DOSs or such like out there who just might see the point of posting more detailed ads.

In respect to tone and attitude, it was meant to be critical with an element of disrespect because what could be more disrespectful than a company encouraging people to apply for a position while knowing full well that many of them would be spiked because they do not fulfill the company's requirements; not because people applied for a job they knew they would never be considered for but simply because the applicant had no idea what the requirements and offer comprised of.

These people have probably spent a good hour or more on composing a covering letter, scanning documents, updating and checking their CVs etc only to be told (if they receive a reply at all) that they cannot be considered because, for example, their qualifications are not sufficient or they do not have sufficient experience or are not suitable for the types of courses the company runs or even, God forbid, and as in my case, that I was over the age limit. Now, IMHO, that is showing the height of disrespect.

Why not simply ask for the details, you say ? I agree; this is sensible but why should this be necessary. Applying for jobs is not a cat and mouse game where the party who gets the other side's details first is the winner.

Companies should be upfront about their vacancies; giving full details of what the requirements are and what the offer is. Pehaps ,then, we can all apply for jobs that we stand at least a reasonable chance of being considered and accepted for.

Here endeth my rant.

Best
Basil

[Glenski]

[JimJam]

[gaijinalways]

I'm going to play devil's advocate for a moment here. Some good jobs in Japan don't advertise the salary. I had one interview where they didn't give that info even at the interview!

Still want to give them a miss?

[MarkM]

With entry level jobs, you often get all the details up front. But with more specialised or senior jobs, conditions and pay are usually negotiable. You can't expect employers to put all their cards on the table before they have even met or spoken with you.

[fluffyhamster]

I think it should've been obvious that Basil's letter was meant as a slightly disrespectful pointer (and the disrespect is I feel warranted in such cases) rather than a genuine inquiry. (But hey, if you're really going for the job(s) Basil, then I wish you the very best of luck! ).

Anyway, my tuppence for the crusade (bold is a word or punctuation change, underline is an addition, square brackets a potential deletion):

[Trinley]

Hopefully you realize that no one would reply to this irritated letter with helpful information, so I gather that you're not really interested in the job. It seems that you're just trying to make a point, right? So are you going to spend your time sending this letter to each and every employer whose ad is not to your liking in the hopes that you will eventually reach them all and solve the problem of poorly written job ads once and for all? I suggest you just take a deep breath and move on to the next job ad.