'NO ONE WANTS TO HIRE MY CLEVER DAUGHTER'
Roby Leung
daughter is an Oxford graduate with a business degree and is bilingual
in French. She works in marketing for a small company but is looking
for something better. She has applied for 20 jobs and has had many
interviews but keeps getting rejected. She has asked why and was told
by an internet search engine that they were "not obliged to give
feedback". A PR company said she was "very bright" but not
"truly committed to a career in PR". Is there any point in asking
for reasons? And what can be done to get her a job?
LUCY KELLAWAY: THE ANSWER
No, there is no point in asking for feedback. Most interviewers can't
or won't explain their decisions, and why should they? They are not
running a careers advice service and giving reasons simply invites
future lawsuits.
In any case, your daughter has already found out what she needs to
know. She didn't get the job because she failed to act as if she was
gagging for a career in PR. The reason, no doubt, is that she wasn't
gagging for such a career. She is a clever girl and doesn't know if she
will like PR for the good reason that she hasn't tried it.
Such ambivalence may be sensible, but getting a job doesn't involve
sense. It involves looking about 1,000 times keener than you actually
are. Before her next interview she should find out as much as she can
about the job and the company. This will put her far ahead of most
candidates - who can't even be bothered to check the website.
She would also do well to get a trusted friend to give her a dummy
interview and tell her some home truths about how she comes across. If
she can do this, a brilliant future awaits. I couldn't contemplate
doing such an exposing thing myself, and I'm twice her age.
Some readers have suggested that your daughter's real problem is that
she has a pushy mother who writes in on her behalf. I don't think
you're necessarily pushy: it's horrid to watch your child fail, and the
older the child the worse, as there is little you can do.
My guess is you wrote for a simpler reason: you read the FT and she
doesn't. In which case, get her a subscription. Even if she doesn't
actually read it, a folded pink paper sticking out of her bag is a nice
fashion accessory.
OUBLIEZ FRAN?AIS
First, forget about the French - it has not been a serious business
advantage since the 19th century. Second, 20 applications is nothing.
What sort of hit rate do you expect? Third, the fact that you are
writing on your daughter's behalf suggests that she lacks the extrovert
personality required for PR.
Fund manager, male, 40s
PUSHY MOTHER
Why doesn't she want to stay in her current job? Why is she looking for
something better? Could it be parental pressure?
Central banker, male, 36
OXBRIDGE ARROGANCE
As an employer, I get lots of these candidates. They are bright but
give me the feeling that they'll leave when something better comes
along. I never offer a job to anyone who implicitly assumes our jobs
are generic enough to be done by anyone with a 2:1 from a top
university.
Entrepreneur, male, 37
STOP LOOKING
I graduated from Cambridge 23 years ago and took much too long to
realise that Oxbridge doesn't fit you for jobs in most organisations.
It's not part of the programme to produce people who fit in, and we
make other people nervous. Your daughter should stop applying for jobs.
She should work independently as a freelancer or consultant. The
working relationship is more congenial and the rewards are higher.
Consultant, male, 44
IN THE SAME BOAT
This sounds familiar. I am bilingual in Russian and English, an
accountant and a graduate of Oxford's Sa?d Business School. I have an
MSc and an MBA. I have spent three years applying to every investment
bank in London, Moscow and New York. Still nothing.
Clerk, female, 29
WHAT DOES SHE WANT?
Twenty jobs... search engine... PR company: I don't think she knows
what she wants to do. In my - occasionally bitter - experience,
companies can spot this a mile off. She needs some decent analysis of
what she wants and a trip to the careers service. It worked wonders for
me.
Oxford grad, female, 24
A JOB OFFER
She sounds just the ticket for a role I am looking to fill in my small
venture capital business. How about it?
Entrepreneur, male, 53