Incompetent Recruiter of the Week #1: Manchester Metropolitan University

I am starting a weekly feature which will highlight a particular company or organisation that has demonstrated itself to be particularly useless when it comes to recruitment process. From the point of view of a humble jobseeker, of course.

Unfortunately, this weeks' choice is Manchester Metropolitan University, which has run away with the award and left its competitors in a cloud of northern dust.

Oh, how this pains me! This was the very university with which I was so impressed when I joined it to do my degree in 2003. My first impressions on the open day were how sleekly designed my building was, with its glass balconies and steel posts, how brand-new the furniture and facilities were, how professional all of the tutors seemed and how amazing it was for the university to have some high-profile writers on its payroll (Linda Chase, Carol Ann Duffy, etc). In short, the university seemed impressive and exciting to a 19-year-old potential student and I was itching to start my course. 

Fast forward almost ten years. I passed my degree in 2006 with 67.5% (the biggest annoyance of my life - had I coasted and got 60%, I would still have received a 2:1). The time I took my exam was during the tutors' strikes, which caused a lot of disruption and uncertainty at the time. All annoying things that don't necessarily reflect badly upon the uni, but all the same, I'm slightly bitter about them and I don't mind admitting this. 

Anyway, gaining a second-class honours shouldn't hinder me from getting a massive range of jobs, I thought, and I can't say it really has.

However, apparently Manchester Metropolitan University doesn't think much of its own degrees. Since graduating I have applied for several jobs, across various different departments, all of which I was perfectly well-qualified for, and have never once been called for an interview, or been contacted to notify me of my lack of success.

So far, so frustrating. But this isn't really enough to nominate the university for a incompetent recruiter of the week gong.

But this is - let me illustrate the progress of another job application I submitted recently. The position I applied for demanded that I essentially write a long essay on why I meet all of the criteria listed in the application form. I did this. I had suitable, relevant qualifications.

Also, I have experience to illustrate why I would be suitable for the role. I spent five hours writing and honing, checking and re-checking the form. A friend proofread it, (always advisable regardless), despite me having worked as a proofreader in the past.

I declared that I would be amazed should I not get an interview and even more amazed should I not get some form of notification that I was unsuccessful. Please read on. 

October 16th - Job applications close. I applied through an online account that the university advises jobseekers to set up to find work. I submitted my application and also tried to email the finished form to the address irecruit@mmu.ac.uk, just to make sure it arrived safely. There is a notice on the site saying you can do this instead of applying online if you like. 

I then received an email saying that the sending failed, as the mailbox of this address was full. So, I double-checked the status of my application on the university's website just to make sure it had been accepted. It had. I went to bed. 

October 29th - I logged in and noticed that next to the application, there was another update that stated something really vague such as "regret to interview". I have no idea what this means and it was late, so I decided to log in the next day and find out.

October 30th - I looked again and assumed I would not be invited to interview. I got a slight inkling with the word 'regret', call me crazy. However, as far as the university was concerned, it hadn't really confirmed this, so I waited to see if a further notice or email or letter would come through.

Early November - My MMU jobs account username and password stopped working, so I tried leaving it for a day or so, then another day, then another day, but the website would not even allow me to get my password emailed to me or to change it. 

November 7th - I emailed irecruit@mmu.ac.uk again to ask if they could re-set my account so I could check the progress of my job application. This time I got a response:


"If you are having trouble with the web, please submit your application to this email address.

Kind regards,

Recruitment Team"

November 8th - As I wanted to check up on existing things and also search for new jobs and basically have my account back for future job searches, I didn't think this was too much to ask. So I replied:

"OK, I wanted to log in to see what the status of my job application for **** was - could you please tell me?

Kind Regards,"

I received the following response:

"Please could you supply us with the vacancy reference number for the position so that we are able to track your status.

Kind Regards,"

I explained that I did not have the unique code for the job I applied for, as it had now been taken off the website and all such details were on my application form, which I submitted online:

"Hello,

I'm sorry, but all of the details of the vacancy were stored on my account, as advised!

Could you possibly re-set my password or fix my account please?

Thank you!

Kind Regards,"

I sent this email only yesterday and I do know and accept that the university may be waiting for whatever reason to respond. I also know that, according to this BBC report, it is the most applied-to university in the country.

But, in light of it being such a massive organisation that employs so many people, it should, by rights, have an extremely efficient recruitment process and HR department. Shouldn't it?

Not in my experience. I actually think the process I have had to endure is nothing short of an absolute farce and that very little, if any, consideration is afforded to the people who have spent hours of their time filling out applications and hanging their hopes on the possibility of an interview. 

Does Manchester Metropolitan University have any comments to make? Does it wish to defend itself? I really, really hope so. It has the opportunity here to do this and I hope it takes this very seriously. Please post comments below.

Take care.

Signing on,

YAC.