Here's something sent in by one of our readers.

'What is it with job agencies ? I have applied for 150 roles since July 1st, (admittedly only two have fitted my experience perfectly, but I keep trying!) and over 50% of the applications have not been replied to. And on the occasions I receive an rejection e-mail which says that they have more better-suited candidates, or the role is filled, I often see the same role remaining on the recruitment firm's website for weeks afterwards.

And as for you employers, please give people like me a chance.... most of us who are out of work will happily take on a learning role, or an interim role, or a role more junior than in the past - not simply to bide our time as some seem to think, but to genuinely learn new skills.

It's the most stressful time of my life right now and all rejections hurt like hell. Please remember we are all just trying to do our best'.

Reader Comment

1. 'It should be no surprise that you are not being successful in your job hunting if you are applying for jobs for which you are not qualified!'.

2. 'No-one is going to get a chance in this market. You need to get real. You need to consider looking outside the industry'.

3. 'You won't be 'hurt' by so many rejections if you stick to applying for jobs you are qualified to do'.

4. 'Recruitment consultants are not there just to send you rejection letters. They are under enough pressure themselves trying to make a living'.

5. 'Doing your 'best' clearly isn't good enough. You need to try a better approach than throwing your CV at every job you see. Eventually, recruitment consultants will simply ignore your applications, and you may end up getting overlooked for the one job that actually does have your name on it!'.

6. 'Let's hope that the sympathetic souls who have commented on this story never find themselves in a similar position'.

7. 'If you don't send out hundreds of CVs and piss off all your recruitment contacts, you surely won't!'

8. 'You need to understand that there's a lot going on out there. People have jobs to do. It's not all about you!'.

9. 'It's not rejection e-mails you're looking for - it's a job! And it will be easier for recruiters to find the right people for a job if their in-boxes weren't clogged up with applications from people who are not qualified!'.

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