:( My 16 year old daughter has written to numerous shops in Meadowhall and the city centre asking if they have any vacancies for the summer and - after she starts college in September - evening and weekend work. NOT ONE of the companies she has written to has even acknowledged her letter - even to say nothing available at the moment but will keep your details on file etc..... Her email address was on all the letters so it wouldn't have even cost the price of a stamp!

If you know of any retailers employing school leavers/college students could you please leave messages here or send me a p.m.

They don't you will get replies usually from jobs higher up the food chain. But you will be very fortunate for shop assistants etc.

My Daughter did exactly the same, she never heard back from any of the shops either.

I think these days your only acknowledgement will be if you get a letter inviting you for an interview. At our place, our external job ads or application forms (can't remember which) state somewhere that if you haven't heard anything in xx numbe of weeks then you haven't been successful, unless you enclose an SAE. If your interview is unsuccessful, you get a phone call or a letter saying so.

The number of letters/speculative CVs shops get it would take the manager a day each week just to reply to them all. I can't see many shops justifying that as a reasonable expense....however I do sympathise it is very annoying when you are doing the applying.

My 16-year-old son as just had an aptitude test for a job with the council, they tested 2000 candidates, I wouldn’t like to think how many applications they got. It’s just not practical to replay to everybody at the early stages of an application, if you get short-listed that’s a different matter.

Sports Soccer at meadowhall has a sign in the window, stating interviewing for jobs Monday morning and afternoons, (forgot the exact times) I think that gives you some idea of the scale of the problem when they don’t ask for a application or CV, just states turn up on Mondays.

Hi ya here is a link to see what actual positions there are available at meadowhall Clicky (http://www.meadowhall.co.uk/website/JobVacancies.aspx?currentSectionId=6dbd6055-8e02-4343-b793-6e42f81af96d)

Or if not try Jobcentreplus (http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk)

Hope these help:)

the best way to apply to shops is to go in in person, and ask for the manager. Don't take 'I'll hand it on' as an answer, as it's a well known fact that assistants may try to get their mates jobs - and your application could wind up in the bin ;)

Speaking to the manager in person gives them the opportunity to put a face to a name, and gives you a head start on other applicants.

PS - I thought Meadowhell had a central recruitment facility? or is that just at Christmas?

My 16-year-old son as just had an aptitude test for a job with the council, they tested 2000 candidates, I wouldn’t like to think how many applications they got. It’s just not practical to replay to everybody at the early stages of an application, if you get short-listed that’s a different matter.

Sports Soccer at meadowhall has a sign in the window, stating interviewing for jobs Monday morning and afternoons, (forgot the exact times) I think that gives you some idea of the scale of the problem when they don’t ask for a application or CV, just states turn up on Mondays.


Once worked somewhere where they had a policy of filtering based on the OUTSIDE of the envelope. If it was brown manilla or white and/or looked businesslike, it got opened, if it had spelling mistakes, looked tatty, was cutesy stationary (flowers and bunny rabbits etc) and generally didn;t look professional - it didn't even get opened.

Hard but if you think about it - probably fair

Once worked somewhere where they had a policy of filtering based on the OUTSIDE of the envelope. If it was brown manilla or white and/or looked businesslike, it got opened, if it had spelling mistakes, looked tatty, was cutesy stationary (flowers and bunny rabbits etc) and generally didn;t look professional - it didn't even get opened.

Hard but if you think about it - probably fair



I have been told that due to the number of applications for jobs ,HR departments are looking for a reason, any reason, to but your application in the bin, you have pointed out just a few.

If there is one job they may want to interview six, may be ten candidates at the most, if they put an advert in the Star on Thursday night they would get hundreds of applications, as you say; -

“Hard but if you think about it - probably fair”

:( My 16 year old daughter has written to numerous shops in Meadowhall and the city centre asking if they have any vacancies for the summer and - after she starts college in September - evening and weekend work. NOT ONE of the companies she has written to has even acknowledged her letter - even to say nothing available at the moment but will keep your details on file etc..... Her email address was on all the letters so it wouldn't have even cost the price of a stamp!

If you know of any retailers employing school leavers/college students could you please leave messages here or send me a p.m.

Has she tried the major supermarkets?

Just a thought:)

Actually, if she's sent in numerous applications, but not heard back from any, I'd suggest the content might need revising

On Fridays, the list is released at Meadowhall, listing job vacancies, so go pick one up, there are usually loads.

Hope your daughter finds one soon!

:( My 16 year old daughter has written to numerous shops in Meadowhall and the city centre asking if they have any vacancies for the summer and - after she starts college in September - evening and weekend work. NOT ONE of the companies she has written to has even acknowledged her letter - even to say nothing available at the moment but will keep your details on file etc..... Her email address was on all the letters so it wouldn't have even cost the price of a stamp!

If you know of any retailers employing school leavers/college students could you please leave messages here or send me a p.m.

my girlfriend is the manager of one of the meadowhall clothes shops and she's been told not to keep cv's for shop assistants or reply to any, if any vacancies come up they then look at whatever cv's they get at that time. probably take weeks to sift through cv's if any jobs come up it's easier (less paperwork) to advertise a job than sift through cv's

Tell her not to gve up - the more you fail - the closer you are to success...