They wouldn't even interview me for my manager's job. So I quit.
I've been working in the IT department of a local government in England for about 3.5 years. When I started, I managed to get the highest pay grade because I had 14 years of experience doing the exact same thing at another council. They made it clear from day one: there are no raises in this job, and promotion is the only way your salary can increase.
A few months into the job, my team lead left. The position went to my colleague, who, honestly, really deserved it, no question. Fast forward another 3 years, and my new manager decided to leave for a better opportunity. I had my eye on this job. I put in a lot of effort, stayed late, supervised new people, and was pretty much carrying half the team. You know the drill.
When the job was officially posted, I applied for it. The application was a single text box asking me to 'explain my suitability for the role'. I wrote everything: that I was already on the team, had about 17 years of experience in this specific field, had previous management experience, and had been taking on extra responsibilities for months. All the usual stuff you'd think would matter.
A week later, I got an email. I hadn't been shortlisted for an interview. The reason? I didn't use enough of their favorite 'keywords' in the application. Words like 'dynamic' and 'results-oriented' - just empty corporate jargon. Apparently, what I had done over the past 3.5 years was less important than the words I didn't write. I tried to discuss it with them and just asked for a chance to interview, but I was told it 'wouldn't be fair' to the other candidates who played the keyword game correctly. Unbelievable!
That’s when I realized experience alone isn’t enough anymore, you also need to know how to present yourself. Next time I'll be using tools to help me do this.
Honestly, I didn't even bother applying for other jobs. All I did was update my CV on a job site, and within a few days, I got 15 calls from recruiters. Every single one of them was offering a salary at least 25% higher than what I was making. I entered an interview, using the free trial of interviewman tool, and this was the best performance ever for me, and my confidence was high. Luckily, I'll start my new job next Monday.