At 10:30 AM in a shopping center in Preston, Zahra, 20, along with 29 other candidates, busily constructed towers from dry pasta and marshmallows. They also had to solve crosswords and complete a test on arranging kitchen utensils.

All this was to compete for a general labor job with a salary close to the minimum wage. Before reaching this two-hour interview round, Zahra had to complete a 10-paragraph online application detailing her experience.

She applied for a server position at the Wingstop fried chicken chain, with an hourly wage of 10 pounds, just 80 pence above her age-specific minimum wage. During the assessment, a woman with a notebook constantly took notes, alongside shift managers who closely supervised. A week later, Zahra received a brief rejection email.

"While sitting there stacking pasta, I wondered why I was there when this exercise had nothing to do with cleaning and serving. It was a waste of time and felt like a joke", Zahra expressed her frustration.

Illustration: Guardian

This is not an isolated phenomenon. Data released this week shows that the unemployment rate in the UK has risen to 5.2%, its highest level in nearly five years. For those aged 18-24, this figure reaches 14%, making the entry-level job market fierce.

Eve, 19, living in London, once directly submitted applications to 30 stores near her home but received no response. She then submitted 40 online applications and was fortunate to be called for an interview for a sales assistant position at Inditex, the group that owns brands like Zara and Pull&Bear.

However, she had to attend a 90-minute group interview with 20 people. They were required to stand up and introduce the candidate next to them, then divide into groups to use iPads to design outfits for celebrities and present them. In the final round, the recruiters projected images of clothes and asked everyone to raise their hands to guess the brand.

"In a crowded room, everyone was constantly raising their hands and shouting to overpower others. I am used to gently advising customers at the counter, not scrambling for attention like this", Eve recounted, exhausted.

Explaining this trend, Martin Warnes, chief executive officer of the job platform Reed.co.uk, stated that businesses are facing higher operating costs and recruitment risks. With the balance shifting towards employers due to a surge in applications, they are applying assessment centers, originally reserved for managers or senior interns, to general labor positions.

Alice Martin, head of research at the Work Foundation, University of Lancaster, noted that organizing group interviews helps businesses save time and costs by eliminating many people simultaneously. Instead of spending money training employees after hiring, companies use these simulation exercises as a form of "unpaid trial".

In response to complaints, businesses have defended their processes. A Zara representative stated that group interview activities are designed to assess communication and teamwork skills – core elements of the retail industry. Similarly, Wingstop affirmed that their concentrated assessment model better reveals candidates' personality, creativity, and service spirit than traditional Q&A interviews.

Amidst the debates, Zahra finally found a serving job at a small cafe last September. The process involved only one online interview call and a few days of "paid trial" – the actual work was just reorganizing items in the storage room.

Ngoc Ngan (According to Guardian)