The Job Seeker’s Nightmare
Okay, so it may not be a nightmare per se, but ABC News columnist Michelle Goodman interviewed several current job seekers and employment professionals who identified the top-five worst hiring trends of 2009. As a current job seeker, I’ve been exposed to every one of these. Don’t get me wrong- I’ve been very interested in working for the companies that I’ve interviewed with, but as Ms. Goodman points out, there are some not-so-great hiring trends out there right now (of course, these are not aimed at anyone in particular- this is just the consensus of Ms. Goodman’s research).
Let’s take a look at the list:
1. Labyrinthine Job Application Systems:
As a web designer, this might be my biggest pet peeve. Finding a job that I’m genuinely interested in is hard enough, so after I’ve taken the time to research the company, tailor my resume, and write a beautiful cover letter, I head over to the company’s online job application system (with much trepidation).
After I’ve spent about an hour performing data entry, 4-out-of-5 times it ends the same: their system crashes!
I’ve learned how to deal with this, though, as I now have a ritual of rubbing a rabbit’s foot on my keyboard as I say a few magic words, sprinkle some fairy dust, pray to various deities, clap three times, and and do a rain dance before pressing the “send” button.
So far, so good.
“If there’s one thing I hear more job hunters harrumph about, it’s the maddening online application tools so many companies use. No one’s suggesting employers do away with online job applications altogether, just that they bring their systems up to twenty-first century computing standards.”
2. Overly Demanding Job Listings:
I tend to pride myself on having a broad skill set, but when the job description is a full two pages long, even the most savvy job seeker has a hard time tailoring his/her resume to fit the needs of the employer.
“Once upon a time, a person could apply for a job as a plumber, software programmer or public affairs officer. Now we have job listings calling for programmers with marketing experience, plumbers with a project management background and publicists who have a knack for accounting, mediating personnel issues and troubleshooting a leaky toilet…
“Some have crazy requirements,” said Deirdre, who’s grown accustomed to seeing listings for executive assistants who can work on call 24/7, drive a limo and speak a foreign language — all for 30 percent of what she earned before the economy tanked.”
3. Unscrupulous Recruiters:
I don’t have anything against recruiters; as a matter of fact, I’ve been helped by several that are very good at, and enjoy what they do. As Ms. Goodman states, “Legions of them are stand-up individuals who excel at connecting job seekers with employers.”
There’s a flip-side to every coin, and one recruiting agency that I’ve dealt with personifies the word “unscrupulous”. Not only have they failed to return multiple calls and e-mails, but they are notorious for posting nonexistent jobs on their blog(s) and twitter accounts. Unfortunately, this is something that a job seeker has to find out for him/herself.
“I’m talking about the situations where a recruiter calls up frantic over ‘a really exciting opportunity’ but can’t say anything about the position over the phone. It’s only after a face-to-face interview and two hours spent filling out applications that you realize that the recruiter is just trying to fill a contact database — and that the recruiter has as many actual positions available as he or she has brain cells.”
4. Endless Interview Loops:
As a candidate, I don’t mind participating in phone interviews. I don’t mind coming in for an in-person interview, and I certainly don’t mind coming back into the employer’s offices for a second round. If it works out, I know that I’ll be ecstatic; if it doesn’t, I look at the time I’ve spent interviewing as a great practice tool for future interviews.
Interviewees in Ms. Goodman’s article urge similarly: when candidates are blind to your hiring process, it can take their attention away from pursuing other opportunities in the meantime. We realize that you’re probably interviewing several people at the same time, so just give us an idea of where you are in your search, and what your company’s interviewing process consists of. This leads us to…
5. No Follow-Up with Finalists:
I know that hiring managers and HR departments are busy; I spoke with a hiring manager two weeks ago who had received hundreds of resumes for one job posting! I’ve been in the position to hire people in the past, and I can tell you that resume evaluation is by far the hardest part of the process: so HR folks, you have my sympathy!
“For candidates who’ve made it through a couple rounds of interviews and have been told that they’d need to start ASAP if hired, this radio silence is especially frustrating.”
Here’s hoping that 2010′s hiring trends tip toward the positive!
Michelle Goodman is a freelance journalist and former cubicle dweller. For more information, see Anti9to5Guide.com.
