Job Seekers Don't Beat Yourselves Up!

If you have been looking for a job with no luck it is easy to start beating up on yourself. I am not in the career business in any shape or form, but I strongly suggest that you don't! Why? The problem is not you. The biggest problem in the employment scene today is recruiting and the job application process. Pure and simple it is broken.

I don't think applicants should accept blame for the mess that corporations and organizations have created. No matter what they tell you it's not your resume that is the problem.

Here is my take on why millions of applicants are unemployed or take months to find a job:

1. The online application process is a mess. Software programs designed to weed out the unqualified, efficiently send good applicants to the trash can and only a handful of applications get reviewed. Those reviewed are not always as good as the ones that did not make it through the initial screening process. What happens? Jobs are re-advertised because there are not enough "qualified" candidates or the position is filled with someone who stays three months because they were never interested in the job to begin with. 


2. Job requirements are totally ridiculous. Have you noticed that entry level jobs often require 3-5 years of experience and then a laundry list of extra skills thrown in? You must know XYZ software and used it five years in X industry. How can you know popycok corporation software if you have never worked for them? 


3. Employers would rather recruit than train. It may seem like forever ago, but corporations and organizations used to train new employees. Having a college degree opened a door and if you were about to become a Sales Representative I or an Accountant I you would receive training from a Senior Sales Representative or an Account Supervisor. You can refer back to #2, but entry level positions should not require 3-5 years or seldom any experience. If you have a Software Developer III in the office, please don't whine about not being able to find a qualified Software Developer I. When your Software Developer III takes the time to train a new developer it sharpens his/her skills and you get an employee trained the right way, your way. This was the case in trade professions, too.  Apprenticeship was a very common term not long ago. Journeymen trained those young recruits and we need to revisit why we don't do this as much as in the past. Those new office buildings in the city depend on them to get constructed and maintained. The return of apprenticeship programs is vital to rebuilding America. These are good jobs for those who choose not to attend college.


4. Recruiters and HR may be animal lovers and volunteer with  many other causes, but some think nothing of abusing applicants and wasting their time. Be realistic when posting a job. Write it and read the description as if you were an applicant. If you want to do a screening call pick up the phone, don't send an email expecting the candidate to be monitoring their mailbox. Consider applicants living outside your zip code. They may have important reasons for wanting to relocate. If an applicant sends you an email via LinkedIn, reply. The reply does not have to be anything fancy. Put it this way. If a customer sends you an email do you ignore it? Only if you want to go out of business. Doesn't someone who has showed enough interest in your company they have taken the time to apply for a job and send you an email deserve the same courtesy? Applicants are busy too, so that is not a valid excuse.


5. I have saved the hot topic for last. There is discrimination in the recruitment process. It's subtle and hidden, but it is there for sure. The typical job rejection email sums it up best. Thanks for applying, but you are not a precise fit for the position. It would really be good for the long term health and profits of most organizations to think outside the box. Employers are missing out on great employees when they only select certain types of applicants. Precise fits exclude people with different backgrounds including race, religion, age, gender and skills. View your online videos or testimonies about the organization by employees. Are you practicing the diversity you proclaim or is inclusion only something you put on your postings to comply with requirements. 

Applicants keep trying and NEVER give up. You will find an employer that deserves you. Employers you can do better. Walk the talk.