Once again I am writing about the current abysmal state of the employment prospects available to those unfortunate enough to be amongst the ever increasing number of unemployed. I wish there was a silver bullet to fix this problem, however; this really isn’t a single fix for the problem. Many people believe it’s just a matter of dumbing down your resume and accepting a lower paying job with less responsibility. I must sadly report that most of the members of this delusional group have never lost their job before and obviously live a rose shaded wold.
Let’s discuss some of the things I have witnessed over the last few years that I find completely disturbing. Many of these issues are promulgated by the job search industry as being essential to the business.
- Confidential listings
- Duplicate listings
- Fictitious Listings
- Misleading application process
- Missing POC
- Perfect round peg requirements
- Resume crafting and coaching
- Candidate tracking systems
Confidential listings- Almost every employment coach touts the necessity of tailoring your resume or at least your cover letter to the posted job. Unfortunately, there is an alarming trend of companies posting offerings without any information that will assist in the research necessary to achieve this goal. I tend to steer past these listings as I my experience has lead to the assertion that a company who is not honest up front is not a honest company period end of story. The only exception is a company attempting to oust an existing non-performer and they wish to remain anonymous because they do not want to tip off the current employee. Be that as it may I find their lack of professionalism distasteful and again question their ethics.
Duplicate listings- Seems to be most prevalent with the large recruiting firms as well as on jobs listing sites like the ladders, dice, careerbuilder and monster. I believe this is more of a marketing ruse to lure investor as well as job seeker dollars. There is little you can do to thwart this practice so other than not buying into the services of these sorts of purveyors unless you really find it valuable.
Fictitious listings- I have written about this phenomenon several times and it is probably one of the most disturbing. It’s the utterly dishonest action practiced by several presumably high caliber employment listing sites. The more often I observe this the more I question the reputability of certain sites.
Misleading application process- This occurs most usually as a result of the job poster’s unfamiliarity with the posting system. Of course it could also be a test of the applicant’s ability to follow directions. What I mean is that the company could be attempting to filter the applicants but testing to see if they thoroughly read the listing in question. I know it may seem crazy but think about it 90% of applicants will just click the easy yellow “Apply now” button which could be exactly what the poster wants you to not do. One has to carefully read through the entire posting to discover the ‘real’ application procedure. Of course there is always the possibility that this is simply a duplicate posting cut and pasted from the company web site.
Missing POC- One of the common aspects of the current jobs search criteria is to always address your cover letter to a specific individual. Preferably, this individual should be the one who holds the key to the interview door. Unfortunately, this information is not always available and calling the company may be an issue it we are dealing with one of those anonymously posted confidential listings as noted above.
Another closely related issue I personally find perplexing it properly addressing my correspondence to the original job poster. It is relatively easy when that poster is a male as no male will complain when addressed as Mr. however, I have been called to task once or twice by attempting to foster the appropriate level of consideration and respect by addressing something to Ms. Only to have my application handed to me because she is a Mrs. Gatekeeper. This is a dubious distinction and speaks ill of the company for allowing such an environment to exist.
Perfect round pegs- I wish I had the fortitude to screen capture some of the listing that I read nearly a year ago that I am reading again. In fact many of these listings seem to resurface on at least a quarterly basis which leads me to believe that the posting company is an extremely difficult one to actually work for or that they have crafted a set of completely unrealistic requirements. After discussing this with several individuals I have come to the assertion that the latter is more likely the case. Far too many companies are searching for the perfect round peg fit for their employment needs. While these candidates may exist it is likely that the prospective hiring managers spend too much time dithering over the details. The likelihood that this candidate has move on is extremely high, because if they have truly marketable skills they will not be on the market for very long.
This phenomenon has created a serious deficit of employed skilled workers and honestly the fault for this lay squarely on the shoulders of the hiring companies themselves. Unfortunately, for the citizenry of the United States too many of these companies have sway with political forces and have called for easing of the immigrant hiring. Thus our unemployment levels will remain higher than acceptable because of corporate ignorance.
Resume crafting services- These services are pushed ad nauseum by the vary companies that claim to assist the job seeker in landing that ever elusive interview. I am certain you have received the email only moments after uploading your resume onto your profile page. Offering unbelievable results for mere hundreds of dollars to completely rewrite your resume into the perfect vehicle for landing you that dream job. However, where are these services for the unemployed? Honestly, far too many are debating whether to put food on their table or pay their mortgage and do not have disposable funding for something so frivolous as hiring a professional resume writer.
The most infuriating thing I have experienced from these supposed ‘Professional’ services is the form email where it is evident that they did not even bother to read my resume in the ‘Free professional critique.’ The other frustrating factor is that so many coaches insist you have to tailor your resume to each listing. Imagine how expensive this endeavor would be if you had to consult a professional each time.
Candidate or applicant tracking systems- These solution have been touted as the solution to the unemployment problem but in reality they are the absolute bane of the job seeker. Each of these systems claim to objectify the job seeker into a database of skills that the hiring department can use to evaluate candidates. Unfortunately, they eliminate all of the value in researching the company, crafting properly addressed cover letters and having professionally tailored resumes. It is a sad fact that in reality these systems promote mediocrity on a 1984 level.
Ultimately, this industry is about one thing and one thing only which is to squeeze both the posting companies and job seekers for as much money as possible. Of all the current solutions at least LinkedIn has the appearance of transparency and objectivity. There is little innovation in the industry and even LinkedIn the 800 pound gorilla that it has become has a long way to go.
The bottom line is that this business is in business to keep you searching for your next job. There is little incentive for anyone to actually help you regain useful employment as the cards are definitely stacked against you.
Related articles
- How the job search has changed (jafdip.com)
- #Twesumes help job seekers get noticed.! (ipbpayroll.com)
- TurboTax – Video: Tax Deductions for Job Hunters (turbotax.intuit.com)
- Day 20: Depressing Job Search Articles that Make Me Want to Cry (seriouslyhowhardcanitbetogetajob.wordpress.com)
Too bad that I can say that this was a great article on describing several frustrations for job hunters these day.