Recession means business can treat canidates like trash
02/26/10 05:30 PM Filed in: Demographics
Over
the last month I was lucky enough to have two job
interviews with companies that I thought would be
a good fit. The interviews went well and I did
the usual follow-up but after 3 weeks not even a
courtesy email to let me know that the positions
have been filled. What's happened to common
business courtesy ?
The reality is that when a company advertises a job they get a lot of resumes. The goal today is not to find the best person for the job it's too often to find the cheapest person to fill a seat and do an average job. Companies will put candidates through processes like a phone interview and then have them come back for 2-3 interviews before making up their mind. I especially like the companies that have the chutzpah to ask candidates to do some work for consideration of an open position.
Maybe I am different but when I was hiring people I always responded to candidates and asked HR to let all candidates know when the position was filled. I also stopped the interviewing process when I felt I had a really good candidate for the job. Today you're lucky to get any type of response from HR or the hiring manager. Excuse me but if I took time to get into a suit and come and meet with you the least you could do is let me know when the position is filled.
The other downside of looking for a job are the recruiters who tend to be your best friend while you're a candidate but then turn on you as soon as you're out of the candidate pool. There are some exceptions to the rule but for the most part most executive recruiters are trying to put a square peg in a round hole.
Social media allows people to alert others about how they were treated by companies. In today's competitive workplace job candidates know that they may not be the best person for the job but to treat candidates like dirt and say "hey your time is not as valuable as ours" shows a level of disrespect and why most of you employees will probably bolt as soon as they can.
Eventually the economy will return and employers are going to be trying to fill open positions. What they are going to find is that to a lot of people it's not the title or the compensation package it's how the company views us and our work. They are going to find that good qualified people are saying "no" to their offers because of their attitudes and their "fill the chair with a warm body" attitude. But remember how you treat people is also part of your company and brand and word does get around quickly in a connected world.
The reality is that when a company advertises a job they get a lot of resumes. The goal today is not to find the best person for the job it's too often to find the cheapest person to fill a seat and do an average job. Companies will put candidates through processes like a phone interview and then have them come back for 2-3 interviews before making up their mind. I especially like the companies that have the chutzpah to ask candidates to do some work for consideration of an open position.
Maybe I am different but when I was hiring people I always responded to candidates and asked HR to let all candidates know when the position was filled. I also stopped the interviewing process when I felt I had a really good candidate for the job. Today you're lucky to get any type of response from HR or the hiring manager. Excuse me but if I took time to get into a suit and come and meet with you the least you could do is let me know when the position is filled.
The other downside of looking for a job are the recruiters who tend to be your best friend while you're a candidate but then turn on you as soon as you're out of the candidate pool. There are some exceptions to the rule but for the most part most executive recruiters are trying to put a square peg in a round hole.
Social media allows people to alert others about how they were treated by companies. In today's competitive workplace job candidates know that they may not be the best person for the job but to treat candidates like dirt and say "hey your time is not as valuable as ours" shows a level of disrespect and why most of you employees will probably bolt as soon as they can.
Eventually the economy will return and employers are going to be trying to fill open positions. What they are going to find is that to a lot of people it's not the title or the compensation package it's how the company views us and our work. They are going to find that good qualified people are saying "no" to their offers because of their attitudes and their "fill the chair with a warm body" attitude. But remember how you treat people is also part of your company and brand and word does get around quickly in a connected world.
