The current economic climate has created a so called employer market. There are now 6 candidates for every job opening, allowing employers to be extremely selective in their hiring process. However, this situation has also further damaged the relationship between employers and their eventual employees. It has long been understood that employers typically have the power advantage when choosing potential job candidates. Rejected candidates would generally not expect to be told of their status, and even successful hires would have to overcome a variety of human resources hurdles (e.g. long waits before notice) before joining the organization. Unfortunately, in this market, the situation seems to have worsened. According to a recent New York Times article, Some candidates have waited six months and completed 8-10 interviews, and are still awaiting word of their status. Employers are asking for more background information (e.g. 5-6 recommendations instead of the standard 3-4) and offering temporary assignments rather than full time offers. Job seekers are growing increasingly frustrated, angry, and desperate in their quest to land a position...and rightly so. On the other hand, employers are annoyed by and complain about applicants who clearly do not have the qualifications for the given job description. Such applicants waste the time of human resources departments, who are already overwhelmed by the flood of inquiries. Therefore, the relationship between employers and employees is becoming even more strained in this environment. Most of the issues involve better business etiquette. Thus, I would recommend the following to improve this very important relationship for the benefit of the U.S. labor market.
A) Employers
1) Create clear and thorough job descriptions- it is important to communicate the desired qualifications (e.g. skills, experience, educational background) in order to minimize the likelihood of unqualified candidates applying. A common mistake many human resources departments make is to develop too broad of a job description, which attracts far too many unsuitable applicants.
2) Clarify the job application and hiring process- while a myriad of factors may make it difficult to give an estimate about how long the process will take (e.g. 3-4 interviews over 5-6 weeks), candidates deserve a reasonable timeline as they engage in the search process. If you say you are going to let an applicant know in 2 weeks, try to maintain the integrity of that time frame. If you go one or two days over, it is surely understandable. However, if you say two weeks, but it is two months, candidates will have either moved on or become resentful. Many excellent candidates are lost due to this uneven process, which can eventually be a detriment to a company's bottom line. Even hired employees may be demoralized if the process was too demanding and seemingly unreasonable, dampening their enthusiasm for the company, and possibly even their productivity. Don't take your applicants for granted, and in the long run, it will benefit all involved.
3) Develop a process to notify all rejected candidates- many applicants remain in limbo as they wait for notice that will never come. I generally suggest to employers that notifying rejected candidates will breed good will. Most applicants are more upset with lack of notification than with clear rejection, which allows them to move forward in their job search. While many employers state that it would be too onerous to do so, I suggest a simple form letter sent via email would suffice. To clarify, such a letter should be sent only to those who have been interviewed, not all applicants.
4) Standardize and evaluate your hiring process- while the question of fit can be somewhat subjective, it is critical to develop an objective process when hiring candidates such as standard questions and interview protocols. Once the process is complete, it is also important to assess how successful the process was, as demonstrated by performance indicators for the hired employees. Many companies fail to do so, and find that they then have to deal with high turnover rates or poor outcomes for new employees.
B) Job Candidates
1) Apply only for positions for which you are qualified- many human resources professionals indicate their major pet peeve is having to sift through resumes of applicants who do not match the posted positions. Unless you can make a clear argument for your transferable skills or have a networking contact, it will not benefit you to apply to any and all positions.
2) Appropriately research the company and the position for which you are applying- recruiters also note that many applicants fail to adequately do the legwork to understand the position and organization, and are unprepared in the interview situation. Therefore, it is crucial to take the time to research the company and the desired position, which will demonstrate your interest and resourcefulness.
3) Network, network, network- one of the most valuable components in the interview process is to have insider knowledge of what recruiters are seeking. The best way to acquire such information is by networking with individuals who are working within the company already. It will provide you with an advantage over other candidates, because most applicants fail to properly network.
Following these recommendations can vastly ameliorate the relationship between employers and employees, which will enhance the overall state of the U.S. job market.
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