The revenge of job seekers
05/31/09 10:17 AM Filed in: Looking
for meaningful work
Since leaving a job last July I have been busy looking for work in social media or Internet marketing in Southern California. I can't tell you how many times I have sent in resumes only to have them go into the black void of unresponsiveness. Sure I know that employers are overwhelmed with applicants for jobs today but it takes a little effort to at least acknowledge that you are alive and have taken time out from your day to say "I'm interested in joining your organization".
What is really worse in my opinion is getting an acknowledgement, talking on the phone and then never hearing a word for months at a time. In talking with some friends who are also looking for work this seems to be happening more and more. My friend John who also left a full-time job to look for a more fulfilling career recently went on a series of three interviews for a great job in Chicago. He thought he "knocked them dead", but the days went by and he heard nothing back and soon the days turned to weeks. "I figured after two weeks it was time to find out what was going on so I instead of sending eMails with no response I called the HR person and could not get through her voicemail." He finally received an eMail saying that they had decided to hire another person (who by the way quit after 3 weeks). John was so angry that he soon began Tweeting about the company and his bad experience. Soon other people were saying the same thing and a lot of people vowed that they would never become customers of this company. The power of social media...
While there are a lot of people looking for work there are also a lot of people stuck in cubeville who want to leave their dead end corporate jobs and find work that is both more meaningful and more fun. A survey of employees recently found that as many as 48% of people in white collar jobs are unhappy and want to a job that is not a "job". These people are willing to trade salary and title for something that they are passionate about. Of course right now is not a good time to leave and start looking but eventually when the job market heats up again you can bet that a lot of people are going to be looking and saying "goodbye" to cube living.
The other frustration for job seekers is dealing with head hunters. These people can pretend to be your best friend while you're a candidate for a job but then can discard you like a used condom when you're not in the running anymore. While I have dealt with some very good recruiters I have to say that 95% are just like used car salesmen and have the people skills of a Russian goulog guard.
Now a pessimist would say "get used to it it's a buyers market right now", but to me the way a company treats a candidate is a great indication of how they treat employees. I have been very selective about the jobs I apply for researching both the company and the person I would be reporting to but then my consulting business allows me to selective, others may not have that luxury. With all this said though employers had better treat potential candidates a hell of a lot better because if you don't show us basic respect and courtesy we just may take it out on you in the shopping aisle and on Tweeter.
