If you’re in an active job hunt, do you…
- Feel that you’re one ideal candidate for the job posted but baffled since the HR has not gotten in touch with you after weeks or even months?
- Feel frustrated by HR or recruiters not acknowledging your submission of CV and/or calling you back after you’ve completed an exam or interview?
- Feel that the hiring process hasn’t been improved despite that there are many technological advancements (e.g. for scheduling, checking of results, sending of automated response) companies can utilize?
- Feel that the HR should be more understanding, more respectful and more polite to make the effort to close the loop on the hiring process (even if it ends with a “No, thank you.”)?
If yes, I say:
Hello there! We were on the same boat.You are free to express your concerns to the relevant online community to send this problem across to the right people and for them to act to solve the issue respectively.
Else if otherwise, you’re lucky to have met the very few of those courteous HR.
After having at least 20 interviews (most of which have reached the final stages already, just before the presentation of the job offer) and submitting nearly a hundred applications, a conclusion is formed: “Common courtesy is dead, and there is no denying that with many people applying for the same job posts today, HR just rolls with the start of their application process and never look back for negative feedback.”
How hard is it, really, to have a blanket rejection response that can let applicants off the hook?
I researched over the Internet and found many other people complaining about the same thing–about how HR screening and recruiting processes are unruly nowadays (not responding to followups as well). I have read through the generality of HR’s side and summarized the main points:
- They only engage with applicants they are really considering. If your qualifications have matched with the job posted, but if the clients don’t feel dead-on positive to get you on board, the recruiters won’t spend their time contacting you again. Another possibility is when they still need more time to find the right job for you, since they are impressed with your background but feel that it does not perfectly fit in with the job domain.
- They are reviewing many other resumes and cover letters; they don’t have enough time (or guts) to let down every candidate yet as not to close or burn the bridge between the company and the potential candidates. Their job of getting to piles of profiles every day is overwhelming, more so when they find out in the initial interview that what’s written on the resume is not reflecting how the applicant is portrayed in actuality. (OK. Why not add more headcount?)
- They are not ready to hire yet. They are still in the process of doing documentation and signatory approvals of line managers for the job intended to fill. The final hiring decision would be made by the top-most manager after having discussed upon and triggered by multiple levels of managers in one unit in one department. These professionals might be too busy on their own desks as well thus the delay.
- They think that everyone in the job hunt recognizes that not everyone wins and they don’t owe anyone an explanation.
On the other side of the spectrum, here are things shared by “sufferers of anticipation”:
End the wonder, please. Indeed, giving or receiving bad news is never comfortable, but it’s better to take uncertainty out of the question. Like what’s mentioned above, HR can use auto-responders which can automatically send out a generic email saying that they have received the resume and thank the person for his or her interest.
If the candidate is unfortunately not chosen, HR can create and send out another generic mail to imply that the job has been filled, apologize and/or maybe inform the candidate that his or her profile will be maintained and kept in the company’s database for reference for future job opportunities. They can put the letter of rejection in any way with decency, to counter ignorance. They can also send an automated SMS message, at least, to tell them that they did not make the cut.
Customer service, including the way an employer or the HR treats job applicants, is one matter rooted to the company’s culture. Empowered by company policies, the HR function reflects how employees own and take their responsibilities as part of the organization. They should note that these applicants would always have tools and venues to bring out their experiences out, and they might cause great damage to an organization’s image in the marketplace if their concerns regarding the “gateway” of employment is not addressed.
I leave you, for the moment, to ponder other implications of this conclusion.
Update: I work now with the largest retailer company in the Philippines, the “best of the best” retail team in the Asia Pacific region (started since June 4, 2012). I got a project with HR and had the opportunity to ask them for feedback regarding this issue. They said the reasons why they don’t contact unqualified candidates are exactly those I mentioned above. So, what do you think?
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