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So employers should be on the lookout for hordes of applicants doing "test interviews"? It's no wonder jobs continue to leave this country with shenanigans like this. Hopefully, you found that job that doesn't involve waking up too early or commuting longer than 15 minutes each way.
Or having to buy lunch, or clothes, or wash those clothes.
They are out of touch for one of two major reasons:
1) They haven't had to look for a job in over a decade. I've run into plenty of these types - they think you can just "call people at the company up" to get a job... my favorite was the worthless career councilors who were there to "help" all of us laid-off engineers. They suggested we "go to the place of business and ask to talk to the hiring manager." Completely insane - the room was full of nothing but engineers who just got laid off from a defense company. I dare anyone to try to walk into a Lockheed facility - or, heck, even a commercial firm like Ford or GE - and ask to speak to the hiring manager. You'll be lucky if you're just asked to leave?! My current underwhelming job is full of these types as well, and none of them have a clue about the lack of jobs, the insane hiring practices, etc.
2) They don't want to know about the job situation. These are the followers of the Just World Fallacy. They believe that the unemployed are all "lazy welfare bums" and if they'd just "go to McDonalds and ask for a job," they'd have one that day. In their world, it is still the 1950's, anyone can get a job just by asking, and the only reason unemployment is so high is because people are "lazy" and "don't want to work." - apparently, millions of Americans just became "lazy" over recent years and prefer no income to a job... right... If they removed their blinders and got their news from a source other than hate radio, they'd have to confront the reality of the situation - that the jobs are gone thanks to a mix of corporate greed and public and government stupidity. But that would impinge upon their perfect view of the world and might lead them to empathize with the "lazy" people, so they don't want to know the facts.
They are out of touch for one of two major reasons:
1) They haven't had to look for a job in over a decade. I've run into plenty of these types - they think you can just "call people at the company up" to get a job... my favorite was the worthless career councilors who were there to "help" all of us laid-off engineers. They suggested we "go to the place of business and ask to talk to the hiring manager." Complete insane - the room was full of nothing but engineers who just got laid off from a defense company. I dare anyone to try to walk into a Lockheed facility - or, heck, even a commercial firm like Ford or GE - and ask to speak to the hiring manager. You'll be lucky if you're just asked to leave?! My current underwhelming job is full of these types as well, and none of them have a clue about the lack of jobs, the insane hiring practices, etc.
2) They don't want to know about the job situation. These are the followers of the Just World Fallacy. They believe that the unemployed are all "lazy welfare bums" and if they'd just "go to McDonalds and ask for a job," they'd have one that day. In their world, it is still the 1950's, anyone can get a job just by asking, and the only reason unemployed is so high is because people are "lazy" and "don't want to work." - apparently, millions of Americans just became "lazy" over recent years and prefer no income to a job... right... If they removed their blinders and got their news from a source other than hate radio, they'd have to confront the reality of the situation - that the jobs are gone thanks to a mix of corporate greed and public and government stupidity. But that would impinge upon their perfect view of the world and might lead them to empathize with the "lazy" people, so they don't want to know the facts.
Just my experiences.
Yes on all accounts. Sorry I can't rep you for this keen observation.
Nah. Job fairs are (for the most part) a waste of time. They can be good networking practice, but they don't call them hiring fairs.
To answer your original question. I personally blame HR departments. Here's my example why:
One of my offices had 4 employees, one of whom I was putting serious heat on because he was making tons of mistakes and really pissing off customers. He even screwed up a couple of policies so bad I had to take funds out of marketing budgets to rectify the issues. So, as I'm walking through the three month process to get rid of a bad apple, I notice some irregularities in daily deposits. Just as I'm wrapping up an investigation that found two people in the office stealing money (the reason I run a harder background check now) this dude up and quits. I go from 4 to 1.
I immediately tap the stack of past applicants and start digging around for other candidates, and call my HR team. Of course they don't answer. HR never answers the phone - they're "too important" probably on a conference call to schedule a meeting to talk about "next steps". So, I send an email
"Hey, I need these three positions opened up to staff, immediately. "
Response:
"We have to post it internally for 5 business days, so it'll go live for external applicants next Thursday"
Asshats! Fine, I can scrape through a week or two. Spend the 5 days interviewing, lock down 3 solids and a backup. Immediately have them apply Thursday AM. Call HR asshat - no answer. Send email - out of office reply. Escalate to his boss - no answer. 4 PM rolls around by the time she "delegates" this to new HR asshat. New HR asshat informs me that they are no longer making offers on Fridays, since it leaves little time for applicants to get to the drug testing centers. Argue that they're open Saturdays in this market, desperately short-staffed, have people wanted to get started, etc. all to no avail. Argue that IT'S ****inG THURSDAY!! Nope, too late, apparently, "Friday" starts at 2PM Thursday to HR people.
Cornholed. Have to wait until Monday for offers. Call all candidates - lose one. Cool, got a backup - call her. No worries, I'm still set. Background takes 5 days to clear, I start training following Monday. If you've done the math this is SEVENTEEN days from when I wanted to hire these people.
Side note: guy who bailed when process was delayed calls me 2 months later to see if I have any positions. The job he took instead of mine never paid out commissions due. Took him 5 months to land a spot.
HR serves no purpose. Ever. A competent manager can do everything they do cheaper, better and faster but the corporate dynamic has been so scammed by these leeches that everyone thinks they're a necessity.
Asshats.
I've been to 3 job fairs in my lifetime, well drove to 2, attended the third haha.
one was outside charleston, sc where i actually did attend, sat down did an interview with a very nice lady and apparently "passed" so she took me to a special area where all the hiring principals were. wasn't a complete waste of time.
second was a job fair in charlotte. got up there, drove around the parking lot 4 times to find a place to park, went inside saw the enormous line of people and decided that since i already had a job i didn't need to spend my saturday waiting in line.
third was in raleigh, nc - i was killing two birds with one stone by visiting my old college roommate and decided to also check out the wake county schools job fair. similar situation as job fair #2. parked, walked in, walked out haha. the tragic moment of the day though was this poor girl who exited the building after me i could hear her on her phone essentially sobbing to who i assumed was her mother about how she'd was never going to find a job. kinda broke my heart considering i already had a job.
in all 3 situations i already had a long term stable job in my career field of choice and simply went to these events because it was early on in my career and i was curious enough to check them out. that was roughly 7 / 8 years ago as i have been at my original school of employment for now 9 years.
i hesitate to say this but when you have a job, especially in your career field, it makes job hunting all that much less stressful and hectic. at the third job fair in Raleigh i can remember thinking to myself "I can either stand in line for an hour or go back to my buddies apt and go back to bed haha". i chose the latter.
i do remember when i was fresh out of college asking my dad advice on my resume and he had none to give b/c as he put it "I've haven't had to update my resume in 30 years" haha. He had taught at the same school for 30 plus years and had no reason to ever look at it again once he got his job.
Last edited by greenvillebuckeye; 07-20-2013 at 08:07 AM..
I completely agree that the job market is just about "non-existent"; it is also corrupt and manipulated in every step of the so called process. I have been told that for an entry level position, there are often 1,000 resumes and it is not uncommon for those with higher level degrees to apply because it is so desperate out there. The good news is that creative and tenacious people are always needed--perhaps your venue is in creating your own space.
This is a societal problem and indicates a much larger problem with free market enterprise and a system that allows Corporate America to call all the shots; in no way is it a reflection on you or your talents.
I am losing faith in america every day. The years 2010-early 2012 were rough, dark times for me. I burnt myself out trying to find a job, and it was annoying to see the same fast food positions reposted, and being told by an overweight manager to check back in a few months, to no avail. This is practically the first time in history where you can apply for a fast food job, and never hear a word on wether your application is being looked at or considered for an interview. Not to be hired, but for an INTERVIEW. It just blows my mind.
You ain't seen nothing' yet.
Wait until the progressives force 11-30 million new low skilled workers into the system....with the backing of labor unions and the minority community.
So employers should be on the lookout for hordes of applicants doing "test interviews"? It's no wonder jobs continue to leave this country with shenanigans like this. Hopefully, you found that job that doesn't involve waking up too early or commuting longer than 15 minutes each way.
This job has a little more flexibility as far as my arrival time because it's a small government agency where my time is not monitored just signing in on the sheet. The last job I had my time was monitored because when I beeped myself in with my ID card it showed my arrival time in the system but now I don't have to worry about that when I arrive between 9am and 9:20am
So employers should be on the lookout for hordes of applicants doing "test interviews"? It's no wonder jobs continue to leave this country with shenanigans like this. Hopefully, you found that job that doesn't involve waking up too early or commuting longer than 15 minutes each way.
I have two options for my commute now that I moved. The bus commute is about 20 mins and if I am running late I catch the subway which is the next block over and that gets me to work in 5 mins,
I have two options for my commute now that I moved. The bus commute is about 20 mins and if I am running late I catch the subway which is the next block over and that gets me to work in 5 mins,
So the money you saved on rent, will now be spent on transportation. Sadly there will be no money left at the end of the month to purchase darker flooring for your kitchen and bathroom. Oh well, such is life.
So the money you saved on rent, will now be spent on transportation. Sadly there will be no money left at the end of the month to purchase darker flooring for your kitchen and bathroom. Oh well, such is life.
It's always money left at the end of the month since I have credit cards
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