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I had an interesting conversation with a recruiter for a local large employer. He told me that he gets many phone messages on his voice mail and many emails that say basically this:
Hello, I need a job bad. I can do pretty much anything. I am desperate! You pick the job, I will do it. You train me. I will work hard. Any job will do!
On a personal emotional level the recruiter told me he can feel for these job applicants but on a professional level he would not touch any of them. First of all he works for a company that hires and retains mostly professional staff working in career type positions that require advanced skills, experience and education. He is not going to train you to do a job when there are hundreds of applicants who have special training, education, experience and a track record doing these jobs.
So what happens to these desperate people who want a job, any job?
Doesn't sound desperate enough, because there are tons of immediate hire jobs outside of diners, supermarkets, and retail outlets.
You've never been in that position before. You can't just get a job on spot anymore. No matter if it's a high class firm or a supermarket, hiring on the spot is rare when you have 200 people to choose from. Some people even argue that getting a supermarket job will be harder then a professional position because you are competing with anybody that has 2 eyes and 2 legs.
I'm one of the desperate, but I don't go as far as leaving voice messages begging. I show my eagerness in a more subtle way.
I think the problem with the callers, begging for any job, is they feel that desire and eagerness alone is going to make a number of people on a hiring committee chose them. Even if the recruiter's emotions were stirred by the appeal, he/she would not be able to convince the entire hiring committee to hire this desperate man/woman just because they want to work.
Last edited by I'm Retired Now; 01-10-2014 at 01:50 PM..
So what happens to these desperate people who want a job, any job?
They eventually will get a job, or not, just like all other unemployed people. Desperation doesn't preclude them from gaining employment, it simply widens the pool of jobs they would entertain doing.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaypee
They eventually will get a job, or not, just like all other unemployed people. Desperation doesn't preclude them from gaining employment, it simply widens the pool of jobs they would entertain doing.
But showing that desperation is not going to help them get a job. When you are competing and all else is equal, employers will select the person that they think wants to work for them over those that just want any job.
There are many people who are well qualified for the job they are seeking, are highly motivated and capable, but are not getting any offers despite many interviews. What can they do to make themselves a better candidate? They have already presented their skills and abilities. What else can they do to be more competitive?
Unless they are trying for positions above their qualification level, it soon becomes apparent that there are just too many applicants competing for the same jobs and they need a way to make themselves standout more and become noticed rather than blending into the pack.
If there is no new skill or talent to push, they can only promote their flexibility, desire and motivation. Nothing shows more motiviation than a level of desperation, right? Sure it turns some employers off, but what else is there for them to do?
I understand the urge to go to that tactic and I also recognize the downside to it. A desperate position also means no negotiating power and poor salary IF they get the job. Those with power will club the powerless with it. It is a bad job seeking technique. Many people today are running out of hope and see their job opportunities dwindling to the point there is noplace to look. They are getting desperate and are looking for any means to climb out, even it is only to a poor position with little advancement. It is at least a paycheck while they bide their time until something better comes along.
The idea that people want someone who will want THE job rather than any job is fine and has some merit. To the person who has finished his 100th job interview and has not received a single call back that point is difficult to see. They only see that they have to change something and they don't have any new experience, skill or talent to throw out there.
I know that when I hire, one of the things I look for is a qualified applicant who specifically wants this job, at my company. Someone for whom this is their dream job, rather than someone who is desperate for a job, any job. It would be a major red flag if someone ever said anything to me like the verbiage of desperation in the original post.
One thing I have noticed, from years of doing interviews, is how many applicants have a poorly done resume and/or can't interview for squat. I was in the unusual position of interviewing someone who I had once worked with, several years previously, last year. I knew from having worked with her before that she was a terrific employee and would be a good hire. But she interviewed incredibly poorly - she gave the impression that she didn't want to be there, she answered questions in a monotone, 4-5 word answers, didn't do anything at all to sell herself and convince the hiring committee that she wanted the group and would be a great fit. I later heard through the grapevine that she was very confused on why she didn't get the job -- she knew she was qualified and thought the interview should have been a mere formality. For some reason, it didn't click with her that while yes, she was qualified, so were the other 11 people we interviewed, and so were the other 30 people we pre-screened via a phone interview.
I know that when I hire, one of the things I look for is a qualified applicant who specifically wants this job, at my company. Someone for whom this is their dream job, rather than someone who is desperate for a job, any job. It would be a major red flag if someone ever said anything to me like the verbiage of desperation in the original post.
I was an employer up until two years ago and know half a dozen people who regularly hire, including two HR directors of large corporations. Never in the "real world" have I ever heard of or experienced first hand the sort of desperate applications which the OP alleges his informant notes as being a regular occurrence. I called four of my friends yesterday; the two in corporate positions said they never received such overtures and the other two are restaurant owners who said that maybe a couple of times a year someone will show up unannounced asking for some sort of menial job and these are usually high school seniors looking for summer jobs.
Even on this forum where emotions often run very high I've only noticed one long-time unemployed contributor who claims he'll take "a job, any job at all" if someone will just give him an opportunity - and even at that there's no record in his quite extensive posting history to even suggest that this is the sort of tactic he's actually indulged in while job-hunting. I find the whole subject suspect and think it likely demonstrates more an urge to create, "a thread, any thread at all".
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