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The biggest pet peeve is definitely "hiring immediately". I don't think even McDonald's hires immediately anymore. My brother had to go through THREE interviews over a month long period just to get a part time job stocking at a Home Depot this Summer. I've been through three interviews with multiple companies over a period of sometimes over a month as well and then never hear from them again.
Always remember to keep looking even after multiple interviews and never get your hopes up :P
So what is your biggest pet peeve when job searching?
The is absolutely nothing that pisses me off more than every single, stupid job listing putting the salary down as DOE (Depends on Experience) or 'Competitive'. I want to know how much you're looking to pay (at least a range of no more than $10k, ie - $50k-$60k) before I put in all the effort to write a personalized cover letter, set up interviews, and then find out you're going only going to pay as much as a McDonalds clerk.
I mean seriously, I know all companies out there are money-grubbing you-know-whats' and want to get the best employee for the cheapest dollar, but come on... stop wasting my time and yours.
Or just trying to make it past the HR idiots creating the postings and screening resumes for the perfect candidate. Surprise, surprise, people actually do have the ability to learn new things and don't have to have 'expert' skill sets for everything under the rainbow.
Or the companies that refuse to take a well-formatted resume, and instead make you enter it all into a stupid online form so they can search it more easily.
I hate corporate BS.
all of that.
I think they should give a range. They all have a range. If they know they can pay $40-60k depending on experience than they should write that. The person they offer jobs to should know that they won't get the highest amount unless you have above normal qualifications. This would also help weed out people who want $80-90k.
I also hate filling out those damn applications so that each company can search the databases easier. Look at the resume. Or at least just make me type in some of it and not my entire biography.
I also hate when it says "entry level job"---but requires 2-4 year experience (wtf?)
It seems like now days you have no personal contact with employers looking for candidates. It used to be you had the phone number and a fax so at least you could follow up or you could apply in person or at least have someone's personal e-mail address. It feels like you are just sending your resume out in space and IF you are lucky you will get a response that you weren't chosen. I believe that employers have no respect for the time people take to submit their information especially the sites that want your employment for the past 10 years give me a break!
I also love going to Monster, Career builder etc... and seeing posts from employment agencies if I wanted to work for those companies I would apply directly but no they have to try to be sneaky about it. I guess I am not too trusting of them due to the fact I worked for an employment agency and they had us post fake jobs to gather resumes, that is just wrong. I am sure they don't all do that but it still makes me think, hmmm I wonder if the job is real??
Looking for work sucks!
About a decade or so ago, this rarely happened, if at all. Employment agencies used to be a great resource for those trying to gain experience in a new field. You'd go in, fill out the forms, take some skills tests, interview, go on your way, and often times, you'd get a call once you got home about a new assignment, or at least an interview at a client. Those were the days.
What I hate most about job postings at my workplace are the "1 day postings". In other words a job will only be posted for 1 day. You can count on the fact that after you see the posting, a new, young upstart will be given the position. Here is what is happening. They found somebody for the job - an attractive, young, giddy person - but must first give internal candidates an opportunity to apply. Our company rules are that internal employees get first choice of appyling for promotions. They put the posting up for 1 day hoping no one will apply. If someone does, they wait a couple of days and then call you to say the position has been filled. The upstart gets the job which was the intention in the first place. Please, no offense meant to any new college graduates looking for jobs. There are some excellent young talented people out there with great skills. My point is only that the company hires youth and looks over experience.
About those places hiring the internal candidate, but interviewing outsiders first, why is that even done?? Just who is it that they have to prove to that they tried to post the job to outsiders?? Does anyone out there really care if they were to just post it internally?
I have been to six interviews in the last month, and I am appalled by the degree of incompetence that is endemic in HR departments. Consider a few jewels:
+ A $20,000 "typo" in the salary offer. I rejected the offer, and then they called me one week later "Oh, so sorry, we didn't notice the salary was not what we had discussed".
+ One lady called two of my references *after* she had told me I was out of the race.
+ One lady demanded an original diploma with a seal from the State Department of New York (cost $200) and then never even checked the document.
+ One man agreed to check one reference in round one, and then tossed my application because I did not provide four names.
My conclusion (and I do realize there are some exceptions) is that most HR are glorified secretaries, with little training, and no clue of what the positions actually entail. Unfortunately these folks have a lot of power, and they can toss your CV out simply because they did not like the color of your shoes.
Companies make a big mistake in placing their valuable knowledge employees in the hands of irritating and uneducated HR.
I can add to this. I worked at a large university and after 5 yrs decided to apply for a position in another dept. The protocol was you had to go through the main employment office.
I got a turn down letter(no interview) thanking me for my interest in the university and wishing me luck in my job search.....no mention of already being employed there.
I brought the letter to the head of the employment office. I said I already work here. This is a well known school and they were allowing clerks with no formal education to review resumes.
If your resume didn't match the job description verbatim they tossed you aside. I really don't even think they knew what they were looking at most of the time.
I later found out if you wanted to change departments, contact the department directly.
Big co-sign on the salary range. That "competitive salary" drives me crazy as I really don't want to waste my time putting an application together if it's way below what I'm looking for.
Also, irked by the "highly desirable" lists. I know every employer has their wish list, but if you want something, just say it. Example: I have my Master's and have tried to target jobs specifically at that level. What I have come across is many "4 year degree needed, Master's highly preferred". Well, if you want someone with a Master's, state that in the ad. If not, I just feel like I am thrown into the competition with applicants with 4-year degrees, something you said you really didn't want...right?
Aw, don't mock those poor HR people - they're just trying to appear "professional" and actually know what they're talking about.
Bwa,hahahahah!!!
Ehem... maybe it's time we find ways around the HR stumbling block and get a hold of someone that can actually pull some strings? It's risky, but it's better wasting your time with HR types.
I can add to this. I worked at a large university and after 5 yrs decided to apply for a position in another dept. The protocol was you had to go through the main employment office.
I got a turn down letter(no interview) thanking me for my interest in the university and wishing me luck in my job search.....no mention of already being employed there.
I brought the letter to the head of the employment office. I said I already work here. This is a well known school and they were allowing clerks with no formal education to review resumes.
If your resume didn't match the job description verbatim they tossed you aside. I really don't even think they knew what they were looking at most of the time.
I later found out if you wanted to change departments, contact the department directly.
It is scary to think who is making decisions.
About 25 years ago, it was the time of year when the departments had to select students to be interviewed for summer internships. I was an admin assistant in the engineering department. My boss realized it was the last day to look at the resumes, but he wanted to go to lunch with his friends, so he sent me up to HR to sort through the resumes and pick a few to be interviewed. I am not an engineer. The candidates were, of course, all engineering students, but I had no idea what nuances to look for in their resumes other than looking for some who were civil, structural, mechanical and electrical.
The resumes were in binders, and I leafed through them trying to pick out an assortment of students--for example, I saw that one belonged to a society of black engineers, so I added him to the list, and made sure a few females were in there, too (remember 25 years ago there were far fewer black or female engineers--I was trying to do my part to mix it up a bit, lol.) Because my boss was Italian, I also picked out the resume of a guy with a very Italian-sounding first and last name.
Anyway, they hired a few of them, including the Italian kid. He did very well and came back to work full-time after graduation. He rose through the ranks and is now in charge of a $1.5 billion construction project. Very nice guy, too, and here he ended up where he is in part because some dumb-ass admin picked his resume out because of his name.
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....no mention of already being employed there.
