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Now you have to apply online, hope your app isn't filtered out by software based in some foreign country, and also hope that the position you're applying for is one they're actually planning to hire for (
It has always been, that the companies filtered out the majority of applications. They would have say 3 different questions that they considered as vital. They would pick up an application, and look over those 3 answers. If any one of those 3 did not have what they wanted to see, the application was rejected and went in the reject pile. The ones that had the right answers for those 3 questions went into the pile for further evaluation. The majority of the applications would be rejected, due to not passing the test of one or more of those 3 answers. Lets say there were 500 applicants, and that 3 answer evaluation, left 50 to give further study. Then and only then, did they look at the next group of answers and check 5 more thing, which now brings down the applications to 10 still in the running. Then they looked at the rest of the application, and end up with 5 people that are worth their trouble giving a phone interview. In other words, only 1% of the applicants met their final cut. The only difference today, the computer looks at the answers for those 8 things that make the difference between being considered and rejected and does it a lot faster than anyone in HR or the HM can do it.
The computer does the accept/reject process as applications are received, and is just faster than doing by human power. But has the same results.
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Not just one they might get around to filling in the next few years, or that they're searching for the "golden unicorn" candidate).
Some jobs are always one they would like to fill now, but realize it may take time to find the right person. They will start them to work, if they can find the right person.
When the right applicant applies, they set everything aside and interview that one person. If that person is available, then there is no reason to look further. They may have thought it may take up to a year to find that one person, but if they find them they are hired immediately.
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Try to apply in person? You'll be told, "You need to apply online. Don't call us, we'll call you."
Makes perfect sense. They want the application in a form that it can be scanned by a computer, or quickly evaluated by someone in HR. This way they are standardized and give everyone the same exact chance at the job, and cannot be charged with favoritism. Easy to prove to inspectors, that they are giving all applicants equal chance and not based on sex, race, color of skin, or other factor. Strictly based on merit.
Finding suitable applicants is one of the hardest job in any company. They will advertise and get often hundreds of applications for that one job. And maybe, there will be the perfect candidate. But often, not a single one will be the person they are looking for. This is especially true, for more important jobs.
Example. Two years ago, a woman I know was suddenly needing another job. She was fully qualified for a IT department head, in one particular program. This particular program, is one larger companies use, which runs the entire company. Accounting, inventory, manufacturing records, parts, materials, etc., etc. Not only must the applicant know how to run the program, but must have a good understanding of things like being a decent accountant, so they can set up the system for accountants to use. They must know how to make sure the company can pass a SOX audit. Not passing a SOX audit, can be serious problems for a company.
She entered herself on Dice.com and that was her entire job seeking effort.
Within 3 days she had over 20 seeking her services, and within 10 days had near 50 serious opportunities. She had them from Boston to Silicon Valley, and from Chicago to Dallas. All large companies with multiple facilities. Salary well into 6 figures. Her phone was wringing steady, and it got so bad the first week, they were telling her to let them try to top all other offers. All had been looking for someone from 6 months to over 2 years to fill the position. All for her to be the head of the IT department for the company, over all of their facilities, working out of the corporate headquarters. A quick phone interview, and they were offering her the position without even an in house interview.
One she selected, was in the exact suburb of the North West City she planned to retire to when she retired. They had 123 different facilities, that were all tied together by that one program, where the executives in the corporate office, could keep track of what was going on at all of the facilities, and would be able to troubleshoot any weak spots. In addition with her in charge, they would be able to pass a SOX audit for the first time in 5 years, and could get the feds off of their back. In addition they needed someone that could take them to the next level and upgrade to the newer version of the program.
She was the ultimate Platinum (worth more than gold) Unicorn. And most of the other companies that tried to hire her, felt the same way. This is a woman that had to drop out of college going for an accountant, when they had an inversion layer and she had to leave the area and hospitalized in her Junior Year. This woman that went to work as a bookkeeper in the accounting department of a public utility company and started taking all the classes on that program the company would send her to. She worked for 3 other well known companies over the next 15 years, becoming a top expert in that one program taking class after class, working her way up to Head of IT at her last previous position. She attended the annual users group conferences for the program, and was well known as a participant at their conferences in discussions.
This is starting at the bottom, and working up to the top in her field.
From that entry on Dice, she got the ideal job for her. And she had a standing offer with several other big companies for a top IT head and was asked to talk to them first if it did not work out where she went.
Many young people just because they have a degree in Software Engineering, think they can handle any IT type job, regardless of what program the company uses to run the whole company. Today many companies work with a very specialized program and they need someone that knows their program for many of the better jobs with the company. It is more important the person knows the program (as the woman in my example) than the fact they have a degree.
And the same goes for many of the better jobs today. You have to start at the bottom, and work your way up. And that bottom is most often below what the new graduates today are willing to start at, as the pay may be lower than they want, and they may feel the starting job is beneath them.
I'm sorry, but I don't agree with you oldtrader. If there would be a way to work from the bottom up in a company, it would be through an internship, but many of those don't lead anywhere, and are fiercely competitive themselves. And, if your graduated, you don't get to do internships.
I have yet to see applications outside of the government that will accept truly entry level candidates with a pay cut. Like $15 hr for recent grads and $25 for 3 years experience or something like that. The vast majority want experience or they don't want you.
When I worked at Xcel, they had some stat like 50% of the electrical utility workforce was up for retirement in the next 10 years. Go look for entry level work in the utilities. There again, all they have 3-10 years experience required. Maybe they can fill that gap with mid career candidates from somewhere else, but eventually they are going to run out of candidates they can poach from other utility companies.
I have a feeling at some point and time they are going to run out of people who know how a utility operates and who have the skill sets needed.
I'm sorry, but I don't agree with you oldtrader. If there would be a way to work from the bottom up in a company, it would be through an internship, but many of those don't lead anywhere, and are fiercely competitive themselves. And, if your graduated, you don't get to do internships.
I have yet to see applications outside of the government that will accept truly entry level candidates with a pay cut. Like $15 hr for recent grads and $25 for 3 years experience or something like that. The vast majority want experience or they don't want you.
When I worked at Xcel, they had some stat like 50% of the electrical utility workforce was up for retirement in the next 10 years. Go look for entry level work in the utilities. There again, all they have 3-10 years experience required. Maybe they can fill that gap with mid career candidates from somewhere else, but eventually they are going to run out of candidates they can poach from other utility companies.
I have a feeling at some point and time they are going to run out of people who know how a utility operates and who have the skill sets needed.
I worked from the bottom up, during the recession. As for myself, I was making $11/hr as a file clerk in 2008, but I picked up some eporting skills. The recession took my employer down and they shut their doors at the end of the year. I had 2 job offers: first offer $30k plus a $7.5k bonus and a second job offer came out at $50k.
Nowadays, I make over $100k/yr. Former co-workers and supervisors are trying to recruit me now with better offers. That's not bad for a laid off file clerk.
Four years ago, I was working as a SQL reporting analyst on the business side. The data entry college grad next to me was making a bit over $12/hr. He wanted to learn about SQL reporting, too.
He nearly doubled his salary to $43k, after a 3 month SQL class. They hired him for SQL reporting. He received raises every year. After his 3rd year, he is making over $70k. We are looking at a young man that worked his way up from $12hr to nearly $70k in three years.
There was another guy that started in the same dept, three years ago. Now he is making $65k + 10% bonus and had multiple offers, when he left. That's not bad for somebody that started in data entry.
Last edited by move4ward; 03-26-2016 at 06:42 PM..
The BEST way I've learned to bypass a lot of the HR bunk is to network. Network, network, network.
You will be surprised to see how sympathetic and helpful people are willing to be. My exercise trainer helped me network, and he knows nothing about technology. He referred me to people he knew. After a while, it becomes so natural because all you're doing is meeting people, briefly giving an informal "elevator" speech, and exchanging business cards. That's it. I've been able to expand my network so much more, and networking is going to be the thing to help a person bypass all of these absurd HR-written requirements.
A job doesn't have to be in your field to provide valuable skills that will help you land a job in your field.
I graduated with an economics degree in 2010, and my first job out of college paid horribly, and was no in no way related to economics, but I gained domain experience I leveraged into a job related to my degree.
A job doesn't have to be in your field to provide valuable skills that will help you land a job in your field.
I graduated with an economics degree in 2010, and my first job out of college paid horribly, and was no in no way related to economics, but I gained domain experience I leveraged into a job related to my degree.
Nowadays though, they seem to want EXACT experience in X, Y, and Z or they won't hire you (or so I've heard). It doesn't matter (like perhaps it used to) how easily you could transition to the thing, if you don't have it, they don't see you.
sorry, you heard wrong...
besides, you were looking at Aldi's right... what kind of skill does it take there besides showing up on time when you are scheduled to work? They train everything else
The BEST way I've learned to bypass a lot of the HR bunk is to network. Network, network, network.
You will be surprised to see how sympathetic and helpful people are willing to be. My exercise trainer helped me network, and he knows nothing about technology. He referred me to people he knew. After a while, it becomes so natural because all you're doing is meeting people, briefly giving an informal "elevator" speech, and exchanging business cards. That's it. I've been able to expand my network so much more, and networking is going to be the thing to help a person bypass all of these absurd HR-written requirements.
^
This. I have a chanceto get something better because a family friend's cousin works with the city and told me to give her a call.
It's who you know now.
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