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I just went through an experience similar to what the OP described. I had a vacancy in my staff for a payables specialist with a specific type of payables experience (inventory), and I was absolutely floored both by the number of responses that came in and by the incredibly poor match that most of them were to the needs of the position.
We posted a detailed description of the vacancy online in our usual job site, and literally within an hour of posting it, close to two dozen resumes had come in. I was delighted, until the recruiter in the HR department got through them all and told me what she found. The applicants ranged from an unemployed painter to a guy with an MBA, but none of them had the specific experience identified in the ad as being critical for the position. Some of the applicants lived hundreds of miles away from the city where the job is located.
The resumes kept flooding in over the next week, and each day she'd send me the best of the new bunch. Out of the 40 or so "best" prospects, I identified four that actually had the kind of experience I was looking for, and we contacted them for interviews. One had found a job already, so we actually only interviewed three people, out of a couple hundred who applied. And of the three interviewees, two were complete disasters in person.
Luckily, we did wind up hiring the strongest candidate in the bunch, so our outcome was at least a little happier than the OP's was. But in all the years that I've been a hiring manager, I have NEVER seen such an overwhelming response from so many underwhelming applicants.
I recall working at a college as an assistant to the Head of Math and Physics. In looking for a new mathmatics instructor, he had me sort the resumes into piles, and instructed me to throw out all those piles where the applicant was a straight "A" student. His reasoning was that if math came easy to the instructor, he wouldn't be successful in instructing a struggling student. Intersting how different people reason and eliminate.
Maybe, he had an "A" envy. I guess he didn't quite grasp the concept of comprehension. If one is to teach a concept, one must understand it first. Oh well..it takes all kinds to make the world go round...
I just went through an experience similar to what the OP described. I had a vacancy in my staff for a payables specialist with a specific type of payables experience (inventory), and I was absolutely floored both by the number of responses that came in and by the incredibly poor match that most of them were to the needs of the position.
We posted a detailed description of the vacancy online in our usual job site, and literally within an hour of posting it, close to two dozen resumes had come in. I was delighted, until the recruiter in the HR department got through them all and told me what she found. The applicants ranged from an unemployed painter to a guy with an MBA, but none of them had the specific experience identified in the ad as being critical for the position. Some of the applicants lived hundreds of miles away from the city where the job is located.
The resumes kept flooding in over the next week, and each day she'd send me the best of the new bunch. Out of the 40 or so "best" prospects, I identified four that actually had the kind of experience I was looking for, and we contacted them for interviews. One had found a job already, so we actually only interviewed three people, out of a couple hundred who applied. And of the three interviewees, two were complete disasters in person.
Luckily, we did wind up hiring the strongest candidate in the bunch, so our outcome was at least a little happier than the OP's was. But in all the years that I've been a hiring manager, I have NEVER seen such an overwhelming response from so many underwhelming applicants.
Because a lot of unemployed people have the attiitude-"I know I'm not qualified but all they can do is not reply"
I just went through an experience similar to what the OP described. I had a vacancy in my staff for a payables specialist with a specific type of payables experience (inventory), and I was absolutely floored both by the number of responses that came in and by the incredibly poor match that most of them were to the needs of the position.
We posted a detailed description of the vacancy online in our usual job site, and literally within an hour of posting it, close to two dozen resumes had come in. I was delighted, until the recruiter in the HR department got through them all and told me what she found. The applicants ranged from an unemployed painter to a guy with an MBA, but none of them had the specific experience identified in the ad as being critical for the position. Some of the applicants lived hundreds of miles away from the city where the job is located.
The resumes kept flooding in over the next week, and each day she'd send me the best of the new bunch. Out of the 40 or so "best" prospects, I identified four that actually had the kind of experience I was looking for, and we contacted them for interviews. One had found a job already, so we actually only interviewed three people, out of a couple hundred who applied. And of the three interviewees, two were complete disasters in person.
Luckily, we did wind up hiring the strongest candidate in the bunch, so our outcome was at least a little happier than the OP's was. But in all the years that I've been a hiring manager, I have NEVER seen such an overwhelming response from so many underwhelming applicants.
Curious what you were paying this person? My company just hires people with a general background in the field then we train them what to do. They catch on pretty quickly also you don't have to pay as much for someone who is very experienced. The guy without the experience will do the job for 25k or less whereas the experienced guy wants 50k+.
I've been on both sides of this over the last decade. I've been the hiring manager interviewing people who don't even know the name of the job they've applied for by the time I call... and I've been the overqualified person applying for the job.
I just want to encourage all hiring managers to at least keep an open mind and consider that if someone took the time to fill out an application, write a letter of interest, or prep a resume... they deserve the respect of consideration. There have been a few positions I REALLY wanted... they were about $15k less than my last salary and were typically not positions held by individuals with my training but they were incredibly interesting and I would have kept them indefinitely and could have seen myself growing in them.... but I never got the chance. A friend confirmed that one of the managers put my resume in her drawer for another position because she figured I'd just leave when something better came along... I was (still am) offended.
I like the poster who said that you can have a chance to discover your passion in a different type of position... but if we never get the chance... how do you move along?
That being said... I know it's frustrating to have vacancy and get dozens of irrelevant submissions... but if someone has a very special letter of intent or looks like they put some real effort into it... I try to interview them or at least respond with a good luck validation letter/message.
I like the poster who said that you can have a chance to discover your passion in a different type of position... but if we never get the chance... how do you move along?
You can't especially when everyone is looking for experience. People make it sound like you can easily do a career change, you can't. It will take at least a two year investment to get a new education just to get your foot in the door. Which could cost tens of thousands of dollars. Not many unemployed people have that cash.
Pick your career wisely because you might be doing that for the next 40 years.
You can't especially when everyone is looking for experience. People make it sound like you can easily do a career change, you can't. It will take at least a two year investment to get a new education just to get your foot in the door. Which could cost tens of thousands of dollars. Not many unemployed people have that cash.
Pick your career wisely because you might be doing that for the next 40 years.
Well, I agree... and for what it's worth... I've been planning my career and building my experience since high school... but I realize not everyone has that foresight nor anyone to tell them the steps to building that sort of resume.
I think that with entry level positions, however, there's some flexibility there... it IS an entry level position... so why should previous experience in another field make a difference? If someone wants to switch careers... where else would they start?? If they apply to an upper level position in the new field, they'll just get ignored because they don't have enough experience. If they go back to school in the field, they'll be pegged as a dime a dozen new grad.
Just playin devil's advocate and trying to show that for a lot of people... the system is making it difficult for anyone to move horizontally while the economy makes it nearly impossible to move upward... and that really only leaves two options. Stop altogether... or slide down in the same field. If Domino's can hire stock brokers as pizza guys... can't a hospital hire a teacher as a receptionist or a school hire a journalist as a janitor? If they weren't prejudging people as only wanting the jobs as an emergency funding position... do you think they'd still be rejecting these people without even a second glance?
I think hiring managers experience a lot of feasts and famines... and in my opinion, having been there, done that... they don't allow themselves the opportunity to find the best candidates in either situation for pretty much the same reason. They are putting too much of their own reasoning onto each resume/application and assume they have seen it all and know it all... and the good ones slip away. Just an opinion... and not casting stones... like I said, it's hard... so much so that I left a position in Feb 2008 where I had all of the HR duties in addition to normal duties and took a significant paycut just so I didn't have to deal with it any more...
A lot of these unemployed people are really facing depression and self esteem issues and at least frustration.... just to receive the validation of a return email/phone call would help out a lot instead of just assuming... "wow, if I can't even get a call back from this job I'm overqualified for... I wonder if I'll ever find a job."
Some responsibility goes to the job seeker, though, to not just shotgun out applications and ONLY apply to jobs they can consider holding for at least a year as well as jobs for which they meet the minimum qualifications...
There is still plenty of open jobs out there but the trouble is most of us are either under qualified or over qualified (in the employers eyes) for 99% of them. Of the 1% that we are qualified for then we get into a question of fit. It is tough out there.
The situation is so like casting a play or finding a spouse.
It sounds like your company wants a lot from an employee and is only willing to give little in return. Good luck.
It reminds me of a job I had once. After 3 months, they said I was doing a good job, so they gave me more duties. Every week, my duties would increase until I reached the limit of what I was capable of doing. That's when they started complaining.
My manager said that the girl who had the job before me had no problem doing all of those tasks and more. I asked why she didn't work there any more, and she said it was because the girl wanted a raise and the company didn't want to give her one, so she quit.
I just thought to myself, "These people are morons". I quit a few weeks later because I didn't like the pressure they were putting on me for the measely pay I was getting.
There is still plenty of open jobs out there but the trouble is most of us are either under qualified or over qualified (in the employers eyes) for 99% of them. Of the 1% that we are qualified for then we get into a question of fit. It is tough out there.
The situation is so like casting a play or finding a spouse.
Amd some people are put on this earth to be wankers!~
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I guess he didn't quite grasp the concept of comprehension. If one is to teach a concept, one must understand it first. 
Oh well..it takes all kinds to make the world go round...
