As someone looking for a job, I fucking hate this. It is so annoying to hear HR people commenting that you should make sure to put a lot of effort into the jobs you are applying to and write a new cover letter tailored to each job. Bullshit. Maybe if you were not getting 300-500 applicants for your posting for a mid level position, I might consider it. There is zero possibility they are looking at more than a dozen out of the 100 that are qualified.
This is, of course, industry dependent. My wife was able to land a fairly decent job in her industry despite not meeting every qualification because there are simply not a lot of people in it. I’m in tech in Seattle where I have to contend with HR getting flooded with applicants which means they start looking for unicorns that somehow have experience in the combination of the dozen systems the job uses along with a decade of experience in them. I also have to contend with job postings getting canceled after applying, once while I was on the phone with the fucking recruiter.
My advice if you are in the tech industry is to work with recruiters. Eventually you will find one who is not shitty at their jobs.
As someone who had the wonderful experience to work with HR I can tell you that the bullshit they’re telling us is 100% an attempt to justify their own existence.
HR adds less than nothing to the entire recruiting process. They inflate requirements, they smash together templates so that the result makes no sense at all, they add buzzwords they think are important. If someone actually applies, they “filter” applications based on elaborate models of a coin toss, and during interviews, they want to make clear that they are, in fact, not useless by asking nonsensical questions.
In short, they are parasites and don’t want corporate to know.
I’ve got my current job via a recruiter and it was a super relaxed process. One video call of an hour or two with my (to be) team lead and his boss. Both of them were actual developers. HR was only involved for the formalities, as they should be.
I’m currently waiting to hear back on one that is being held up by HR unfortunately. I think they are essentially holding it open for a more diverse candidate which is understandable (the team is a bunch of white dudes) but kind of sucks.
Another one that annoyed me was a job I got rejected by that I saw get reposted. I actually emailed their HR along for some feedback and was surprised to get a response. They said the team was looking for someone with more enterprise level NOC experience. Guess what was not even mentioned in the job description?
One good thing that has happened in recent years though is that several states (including Washington lrequire postings to include the pay range so at the very least I can avoid an interview that would waste everyone’s time.
If you’re lucky. I think I still have a couple applications in an open status from 2015 that I never officially got rejected from. Still crossing my fingers on those ones. 🤞
Are you in the Seattle area? Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Salesforce have all done pretty large layoffs in the area over the last year and a half. That has led to a ton more IT professionals in the area than there are openings so each opening has 100 applications at a minimum.
My previous job, I put in my resume for and while I did not get that position, they created one that also worked for me. My job before that, I had applied to a few jobs and the one I got I did not have all of the requirements but it was a fairly niche product so they did not expect to find anyone that checked all the boxes.
Currently basically just looking for a job that pays more than a nanny (>$35/hr which is significantly less than those two previous jobs). So if you have any suggestions in the Seattle area, I’m all ears.
Unfortunately I am not in Seattle. However, my universal recommendation in the U.S. is to begin networking. Go to where people still gather a little and socialize. Look up numbers for Front Desks and tell them that you are reaching out to get information on job opportunities - look up a company before contacting so you can actually hold a short conversation. Lie and say you were meeting a friend at a restaurant that actually exists down the street and had a few minutes and interest so you wanted to stop in. Be kind and if you can be personable and break through the small talk wall.
These are all things I did while working as an independent occupational specialist (lots more hats than just recruiting). While not a magical way to guarantee anything, you’d absolutely be surprised how often you can catch the ear of even CEOs using these tactics.
I doubt its HR people, it’s highly likely its employers.
If you don’t write the application for the job it’s going to be generic and b listed against the people who have written their applications for the job standing out far above yours. It shows you don’t have attention to detail and frankly don’t want the job. If an employer has 50 applicants (pretty low for tech) thats your competition.
TL;DR The harder you make it for an employer to justify hiring you the harder it is to get employment.
As someone looking for a job, I fucking hate this. It is so annoying to hear HR people commenting that you should make sure to put a lot of effort into the jobs you are applying to and write a new cover letter tailored to each job. Bullshit. Maybe if you were not getting 300-500 applicants for your posting for a mid level position, I might consider it. There is zero possibility they are looking at more than a dozen out of the 100 that are qualified.
This is, of course, industry dependent. My wife was able to land a fairly decent job in her industry despite not meeting every qualification because there are simply not a lot of people in it. I’m in tech in Seattle where I have to contend with HR getting flooded with applicants which means they start looking for unicorns that somehow have experience in the combination of the dozen systems the job uses along with a decade of experience in them. I also have to contend with job postings getting canceled after applying, once while I was on the phone with the fucking recruiter.
My advice if you are in the tech industry is to work with recruiters. Eventually you will find one who is not shitty at their jobs.
As someone who had the wonderful experience to work with HR I can tell you that the bullshit they’re telling us is 100% an attempt to justify their own existence.
HR adds less than nothing to the entire recruiting process. They inflate requirements, they smash together templates so that the result makes no sense at all, they add buzzwords they think are important. If someone actually applies, they “filter” applications based on elaborate models of a coin toss, and during interviews, they want to make clear that they are, in fact, not useless by asking nonsensical questions.
In short, they are parasites and don’t want corporate to know.
I’ve got my current job via a recruiter and it was a super relaxed process. One video call of an hour or two with my (to be) team lead and his boss. Both of them were actual developers. HR was only involved for the formalities, as they should be.
I’m currently waiting to hear back on one that is being held up by HR unfortunately. I think they are essentially holding it open for a more diverse candidate which is understandable (the team is a bunch of white dudes) but kind of sucks.
Another one that annoyed me was a job I got rejected by that I saw get reposted. I actually emailed their HR along for some feedback and was surprised to get a response. They said the team was looking for someone with more enterprise level NOC experience. Guess what was not even mentioned in the job description?
One good thing that has happened in recent years though is that several states (including Washington lrequire postings to include the pay range so at the very least I can avoid an interview that would waste everyone’s time.
When I first did job hunting, companies used to actually write back to say no thanks. On paper.
Do you even get an email any more?
If you’re lucky. I think I still have a couple applications in an open status from 2015 that I never officially got rejected from. Still crossing my fingers on those ones. 🤞
I, uh…last time I put out feelers I got an offer for a position I was interested in rather quickly.
As in that was my sixth application.
The position before that I was at around 15.
I know I’m an outlier. This experience has made me wonder what’s different between myself, my situation, and my environment compared to others.
Are you in the Seattle area? Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Salesforce have all done pretty large layoffs in the area over the last year and a half. That has led to a ton more IT professionals in the area than there are openings so each opening has 100 applications at a minimum.
My previous job, I put in my resume for and while I did not get that position, they created one that also worked for me. My job before that, I had applied to a few jobs and the one I got I did not have all of the requirements but it was a fairly niche product so they did not expect to find anyone that checked all the boxes.
Currently basically just looking for a job that pays more than a nanny (>$35/hr which is significantly less than those two previous jobs). So if you have any suggestions in the Seattle area, I’m all ears.
Unfortunately I am not in Seattle. However, my universal recommendation in the U.S. is to begin networking. Go to where people still gather a little and socialize. Look up numbers for Front Desks and tell them that you are reaching out to get information on job opportunities - look up a company before contacting so you can actually hold a short conversation. Lie and say you were meeting a friend at a restaurant that actually exists down the street and had a few minutes and interest so you wanted to stop in. Be kind and if you can be personable and break through the small talk wall.
These are all things I did while working as an independent occupational specialist (lots more hats than just recruiting). While not a magical way to guarantee anything, you’d absolutely be surprised how often you can catch the ear of even CEOs using these tactics.
I doubt its HR people, it’s highly likely its employers.
If you don’t write the application for the job it’s going to be generic and b listed against the people who have written their applications for the job standing out far above yours. It shows you don’t have attention to detail and frankly don’t want the job. If an employer has 50 applicants (pretty low for tech) thats your competition.
TL;DR The harder you make it for an employer to justify hiring you the harder it is to get employment.