Millennials and the Job Search
Here’s my issue. Job searches are testing both sides, right? As in the employer and the potential employee?
Right. Because it doesn’t make sense for either party to be dissatisfied with the filling of the position.
So why on Earth does it feel like every time I go in, I’m getting the wool pulled over my eyes? I swear every “Account Manager” position, or every “Management Training” position should be called “Outside Sales in Walmart.”
I’ll see something that appears to be a great fit, apply online, go through a phone interview, a video conferencing interview, and finally a face-to-face interview, only to find out that I’m selling Comcast xfinity in a big-box retailer!
It’s so dishonest, and it’s really discouraging me in the job search. This has literally happened with 3 of my hottest leads for new jobs. Everything else is either taken or taking 12 years to respond to my application.
What’s worse is that I see people leave reviews for these companies online that are, well for one, mostly negative, and indicative that SOME of these people didn’t even know what the job entailed until after they were already hired!
Which, definitely a solid 50% of that is on the applicant. If you don’t ask enough questions in the interviewing process, you’re bound to end up in a position you don’t understand (or have the right skillset for).
If I apply to a job and make it through several rounds of interviews only to get to a face-to-face interview where I am sitting in a waiting room filling out a pen-and-paper application (AFTER I’ve already given my résumé and portfolio multiple times, mind you) and there’s a box that asks me to check…
Wait for it…
Graduated High School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ ] Yes [ ] No
You’ve got to be kidding me!!! I have degrees! I have a job where I’m making annual salary, not some measly “up to $400/week” nonsense. I mean seriously. When I was in the position of hiring people, I took the liberty to tell them when they were overqualified.
Why?
Was it because I want morons working for me??
NO.
It was because I want a low employee turnover. You know? Because if I were to have accepted that job, what did they think would happen?
That I would ENJOY selling Comcast services to the lowlifes in WALMART and decide “Hey! I like this much more than the other guys who are offering me twice as much in annual salary and as a plus, I get to do something that exactly 0 people on planet Earth want to do!”
…
I’m at a loss. Either way, The job search shouldn’t be this hard. People need to have a little bit more honesty. And today was the first day that I ever said the following:
“No, thank you. I’m declining to move forward with the rest of the hiring process. Thank you for your time, and best of luck in your search for the right candidate.”
And it. felt. GOOD. Ya know why?
Partially because this man was calling me “sweetheart.” And also because he was trying to pull a fast one on me. I could tell. He was sneakily using trick interview questions, and I could tell.
And you know what else? He even tried to beg me to continue the interviewing process afterward. HA. (That also felt good.)
There goes to show, that applying for jobs has been made harder and much more complicated thanks to the Internet.
Godspeed,
