A family member has been searching for a job for the past 4 1/2 months. It is a crazy process from what I went through with my last 8-5 position. With everything being web-based, how in the world do you ever get your name and heaven forbid, your face, in front of the potential employer?
It seems that it’s frowned upon if you actually get out of your house and walk in the front door to apply. Oh no, you made an effort, you got dressed, you drove in an ice storm to get there, but nope, you broke protocol. YOU MUST APPLY ONLINE!
“Would it be ok if I just drop off my resume for Mrs. No Face to throw in the trash?” you might ask, only to be sneered at with the response, “Well, you can leave it, but it will likely end up in the trash.” Hello, are you listening to me?
Are we becoming a society that cannot be bothered by real people? I mean really! Am I interpreting this correctly? It is better for the job applicant to stay at home in their pajamas, un-showered, no make-up, eating bon-bons, and with the click of a mouse, send their information into the abyss?
And, I am just curious, since I’ve never been the hirer, how do they go through the multitudes of resumes and decide, “this one looks better than all the rest??” Is it the fabulous looking cover letter that is typed in black ink with four spaces between the date and the address? Or could it be the actual resume itself that is filled with information about how great we are, that Mrs. No Face is too tired to read thoroughly and it gets “moved,” instead of tossed into the cybertrash.
After 4 1/2 months of doing it the “right way,” our family member was called for her first interview. They loved her. She’s been told she’s the top candidate right now and they will call her next week with the final decision. If someone else comes in and knocks their socks off before then, do you think they’ll call to tell her to keep looking? The job has been open for nearly 3 of her 4 1/2 month search. Wouldn’t it have all been a little easier if she’d walked in the front door and sat down with someone when the job opened? Then they could do their little background check, call the references and offer her the job.
Call me old fashioned, anti-computer (I work on a computer everyday, but whatever!), or just plain cynical, but I’m just asking, whatever happened to the A for effort? The first impression? The hit-the-pavement mentality? As parents we are forced to limit our children’s time on a computer to broaden their horizons, expose them to adventure, and keep them involved with people for better social skills.
But, in the quest for the one thing that is going sustain us, give us purpose, build our confidence and put food in our bellies, we’re encouraged to stay home or at our office desk and just click, click, click away.
Share with me, please, the tales of your search for the perfect job. Is it still who you know and not so much what you know that gets you in the door? And if that’s the case, how’d you get to know them? On the internet?
