As someone whose been on both sides of the hiring process, I wish especially in difficult markets there was more transparency.
Anonymous
As someone whose been on both sides of the hiring process, I wish especially in difficult markets there was more transparency. I understand that some companies are required to post jobs posted even when there's already an internal candidate. If that's the case, before an interview, the external candidates should be aware.
That way, it's their decision whether or not to proceed. From the application, interview prep and assignments, if you NEED a job, not wanting to advance your career, this means having enough for food or rent. Another option is you've done the required posting, unless you know you are open to outside candidates, don't conduct the interviews. You've fulfilled the requirement.
I've been in companies where an offer has already been extended as it was a promotion and I've been required to hold two sets of interviews and assignments. I've addressed with HR that I did not feel comfortable with putting applicants through that process for an internal promotion and I was told ' you'll do what we require if you want to work here.' I left a short time later as there were a lot of things that I couldn't support and I'm on the job hunt as well.
This is a waste of time as this whole process took months and then the same thing for her replacement. To make the matter worse, we moved up an internal employee already to the replacement role as well. It took 6 months to complete the process for both employees which left the small team to pick up all the extra work when we already knew what was underway.
As a job searcher, this process is maddening. There are jobs that have been posted now for over a year. I was working at the time and saw them continually posted each month and are still listed. I know companies pay to post for x time but I doubt this a real position.
With so many talented people on the market, desperate to find work , the whole system needs a revamping. If you 10 plus years of experience, you shouldn't be looking for over a year. Yes, it takes time to find a job and the 'right' fit but excuse the rant but companies are playing games. Fake jobs, interviewing candidates and then after rounds, reposting roles for $20-50K lower because they received a lot of applicants is a cruel way to save money.
Unless there was a budget cut, this is a ploy. I just went through five rounds for the same level role that I had prior and the job was reposted this week for $50K less. Their reasoning, we had over 200 applicants and someone will take the role at that amount. You not only wasted over 199 candidates' time but to go that much lower in a city with a high-cost of living, that's not enough for rent.
There are a lot of wonderful HR staff out there but to the ones playing games, you're messing with people's lives. Some are deciding what meal to eat today and trying to make ends meet until completing that final round only to be ghosted. Due to at will companies, even as an employee, you don't feel safe. The stories that I've heard are heartbreaking and I know of a VP in another state who until a friend took her in was living in her car until it was repossessed for lack of payment.
Excuse the rant but we need to be better! The US is a country where people have arrived to chase their dreams and in the past, if they worked hard enough could accomplish them. We're living in an age where it doesn't matter how hard you try or talented that it needs to be right timing.
There aren't perfect employees. There are hard workers with an aptitude for the job. Even if you've done the job prior, each company has different systems that require on the job training. I would rather have someone who has 9/10 requirements and is willing to learn rather than the unicorn everyone seems to be chasing. Good luck to everyone searching and we need to do better for current employees and prospective candidates.
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