First and foremost let me start by saying that this post is mainly born out of frustration from our current climate. COVID-19 has certainly changed many things in our daily lives, some for better (e.g. employers finally establishing work from home policies), some for worse (e.g., unstable economy). Nonetheless, our “new normal” is here and everyone is flexing as best as they can.
One area of instability that I was ill-equipped to handle is our current job market. Initially I was optimistic. I quickly updated my resume, drafted the perfect cover letter, and began looking for my next position. I found many roles I was interested in and was constantly being barraged with a steady flux of phone calls and emails from recruiters with employment opportunities.
Here’s how it started playing out for me:
- Recruiter calls with a great position…
- 30-minute pre-screen with recruiter…
- 30-minute pre-screen with prospective employer…
- One-hour interview with prospective employer…
- Follow-up with recruiter/prospective employer…
- Radio silence…
- Frustration…
From what I can surmise at this point is that my frustration is mainly born out of a lack of communication from recruiters and prospective employers after applying and/or interviewing.
Fast forward nearly 6 1/2 months, and I still haven’t found a position yet. Going for this long, I’m constantly in a state of asking myself the same questions:
- What am doing wrong?
- Am I not conveying myself accurately?
- What skills do I lack to do the job?
- Am I not cut out to remain in the profession that I’ve worked had to get into and remain in?
To be clear, I understand recruiters and employers have to be in a tough position. With seemingly 1,000s of layoffs occurring each day, I could only imagine what that has done to the number of people reaching out to recruiters and applying for positions.
Having said that, is it too much to ask to be treated like a human being versus just another applicant? How hard is it to follow-up with applicants to say you’re moving forward with someone else? Especially when you’ve taken the time to interview them.
My main questions I have after the radio silence are: do you have any feedback? Or, what skills should I further develop to make me a better applicant in the future?
Respectfully asking, is it really asking too much to ask that recruiters and employers follow-up with applicants (especially when requested)?
Bad recruiters are like used-car salesmen. They’re your best friend when they think you can fill a position and earn them a commission. The minute you are no longer a possible source of income they forget that you breathe air. There are some good ones, and these are the ones that have long careers and are most successful. Try not to take it personally. Just keep applying to everything on LinkedIn, Indeed, Dice, etc. I worked with you for years, and I KNOW that you have the skills. It only takes one ‘yes’.
❤️