The "soul destroying" reality for job seekers.

As a full-time university student I am always looking for part time work. I continually search for a job that will fit in with my lecture schedule, fully utilise my skill set and give me never enough money to live on.

This means that I scour the online recruiting websites hoping against hope for not just a position to apply for but more importantly a response from a recruiter.

I submitted a resume to a consulting organisation, who according to its website ‘are able to provide you guidance and support throughout the recruitment process’ further claiming that assisting me ‘is their primary focus.’

I phoned the contact person to ask the simple but important questions e.g. how many hours per week and what suburb was the job in. The call went straight to message bank. I left my message. I emailed the same questions the following day.

Listen: How to nail a job interview (Post continues after audio).

Regardless of the lack of response (the silence was deafening) I was hopeful.

Needless to say I never heard from them.

This was my initiation to what the human resources sector, commonly refer to as the Recruiting Black Hole.

The absurdity of spending hours compiling and refining a resume spelling out the reasons why I am the best candidate to then submit it into the online RBH, never to be seen or heard from again, is overwhelming and personally soul destroying.

Why do digital recruiters feel they can treat job seekers with such total disregard? Why would an employer align their business, and pay a fee, to a recruiter that treats possible employees with such disdain?

The answer I got from a national manager at a recruiting firm was ‘we get so many applications for part time jobs we simply can’t respond to all of them.’

Businesses expect and encourage employees to feel part of the organisation, to contribute, to take pride in their position, yet for a potential employee to get a foot in the door you have to beat your head against the brick wall of intransigent recruiting processes that are disheartening and down-right rude.

When a business puts its name, brand and reputation on the line with a recruiter; when communication and culture are the watch words presented as paramount to a brand, how then do these sentiments fit with the appalling cultureless and callous treatment of potential employees?

Now here’s the thing. The same question applies to those businesses who advertise vacancies themselves asking applicants to email direct or complete tedious online application forms.

Circumventing the need to pay fees to a recruiter may be a key driver for undertaking the employment process in-house, however it has been my experience when submitting direct applications I was treated with equal disregard as the professional recruiters.

What does this say about the business? Do I really want to work for an organisation that treats applicants so appallingly? Would I, with a clear conscience, want to be part of a business that conducts its hiring process with such moral turpitude?

The answer of course is a resounding no.

Did I finally get a job? Well yes, through my personal network. It was offered with courtesy and respect. I was valued as an applicant. I am appreciated in my work place. I plan to be there for quite some time.

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