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Challenges Job Seekers Face with Hiring Processes

Our last post presented some of the job search challenges from the point of view of a company struggling to attract top candidates for its positions. This time, we are flipping the perspective around to look through the eyes of the job seeker, because at Arthur Diamond Associates we have to be adept at wearing both hats and understanding the point of view of candidate and company. Sure, we know there are tons of challenges for job seekers in general—a competitive market, high unemployment—but what are some of their warranted gripes with the companies not making the hiring process job-seeker-friendly? There are some definite disconnects from these opposite sides of the job search coin.

The Interview Process. Job seekers aren’t asking for an interview to be a breeze but some companies approach their candidates with aggressive or unnecessarily difficult questions or just make the process so convoluted, time consuming and archaic that candidates lose interest or lose opportunities because of the interview gauntlet they have to get through.

The Application Process. Stepping back to the beginning of getting the foot in the door, technology has really helped companies sort and manage their applicants, but from the applicant’s point of view, it is still a challenge to know how they are being evaluated through an online application system and what triggers a green light to the next level of a hiring manager reviewing a resume versus a red flag that gets their application dumped into a black hole never to be reviewed at all.

Poor Communication. Potential employees should be treated as such and communication between a job seeker and a company can really help a candidate get a feel for the communication style and culture of a company. Is everything handled by a junior HR staffer or is there a genuine relationship built with a seasoned recruiter or hiring manager that is more invested in the outcome of the job search? It’s always a delicate balance for job seekers who crave information and the companies and hiring managers that have to dole it out judiciously during a job search.

Image courtesy of phasinphoto at freedigitalphotos.net.