You may have seen my LinkedIn post/poll last week about Recruiting Hell on Reddit. I made the mistake of popping in there to gather some research for my new book and left depressed due to all the situations created by ‘recruitment blockers’. People who get in the way of great hiring.
Usually it is a source of squeamish amusement and horror. This time it wasn’t. And if I can get depressed by these recruitment challenges and I am not the job seeker, it shows just how much work is still to be done to bend recruitment back into shape!
Is it really so hard to be human and treat people with kindness or as you would like to be treated? How on earth have we forgotten that? But maybe it isn’t recruiters and talent acquisition that have forgotten that, maybe it’s others who need the reminder.
Recruitment blockers in the wild
Undoing all the work
Got the offer, but actually getting the job is hell. Finally last week I get sent a job offer. It was alright, sh1t pay but good benefits so I accepted. This has been some of the most unprofessional sh1t I’ve had to deal with. Get an email asking me to come in the next day in the morning to fill out paperwork. I replied that I could and asked what time, received no answer.
I showed up in the morning, and nobody was there to answer the door, nor their phone. So, I send an email saying that I showed up and wasn’t able to get a hold of anyone, would Monday at 10 be a better time. I received no reply until an hour before 10 today. Saying “Yes Please” Now I’m just pissed off, because I wasn’t able to make it (wasn’t even awake) and probably look unprofessional and don’t know how to email them and get everything sorted out.
🛑 Want to go back and start the hiring process all over again? No? Make sure the person doing the paperwork understands its importance to successful hiring.
🚩 Our job is NOT to make people think they are the ones being unprofessional!
🟢 This is a communication breakdown. Totally unnecessary. Easily rectifiable.
Recruitment blockers creating anxiety!
I hate that my first instinct is thinking that I’m being ghosted. It’s been less than a week, but my anxiety is getting the better of me. I have a signed offer and a start date that will be confirmed after my drug and background checks. A few years ago, the thought of a company ghosting at this point wouldn’t even cross my mind. Now, it’s so commonplace that I don’t think I’ll be able to relax until I’ve clocked in for the first time. How did things get to this point?
🛑 Remind whoever is responsible for pre- and onboarding of the time, dollar and emotional cost to the company (and you) of starting hiring all over again because you can bet this applicant — unless they’re crazy — is still interviewing!
🚩 What a way to welcome someone to a company. [sarcasm]
🟢 Communicate. Partner with all involved in hiring. Be kind!
Recruitment blockers ruining employee morale
No Integrity! My head is going to explode. What do you do if the company you work for has hired a now found out total FRAUD. They said they went to law school – they didn’t – they said they practiced law – they didn’t – they said they have a SHRM-CP certification – they don’t. Very easy things to check. NO – the company choose not to run a background check when this scum was hired and for the life of me, I will never understand why not!
… Company is not ready to or even will fire them b/c they are worried about how it will impact clients. I am so worried my confidential info is going to be stolen by this loser. I want nothing – and I mean NOTHING to do with this cretin. Talk about poor work morale, for me anyway. None of the people I manage know and I can’t tell them or we’d be even more screwed (they could quit, IDK). I want out!
🛑 When necessary, background checks protect the firm, its clients, and employees. Consistency of the process is key.
🚩 Your company could lose employees and clients. 💸
🟢 You must escalate and explain the cost of inconsistencies!
…and another from an internal applicant
Rejected after references – no notification. There was an opening in the same division as where I currently work. I applied and had a great first interview. Then, they contacted my references who gave glowing reviews (I know them well). After the reference check, my second interview was literally two questions… They said I would hear from HR. HR can be notoriously slow so I didn’t think much of anything when I didn’t hear back for 2 months.
We had a meeting this week and that team introduced the new person they hired to fill the role I interviewed for. What?? I still haven’t heard from HR or from the team itself. And while I’m not upset about not being chosen, I am irked that they spoke to my references if I wasn’t already their top candidate. It feels like a waste of my references’ time. And of course, I have to go back to my references and tell them I wasn’t selected. Not to mention that this is all internal, as in these people (and my references) are all colleagues and work for the same company. Deep sigh.
🛑 I applaud this company for considering this internal applicant but not for failing to see the enormous impact of treating employees/referees this way.
🚩 2 question 2nd interview screams hiring manager bias/decision already made.
🟢 HR needs to understand the implications of their and the HM’s actions.
Don’t want to leave you depressed so…
Blow recruitment blockers away
Recruiting is hard, don’t let recruitment blockers get in the way. We are people recruiting people for other people, and all parties have thoughts, feelings and emotions, which can be a source of frustration and communication breakdowns. But because all parties have thoughts, feelings and emotions, lead with kindness.
If you don’t know how, consider reading The Robot-Proof Recruiter, or finding an easier job.
