Unemployment - Time flies when you are (NOT) having fun.

Unemployment is 9.8%, the highest it has been since 1993 (9.2%). Ahh 1993: The year before I graduated college with my shiny new degree in communications. I remember those days. The UE rate had gone down to 7% by the time I graduated in 1994 and it only took me six months and fifty typing tests to land my first job with no benefits...but I digress. These days the job market is so bad, I am hardly getting any calls for interviews.

I can't believe it has been six months since I was downsized.  The time has been flying.  Maybe it feels that way because I have been doing my darndest to keep busy.  Or maybe its because I have an internal countdown clock in my head of when my savings is going to run out, when unemployment assistance will end, and when I have to pay the big bucks for COBRA.  I've gone from hoping to land a dream job, to hoping for a job that will pay more than my starting salary in 1994 (okay maybe 2004).

The most frustrating thing is that as much as I am in a rush to get back to work, everyone else is on their own schedule and their follow up stinks.  I could go on an interview today, and not hear anything back from the potential employer for weeks, or forever for that matter. 

I have a friend says she usually finds out that she didn't get a job she interviewed for by looking at Linkedin. Have these people ever been unemployed??? Do they understand what people go through when they are looking for a new job?  What happened to common decency?

Apparently, even though you spent money and effort to get yourself ready for the interview and paid for the transportation to get to the interview, and showed up on time, these people are too busy to even have the common courtesy to let you know that you are in or out of the running for the job.

I interviewed with an employment agency over a month ago for a job with a company I would love to work at. Everything went well and the agency told me it would be a few weeks, but I was very qualified for the job and they would be setting up an interview for me soon.  I waited three weeks, and decided to call the person I interviewed with to find out the status of the job.  When I called, the receptionist asked my name and the I was put on hold.  When the receptionist got back on the line, I was told that my contact was busy.  I was connected to her phone mail.  I left a message and sent an email asking for follow up.  Crickets.  

I waited another week and called (sent to voicemail) and emailed again.  Finally, a response.  "Barbara: Unfortunately, I don't have any update to provide. We have not been given any feedback since sharing your resume. We are in the process of scheduling a live meeting over there, so perhaps I will have something for you soon. Thank you for checking in."  Was that so hard?

There are some positions where the employer drags his or her feet on the hiring process.  I've been a hiring manager, and I know this is not smart .  Think about it.  If you tell your boss that you need additional staff, what does it say for your argument if you sit on a budgeted open position for more than six months? I'll tell you what it says...it says you don't really need that person.  You can count on losing that open position as soon as they look to make cuts in the budget.   From a potential hire perspective, I'd like to ask, "What's taking so damn long?  Do you want my help or not?"

One day I will be back in the hiring manager's role.  Here are a few things I will do differently based on my most recent experiences.  Love to hear what you would do.

1)  Respond (in short) to the thank you emails.  Acknowledgement that you received it is nice.

2)  Give a clear timeline of next steps so candidates know what to expect with the process.

3)  Keep the process moving along in a timely manner.

4)  Keep in touch with the contenders so that they know they are still in the process.

5)  Send a nice, relevant, thank you letter to those who were not chosen (of those who made it till the end of the process).

Quote of the Day

“Life is not so short but that there is always time for courtesy” --Ralph Waldo Emerson