As human resource leaders and hiring managers from highly sought-after companies, we have read your grievances with great interest. They are age-old complaints in a timeless scenario. You require validation, and you don’t respond well to rejection! Well, combined with your inability to make a strong case for your hire, we don’t like it either!
Resume Rejection – No you never made it in the door! Did you really think that a simple job description from your HR department would be enough to impress us? About a hundred resume submissions were qualified based on what came after the “Responsible for” repeatedly used to explain what you people do all day at work. Only those who showed how well they performed their “responsible for-s” caught our eye. Some of us tend to be suspicious because you are looking to make a move in the first place, so you’d best be proving you’re worthy above and beyond others.
Passive Hunting – Excuse us if we don’t have to work very hard to find an over-abundance of good candidates. Sure you have a strong background, but we’re honestly not sure we ever received your application. Technology is truly our blessing and curse. Did you try to contact us by another method? We receive hundreds of resumes per opening so applying and just sitting back expecting action might leave you behind. Most job hunters wouldn’t believe how many have been added to our executive repertoires by merely approaching us when we haven’t been actively recruiting. You can reach us via LinkedIn if you learn how.
Cliché In-Person Conversations – Let’s be honest here. Before we invited you to interview you probably really didn’t know much about us. Like everyone, you knew we made widgets and then went on to tell us that you’ve always admired our reputation as a nice place to work. When we asked what you could add to the company you responded with dedication, commitment, enthusiasm and well-developed communication skills. This told us that you probably had uttered these clichés to the last 5 companies with whom you spoke, because these words had been spoken to us by the last 50 candidates we interviewed. So we smiled as we nodded affirmatively and eliminated you and all those others from a future with us.
Why don’t people know better? Our guess is because the Internet, which mass prescribes the same advice to everyone from plumbers to CEOs,
never goes beneath the superficial. Bloggers and advice columnists can’t in 250 words. We’re mad as hell that you think we’re so easy as to merely accept your statement of dedication with no proof.
And while we’re on the subject, too many of you “dedicated” pros who won the offers and joined our teams, jumped ship 90 days later for an extra $5,000 when the other offer you had been pursuing became a reality. So toughen up job seekers; stop the whining and conduct an enlightened hunt. Strongly pursue us so we become aware and deliver solutions when we invite you in. Act like you belong here, and you will.
Accept offer than go elsewhere after a better one
