I am not computer illiterate. Or better stated, I am computer literate. I consider myself rather savvy in the tech world – ranked in somewhere between “plug and play” knowledge and rudimentary programming/coding. The thing is, the computer does not scare me. I am plugged in via smart phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop most waking hours.
I have taught many a novice nurse the ins and outs of professional resumes. I have instructed others on what to wear and how to professionally interact at that very important interview. I had a brief stint as the Director of Human Resources at a community hospital, so I understand the process. Yet, the impersonal nature of the modern job search has me stymied.
Job Searching in Ancient Times
As I noted in another blog, the last time I pounded the pavement to actively pursue full-time employment was over 20 years ago. At that time, I would review the want ads from the Sunday newspaper and circle those listings that interested me. Then I would visit the facilities, follow the signs to the HR department, give a smile and greeting to the clerk behind the imposing desk, request and complete an application that typically would take between 15-20 minutes. I would then submit the completed form to that same clerk behind the desk. Or I might send my properly formatted, impeccably stated resume (or CV if a faculty role) along with a cover letter directly to the hiring manager at the facility. Then I would wait. If called for an interview, I would arrive 10 minutes early dressed ever-so-professionally with a fresh copy of my resume and have a face-to-face talk with the hiring manager. After the interview, I would follow up with a thank you note. Then I would wait. If I was not offered the job I would receive a personal thanks-but-no-thanks letter.
Now let me translate that last paragraph into 2015 vernacular:
Job Searching in Technological Times
The last time I pounded the keyboard to actively pursue full-time employment was yesterday. At that time I reviewed my email to see if the smart sourcing sites I had previously joined had informed me of available job postings. Once located in my email box, I perused the encouraging “Jobs You Might Be Interested In” note, and followed a link to the company’s Career Center website. Once there I set up a profile, user name and password. I then clicked on the “Apply for this job” hyperlink and completed an online application that took between 45-60 minutes (more on this later). I then attached my keyword heavy resume (or CV if a faculty role) and company pain letter and clicked “submit”. Now I wait. If I am chosen to continue in the interview process, some HR clerk will contact me via telephone and conduct a pre-interview. Often this is done while I am sitting at the computer in my pj’s or hang-around-the house comfy clothes with coffee in hand. These pre-interviews are always a surprise and can occur while I am out walking the dog or gathering groceries at Publix. But I never want to miss the call. The next step in the process is typically a phone interview with the hiring manager. This one is not a surprise. The HR clerk will have scheduled it and informed me of when the hiring manager will be calling. Sixty minutes prior to the phone interview I will be reviewing the company website and googling the manager’s name in preparation of razzle-dazzling him or her. If the old razzle-dazzle is effective, I will be invited for a face-to-face interview at the facility. The telephone interview will be ended with a “I will have our HR clerk call you to arrange the next step”. This will involve yet another phone call.
I will then arrive 10 minutes prior to the pre-determined time dressed ever-so-professionally with a fresh copy of my resume and have a face-to-face talk with the hiring manager. After the interview, I will follow up with a thank you email, sent strategically within 4 hours of the interview (not too soon, not too late). Then I wait… and wait… and wait. If I am not offered the job, I may receive (but this is atypical) an impersonal thanks-but-no-thanks form email. Often times I will need to contact the HR department and politely state “As I have not heard anything since my interview a month ago, I am assuming that position was filled by another candidate. Is this correct or am I still in consideration?” At this point, the somewhat embarrassed HR clerk will apologize and soon I will be receiving an email disposing of my job chances.
I’m just browsing…
Yes, times have changed. Again, I can handle a computer, so I did not anticipate how frustrating this process has been. It is not so much that this function in now done online, I actually like this as I can view open positions and apply for jobs that are of interest to me – and I can do this at anytime. Great! And it is intended to be user friendly. This is where I find fault. The intention does not always match the implementation. I have found these career sites to be problematic. And it just bugs me. These sites should be tested with all of the common browsers. So often, I have had to change my browser to ensure that I could upload the necessary documents. Typically, I would not know there was a browser issue until after the entire application was completed. I would try to save my work only to be prevented from this. So, through a process of trial and error, I find another browser that would finally allow me to complete the process with my Mac computer.
Intelligence Sourcing
In addition to the career sections of healthcare facility websites, there are many job search sites – Monster, LinkedIn, SimplyHired, Indeed, GlassDoor, CareerBuilder, the list goes on and on. Often I have found the same job listed on multiple job search sites. But I play the game and frequent these sites. They are supposed to be intelligence sourcing experts matching information about education and experience with the posted job requirements. So very intelligent…
I recently received an email that exclaimed: Congratulations, we have matched the perfect job to your qualifications! This site electronically reviewed my resume, searched for those very important key words, and magically matched my advanced education, skill level, and experience as a nurse, nurse educator, nurse manager, and nurse business owner to the PERFECT JOB! They matched me to a Director of Engineering job. Sigh… Other “matches” I have been enthusiastically informed about have included LPN jobs, laboratory technician jobs, and pharmacy technician jobs. Again, sigh…
The hell that is online job application
Here are only three of my many pet peeves about online applications:
- If a resume is required, why (oh why) am I required to take all the information I just uploaded and input it into the online form?
- If the job requires an advanced degree and I have listed the degree and the university, why do I need to input the name and address of my high school? With all the capabilities of computers, why can’t the application process be customized to gather only position-specific information?
- Why must I include a salary history? Why can’t the positions be listed with the starting salary range based on experience? This question always puts me in a mood. Really, is it any of the amorphous reviewing entity’s business? And maybe I would be willing to take a smaller dollar amount for the perfect job. I feel this question is just used to make a “first cut” rather than having to evaluate experience.
Bitch, bitch, bitch…I know. But here is the thing…I have spent close to 40 years in this career and I am damn good at what I do. But getting through this electronic system where my resume is placed with the thousand of others submitted is just plain difficult. And frankly, I tire of it.
Please share your thoughts, experiences, successes, epic fails and funny anecdotes on this process. I will have my intelligent sourcing agency pre-review all comments for keywords and matches to my opinions.
I read your blog about looking and submitting applications… great thought stream. And now I know why you wouldn’t want to provide a link to anencorelife.com. But you could be an influencer, just up your game. Job search? It STILL comes down to WHO YOU KNOW, internet or not. P.S. the term C.V. seems to be used by non-educators as well, it gives them GRAVITAS. Ha!
This has been the story of my life for the last 18 months. I get so many daily updates of available jobs, I had to “unsubscribe” just to get them read. But let me assure you, all those online application and even recruiter screening interviews have landed me absolutely ZERO job offers. In the “old days”, at least you had a name and face of an HR professional that you could establish a relationship with. Online applicant tracking systems just don’t provide that up close and personal opportunity for relationship building. It’s really hard to impress a computer.
Ok, I’m done ranting and I continue to plan the new games in hopes of getting noticed in the sea of qualified applicants.
Oh, no… I’ve held Sci Dir twice before. Experience got me those jobs. You just have to find the right one. I’m sure I’m competing with writers who are as good or better than I–they ALSO just happen to have the degree. But I understand it and respect it.
Yes it is. It doesn’t help that at least half the recruiters who contact you are located in India. They don’t understand the differences between medical writers, they don’t understand geographical differences (many of them have contacted me with positions in Connecticut or New York not understanding that such positions would be an impossible commute for me). I have lately been refusing all requests from recruiters who are obviously located in India. We now need to shame those companies (most of the the pharma companies) who hire recruiters based in India rather than local recruiters who DO understand the market and the language!
Nailed it EXACTLY. I just went through absolutely exactly all of this (including being “exactly matched” to jobs like scheduling for an automotive dealership). Once I was even called about a position in California as–really–Director of Rodent Surgery. OK, yeah, I used to do a ton of rodent surgery…TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO. But it’s on my CV, and… bingo. Keyword search. I found that Glassdoor and LinkedIn had the most relevant offerings (LinkedIn had the best). I also worked with a few recruiters I’ve worked with in the past. Probably the best advice I can give is do NOT apply at the online career page (Monster, Indeed, etc). If the company name is listed (it isn’t, always), GO TO THE COMPANY WEBSITE and apply for the position from THEIR site. What I usually ended up doing was simply sending a “cover email” (tailored 100% to the specific job and their company and therapeutic categories and any other info I could find on their web site) with my CV attached. Sometimes the company websites have their own internal application algorithm. Also, KEEP A LIST OF EVERY JOB FOR WHICH YOU APPLIED: job title, company, site where you found the listing, URL for the listing, and any relevant notes (eg, “work from home” or “six miles away” or “experience in all of their therapeutic categories,” etc). If you have further interaction with them (eg, phone calls), add that to your notes. This is very helpful as you slog through the 15 career site emails you get every day, and something looks familiar but you don’t remember if you applied for it or not. Also, Glassdoor has ratings for a lot of companies. Pay attention to those. There were a few companies that had perfect-looking jobs, but 2 stars out of 5 ratings, with 28 comments from super-disgruntled employees with very useful and specific comments.I did not apply to those jobs. I used this system and it was critical, because I ended up apply for about 75 jobs before I got this one. No way I could keep track of all of it. Hope this helps!
They want salary history so they can know who much they can rip you off. Note that THEY never disclose their range. I really, really hate the job search game. It’s rigged against people like me and against people over 50.
Nice blog, Mimi! I have learned to absolutely HATE HR. They don’t know what their managers really need, nor can they sufficiently evaluate my talents or skill level but they are the gate keepers to keep me away from the hiring managers. They don’t see the correct piece of sheepskin they’re looking for and decide I’m no good.
Hi Mimi..thanks for the invite
I must say I have to echo Michelle’s sentiments above and say it applies to both sides of if I am trying to find work or trying to hire people for open positions. Good grief…..you have to chuckle.
The “processes” are often ludicrous and a lot like the IRS:)
There are some awesome recruiters out there that actually understand vetting candidate/position fit. So if you find one, hold on to them! Otherwise, find out who the hiring manager is and get to them yourself. It is your only chance of getting noticed and their only chance of getting the right candidate!!!!.
I have recently felt the same frustration as you when I had to fill out a job application. This was my first one in thirteen years and I had to search for my old resume. Now I was only applying for a part-time position with our local YMCA in their Adventure zone/child care area. I enjoy children, even the screaming ones, (a times), so I felt I had the right experience since I’m a mother of two boys, now teenagers.
I uploaded the application and all the requirements and was amazed to see that they requested a cover letter for a $10.00 an hour job. Really!!! I can understand this request if the position was full time and at a higher pay rate. Plus you were asked on the job application why you felt you would be good for the position. Double work for me and extra reading for the person hirering.. Then again maybe they don’t look completely through the job application. I too had to list what high school I attended along with college name and years. Why do they need you high school information when you attended collage? How many people do you know who have gone to college but not high school? Why did I waste 4 years of the stress of going through the hoops and games of high school if I could have gone straight to college after Jr. High?
After filling out the application I drove down to the Y and handed my cover letter and application, (they did ask for a resume but I felt it was over the top for the part-time, $10.00 an hour job), to the person whom I was to hopefully interview with. There I was told that she was on a hiring freeze and that the position had been filled a while ago. Apparently the YMCA web site hadn’t taken the job listing off their site though they had been asked to many times. She did though offer to pass my information on to her boss. Guess that was a plus.
So no job that day and to think I was stressing on how to write the cover letter for a week. Guess one could say that at least if gave me practice for other job applications.
With this work of easy access through the internet why are we still having to fill out the outdated application. Isn’t that why you have a resume and cover letter? Why too much red tape if you ask me. Hey one should be paid a little something just for filling out those teddies, redundant job apps!
By the way I was called back a week letter to interview for a bus driver for the Y! I politely