So until just over a month ago I was on the hunt for a new job. Not an enjoyable task by any means. Thankfully the hunt is over for now though and now I’ve had a little time for reflection.
The process of finding a new job is not easy and requires a large amount of time and effort filling out application after application, writing cover letters and constantly tweaking your CV. If you’re serious about finding a job then approaching each application afresh is important. Sending a generic CV and covering letter, or writing stock responses to the person specification in your application just doesn’t cut it.
Having submitted numerous applications over the last six months I’ve estimated that completing a job application can take as long as eight hours if you’re serious about landing the job that you’re applying for.
That’s why it angers me when organisations don’t even have the common decency to respond to your application. Job listings are frequently appended with a line such as:
“If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the application deadline please assume that your application has not been successful.”
These statements are often qualified with a reference to the large volume of applications that are expected in response to the job listing.
If an organisation is receiving 10 applications for a vacancy and every one of those individuals has put all their effort into the application then they could be receiving as much as the equivalent of 10 days’ work towards their recruitment process… for free.
Of course some people may rattle through their application in just a couple of hours. But then having been on the other side of the recruitment process in the past I have been in situations whereby I have received in excess of 50 applications for one post. That free labour towards an organisation’s recruitment process soon adds up.
I don’t know whether it’s arrogance, laziness or a fear of having to deliver bad news that causes so many organisations to treat applicants with such disregard. We live in an age in which Microsoft Office programmes are the administrative tools of the trade and so the excuse that replying to “X” many applicants takes too long just doesn’t wash. It’s a task that shouldn’t take much more than 10 minutes, if that!
If the argument that it takes up too much time is genuinely the reason for which an organisation has opted to give unsuccessful applicants the silent treatment then they should consider replacing their administrators!
In our world of art, design and crafts a huge number of the organisations that offer employment opportunities are publicly funded. As such they should treat the public that fund them with respect in all situations whether as visitors and customers, or as prospective employees.
Vulgar Culture 