De-personalization of hiring practices

hI Dawn, I don't like it at all and I think that the companies that do business this way are missing out on some very valuable potential employees as well as hiring some not so desirables. Actually, upon speaking to my daughters, I know this is true. Like you, any job that I have ever held has been based upon something the employer saw in me during the interview. My 12 year career in insurance was based totally on lord knows what the employer saw in me...potential. That is not going to show up on-line. Likewise, the opposite is not going to show up on-line. My daughter that now works in insurance tells me of some of the nightmare co-workers that she has had to deal with. They do that on-line hiring now and some of these people are experts at building themselves up and appearing to be ideal employees when they are anything but. When working in the public, personality is as important if not more important than actual skill which can always be taught. Personality is inate and it does not matter how skilled and speedy a clerk is, if she is a grumpy ogre, she is going to lose the company business. I work for a small family owned business and my boss does not subscribe to this on-line stuff. He can tell so much from a person just from talking to them in person. We just hired a girl whom he interviewed. He felt she was a perfect fit and ran it by me and asked if I knew any reason why we should not hire her. I only knew her as a customer but she has a great personality and well, I also had a gut feeling that she'd just be a good fit. She is and guess what...She has never held a job and has been a stay at home mom since highschool. She was quick to learn and has an amazing personality. she never would have hit his radar over the net

I don't think it's really hurting business as much as it is hurting the applicant. Perfect example, ME. When I was younger if I had a gap they seemed to overlook it and give me a chance. Now, they get my applications and I don't even get a courtesy phone call. I found this great opportunity with the Elk Grove school district and I haven't received a reply to my email why their phone number redirects me to a hangup. That was mid last week and I still have no reply.

Employment has become high-tech too as can be seen in most advanced countries where employers based their judgement on the strength of the cover letters and resumes. I think this sort of employing technique do not tell much on the personal qualities of the applicants compared to the conservative ways of employment by personal interviews. It is much better than employment through backdoor as often practiced here in my country. It is who you know in the establishment that land the person the job depriving those who are more qualified to be employed. It may not be good for the firm as efficiency is not up to the desired standard. But that is how it is here when there are too many applicants chasing too few jobs.

eh.it's good and bad.good,cause you can fill out anytime from home. bad,because of the reasons you stated. tho nothing's worse than the places with a nepotism rule. interview can go fine,rejected because a relative already works there. they've started doing that here,and it should be outlawed on an island.

At some point and application form hast to either be rejected completely or become a face-to-face interview between human beings. I used to sift through hundreds of applications online. I see no difference between an online application and a form that is filled out and sent through the post. What matters is watching fumigates when you receive it and I would argue that's never interviewing an applicant mistake.

I really do believe that this new trend of always having to apply for jobs online is something that is hurting the applicants because they are so quick to put the applications in the circular bin when there is something that an HR person is not all that crazy about. I mean it would be nearly impossible for me to get a job from an online application because I've not been employeed for over six years and I wouldn't have the opportunity to tell them that I wanted to be a mother first and then have my career. I would screen out immediately because of my gap in employment.

Well I wouldn't fair well at all and before I've even started I'd have a massive strike against me, I have a big gaping hole in my employment, because of severe clinical depression I haven't been able to work, and because I had a mental breakdown that doesn't bode well. My age is against me too as to is my qualifications, my last job my partner got for me, which I felt was wrong personally, as I don't agree with nepotism, I didn't feel that I got it on my own merit alone, but because of who my partner knew. It became a bone of contention with me!

I think it keeps some very qualified people from even applying. There is one up right now that I might apply for, but I do not want to do it online. Where I work now still does hand written applications and in person interviews. It is still short staffed as well.

dont know if it hurts the business but I always liked to face the person who is interveiwing myself. I dont like it this way but then I am notlooking for work now lolol. I know people that have got work this way and 2 I know real well ihas beenhired personally but then it was after they started working for the place and seeing how they work and what people skills they have! TO me the company could get a very wrong person for the job!

I do not like it at all. I find that with not being able to see the employer, they are unable to see what you really are like. When I was looking for work, I sent in hundreds of applications by giving them to the girl at the offices. And that did not work, and I did not have any friends who would vouch for me. I did take a business course and the school would call the businesses and send out the girls for interviews, but even then I never got a good job. It seemed that at the school, the good looking blondes got first pick of using the IBM electric typewriters and we shorter brunettes were stuck with the manual typewriters. AS a result, when I got married, I stopped working outside the home. If I had had friends who would recommend me, then it might have been different.

I was lucky. My last year of work was in 2006 and I had never applied online. I can see where this can be very impersonal. But with the mass of people now days looking for work i can see the reason for this becoming more popular now days. I also think that the cover letter really has to be written VERY carefully. Not pleeding, not contrived at all. Very much to the point hitting on what the applicant can offer the company. And I think it is important for the applicant to do his homework too. Is this company some place I really want to work? ANd is this job title really something i can excell at and be good at? With everything being more focused on technology now days I can see where applying has really become different than when I was out there. I was really lucky.

It depends upon the person looking out for candidates. If I were the HR person, I would have offered the convicted person a chance because I would know that he or she would not get enough jobs suiting his or her qualifications. This means, he or she would grab the job that is offered and do an honest job for the rest of his or her life. Agreed that there is a risk element there, but its like for every one bad person there are at least 4 that are good. And what is my guarantee anyway that not convicted ones would not be convicted in future? So...yes, I would take the risk. Out here we resent recommendations because usually we get saddled with people whom we are not really sure we can absorb in the organization. It takes more time to get them into groove so to speak.

What you talked about gives me an idea of what applying for a job is like there.It is hard to get a job these days due to economic recession.Sounds like what the employers have done kind of injured job seekers' self-esteem.Fortunately,I have not experienced this problem.Here people my age all could be assigned to some departments then after graduating from school .However some of young people now face the same problem as you ,even though the government is making inroads into the problem of unemployment.

there are advantages and disadvantages. I submitted my resume along with my other credentials when i first applied for work outside the Philippines. I was interviewed through skype and after 10 minutes, I received my contract via email. Yes all electronic and internet based procedure. I went to Vietnam for the job. and it was OK. Until when my boss finally told me that he can't get me a work permit to work as Language teacher since I am not an English Major graduate and my Masters degree is special education. He told me if I can stay there as tourist and renew.. and renew.. renew every now and then. I refused i don't like to work illegally and put myself in to trouble in a land where no one speaks English. I applied work again here in Thailand and fortunate to land a job. I have now my work permit and working peacefully ever after. hahaha Advantage no need to get out from the comfort of the homes. Disadvantage I don't know what is wrong with my boss when he saw my credentials and then suddenly telling me that I can't be given a work permit. that's highly unacceptable when I was there already and I am not sure if I can get a job. Maybe he did not think of my paper qualifications after the interview because he told me that it was quite impressive.

I agree that is hurting it. I think a lot of capable people are being looked over for jobs. I also think that the amount of people that are looking for jobs, they can be very picky.

Ever since I worked it v had already been this v way. I think gone are the days v that they would hire solely because the applicant was v referred by some one. The name of the game now was really reliant on your experiences and the highlight of your resume. Many people and I for one got I hired over the Internet and the whole process I think Is fair. Someone logs online and submits resumes to opening and people I from that office would then narrow the search, looking for what they need in the resumes. Any thing un clear they can always call the person and check. Those who are shortlisted are called for an interview and this is where you can further improve and sell your v self as an employee. Nothing beats that of course but let's admit that not all application to a job post is valid so there is already the first line of getting rid of those that are not qualified b in terms of their own declaration still.

For a moment, I thought from your title this discussion is about something else. Overall, what you have experience in the latter part of your post is what everyone is going through but I believe the process has gotten better with the introduction of technology. For starters, our resume will be able to reach the intended address without a hitch where it is being held by the postal service due to some workers on strike or lost in transit or some Twilight Zone reasons. As for my thoughts to this matter, I believe companies today are cunningly cost effective where they are unwilling to hire full time workers which will incur mandatory costs like employee benefits, insurance and other mandatory workers' remunerations required by the labor laws. I am sure you will notice an increase hiring for temporary or contract workers and not forgetting, the detestable outsourcing. I felt that lawmakers need to look into this area and bring this corporations to speed or unemployment will never improve. I believe at the end of the day this will hurt all the potential good workers.

When I first got here, and couldn't find a job comparable to where I came from, I got duped into paying a consultant to improve my application process. Their big thing was that because the process has become so impersonal, there are some hidden tricks that I should know and learn to improve my chances of getting hired. Tricks like looking for connections between me and the hiring manager. So yes, it has become very de-personalized. And no, I didn't get a job even with that consultant 'helping' me.

Thanks for this discussion and the details, i don't think this is decent procedure; here too similar things occur in private jobs, they need recommendation, political pressure etc, but many get job by bribing heavily; it is very difficult to get government job here. I joined as lecturer in 1968, it was through service selection board, very clean.

Its most likely to hurt the people hiring in my opinion. They will pick and choose with your wording or your resume and then when you hire the wrong person... well you just screwed yourself in man power. It is kind of an over all thing that is going to hurt us in the future, i think. But what do I know!