Similar to many modern interactions, the hiring process has become dehumanized.
1. Applicants must wade through large volumes of job postings, which are often poorly written, and frequently lacking key information which is important to the applicant.
2. Employers are overwhelmed with large numbers of applicants, most of whom don't meet the requested minimum requirements.
3. Employers are then too overwhelmed to reply to all the applicants.
4. Applicants are then annoyed with the lack of replies.
5. By the time an employer finds a potential match, the applicant may be difficult to reach, or is no longer interested.
6. By the time an applicant hears back from an employer, they are disappointed in the quality of the response, and already have a bad impression of the employer.
Possible Fixes?
Yet another platform with...
a. Strict expectations from employers. Honest and clear statement of requirements, responsibilities, salary, benefits, and other information.
b. Strict expectations from employees, to only apply to truly well-matched positions.
c. Transparent feedback requirements for both employers and applicants.
d. Response time requirements for any parties to respond to messages.
e. Detailed, consistent formatting of job applications and applicant info.
f. A closed-loop end of the process requirement: employers and applicants must communicate with a certain level of transparency and honesty. Some examples:
Employer:
We are unable to hire you at 95k since our maximum budget is 80k for this position.
We have hired another candidate for this position because they had more (skills/experience) in B2B sales.
Applicant:
I have been offered a similar position for 95k with better benefits.
After interviewing, it sounds like the department is in total chaos right now, and I'm not comfortable with that.
Yes, honesty is really hard, due to cultural, legal, and other issues. Yet it's the best tool I know to improve the process. What else could help improve this quagmire?