Employee’s Job Market
It is an Employee’s Job Market right now. I hear that dozens of times a week. Where have all the job applicants gone? Why is no one applying for jobs? Is everyone truly happy in their current position?
As a professional recruiter, I live and breathe the job search world. I have some opinions on what I see happening right now.
As we keep hearing, statistically, the unemployment rate is low. In reality, what I’ve heard is that the unemployment rate is based on the number of people actually collecting a check from Employment Security. The people who have exhausted their benefits are not part of that count. Those who have taken a job far below what they were earning are not part of that count. The ones who are living with family or friends, couch surfing, sleeping on the street or in a shelter are not part of that count. So, my gut feeling is this number is somewhat skewed.
What is Keeping Applicants from Applying?
In addition to that, there are a few other things that I see that I believe are stopping the flow of resumes and applications:
First, it appears that most large companies, and some smaller ones, are using on-line application processes exclusively. These require the applicants to jump through hoops. If you have a question, there’s no one to contact. Some of these online processes are so complicated, applicants don’t even try anymore. I hear from job seekers that there is no longer a human at all in human resources.
HR @ company.com is no longer an option on the majority of websites. If you call a company and ask to speak with someone in human resources you will not get through to a person. If you are lucky, you will get a recording where you can leave a message. The odds are no one will call you back. I’ve spoken with thousands of job seekers over the years and can state as a fact I’ve never had anyone tell me they’ve received a return phone call.
Second, blind ads have become the norm. The majority of ads I see posted do not divulge the name of the company. So, if you are currently employed and see a possible job opening, how do you know you are not applying to your current employer? How many people do you think are willing to take that chance?
Third, there are hundreds of job postings out there right now from recruiting companies indicating that the job being advertised is “either an actual opening OR one that could exist in the future.” Again, why waste your time submitting a resume for something that may or may not exist right now.
Where are the Applicants?
Therefore, it is my opinion that a combination of a truly low unemployment rate, coupled with “improvements” in technology, a desire to keep the name of your company a secret and a general lack of ease in the application process may be adding to the current lack of applicants.
So, if you’re thinking of looking for a new job…now is the time!