Job Applicant's (Rant Inside)

[ducklite]

Yesterday I posted three help wanted ads. The ads SPECIFICALLY state that we will not sponsor a Visa, and that we provide no relocation assistance.

I've gotten 40+ resumes in the past 14 hours, and a full 25% have been from people in India, Bangladesh, Romania, or any number of other countries who require sponsorship. I'm not even going to reply to them, they obviously can't comprehend English.

The ad also lists minimum relevent experience/educational qualifications, and another 25% of the resumes are people currently in school who have no experience, people in other fields--why would you think that as a parts delivery person you are qualified to be an I/T person?

The best one was the cover letter that simply stated "I really need a job," and had a resume written entirely in the first person. Right, and I need the winning lottery ticket numbers.

The accounting ad required a BS and preferred a Masters and/or CPA. I'm getting resumes from people who have one year's experience as a file clerk, no degree, or a BA in history. And that qualifies them to be an accounting manager because??

I can understand people who are looking to move up--I got one accounting resume that looks very promising, the applicant isn't an accounting manager currently, but has supervisory experience, and is working on a masters, and comes with 12 years experience in our companies type of business. But over half of them aren't even remotely qualified.

Why do people waste everyone's time applying for a position they are obviously not qualified for?

Anne

 

[Maleficent13]

They think, "What the heck? All it's costing me is a stamp, and I may get lucky."

I just send the "thanks, no thanks" letters to those who aren't qualified and move on. No big deal, really.

 

[DVC-Don]

I hear ya. We posted a position a while back on Monster.com and we got swamped with applicants from all over the world plus the obviously not qualified. We did fill the position, but not from a reply from Monster. Now we stay with a local listing.

 

[Marseeya]

Why do people waste everyone's time applying for a position they are obviously not qualified for?

Anne

I'm tempted to apply just to move my butt down there!



I miss Orlando already!

 

[DISUNC]

Why do people waste everyone's time applying for a position they are obviously not qualified for?

Because they are Desperate and will try anything!

This has always been the case when placing classifieds to the general public. Try using a Employment agency.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

In a lot of cases, maybe it's a gamble like Maleficent13 said. I know someone that did get a position that way because he had "one more postage stamp."

In some cases (especially the ones that don't even come close to the requirements for the job by a country mile) it may just be to fill the requirements for unemployment benefits -- apply for a job they know they won't get, either because there's nothing else out there and they need to apply for something that week, or they don't want to work and know they don't have a shot.

 

[Shugardrawers]

Dh is one of those that thinks just having a brain makes you qualified to be a brain surgeon. He's always urging me to send resumes in for jobs I'm nowhere near qualified for. Last time it was for a Vet Tech with minimum 5 years experience and an AA degree. He thought the fact that I've owned dogs all my life was enough and was really angry with me when I refused to apply!

Those qualifications listed aren't just a wish list, they are guidelines people! If you can't meet them you won't be able to do the job!

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Why do people waste everyone's time applying for a position they are obviously not qualified for?

Anne

who cares? Really, how difficult is to to wade through applications and do what Mal said?

And for a writer, that is one badly written first post. Gotten??!!??!!

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

Also wanted to add to the other good reasons that you've been given that all of the resume books and job seeker guides and internet websites and such tell you to apply even if you aren't "fully" qualified and even if you don't meet all of the qualifications because "they" (the authors giving this advice) have seen many instances and cases when someone with less experience or whatever have been hired because someone with all of what the employer was looking for never applied or the person with all of the right credentials applied but their attitude was not what the company was looking for and so they then considered the lesser qualified applicant.

Just an idea. . .

 

[mickeyfan2]

Who cares. Just toss/delete the resumes that are not qualified and move on. There will be some who are qualified in the stack.

 

[Marseeya]

who cares? Really, how difficult is to to wade through applications and do what Mal said?

And for a writer, that is one badly written first post. Gotten??!!??!!

Gotten is still perfectly acceptable American English.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Gotten is still perfectly acceptable American English.

It may be acceptable, but its use was always discouraged in my writing and journalism classes.

 

[Chicago526]

Well, I got my current job and I didn't have 100% of the qualifications they were looking for. I had enough that they called me in for an intereview, and it turned out I had the best interview out of all the people they talked to, and I got the job, even though they did have to spend longer to train me than they would have liked. I've been here 7 years now!

Now, I did have some of the qualifications they were looking for, and I showed an ability and interest in learning what I needed to know quickly. Big differance between that and applying for a job you clearly have no hope in getting. But this does explain at least some of your applicants, companies have been known to loosen up their requirments to hire just the "right" person.

 

[bananiem]

Maybe because they're desperate for a job.
Maybe because it's a field they are really interested in.
Maybe they need their life to go in a different direction.
Maybe they're thinking if you don't get many applicants they'll take a look at theirs.

 

[bananiem]

Gotten is still perfectly acceptable American English.

Yes, but in this case "I have received..." would have been a better choice.

 

[phorsenuf]

Just because someone is an autoparts driver doesn't mean he isn't a wiz with computers and networks. Some of the most qualified people could be self-taught. Schooling isn't the only way to learn things. But since nobody will give them a chance to show their worth they are stuck driving car parts around.

 

[Shugardrawers]

Also wanted to add to the other good reasons that you've been given that all of the resume books and job seeker guides and internet websites and such tell you to apply even if you aren't "fully" qualified and even if you don't meet all of the qualifications because "they" (the authors giving this advice) have seen many instances and cases when someone with less experience or whatever have been hired because someone with all of what the employer was looking for never applied or the person with all of the right credentials applied but their attitude was not what the company was looking for and so they then considered the lesser qualified applicant.

Just an idea. . .

There's quite a difference between slightly less qualified and completely unqualified. If it asks for 5 years experience and I have 3 but I meet every other requirement, or if I know 4 of the 5 computer programs listed, I'll apply. But if it asks for a degree I don't have or they specify experience required in a field I've never worked, it's just wasting everyone's time and my stamp.

 

[Missy1961]

I actually did that when I got the job I have. But in the cover letter, I stated, "I know I'm not qualified for this job, but I've read about your company & I'd like to work for you. Please keep me in mind..." Well, the day my resume hit her desk, someone's resignation had just come in, and I was perfect for that job.

 

[ducklite]

who cares? Really, how difficult is to to wade through applications and do what Mal said?

And for a writer, that is one badly written first post. Gotten??!!??!!

I'm a writer, not an editor, and when I'm posting something here on the Dis, my grammar isn't the first thing I think about.

Beyond that, I spent an hour last night and another one this morning wading through resumes. So it is costing the company a lot of my time to go through them.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Who cares. Just toss/delete the resumes that are not qualified and move on. There will be some who are qualified in the stack.

Um, illegal--they have to be kept on file for "X" number of days (which varies by state) for unemployment reasons.

Anne