Hey! HR and Jobseekers… we both have to adapt.
Recently, I have seen many posts on LinkedIn from people who are looking for jobs vented their frustration about the recruitment processes they had experienced over the past few months.
They lamented being ghosted by recruiters, no response to their applications, a lack of respect for their time and effort, the so called “dehumanizing of the process“ and a lack of empathy for the stressful situation they are in.
On the other side of the same coin, HR professionals are under enormous pressure. They have to implement new working models with more and more people working from home, they have to develop plans to adjust or cut their workforce, they need to ensure that employee engagement remains high and on top of that, they are facing a huge number of applications for each advertised job because of the increased number of jobseekers.
Can you see any commonalities?
Both groups are extremely stressed and emotionally at their capacity.
The good old days are over and the impact of the global pandemic will remain throughout 2021.
And while it is a normal reaction to take out your anxiety and stress on someone else and to blame them for our suffering, we are not winning anything, nor are we helping ourselves or each other by behaving like this.
We, the Jobseekers will need be open to new interview models such as online interviews or using an online assessment center.
We have to learn, that no matter what we think, we are not entitled to any special treatment during the application process. We also have to accept that we are not the only ones applying for the job.
One head-hunter told me some disturbing stories about applicants berating their consultants because the applicant was unsuccessful in an application process, or because the head-hunter didn’t have any suitable positions for which the applicant could be presented. That’s not cool.
So, we have to remain patient whilst going through the process that will likely take longer than usual and where you will not always get an immediate or definitive answer.
Let′s keep in mind how busy HR folks are today and that they have limited options at the moment.
You, the HR folks, try to understand the desperate situation many jobseekers are in today. There are not as many jobs available in today’s market. Especially for professions that are not related to Finance, IT or Sales. Many candidates have a fundamental fear for their existential future, many are concerned about losing their homes or how to feed their families. This makes them much more vulnerable and emotionally drained than normal. If a candidate performs poorly during an interview or seems impatient, direct and maybe even slightly aggressive, please take that into consideration.
There has been a lot written about candidate experience and why it matters to both the candidate and the company. The game has dramatically changed during the year.
I had my own experiences over the last months and wrote about it in one of my recent articles. You can read it here.
In the end it boils down to empathy and to develop a better understanding about the position the other person is in.
I hope that, if we are capable to do so, we will see more positive posts on LinkedIn from jobseekers about their experiences while having a better understanding of the tough spots the HR folks are in today.
Wouldn′t that be great.