Real Talk | Real Recruitment. Chapter One - One Size Isn't Fitting All.

One Size Does Not Fit All - - Job Searches. Resumes. Work.

When any of these topics are mentioned, every single person has their own version of what that means to them. They have settled into one camp, and they are NOT moving. You will never convince them to think of it any other way.

We've got Camp Alpha who follow the old school rules of the Boys Club. It is heavily about "Who You Know", everyone who works in their organization looks remarkably similar, and they take the approach that years of service automatically equals leadership capabilities (Hello, leaders who don't know how to lead).

Their general approach to the job search process is that deals are made behind closed doors with backroom bartering and negotiations. Imagine old school secret gatherings in cigar smoke filled rooms where the inner circle would meet to make decisions.

"You might not be the best man for the job, but your dad's company is going to cut me a deal on all future orders so it's Win Win!"

We've got Camp Bravo who have had the best of the best education, Ivy League all the way, and only the Fortune 500 will do! They generally expect everyone to have the same as them, and the years of experience required for a new employee will be longer than the job has even existed - - such as asking for 5 years of experience for a software that has only existed for 2. (Hello, job descriptions with unrealistic qualifications.)

Members of this camp will save their job searching efforts for the upper echelon of organizations, and will 100% be doing any and all networking to meet the perfect person who will help them get their foot in the door of those hallowed halls.

"A resume? Of course - here is a copy of my leather-bound resume, double embossed to prevent tearing. You'll find my references alphabetized in Appendix A, immediately following the Table of Contents: Qualifications #1 - 46."

Moving on to Camp Charlie. Folks in this camp believe in starting at the bottom and working their way up, even if they have to switch organizations to do it. They may or may not have a degree, but even if they do, they don't really care where it comes from. They'll constantly be upskilling and continually learning because they know that to get ahead, they have to be ahead (Hello, job hopping, potential career gaps and a laundry list of skills/quals.)

Their job search will be wide and varied, and they will apply for anything and everything because they never know where they'll land next. And, also because they've got 60 copies of the resume that they filled-in-the-blanks on a Word 2003 template then printed them out at home to go knock down some doors.

"People still accept and like paper copies, right? I should just show up and hand it to the manager who will be sitting there waiting for my arrival?"

Over in Camp Delta, we have the chill as heck employees and job seekers.?They believe in working hard 9 - 5, and heading home promptly at 5:01 PM. They are generally OK with someone else making all the decisions because "It is what it is!" (Hello, long-term employees with one organization.)

When it comes to job searching, they will be happy move into another role or get promoted if it happens, but are totally content to let it happen organically.?They will stumble across opportunities when Joe X remembers that he met Jane F before, and he has a great opportunity for a graphic designer, if she is interested. They typically will never be prepared for a job application because they weren't even looking in the first place.

“My resume??For sure, I can get that to you. ?I’ve got a copy at home somewhere.?Or … is that on the laptop that crashed last month??I’m not sure!”

Lastly, we’ve got Camp Echo. These are the job seekers and employees who are so disenchanted with the workplace and job search process that they will angrily work, only see the negatives, and disagree with any and all aspects of the job search process.

They generally believe that work and job searches are:

• A – full of nepotism, bias and Boys Club rules;
• B – too focused on credentials;
• C – takes too long to rise through the ranks because they are entitled to be a manager immediately, and;
• D – don't allow more choices / influence at work.?(Hello, the worst of all the camps combined.)

Their job search will be a healthy mix of exasperation and entitlement as they begin their quest with an air of superiority, apply for jobs beyond their scope then pay ridiculous amounts of money for a resume guaranteed to ‘beat the bot’.?When they remain unsuccessful, they will resort to hostile posts on how the recruitment system is broken because they couldn’t possibly be to blame for not getting the job.

“I want it.?I think I’m qualified.?I clicked apply.?I didn’t get it.?Now, I’m mad!”

** Spoiler alert - no, these camps don't really exist nor would they be so black and white :) This is a satirical look at various views on work and job searches!

Because these camps are so contradictory to each other, they will not compromise and they will not understand why members of other camps do what they do. They will be quick to say, "HOLD UP! A job search is 'this way'. You can't be coming over here from your camp into our camp trying to do it that way!"

Cue the major gaps and inconsistencies in the job search process, not to mention intensely fierce competition amongst the camps. This inevitably opens the door for the Camp Echo disenchantment to infiltrate all camps. Those grumblings will ripple into a roar of, "Down with recruiters! I hate that ATS Bot who scrapped my resume! I should have gotten the job. This is rigged!!!!"

How can we make work work for everyone?

So, how do we bridge the gap?

How do we remove all of those inconsistencies? What steps can we take to make the job search process seamless no matter what camp you're from or what job you're applying for?

I believe we can. I believe that if we drill down to the very basics of the job search process and work - removing the fluff, the keywords, the bias, the drama - and look at the process in its natural state, we would all see that every job follows this basic recipe:

Job Need - Vacancy or Replacement > Job Posting and Sourcing > Applications and Interviews > Offer and Onboarding > Orientation and Training > Retention or Turnover (i.e. long-standing career or new job search)

If it is this simple, why is it so complicated?

Shouldn't a job search be a job search, a resume be a resume, and a process be a process no matter what industry or job? Why is it so complicated, confusing and totally lacking in consistency?

I believe that with more honest and unprejudiced conversations about what it all really boils down to, we can begin to have a better understanding at a truly basic level.

We can have a real talk about real recruitment.

I hope you'll join me for the next episode of Real Talk, Real Recruitment where we are going to start way back at the beginning - - The Origin of the Job Vacancy. We will explore the difference between new and replacement, and what the heck is workforce planning?

Until then, Happy Job Seeking!