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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCompanies won’t even look at résumés of the long-term unemployed
Matthew OBrien reports on a striking new paper by Rand Ghayad and William Dickens of Northeastern University. The researchers sent out 4,800 fake résumés at random for 600 job openings. What they found is that employers would rather hire someone with no relevant experience whos only been out of work for a few months than someone with lots of relevant experience whos been out of work for longer than six months.
In other words, it doesnt matter how much experience you have. It doesnt matter why you lost your previous job it could have been bad luck. But if youve been out of work for more than six months, youre essentially unemployable. Many companies wont even consider you for a job. Heres what this looks like in chart form:
THE REST:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/15/companies-wont-even-look-at-resumes-of-the-long-term-unemployed/
phantom power
(25,966 posts)Because there are still more applicants than jobs. But hey, the stock market is up with a bullet, so I'm sure it's all great and I'm just an emo-prog.
Triana
(22,666 posts)BIG substantial fines and easy reporting for prospective employees, as long as unemployment rate is over 5%
Triana
(22,666 posts)"Tax credits for businesses that hire long-term unemployed were included in a jobs bill that Republicans blocked in Congress."
winter is coming
(11,785 posts)that "long-term unemployed" is only 6 months.
HughBeaumont
(24,461 posts)Of course, it's not like our corporations/businesses or the wealthy that run them have any feelings or shame, so I guess we'll keep on failing and act like everything's killer.
You know how much everyone's life is brightened at the news of a long-term-unemployed person's employment? You see the glow from such news and the tears of joy that flow because the person doesn't feel worthless and frustrated any longer? It's an utter crime and a disgrace that we judge people's worth by how gainfully they're employed.
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)It's the new paradigm crap all over again. Employers want the youthful look. Want them young and dumb. Hire them cheap and give them zero bennies. The day of employee bennies is toast. Race to the bottom,here we go.
Wounded Bear
(58,436 posts)Was out of work, granted it was largely my choice, for several years. When I started looking, it was like crickets chirping when I put out feelers for work.
Finally got a personal reference for agency work, worked there two years-much of it part time-and moved on to another agency, where I've been the past year, some steady work, some part time piece work.
The job market right now can be summed up in a simple statement-life sucks, then you die.
Orrex
(63,083 posts)Obviously, they shouldn't have chosen to be downsized and out of work in a dead job market for 27+ weeks.
FreeJoe
(1,039 posts)In my 25 year career, I've hired probably less than a person a year on average. Once hired, they can be particularly hard to fire unless they are a disaster. I'm guessing that most other people in corporations are in similar circumstances - few chances to hire and you have to live with the consequences of those hiring decisions for a long time. That makes a hiring manager very risk averse. They will often pass over the chance to hire someone that might be awesome for someone that they are confident will be pretty good.
That leads to a lot of soceital problems. One is what was mentioned in the OP. Someone that has been out of work for a long time may be a great worker caught up by circumstances. But then again, they might have other problems. Someone with a huge stack of resumes that needs to be cut down to a handful to interview is going to pass up on any resume with an obvious negative on it.
A similar problem I see is that people hire people they know directly or indirectly. I think about 1/3 of the people I've hired have been people I either worked with in the past or had close contacts that worked with them. This is pretty rational behavior for the person doing the hiring, but it leads to serious societal problems as people on the outside try to break into the social circles of those on the inside.