Looking for work? Unemployed need not apply

[bluesbassman]

Source: CNN Money

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The last thing someone who is unemployed needs to be told is that they shouldn't even apply for the limited number of job openings that are available. But some companies and recruiters are doing just that.

Employment experts say they believe companies are increasingly interested only in applicants who already have a job.

Some job postings include restrictions such as "unemployed candidates will not be considered" or "must be currently employed." Those explicit limitations have occasionally been removed from listings when an employer or recruiter is questioned by the media though.

It is not against the law for companies to exclude the unemployed when trying to fill positions, but Judy Conti, a lobbyist for the National Employment Law Project, said the practice is a bad one.



Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/16/news/economy/unemployed_need_not_apply/index.htm

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Lazy or overworked HR and muddled thinking. Not surprising though.

[davidinalameda]

1. this is a big old WTF

[Laelth]

2. Learned something new there. Thanks. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[Dawson Leery]

3. Never bailout any corporation, they don't deserve it.

They also do not deserve special tax breaks either.

[Lorien]

4. Just when I thought that corporate America couldn't be any more ignorant, spiteful or

short sighted. Some of the most talented candidates I know of became unemployed when there entire department was cut during downsizing (which in itself was stupid and short sighted). Now this?? Truly, corporations in this country must be looking for new ways to scrape bottom. I'd like to know what companies these are so we can boycott them!

[bluesbassman]

5. It's the path of least resistance.

The corporations believe that there is such a glut of talent out there that somehow managed to stay employed, that they can cherry pick these individuals. The truth is, like most things in life a lot of mediocre workers managed to remain employed simply by being in the right place at the right time. On the other hand I lot of truly talented people got caught in the grinding wheels of corporate survival that mandated job cuts productivity and talent be damned.

[TheWatcher]

6. It may be time to take this 234 Year Old Experiment, Blow it Up, and Start It Over Again.

Corporation's Stranglehold over our lives MUST be brought to an end.

This Foolishness has GOT to end.

[SILVER__FOX52]

7. AMEN !!

[leftygolfer]

8. haven't had a real job in 3 years

living hand to mouth for too long. this does not make me feel any better. *sigh*

[bluesbassman]

9. I feel for you. It's not a very encouraging trend.

I wish you the best in finding something permanent very soon.

[ShamelessHussy]

10. Perception is 'everything', especially for corporate mindsets

If you're looking for work, tell the recruiter you are still working, even if it is only for yourself e.g. contracting (you can fudge how busy you are, and they won't ask to see your invoices), and tell them you are interested in a new experience/challenge now, and/or the better benefits that a corporation may offer (health, pension, paid time off, working with a larger team, whatever), etc. that is what i did, as i knew that the perception of being unemployed would be just another strike against me.

folks think you are more desirable if other folks want you, too. in todays job market you really have to think like a marketeer and sell yourself like a salesman. it was a challenge for me as my job is very analytical, but i truly believe that learning about these techniques, and actively working to incorporate them into my job search helped me a great deal. it took six months, but it paid off, even though I am in the 'over the hill' demographic.

either way, i wish all those looking all the best and would be happy to answer any questions about my experience via PM.

:hi:

[William Z. Foster]

11. but...

A recent poll here showed that DUers, by better than a 10-1 margin, think that a boss should have the right to fire a person who misrepresented themselves when they applied for a job.

[JHB]

12. And just how scientific are DU polls?

GIGO

[William Z. Foster]

14. huh?

Did I claim that the poll represented anything other than a poll at DU? It was up for quite a while and got a lot of response. I think it is safe to say that it is fairly representative of - and revealing about - the membership here. I didn't claim that it meant anything more than that.

I think it would be a minority viewpoint out among the general public, but DU reflects the viewpoints of the upper 10% income bracket - management, investors, owners, bosses, and landlords - and there is sympathy consistently expressed for the owners and bosses here.

[JHB]

16. I'm not arguing with you that DU in aggregate shows some class bias...

...and, provided I read you correctly, I also "get" that the literal 10-1 number wasn't as important as juxtaposing the strong skew toward management viewpoints in that poll with the "it's ok to lie when my own ass is on the line" views expressed in this thread.

But it was still a self-selecting poll responded to by a minute fraction of DUers, so it's not "safe to say" anything about it without a raft of qualifiers.

Properly constructed and thoroughly analyzed, polls can be very helpful in getting a sense of peoples' views, the points of agreement, points of disagreement, and all the nuances in between. But that's mostly left to academics. What we're left with in everyday life are things that much more often ignore nuances, disregard qualifiers, provide false certainty, and provide as much or more propaganda than information. And those are the "scientific" polls! Self-selecting internet polls? Unless it's packed with qualifiers to clarify exactly what it actually measured it's crap, and better to remind people that it's included in the "statistics" part of "lies, damn lies, and statistics.:

Nothing against you or your point. Some things just get me very literal-minded, cranky, and humorless...and crappy polls is one of them. Especially when I probably should have called it a night and gone to bed a half hour ago.

Peace, and good night. :toast:

[William Z. Foster]

17. whatever

You are slipping an interpretation of that poll into your answer as well by characterizing the "no" votes as "it's ok to lie when my own ass is on the line." I voted "no," and that is not what I expressed, and there were few if any who did express that opinion.

I don't know what your problem with this is. Can we say nothing about the views of people here in the aggregate? How is one of the poll threads here any less valuable than any other thread? They are not. What sort of weight or significance did I give to the thread with a poll in it than I would to any other thread? I didn't.

[ShamelessHussy]

13. well

it really depends on what your definition of 'is' is... what i mean by that is, you don't need to lie to sell yourself, but that you should try to put the most positive spin on your situation, so saying that you are self employed (e.g. you contract your services), and maybe admitting that business has been slow, due to the economy, is not a lie, even if you haven't had a client for over a year, you just want to answer the questions more like you are a marketer or a politician.

put a positive spin on the situation, by not being specific on areas that are weaknesses, and emphasizing your strengths.

it's not a science, more of an art, but if it gets you hired, and you are a good contributer once you are on the team, no one is gonna go digging into your past, 9 times outa 10.

there are no guarantees, but hey, life is about survival where risks are inherent, not guarantees.

[bluesbassman]

15. Pretty good answer. The key here is getting your foot in the door.

According to the article, a lot of employers are not even interviewing if you're not currently "employed". Far as I know, "self" employment is still employment!

[Rex]

18. Unemployed, underemployed, basically the working poor

are nothing but expendables, human capital, to the 'well off'. At this rate Jesus ain't ever coming back. No one would hire him.