A sure way never to get hired

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(MoneyWatch) Dear Evil HR Lady,

I've applied for countless positions, for about a full year now, with one organization. In early spring, I received a call back from a recruiter who was very rude. She kept looking for reasons for why I would not have the time for the job or fit the position.

I made the rookie mistake of leaving her a couple of messages about the application. She then turned me down for the job. I was crushed. Since then I've been turned down for every job I've applied for. The recruiter turns down my application repeatedly. I met a man who offered to put in a good word and take my resume straight to a hiring manager, and even that didn't work.

I've basically made a powerful enemy, although I want nothing more than a job. What can I do to repair this problem? I know the job market is tough out there and that there are more qualified people. I'd like to work at this company, but I'm not holding my breath anymore. I'd assume at some point it would look bad on a company if they turned a qualified person down an obscene amount of times?

Do you know how many companies there are out there? Me neither. But it's more than this one company. Even if you live in podunk, USA, there is more than one place to get a job. And you need to apply there. It doesn't look bad for a company when they repeatedly turn down a qualified candidate. No one cares. As long as a qualified person gets the job, no one cares who didn't.

You may have offended a recruiter. She may be a complete jerk. She may be an irrational monster. She may have devoted her life to seeing that you never get a job at this company.

But the reality is that even if the recruiter loved you and thought you were the world's best candidate at the beginning, once you start applying for every open position at a company, you get a notation next to your name. Want to know what it is? Crazy: Do not hire.

It's not written down anywhere, of course, because recruiters aren't stupid and they don't want anybody to claim that they are discriminating against anyone. But when you start to apply multiple times for multiple positions in rapid succession, your credentials no longer matter. What people start to think is that you're desperate and lack judgment.

Now, this doesn't mean that you can't ever apply for multiple jobs at a single company. If you apply to two or three jobs that you are qualified for, fine. That's even recommended. When you start to apply to everything that opens up, even when you are only tangentially qualified, when a job that you are qualified for does open up you won't be considered because of the invisible crazy stamp on your name.

It's time to move on.

When you are job-searching, I know that sometimes what you want is any job. You just need a paycheck. The problem is companies don't want to hire just anyone. They want a person who wants this job. The other problem is you cannot convince anyone that you want this job when you've just applied to every job.

Forget this company. Re-tune your job search. Look for a job that you want. Customize your resume to the job you want. Write a cover letter that explains who you are and why you would be great for this job, and then apply.

This company is not the place for you. Move on.

Have a workplace dilemma? Send your questions to [e-mail].

[RyanHProducts]

I just read this article and have to say this is great insight from the human resources perspective. Recruiters can be pretty nasty. It's a shame because they keep out some of the most valuable candidates out there. It's one thing to turn down an applicant but it's another to be unprofessional about it. People have the right to express interest in an organization and rather than a red flag that should be a sign of how interested a candidate really is. What's the harm in at least seeing what they have to offer?

[sadfsfsd]

Buy investment real estate and avoid these stupid games.

[Rational_Observer100]

I can entirely agree with the article been there done that. Yes, nobody wants an unemployed . You don't have to convince me. Most recruiters don't want to consider long-term unemployed. I am one in these very high unemployment times. I have been told by several recruiters that I can't be submitted to the prospect client because they won't like such length of unemployment.

Many apps at the same place being turned down --that also happened. It is not like that you cannot fit to may roles in a new company in your domain, when you have worked in that industry for a very long time in those functionals and I progressesd in various roles. I wouldn't say it is not fair, but it is simply the state of the current business trends.

[Rational_Observer100]

I can entirely agree with the article been there done that. Yes, nobody wants an unemployed . You don't have to convince me. Most recruiters don't want to consider long-term unemployed. I am one in these very high unemployment times. I have been told by several recruiters that I can't be submitted to the prospect client because they won't like such length of unemployment.

Many apps at the same place being turned down --that also happened. It is not like that you cannot fit to may roles in a new company in your domain, when you have worked in that industry for a very long time in those functionals and I progressesd in various roles. I wouldn't say it is not fair, but it is simply the state of the current business trends.

[ds3434]

Right or wrong, Recruiters are not Social Service workers. It's at times unfair and narrow-minded, but we have metrics we're up against to get the best fit hired as quickly as possible so that we can keep our own jobs.
I agree with everything HR Lady says on this one--spot-on.

[JamesFWong]

Whether you agree with this article or not, it is spot on. The candidates that get consideration from Human Resources are generally the candidates that meet the exact requirements. In addition, it is acceptable to apply for multiple positions if you are qualified. However, applying for several positions which you are marginally qualified for is not the best way to be considered for a role. Your goal is to stand out to the Recruiter for favorable reasons. When a candidate continues to apply for multiple positions that they are not qualified for at the same company the impression is desperation. Companies want to hire candidates that are very targeted about their search and not acting out of desperation.

Therefore, the best advice for candidates is to apply on line through HR only as a last resort. The best way to be considered for a role ( if you are qualified or even marginally qualified) is for your resume be given to the hiring manager from someone they know - either within their company or outside. We encourage candidates to use their contacts ( past colleagues, employers, neighbors, friends etc..), social media ( Linked In etc..), professional organizations, Alumni Groups etc... to network to the hiring manager of the job they are targeting. Although this is a lot of work, your odds are much greater to gaining an interview than by simply submitting your resume on line to Human Resources.

[JamesFWong]

Whether you agree with this article or not, it is spot on. The candidates that get consideration from Human Resources are generally the candidates that meet the exact requirements. In addition, it is acceptable to apply for multiple positions if you are qualified. However, applying for several positions which you are marginally qualified for is not the best way to be considered for a role. Your goal is to stand out to the Recruiter for favorable reasons. When a candidate continues to apply for multiple positions that they are not qualified for at the same company the impression is desperation. Companies want to hire candidates that are very targeted about their search and not acting out of desperation.

Therefore, the best advice for candidates is to apply on line through HR only as a last resort. The best way to be considered for a role ( if you are qualified or even marginally qualified) is for your resume be given to the hiring manager from someone they know - either within their company or outside. We encourage candidates to use their contacts ( past colleagues, employers, neighbors, friends etc..), social media ( Linked In etc..), professional organizations, Alumni Groups etc... to network to the hiring manager of the job they are targeting. Although this is a lot of work, your odds are much greater to gaining an interview than by simply submitting your resume on line to Human Resources.

[saucymugwump]

Evil HR Lady wrote: "[Companies] want a person who wants this job."

That's part of it, but only part. Hiring managers most of all want a person who is qualified with current skills.

Most recruiters in high-tech companies do not have a clue what the company's employees do. And most HR departments have outsourced the first-level disqualification hurdle to another company, often in India. The first hurdle merely involves searching for buzzwords. If your resume has them, you pass to the second hurdle. If not, your resume enters the digital wastebasket.

And unfortunately for the subject of Evil HR Lady's column, another automatic disqualification is usually being unemployed. Very few companies will even consider someone who is currently unemployed. So much for the USA being a Christian nation.