I've now been in the job market for just over 4 months and although Covid-19 has made things a little more interesting, I've started to question whether that is the REAL problem for those seeking a new position. Here are a few examples I've seen on Twitter and LinkedIn in recent days.
- Do organisations know what it is they want?
- Do recruiters know what it is they're looking for?
I'd like to focus a little on the second point as this has been the sore point for me. Since starting my job search, I've applied for in excess of 30 positions. Each application I've submitted has taken around a day with a personalised cover letter and a CV that has been edited to directly relate to the position I've applied for. From all of these applications I've had 2 responses, 1 being an invite to interview and the second being a turn down after I chased the the company for feedback.
To add, I never received any feedback following the interview.
So to ask the question as to whether recruiters know what they are looking for, I think no. If they did surely an expert in their field would do a little homework and advise their client accordingly.
Secondly should a recruiter respond to all applications? Absolutely yes they should. Even if this is in the form of a generic automated response indicating that if you haven't been contacted within X days then you have not been successful.
I appreciate that many organisations have been impacted by the current pandemic and that many have been furloughed. That means these recruitment companies are no doubt attempting to support a larger market with fewer people, however the same goes for supermarkets, chemists and other organisations. They have had to evolve to support new market conditions.
Seeking new employment certainly shouldn't be a case of sitting back and waiting for opportunities to come to you; one has to be proactive, network and do what needs to be done. From what I've read my experience has been relatively typical in that the basic customer service side of the IT recruitment industry feels to be somewhat lacking.
Actually my previous statement is more than a little unfair as this isn't just recruitment companies. Some applications have been direct and therefore this is also relevant for recruitment functions within organisations.
Going back to the title and the subject of the images, does skill level equal experience? That's an interesting point to debate but I suspect no. I've known people who have driven cars for many years, become complacent and lazy and are therefore not very good drivers. An odd analogy maybe but I would argue that an expert in their field would come across more scenarios in 12 months of lets say coding mobile apps, than somebody who has been involved in coding apps, but not their primary function, over the course of 5 years.