Layoff Journal Week 8 - Candidate Experience
Happy Mother’s belated day to all the mothers (biological, adopted, spiritual, or any other kind.) I hope everyone had a great weekend. Before several more family members got sick (thus another short and late journal, sorry), my wife and I saw “To Kill A Mockingbird” on stage, and a quote stood out. Scout Finch says, “Trying to do the right thing is the right thing.” That is a great encouragement for anyone struggling with the layoff.
Looking Back - Black Holes
At Indeed, many teams focused on the “Black Hole Problem.” For those unfamiliar, this is the concept that many job applications disappear into the void and never get a response from an employer. It’s so disappointing not to get even a simple reply. I’ve been trying to use my network for most of the jobs I’ve applied for, but I have stumbled across some roles on LinkedIn that I felt I was well qualified for and would enjoy and got no response from them. I’m trying to also reach out to the recruiter, CEO, or hiring manager via LinkedIn, but even that is not enough to drive a reply. It is disheartening, but I have to assume that there are reasons for no response. In one case, I was ghosted by a company that turned out to be right on the edge of bankruptcy, so I dodged a bullet there.
If you have suggestions for avoiding the “black hole problem,” drop them in the comments to share them with others (and me.)
Looking Forward - Being Responsive
As a hiring manager, it’s often my job to evaluate candidates. I look forward to joining an organization that creates a great candidate experience. Much of this is responsiveness to candidates, as we discussed above. But, there are a lot of other attributes as well that are important. Things like:
Clear communication on the types and order of interviews.
Consistent interviewer training.
Useful rubrics for evaluating interviews.
Today’s Tip
This may be a little on the nose, given that I’m still recovering from the flu and helping my family as they battle it as well, but stay healthy. Catching a bug like this is taking a bite out of my ability to search, apply for, and follow up with jobs. Get your rest, water, eat well, and take care of yourselves.
Fun Stuff
Final Words
If I can help with your search, please get in touch with me. Please give me feedback on what you like or don’t care for in this newsletter, and I’ll adjust. For total transparency, I have no affiliation with any of the tools, companies, or resources I share. These are my impressions, not tainted by any outside influences.
https://onlynewmistakes.com/
Your point about the Black Hole and LinkedIn is spot on. No “apply” as resulted in a response ezcept, in very few cases, an automated response. Whether in a tight or “buyer’s” labor market, opportunities have surfaced and/or progressed only through my network. I haven’t seen a talent platform out there, including LI, who has solved for that yet.