So most of us have been around long enough to remember that applying to a job posting meant emailing a copy of your standard resume to a recruiter (internal or external), having that resume reviewed by the recruiter - along with the 5-10 other resumes he received. We would then either receive a phone call asking us to schedule an in-person interview, or possibly a return email thanking us for our time. The whole process would be fairly efficient - because there was an urgency related to filling the role. From the time we submitted our resume until our first day of work may have been two to three weeks...at the most.
Fast forward to today. There are literally dozens of locations online where open positions are posted. Some of them free to access, some require a paid subscription. Also, there are thousands of jobs posted...from across the state, the country, and the world. Most are still for on-site positions, though many now allow the successful candidate to work remotely. Since the COVID-19 era, more and more people desire - and are searching for roles that allow - remote work. Any why not?! Reduced daily travel time and expense, flexibility to care for children and other family members when needed, less expense on business attire, a healthier lifestyle that provides time for daily exercise and healthier eating. Heck - we should all want this!
Unfortunately, many / most companies are still managing by visual cues ("Is Bob at his desk today?", "Do I see Sally walking down the hall between meetings?"). It may sound ridiculous, but that's how many companies have managed their employees for decades...and still do. The actual performance of those employees is second to the amount of time they spend in the office. But I digress...(there's another article related to remote management: https://themethodsolutions.com/blog/outcome-based-management-building-trust-and-unlocking-talent )
With the growing popularity of remote roles, for those job posting sites that show the number of applicants, there can literally be hundreds that apply to a single opening. Clearly the competition is extreme (coming from local, national, and global sources), but the load this puts on the recruiter and hiring manager is unreasonable. No one can give a meaningful review of 200+ resumes for a particular role. That's why many companies are now taking advantage of AI / automated applicant review systems. The resumes are instantly screened by the system - looking for keywords and phrases that someone has determined are applicable to the specific role. If your resume is missing a percentage of the keywords, it's kicked out and automatically declined. You may or may not then receive an automated email stating something like, "while your qualifications are impressive, unfortunately you have not been selected to move forward in the hiring process for role XYZ". How demoralizing. In the end, there may be a dozen or fewer resumes that make the cut and are actually reviewed by a human. We have put ourselves in this position by leaving roles posted for weeks or months, posting roles that aren't actually open - hoping to fill some "pipeline" of candidates (which likely won't be available when the role is actually open) and giving false hope to tens of thousands of applicants who actually need a job. Let's stop the insanity. Wake up from the nightmare. Call on The Method Solutions to review your recruiting and hiring process. We'll help you obtain a manageable set of candidates that are actually qualified for the role. You'll fill the role more quickly, with fewer headaches, and often with less expense.