This was my first attempt at a poll and I’m honestly unsurprised with the results. The worst part about looking for work is the fact that we don’t hear back.
There are an infinite number of reasons why we can’t – or don’t – get a job. But it would be nice to know that someone, somewhere, has read our carefully crafted cover letters. At the very least, knowing that a resume was received (even if it was glanced at and rejected) would be something of a reassurance.
This is when job hunters get annoying as hell. I had an informational interview with a publicist at Harper a month or two back. Her advice was to never look someone up on LinkedIn and email them directly when you know their department is hiring.
“Oops,” was my brilliant response.
“I absolutely hate that. If I see anything resembling a resume in my inbox I just delete it,” was her reply.
Well crap.
Not only was I already guilty, but then proceeded to completely ignore her advice, most likely annoying a great deal of important people in the process. But what the hell else was I supposed to do? I had already emailed my application to jobs@publisher.com and never once heard back. If I called and at least found out the name of the hiring manager and emailed them directly, I usually got a response if not an interview.
But of course any smart job hunter does that. Letters addressed: “Dear Hiring Manager” just don’t get read. Period. So like good little lemmings we do our research and scour the internet for contacts. The result? Aggravated interviewers. See the catch-22?
Why can’t big companies come up with a system? I’ve noticed a few publishers send automated emails, acknowledging receipt, which is a step in the right direction. What about an automated email that says, “unfortunately we are unable to offer you an interview at this time”. Sucky, yes, but at least we’d know.
So here’s where I make some shout-outs:
Harlequin – Not only was I called the day after I sent in my resume, but a week after the interview I received an actual letter… in the mail… signed by the hiring manager informing me I didn’t get the position. I was sad, but didn’t have to sit around for ages wondering. Quick and respectful and surprising personal.
Simon & Schuster – Okay, I never got an interview with S&S, but I did try emailing employees directly to get a leg up and they all told me to go through the “proper channels” by applying online. S&S has a horrible online system and I never once heard back , but at least they’re consistent. A lack of special treatment (as far as I’m concerned) is mildly reassuring.
Penguin – Their College Relations and Diversity Associate not only runs their career Facebook group answering questions from needy college grads, but responded to every email I sent her. I think a respectful and and genuinely nice hiring manager like that should be recognized. Also, she gave me tips on my resume, which just went above and beyond.
I applied for at least a hundred jobs at every publishing house in New York. TWO people stood out. Statistics-wise… Well, that blows.
So fingers crossed bigger companies will eventually figure out a way to respond to every applicant without consuming their own lives with resumes and emails. And while it obviously pisses us all off more than any other aspect, the digital age is relatively new and I’m sure job hunting 10 years ago was significantly more personal. So I give it a year or two for there to be a more efficient way of looking for applicants without a) making us, the job hunter, sit around and wait all day and b) piss off those hiring when we send crazy emails and call twenty times a day. There must be some way to compromise and make us all happy… Right? Right?
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