Remember proper etiquette with job applicants

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Dear Joan:
Much has been written about proper etiquette for the job applicant. Emphasis is placed on conducting oneself in a professional manner and sending "thank you" letters after a job interview. I would appreciate a future column stressing the importance of proper business etiquette relative to the treatment of job applicants by potential employers.

Many of my highly qualified, professional level colleagues have recently been terminated "for economic reasons" by "down-sizing" organizations. When seeking employment, every colleague reported being treated with a disturbing lack of professional respect by many of these potential employers. Perhaps it is a sign of the times but here are a few examples.

1.      Rejection Letters. Some employers are not sending the customary rejection letter to applicants who have applied for jobs and were not chosen for an interview. (Unsolicited resumes are rarely acknowledged in any manner.) Some applicants who have participated in as many as three screening interviews are often kept waiting for months before learning of their rejection. (Delays are inevitable, but applicants should be so informed.)

2.      Rude or Insensitive Treatment. Keeping interviewees waiting for lengthy periods of time without explanation prior to the interview or being interrupted with constant telephone calls or visitors during the interview.

3.      Maintaining Confidentiality. Some job applicants are currently employed. Common sense should be exercised when telephoning a candidate's place of employment.

4.      Lack of Preparation and Focus. Some interviewees have not looked at the candidate's resume prior to the interview and are not prepared to conduct an intelligent screening. Some employers have not given the job responsibilities much thought. Perhaps they have not developed a job description. Adequate training provisions have not been made. Frankly, they may not really know what they want, but they GOTTA have it immediately. (Job hunters have always known that you must discern exactly what you are looking for before you can find it.)

5.      Misleading Classified Advertisements. Newspaper ads sometimes list vague job titles or the requirements of the job are misrepresented to varying degrees. Job titles are sometimes inflated so as to seem tremendously prominent when, in reality, the position is entry level and minimum wage.

As representatives of their respective organizations, interviewers need to be mindful of the images they present. Simple common courtesy and common sense is an easy way to maintain positive public relations.

Answer:
Let's hope your letter will be posted in every human resources department in town. Lately, I have been hearing more complaints like yours and there are likely several reasons why. Employment offices are being inundated with resumes, as more people are laid off, making it difficult to respond to all inquiries. Also, the personnel staff is being cut in many companies, as they trim and flatten their structures. Are these excuses for shoddy treatment? No, but they are realities of the recession.

In the world of supply and demand, this trend is likely to change. Companies who are having trouble recruiting entry level employees are doing everything in their power to entice and impress potential job candidates. As labor shortages spread in a few years, they may discover they are on the receiving end of poor treatment. For instance, some retail and fast food companies can't get any qualified applicants to fill out applications, let alone show up for work or stay more than a few months.

Many companies are no longer sending rejection letters to applicants who submit a resume. It is costly and they simply don't have the staff to do it. However, a candidate who has been interviewed deserves the courtesy of a prompt follow up...if it doesn't happen, the candidate should call.

If an interview is interrupted frequently, the candidate is within his or her limits to say, "I can see you're really busy. Perhaps we should reschedule our meeting for another time..." If the interviewer is your potential boss and treating you like dirt in the interview, what makes you think he or she would be any different as a boss?

Also, an interviewee should be very wary about accepting a job that is poorly structured and for which there is inadequate training support. When you are called for an interview, ask a few preliminary questions about the job before taking a day of vacation for an interview. You might say, "Just to save time for both of us, could I ask you a few quick questions to make sure the job is a potential fit? For example, what did the ad mean by `middle management'...?"

Remember you are interviewing the company just as much as they are interviewing you. Companies never love you more than before you say "yes." If they treat you poorly before they hire you, imagine how they will treat you once you work there. Companies, who expect to attract and retain a quality workforce, must treat job candidates like customers-with respect and service.

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