Late last year while I was visiting friends in a sunny locale, I decided that I wasn't going to be an office drone for much longer. I was getting tired of doing highly repetitive work and dealing with corporate culture in general. I cut ties with my former employer at the end of the following month. I realized that I liked working from home and decided to pursue that avenue.
It hasn't been easy, but I've found a few good opportunities that keep me busy. I'm spending less on work clothes and the daily commute and I can actually get out and enjoy nature when I want. Doing the same thing for 4+ years made me realize what I was missing out on.
Looking for work is a full-time job. It's something that I've had to focus on. I've always been good at setting goals and sticking to my calendar. However, the things I can't control in life are usually what frustrate me the most. With that in mind, here are a few things that I've learned during my pursuit of a meaningful career:
1. Communication is a two-way street. One of the biggest challenges I've faced is being ghosted by potential employers. Not hearing back after an application isn't a big deal for me. I'm more concerned about the lack of communication by companies after I've interviewed with them. After all, it takes a few seconds to send a brief message. Ghosting candidates who can do the work and are genuinely interested in the job that you're offering isn't cool.
A few months ago, I had what I thought was a good interview with a local firm. I was informed that I'd hear from them by the end of the week. When Friday came and went without a response, I reached out. I got a message a few days later saying that their search process was over. I knew that I didn't make the cut, but they didn't follow through on their promise to let me know about their decision. That's what irked me.
2. Applicants don't like jumping through hoops. Some employers ask a lot of external candidates. They have to apply online, submit their information, take a personality test and maybe go through a series of interviews. I don't like duplicating work, which unfortunately is something that several organizations do. They want you to fill out their application, including questions that can already be answered by the information that's already on your profile and/or resume. If something's optional, I'm going to skip it. I don't have time to enter the same data multiple times in multiple places. Keep things simple. People's attention spans are short, and if they don't have to fill in optional items, they probably won't.
3. Never work for free. There have been a few instances when I've been asked to complete writing or editing assignments for prospective employers. I don't mind doing that, as long as I'm fairly compensated for my efforts. If a task requires more than an hour to complete, candidates should be paid for their work. There's nothing worse than taking time out of your everyday tasks to complete an assignment only to be rejected, unpaid for your work or worse yet, learning that your creations were later implemented by the company that rejected you!
4. Take the process seriously. I've had a few interviews with people representing organizations who really seemed like they could care less about the particular interview. I remember one interview that I had with a HR rep, who seemed to be much more interested in playing with her hair than actually conducting the interview. When I asked her a few job-specific questions, she told me that she couldn't answer them. She didn't refer them to anyone in the company who could answer those inquiries either. I wasn't surprised to not hear from the company again for several weeks, but after reading employee reviews, I feel like I dodged a bullet. It wasn't a company I would have been happy working at anyway.
5. Recruiters need to pay attention. I get messages from recruiters several times a week. Most of them don't really seem to listen to what candidates are looking for, and many of them are terrible at following up. I get that they have certain spots to fill, but trying to get me to take a job that's hundreds of miles away from where I live simply isn't realistic. If you are a recruiter, please take the time to listen to and actively communicate with the candidates that you're contacting.
Well, that's all I have for now. I could go on for days, but I don't want to get carried away. Until next time, take care and have a great week!
No comments:
Post a Comment