Good Idea, Chap: The Recruitment Machines

Let me begin by noting that I had every intention to write an article on the marvels of the driverless car today.

However, the above shall have to wait until next week as, once more, I have stumbled upon an article that has annoyed the Hell out of me; and, let me assure you, dear readers, that my annoyance threshold is as high as Yao Ming, if not higher.

Prior to commencing today’s ‘rage against the machines’, I would like to note that the topic of today’s article is bathed in irony. So, to the chap who came up with the ‘recruiting machines’:

It is NOT a good idea, I do not like you and do not believe that any person who has ever applied for a job likes you

I do not feel, and I will never feel at any point of my life on this planet, or any other, that the use of recruitment machines is acceptable, effective and justifiable.

To kick off, I trust that a short explanation is in order.

‘Recruitment machines’ most commonly refer to a type of software that sieves through thousands of CVs in a matter of hours (if not minutes), automatically dismisses those that do not satisfy a certain criteria and send those that do to the recruiter to review.

The search criteria may include:

• The format
• The font
• The keywords
• The skills
• The languages
• The place where the applicant lives
• The surname
• The nationality

The last three, of course, are a bit over- exaggerated; nevertheless, let me ask you this:

Even if a company decides to use those as recruitment criteria, who would know…?

But enough speculation and acerbic remarks; let me give you a personal example:

When I graduated from university, I started applying for training contracts. I spent about a week on an application form for a training contract at a firm that I shall not name. I thought (and so did my university’s Career Service) that the application was filled in quite neatly and that I had a good chance of, at least, being called up to an assessment centre.

I it via email at 08:00 am; it was a twelve- page application form with about ten sections, three hundred words each.

At exactly 08:06am (not the following day…) I received the following automated email:

‘Dear Mr X

Having carefully reviewed your application form, we are sorry to inform you that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

We wish you luck in all of your future endeavours and hope that you will apply to our firm again in the future.

Sincerely yours

Q.’

 And here’s what companies have to say about that:

"Putting the most important words first increases the computer's chances of a hit"” Wilma Tucker, Right Management

< http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20255387 >

Wow, just wow. I am fully aware that I am not supposed to rant today so I shall just comment on the above in the calmest manner possible. I was quite shocked, disheartened, crestfallen, gutted, disgusted, saddened and, quite frankly, angry at myself for spending a week on an application form which was ‘carefully reviewed’ in six minutes.

But enough about me; let’s talk about the process and its flaws, namely:

• The process is abominably subjective

How can you judge a person on the words that he has put in his CV? Such an approach is incredibly shallow and profane; only children judge the book by its cover.

• CV writing expert

So, in order to be employed as a lawyer, accountant, associate, etc, one must be an expert in drafting CVs in a way which would trick the system into selecting him for an interview? I shall not elaborate on that notion as the mere thought of such an approach to recruitment makes me sick.

• I don’t know the keywords; but I bet someone does

So let us say that you have got a friend working for the company, a relative even. What is to stop him from telling you what the keywords that the recruitment machine is looking for are?

Conscience, you say; surely not.

The correct answer is NOTHING.

• Employ people, not machines

I do hope that conglomerates have heard about this thing called Human Resources. We live in a time of rising unemployment; if you have got that many applications coming in, employ more people to review them. Not quantum physics is it now…?

So, there you have it; the recruitment process of the future.

Not what you expected?

File in a complaint and…enjoy your automated reply in the hope that your it will not be dismissed by some software labeling the it as one that does not need to be addressed as it has already been covered by the FAQ.

Ah well…

To Hell With It!