3 ms·

Why I'd never apply for a job online again

30 points by rwmj 2y ago

spondylosaurus 2y ago
So... a person who by their own admission had never previously applied for a job online (because they "hadn't needed to") is finally in a position where they need to apply to jobs online, then gets frustrated and swears it off forever. Or so they say. Don't get me wrong—job apps are grueling at best, soul-sucking at worst. But if you've never applied for jobs before, you're not gonna be familiar with the best practices and conventions for doing so, and so of course it's gonna be frustrating. It's a learning process! Your resume and applications aren't gonna be as polished as someone who's more familiar with the game! And then the proposed solution ("If you want real opportunities build relationships, create value publicly (publish ideas, case studies, etc) and put yourself in a position where companies and decision-makers seek you out.") is like, well, okay. Great advice. All you have to is be extraordinary in your field and very, very lucky, and the rest will follow. I would wager that at least some of this is facetious (literally being "hot takes" and all) but it's still hard to take any of it seriously. The whole thing reads like someone saying "I had a bad time trying to deal with health insurance, so I've decided to simply never get sick again and save myself the trouble." If only the rest of us had thought of that! :P
- RockRobotRock 2y ago
  This post is very cathartic as someone going through the job seeking meat-grinder right now.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
- mixmastamyk 2y ago
  There is no learning process. No feedback at all is given.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
blackeyeblitzar 2y ago
As some comments there note, the flood of AI applications to those forms makes it even worse. The online dating comparison is spot on.
diego_moita 2y ago
There are only two ways to handle online jobs: let recruiters find you or use an automated system that requires you not even to read the job description. When 99.9% of posted jobs are fake (including in HN's Who's Hiring), these are the only ways to save your emotional health.
- hughdbrown 2y ago
  > When 99.9% of posted jobs are fake (including in HN's Who's Hiring) Okay there a lot of fake jobs, maybe not as high as 99.9%, though. But what's the basis for saying that "Who's Hiring?" is fake? Why would a business seek out a relatively lower traffic job venue, field the traffic of submissions, and then ghost everyone who applies (or whatever is done by 99.9% fake jobs)? Why wouldn't employers just save themselves the effort and do nothing?
  - SR2Z 2y ago
    Because hiring in a downtown is treated by VCs as a strong signal that your startup is on track. You don't need fake job listings when the market is good; you've presumably got real funding and less pressure to deliver.
  - GoToRO 2y ago
    I've seen so many reasons. From "hr people need to look busy" to "cheap way to advertise our bussiness" to "we are not bankrupt, look how many open jobs we have"

30 points by rwmj 2y ago

So... a person who by their own admission had never previously applied for a job online (because they "hadn't needed to") is finally in a position where they need to apply to jobs online, then gets frustrated and swears it off forever. Or so they say. Don't get me wrong—job apps are grueling at best, soul-sucking at worst. But if you've never applied for jobs before, you're not gonna be familiar with the best practices and conventions for doing so, and so of course it's gonna be frustrating. It's a learning process! Your resume and applications aren't gonna be as polished as someone who's more familiar with the game! And then the proposed solution ("If you want real opportunities build relationships, create value publicly (publish ideas, case studies, etc) and put yourself in a position where companies and decision-makers seek you out.") is like, well, okay. Great advice. All you have to is be extraordinary in your field and very, very lucky, and the rest will follow. I would wager that at least some of this is facetious (literally being "hot takes" and all) but it's still hard to take any of it seriously. The whole thing reads like someone saying "I had a bad time trying to deal with health insurance, so I've decided to simply never get sick again and save myself the trouble." If only the rest of us had thought of that! :P

RockRobotRock 2y ago
This post is very cathartic as someone going through the job seeking meat-grinder right now.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
mixmastamyk 2y ago
There is no learning process. No feedback at all is given.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

blackeyeblitzar 2y ago

As some comments there note, the flood of AI applications to those forms makes it even worse. The online dating comparison is spot on.

diego_moita 2y ago

There are only two ways to handle online jobs: let recruiters find you or use an automated system that requires you not even to read the job description. When 99.9% of posted jobs are fake (including in HN's Who's Hiring), these are the only ways to save your emotional health.

hughdbrown 2y ago
> When 99.9% of posted jobs are fake (including in HN's Who's Hiring) Okay there a lot of fake jobs, maybe not as high as 99.9%, though. But what's the basis for saying that "Who's Hiring?" is fake? Why would a business seek out a relatively lower traffic job venue, field the traffic of submissions, and then ghost everyone who applies (or whatever is done by 99.9% fake jobs)? Why wouldn't employers just save themselves the effort and do nothing?
- SR2Z 2y ago
  Because hiring in a downtown is treated by VCs as a strong signal that your startup is on track. You don't need fake job listings when the market is good; you've presumably got real funding and less pressure to deliver.
- GoToRO 2y ago
  I've seen so many reasons. From "hr people need to look busy" to "cheap way to advertise our bussiness" to "we are not bankrupt, look how many open jobs we have"