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The process for applying is laborious and sort of demoralizing. I mean, think of it like a blind date in a lot of ways without the payoff of a really great conv

The process for applying is laborious and sort of demoralizing. I mean, think of it like a blind date in a lot of ways without the payoff of a really great conversations that might lead to friendship. The best interviews often feel fine, but the process requires you to expend a lot emotionally and you don't really get that back most of the time even if you're offered the gig. The salary comments are accurate, too. I don't expect a hard number, but want to know where the range is though I tend to do my own homework and look that stuff up because in my field it's usually findable. I think the biggest deterrent is the application process. If I have to fill out the official application AND send a cover letter/resume, it's a lot less appealing and often times, I'm not going to do it. I totally get making it more onerous to limit the number of applications, but...I think you can just have shorter windows for hiring then rather than wasting a lot of time. Lastly, being transparent about timeframes. Politics being what it is, I know you can't always nail down dates, but giving people a sense of what they're working with in terms of a week or three weeks to wait to hear something is really helpful, especially if they're truly considering the opportunity with you and not just using it as a hedge against the thing they really want.

a3n 12y ago
There's not much an applicant can do about your last point, time frames. So just keep interviewing, don't get emotionally tied to anywhere you've interviewed, and take whatever job is offered, by whoever, that satisfies your requirements and feelings. If this ever becomes a problem for employers they'll eventually learn to act faster.
cylinder 12y ago
I'm morally opposed to requiring or preferring custom cover letters tailored to the job being applied to. I think people who demand this really are disconnected from the realities of a job seeker. It's simply a ridiculous burden in an age where you must apply for hundreds of jobs and almost all of them don't even make a single response to your application. If I'm ever hiring, I will not require a cover letter. I also believe that candidates should be compensated for their time interviewing. As a graduate I once had a very small employer literally interview what seemed like 50% of my class for one single position. He spent over an hour talking to each of us, mostly just conversing and looking for ego stroking. This is abusive in my mind.
- fsk 12y ago
  After sending out lots of resumes over the years, I noticed almost zero correlation with making a careful cover letter, and whether they follow up with an interview.

a3n 12y ago

There's not much an applicant can do about your last point, time frames. So just keep interviewing, don't get emotionally tied to anywhere you've interviewed, and take whatever job is offered, by whoever, that satisfies your requirements and feelings. If this ever becomes a problem for employers they'll eventually learn to act faster.

cylinder 12y ago

I'm morally opposed to requiring or preferring custom cover letters tailored to the job being applied to. I think people who demand this really are disconnected from the realities of a job seeker. It's simply a ridiculous burden in an age where you must apply for hundreds of jobs and almost all of them don't even make a single response to your application. If I'm ever hiring, I will not require a cover letter. I also believe that candidates should be compensated for their time interviewing. As a graduate I once had a very small employer literally interview what seemed like 50% of my class for one single position. He spent over an hour talking to each of us, mostly just conversing and looking for ego stroking. This is abusive in my mind.

fsk 12y ago
After sending out lots of resumes over the years, I noticed almost zero correlation with making a careful cover letter, and whether they follow up with an interview.