The plan was always to start looking for a job after Easter. Well, that time has come. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but looking for a job, IS a job! There are so many nuances to the process. Let’s talk about a few…

• Application submissions – so many different portals, needing to make accounts, putting in the information that I already attached in my cv/resume because the application isn’t intuitive enough to put it in the right place.
• Poor communication/updates – we are currently in a time when HR/T&A has staffing challenges of their own. I had a manager tell me candidates sat pending for over 2 months because she was not notified that they were in her queue. There is no reason for it to take that much time to disposition a candidate. All I could see on my end was In Process. What does that mean exactly anyway???
• Hiring manager bias #1- for this in particular, I’m referring to the judgment of a cv/resume. Assumptions are made about who you are and where you want to go in your professional journey based on the paper. This can prevent a candidate from being interviewed or selected for hire. A hiring manager can consume themselves with a candidate’s future plans versus focusing on what the candidate can bring to the table for whatever amount of time they anticipate on being in a role. I would rather hire someone who will give me 200% for 12-24 months and exceeds expectations, than someone who will sit in a role and ALWAYS give me less than 100% and is just an average performer. That’s just me…

• Hiring manager bias #2 – someone may neglect to offer you a position simply because your hustle outshines theirs and makes them insecure about their own performance. Having subordinates that perform on the same level (or even below them) means they will not have to face the issue of having to raise their level of performance. Many people get paid to be average and maintain the status quo.
• Available postings for unavailable jobs – hiring managers post positions for which they have known candidates all they time. The issue I have is when they keep a position posted and open to the public during the entire process. Have your HR/T&A specialist un-post the job after the obligatory 72hrs. If your known candidate makes an unplanned declination, simply re-post the position.

My problem with all of this is they have no regard for a candidate’s time. As a hiring manager, I never just sat passively and twiddled my thumbs until I received a candidate. I would always follow up with my T&A rep and keep the lines of communication clear about how I was planning to proceed on requisitions. I also gave courtesy communication to any internal candidates that I chose not to interview/hire. I would never want someone to feel devalued because of my actions. I started this practice after listening to nurses talk about what they hated about the hiring process. And honestly, it’s simply disrespectful to send internal candidates generic emails as the only form of communication. Don’t schedule me for an interview to save face and make it look like you interviewed qualified candidates when you were already prepared to hire who you preselected as “the one”. I have an application right now that has been in process since the beginning of November. The hiring manager ended up resigning and never followed up on the requisition with the recruiter. I can tell you right now, if I am offered that job, I will decline 1000%. If that is an indication of how communication (doesn’t) happen in that organization, I have no desire to be employed there.

So, that’s where I am with that. I will say overall, I have my prayers for what I desire for my next position, which includes remaining patient and not anxious during this process. If you find yourself in the same boat as me, I will ask the Lord to cover all who are sharing this experience to my prayer. I will continue to remind myself that He alone is my source; Everything else is a resource. He is all I need! Other than that…

“Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” – Proverbs 16:3 NIV