Open Letter to Job Applicants from HR

Dear Applicant,


I’m going to be honest with you. Brutally honest. I hope you understand that I am simply trying to help you be more successful in your job search in a difficult economy. Unfortunately, unemployment is high, and there are many job seekers hungry for work. Competition is stiff.

I think it would be helpful for you to consider the job search from my perspective for a moment. I hope this letter will help you better understand what you are facing.

My employer is counting on me to find the best applicant I can for the available job. Hiring new employees is expensive and time-consuming, so I’m looking for a candidate who is willing to work for the long-term. In addition to the basic requirements for the job, I’m looking for a candidate who will be a pleasure to work with, is responsible, and driven to do good work.

I will receive hundreds of resumes for each job. I will look at each and every resume, but I don’t have the time or resources to spend 30 minutes reviewing each in detail. As a result, I have to cull candidates based on certain criteria. I would venture to say that most Human Resources professionals will have criteria similar to mine:

1. Your resume should either be tailored to the individual job you are applying for (recommended), or you should have a general resume that is responsive to all jobs. If your resume indicates that you are interested in a position in the “medical field,” and the job is not in the medical field, I will stop reading your resume, and you will not be considered.

2. The basic requirements for the job, including education and experience, are listed in the job posting for a reason, not for fun. These are non-negotiable. I look for these qualifications on your resume first. If you do not have the basic qualifications, I will stop reading your resume. You have wasted my time and yours.

3. If you have worked for ten different employers in the last ten years, I will perceive you as a job-hopper. As mentioned above, I am looking for a long-term employee, and as a job-hopper, you do not look like a good candidate based on your job history. If there is a reasonable explanation for the job changes, let me know in a cover letter or in the resume. For example, if you have had the bad fortune to work for ten different employers whose businesses shut down because of the economy, this is beyond your control (I hope) and does not reflect poorly on you, so you should disclose this information.

4. If your resume includes negative information, you will likely be culled. This is harsh, but reality. There will be many other candidates whose resumes do not include negative information, and they look like better candidates than you. For example, if your resume indicates that you were terminated from prior employers, I will not likely invite you to interview. This information is best disclosed and explained in an interview. Give yourself an opportunity to interview by showing yourself in the best light in your resume and include only positive information.

5. If you have minimal work experience, you need to include other factors in your resume that show you are motivated and responsible, or else you may not be considered. Do you have accomplishments from volunteer work? Have you continued your education? Are you a key participant in clubs or other activities? Did you achieve Eagle Scout status in the Boy Scouts? Remember that I am looking at hundreds of resumes, and most candidates will have significant work experience. You need to show me that you have the skills to compete with these candidates if you do not have the experience.

6. If you currently live out of state and provide no explanation for why you are applying for a position in this state, I will be left scratching my head. As a result, I may not consider you. If you are moving to this state, or your family lives here, let me know in a cover letter so I won’t be left wondering about your interest in the location of this position.

7. If you haven’t worked in the past ten years and submit a resume with a large employment gap, without an explanation, I may not consider you. If there is a reasonable, and positive, explanation for the gap and why you are re-entering the job market, let me know in a cover letter. If the reason for the gap was because you were in jail, explaining this in your resume won’t help you.

8. Proofread. Proofread. Proofread. Spell check is your friend, but don’t rely on it exclusively. Spell check won’t pick up the incorrect use of the word “fist” when you meant “first,” and that could get embarrassing. When I see words spelled incorrectly, I see a candidate who is not detail-oriented. If the job requires attention to detail, you are not a good candidate if there are errors in your resume. Although I sometimes appreciate the humor of errors when I am going through huge stacks of resumes (the candidate who described himself as a “work-alcoholic,” and the one who said he was a “night stalker” instead of stocker), a laugh will not get you an interview.

9. Don’t get cute. Colored paper, pictures, and silly headings (my favorite of all time was the resume with the heading “Nicole’s Sizzlin’ Resume”) don’t help you. It looks like you are trying too hard to compensate for a lack of substance. (For the record, Nicole didn’t get an interview.)

10. Please don’t be desperate or include irrelevant personal information. I understand how difficult it is to find work, and I understand that you need a job to pay your bills. I don’t need to read about your plight in your resume. I want to see your skills and qualifications, not your life story or personal status.

11. If you are going to use an email address on your resume, make sure it is a neutral email address and not a descriptive one like lazyguy323@___.com, hotmamma@____.com, or ihaveabigone@____.com that provides more information than I want to know. This reflects on your judgment. Consider obtaining a free email address that includes your initials or name, rather than something distracting.

In summary, remember that I don’t know you. You may be a fabulous candidate for this position, but all I see about you is the resume you submit. My job requires me to make judgments about your qualifications and skills based on the information you provide to me. Help me hire you by using your resume as an effective tool to show me how great you are and how lucky we would be to employ you. Don’t give me an excuse to turn you down.

Sincerely,

Human Resources

Health Reform Misinformation

Have you received an email warning that your health insurance premiums will be taxed starting in 2011 as result of the recently passed health care reform legislation?  A concerned employee recently asked me about this.  Fortunately, this is another bit of misinformation being distributed to attack reform.  The Affordable Health Care Act does require employers to list the cost of employer-provided health insurance on each employee's W-2 Form; however, the cost is not taxed.

Perhaps as a result of this spreading misinformation, the IRS posted the following explanation on its website:

"Employer-Provided Health Coverage — Not Taxable


Starting in tax year 2011, the Affordable Care Act requires employers to report the value of the health insurance coverage they provide employees on each employee's annual Form W-2. This reporting is for informational purposes only, to show employees the value of their health care benefits so they can be more informed consumers. The amount reported does not affect tax liability, as the value of the employer contribution to health coverage continues to be excludible from an employee's income and it is not taxable."

The moral is:  don't believe everything you read, folks!

Responsible Drawdown?

The phrase "responsible drawdown" in reference to our armed forces in Iraq gave me pause.  What's a "responsible drawdown"?  Why does this phrase bother me?  Is there such a thing as an "irresponsible" drawdown?

And what happened to responsible deployment in the first place?

Remember...there are still 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq regardless of the so-called "responsible drawdown," and troops continue being deployed every day.  The Administration may paint these as "non-combat troops," but the name doesn't change who they are or what they were trained to do.  (A rose by any other name....)

Jive Turkey Report: Wall Street Reform

Tucked into the recently passed Wall Street financial reform bill is a little provision about the use of "conflict materials" from the Congo. "Conflict materials" are designated minerals such as tungsten, gold, and tin that are used by militias to fund brutal conflict against citizens in that country. These materials are typically used in the manufacture of electronics like cell phones and computers.

The legislation directs the Securities Exchange Commission to implement regulations requiring publicly traded companies to report whether or not the materials they use in manufacturing are conflict materials from the Congo or surrounding countries. No penalties are imposed for using conflict materials, but the law requires regulated companies to report the use of conflict materials on their websites to discourage their use. Even though directed at large publicly traded companies, the reporting requirement will filter down to distributors of these products, who will have to investigate the origination of the materials they sell and may have to assist in audits.

Although the motivation behind this legislation is undeniably noble, the legislation itself seems poorly-conceived. Beyond the difficulty of determining whether materials constitute conflict materials in the first place, distributors may be discouraged from buying any materials from the Congo to avoid the extra reporting requirements. This could have a drastic effect on the Congolese economy and people, which rely heavily on mining. Furthermore, is adding another reporting requirement to an already heavily regulated manufacturing sector, through the SEC of all agencies, an appropriate way to address the problem? Is this a case of big burden, little effect?

The SEC has 280 days to promulgate regulations to flesh out this new law. I will be interested to see how the SEC intends to implement this law and the effect across the manufacturing sector.

By the way, you might ask what this has to do with Wall Street financial reform in the first place? Nothing that I can tell. Just another example of legislation tacked on where it doesn't belong for easy passage.