Delete comment from: Captain Capitalism
I've been playing this game a long time, and as an experiment I started creating fake resumes using common names (dismantling the Google search option). I would create the perfect job candidate for the ad (mostly newspaper or government, sometimes Craigslist). When answering online ads or newspaper ads not from craigslist, I almost never got a response.
My theory is these ads are legal theatre. The company or hiring manager already has someone they intend to give the job to. Which doesn't bother me, but I normally follow up with those companies (keep track of everything with an excel file) to look for an opening that their internal candidate presumably left, and find nothing. Either they eliminated the position or its responsibilities were covered by other employees. No matter what, there is no real expansion of employment going on.
I like the Captain's ideas regarding the connection between the HR checklist and women's attitude toward dating, and I think this plays a role too. It's happened more than once where I created the perfect resume, work history and cover letter and didn't get anything but a rejection letter, then a few months later I see the position is still unfilled. I really don't get that. (What makes my experiment work is my parents own rental property that I can use for my own address; if they're figuring out my scam just doing a Google search, I'd be shocked).
I can't comprehend it. I really can't.
Aug 15, 2012, 6:39:53 AM
Posted to Takes Longer to Find the Perfect Employee Than Train a Noob