As I write, I am in good spirits: a new job is the source of my feelings of wellbeing. Having spent three years doing time on the outside, I am pleased to report that I am back within the folds of the finance industry (importantly including fleet finance).
The new role has brought much positive change and I am excited about the future. I suddenly have a lot to learn/absorb in a small amount of time and an expectation that I will deliver good things quickly (the usual pressure then).
In reflecting, I find it comment worthy that whilst I am so chuffed about having a new job, the whole process of finding new employment is generally (this time excluded) something that I don’t enjoy at all.
As a marketer, you might think that I’d be quite happy promoting/pitching my skills and experiences to potential employers but the fact is that I find the process of selling myself makes me feel cheap, grubby; like some kind of prostitute touting his/her wares.
To add to the emotional mix, I really struggle with recruitment agencies because the majority of them offer standards of service to candidates that are lower than a limbo dancer’s imagination. The challenge is that in searching for alternative employment, you can’t avoid having to deal with the recruitment industry.
Dear Readers, how many of you have spent hours working on your CV, covering letters, application forms, equal opportunities forms, references etc. to then upload everything to a recruitment agency’s website…
…only to get an automated, non-personal acknowledgement that goes along the lines of “Thanks for your interest; due to the high volumes of applications we receive we cannot respond to all applicants. If you haven’t heard from us in seven days, please assume you have been unsuccessful”.
For me, this kind of appalling communication irks me to the point of violence. I once got so cross that I wrote to one particular agency to express my anger. Here’s the content of that note:
“Dear Greg,
Thanks for this ‘standard’ acknowledgement note. As a marketing/communications manager expressing an interest in a communications role, I have to be honest and state that your automated email is horrible!
The key messages are that:
· You can’t be bothered to manage applicants in a thoughtful way
· You might give feedback but don’t expect it
· As an applicant, I should expect failure
The line “should you not have heard from us within the next week, please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion” is a ghastly affront to customer service. Seriously think about changing it, and the policies behind the sentiment, because both are contemptible!
Crikey I even work for a business associated with the recruitment industry and I hate this dismissive language!
As a bare minimum, you should change your automated response so that the salutation addresses the individual not their email account. This is a simple database/email merge issue!
I’ll even help you write something significantly better if you’d value the input.
I am passionate about good communication; hopefully your client is too!
I’ll look forward to a conversation, but in the meantime will manage my expectations!
Best regards,
Adrian”
Funny enough, my application didn’t get progressed by the agency although I did have a frank conversation with one of the directors. The amount of difference it actually made – probably nothing (and I didn’t get to write a more humane, engaging “candidate interest acknowledgment”) but I felt better for venting my frustration.
Seriously, if corporate clients got the same kind of treatment when making enquiries as the candidates get, there would be far fewer recruitment agencies in existence.
Stating one’s distrust, dislike, distaste for recruitment agencies is potentially dangerous because it could affect one’s career potential – from a personal perspective though, I expect to be away from the clutches of recruiters for some years to come - so I’ll take my chances.
Have old wounds made me bitter and twisted or do my comments resonate with you? I’d be intrigued to know.
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The new role has brought much positive change and I am excited about the future. I suddenly have a lot to learn/absorb in a small amount of time and an expectation that I will deliver good things quickly (the usual pressure then).
In reflecting, I find it comment worthy that whilst I am so chuffed about having a new job, the whole process of finding new employment is generally (this time excluded) something that I don’t enjoy at all.
As a marketer, you might think that I’d be quite happy promoting/pitching my skills and experiences to potential employers but the fact is that I find the process of selling myself makes me feel cheap, grubby; like some kind of prostitute touting his/her wares.
To add to the emotional mix, I really struggle with recruitment agencies because the majority of them offer standards of service to candidates that are lower than a limbo dancer’s imagination. The challenge is that in searching for alternative employment, you can’t avoid having to deal with the recruitment industry.
Dear Readers, how many of you have spent hours working on your CV, covering letters, application forms, equal opportunities forms, references etc. to then upload everything to a recruitment agency’s website…
…only to get an automated, non-personal acknowledgement that goes along the lines of “Thanks for your interest; due to the high volumes of applications we receive we cannot respond to all applicants. If you haven’t heard from us in seven days, please assume you have been unsuccessful”.
For me, this kind of appalling communication irks me to the point of violence. I once got so cross that I wrote to one particular agency to express my anger. Here’s the content of that note:
“Dear Greg,
Thanks for this ‘standard’ acknowledgement note. As a marketing/communications manager expressing an interest in a communications role, I have to be honest and state that your automated email is horrible!
The key messages are that:
· You can’t be bothered to manage applicants in a thoughtful way
· You might give feedback but don’t expect it
· As an applicant, I should expect failure
The line “should you not have heard from us within the next week, please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion” is a ghastly affront to customer service. Seriously think about changing it, and the policies behind the sentiment, because both are contemptible!
Crikey I even work for a business associated with the recruitment industry and I hate this dismissive language!
As a bare minimum, you should change your automated response so that the salutation addresses the individual not their email account. This is a simple database/email merge issue!
I’ll even help you write something significantly better if you’d value the input.
I am passionate about good communication; hopefully your client is too!
I’ll look forward to a conversation, but in the meantime will manage my expectations!
Best regards,
Adrian”
Funny enough, my application didn’t get progressed by the agency although I did have a frank conversation with one of the directors. The amount of difference it actually made – probably nothing (and I didn’t get to write a more humane, engaging “candidate interest acknowledgment”) but I felt better for venting my frustration.
Seriously, if corporate clients got the same kind of treatment when making enquiries as the candidates get, there would be far fewer recruitment agencies in existence.
Stating one’s distrust, dislike, distaste for recruitment agencies is potentially dangerous because it could affect one’s career potential – from a personal perspective though, I expect to be away from the clutches of recruiters for some years to come - so I’ll take my chances.
Have old wounds made me bitter and twisted or do my comments resonate with you? I’d be intrigued to know.
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