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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2014)
CAREERS EDITION 2014 Applicants, Bosses Both Blamed as Jobs Go Unfilled JOYCE M. ROSENBERG AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Many potential employees don’t follow directions on job postings, are no-shows at interviews and sometimes accept a job only to say at the last minute, they’re going to work for some- body else. It’s a situation that makes small business owners wonder as they wade through piles of resumes, are many job applicants unskilled, unreliable slackers? ‘I’ve gotten a very cynical view of what I’ve seen of folks under 25 that we’ve tried to bring on board’ Many of the complaints are about younger workers, but human resources consultants say it’s an issue across the age spectrum and pay scale. But the problem isn’t just a flip- pant attitude on the part of job applicants. Employers have contributed to a change in job search etiquette. Brian Schutt is one of the frustrated boss- es. His company, Homesense Heating, got about 300 applications for an administrative position, and the office manager inter- viewed 25 candidates. Schutt expected to meet with a dozen people in the second round of interviews, but only one showed up. Younger applicants in particular seem to have a different work ethic, says Schutt, whose company is in Indianapolis. “They just want to play and have fun and smoke,” Schutt says. “I’ve gotten a very cynical view of what I’ve seen of folks under 25 that we’ve tried to bring on board.” The lackadaisical attitude of some appli- cants compounds a difficulty finding skilled employees that owners have reported for several years. In a 2013 survey of 1,200 local employers by St. Louis Community College, 56 percent cited applicants’ poor worth ethic as a problem. In a survey last year by the nonprofit Seattle Jobs Initiative, nearly 35 percent of employers said most applicants for entry-level positions weren’t reliable. At Vacasa, a vacation home management company, chief strategy officer Scott Breon asked applicants for a marketing position to perform a simple task: Design a sales flyer showing why they’re the best one for the job. He got three emails. After he posted the job again without the assignment, applica- tions poured in. “If you have very few requirements, you get flooded with generic responses, the same letter they sent to 100 other compa- nies,” says Breon, chief strategy officer for the Portland, Oregon-based company. Rob Wilson, president of a company that provides human resources services, not only hears about hiring problems from his clients, he also encounters them. Chicago- based Employco got hundreds of resumes for several open positions. Wilson and his staffers winnowed that number down to 30 and began setting up interviews. Out of six people scheduled, only three showed up. Because of their unprofessional attitude, those who stood up Wilson can forget about working for Employco in the future. “If they’re a no-show, there’s no second chance,” Wilson says. Employers may be partly to blame for applicants’ uncaring attitudes, says James McCoy, a vice president at the staffing com- pany Manpower. Many human resources or hiring managers never acknowledge appli- cations. Candidates are following their Be A Trooper example, McCoy says. Three-quarters of candidates surveyed last year said they never heard back from an employer after applying for a position, according to job search company CareerBuilder. Sixty percent said they went on interviews but weren’t informed after- ward they hadn’t gotten the job. Job-seeker Becky Cole has skipped sec- ond interviews or canceled when a would- be employer wasted her time or was conde- scending during an initial meeting. “How I respond depends on the person. If they have made an effort to be a human being during the interview, I will email to cancel and let them know why I don’t plan to show up,” says Cole, who has been look- ing for a job as a technical writer in the St. Paul, Minnesota, area since January. Applicants may also be burned out by the increasing demands and low chances of suc- cess in job searches since the recession. A job posting for the lighting company Lumitec required applicants to write a cover letter that included five attributes that made resources provider Insperity. “All these job ads, thousands of them, say, ‘I need this skill and that skill and that many years of experience,’” Trocko says. “There’s nothing exciting in them about the job.” But she agrees many job seekers don’t make much of an effort. “They’re probably applying for jobs while at work, not reading the job postings, not following all the rules,” Trocko says. Glenn Boehmer deals with that problem as he sifts through resumes. People apply for jobs at his printing business they’re not qualified for. “We can get 40 responses, but rarely do I have one that’s specifically what we’re looking for,” says Boehmer, owner of Sentinel Printing in Hempstead, New York. Perhaps most frustrating are candidates who accept jobs and then change their minds. One day before a new staffer was sup- posed to start at Erika Flora’s technology consulting company, Beyond 20, he sent an Applicants may also be burned out by the increasing demands and low chances of success in job searches since the recession. them good candidates for a technical posi- tion. Many highly qualified candidates did- n’t take the time to comply, probably because they were applying for a number of jobs at once, says John Kujawa, president of the Delray Beach, Florida-based company. “They had so many things to go after, and every one of those is a long shot,” he says. Job postings probably turn some appli- cants off rather than inspire them to put their best foot forward, says Melissa Trocko, a managing director at human email saying he’d taken another job. The work she’d put into the selection process, including four rounds of interviews, was wasted. But Flora, whose company has offices in Washington, D.C., Phoenix and San Diego, is philosophical. “I’m glad we found out. He didn’t have much integrity,” she says. Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. Fire Camp for Young Women OSP accepting online applications now - June 15 A challenging career that will provide you with a lifetime of memories Persons interested in applying should start the process now by going to the Oregon State Police recruiting website at www.osptrooper.com. The website helps interested appli- cants: • Learn the application process and what it takes to suc- cessfully apply • Clearly understand our qualifications • Find out what it will take to get a jump on the required Entry Level Testing To better serve qualified applicants, OSP is scheduling two separate Entry Level Testing sessions: • Session #1 - Saturday, June 28, and Sunday, June 29 • Session #2 - Tuesday, July 1, and Wednesday, July 2 Both Entry Level Testing sessions will be held in Salem at the Oregon Public Safety Academy located at 4190 Aumsville Hwy SE. Applicants are urged to prepare beforehand for the appli- cation process and Entry Level Testing. Those who believe PHOTO CREDIT PORTLAND FIRE BUREAU I f you are looking at a possible career as an Oregon State Police (OSP) trooper, now is the time to check us out as OSP is preparing to hire recruit troopers in early 2015. Using the State of Oregon’s E-Recruit electronic applica- tion system, OSP started accepting applications for Lateral and Entry level recruit trooper positions at 12:01 a.m., April 15, 2014. This two month long opportunity to apply runs through 11:59 p.m., June 15, 2014. D o you know a young woman who might be interested in becoming a firefighter? It is never too earl y to start thinking about a non-tradi- tional career, so PF&R sponsors a Fire Camp, July 10- 13, free to young women age 16-19, to explore what a career in the fire & rescue service entails. And there’s a special info session this Friday. Who can be a firefighter? Anyone who is physically and mentally capable, is a problem solver, has good mechanical aptitude, and takes pride in helping others. The camp, which is hosted at PF&R’s training center, this is the lateral or entry level opportunity they have been looking for can create an account now by building a profile following the instructions detailed on the osptrooper.com website. The complete application for employment is com- prised of the E-Recruit profile, the supplemental question- naire, and any required attachments. The Oregon State Police is an equal opportunity employ- er and strongly encourages women and minorities to apply. offers instruction by women firefighters, including many of PF&R’s own. Young women will participate in workshops utilizing some of the tools and equipment used in fire & rescue work, learn about teamwork, how to prepare for an interview, and along with working hard, they’ll also be certified in CPR. This Friday, May 2, is an information session from 6:30 - 7:30 pm at PF&R’s training center, 4800 NE 122nd Avenue: all are welcome to attend. Find out more and access the camp application at www.portlandoregon.gov/fire. If you are interested in a challenging career that will pro- vide you with a lifetime of memories, then consider apply- ing with the Oregon State Police. Information about our agency, the different opportunities that are available, how our hiring process works, and updates to our hiring process can be found at www.osptrooper.com. Questions about the application process can be directed to the OSP Recruitment Unit at 503-378-4175. May 21, 2014 The Skanner News Careers Edition Page 3
