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