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Looking for work? Unemployed need not apply

donsutherland1

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A story in CNN highlighted one of numerous barriers that could slow the labor market recovery. It noted that some firms are not considering unemployed persons for job openings. CNN reported:

The last thing someone who is unemployed needs to be told is that they shouldn't even apply for the limited number of job openings that are available. But some companies and recruiters are doing just that.

Employment experts say they believe companies are increasingly interested only in applicants who already have a job.

Out-of-work job applicants told unemployed need not apply - Jun. 16, 2010

If, in fact the number of companies undertaking such a practice is significant, it could mean that the ratio of unemployed persons-to-job openings could be understating the magnitude of the challenge that lies ahead when it comes to labor market recovery.
 
The reasoning as I see it, and have applied

If the person is unemployeed, there must be a reason his/her old employer let them go rather then somoene else. Meaning that person has a flaw that did not make them a valuable employee. Would I want to hire someone who is a cast off from another company taking in that companies old problems as my new ones

If the person is still working and looking for work, has moved accross the country or a recent grad from school (regardless of age) that is not a factor.
 
The reasoning as I see it, and have applied

If the person is unemployeed, there must be a reason his/her old employer let them go rather then somoene else. Meaning that person has a flaw that did not make them a valuable employee. Would I want to hire someone who is a cast off from another company taking in that companies old problems as my new ones

If the person is still working and looking for work, has moved accross the country or a recent grad from school (regardless of age) that is not a factor.

I wonder how valid this reasoning is though. I know laid off people who worked for a company division that was simply not doing well in the recession and everyone got the axe as the company focused on more profitable ventures.
 
I wonder how valid this reasoning is though. I know laid off people who worked for a company division that was simply not doing well in the recession and everyone got the axe as the company focused on more profitable ventures.

Exactly. Some companies have closed down their entire operations in an area due to the economy, and thus those people who were working at that location were all laid off. The reason why that particular area was selected could have something to do with distance from the main headquarters, logistical concerns, etc and less to do with all the employees at this location are "problems".

So While I see what Tammerlain is saying, I don't understand why they would disregard ALL unemployed applicants until they interview/investigate and find out what the reasons are that this particular person is unemployed at the moment.
 
Exactly. Some companies have closed down their entire operations in an area due to the economy, and thus those people who were working at that location were all laid off. The reason why that particular area was selected could have something to do with distance from the main headquarters, logistical concerns, etc and less to do with all the employees at this location are "problems".

So While I see what Tammerlain is saying, I don't understand why they would disregard ALL unemployed applicants until they interview/investigate and find out what the reasons are that this particular person is unemployed at the moment.

I agree. The only other thing I could see is that they want to steal away good employees from their competitors.
 
The reasoning as I see it, and have applied

If the person is unemployeed, there must be a reason his/her old employer let them go rather then somoene else. Meaning that person has a flaw that did not make them a valuable employee. Would I want to hire someone who is a cast off from another company taking in that companies old problems as my new ones

If the person is still working and looking for work, has moved accross the country or a recent grad from school (regardless of age) that is not a factor.

IMO, such a screening approach is overly blunt when applied during a time of high unemployment. While it certainly has merit during a time when the unemployment rate is low as firms are not likely to lay off even reasonably performing workers, it is less useful during a high unemployment rate, particularly in the wake of a severe economic storm that led to a large-scale shedding of labor, including high-skilled labor. Ultimately, though, the situation also presents opportunities for the firms willing to examine prospective employees on a case-by-case basis. There is a chance for smaller- and mid-sized firms to secure talent that might otherwise be unobtainable.
 
I actually will not hire people who currently have jobs. The reason is that if I "steal" someone from another company, then I feel more obligation to that person that if I hire someone who was already unemployed. Most people who are looking for a job at the pay level that I can afford to pay, arn't worth a darn (job or not). I have fired lots of people during their first week of employment with my company. If they ain't a good employee their first few days on the job, they aint gonna be a good employee the next week or the next month or the next year. So by only hiring unemployed people, I don't feel so bad with they don't work out. I can hire unemployed people for a lower wage.

Not everyone who is unemployed is a total looser (just most of them). And certainly not everyone who has a job is a winner. You always have to wonder why someone who currently has a job is looking for another one. I asked one employed applicant why she was looking into changing jobs, she said "because I want something that is going to be easier". Needless to say, that was the wrong answer.
 
When it comes to hiring, I take everything on a case by case basis. I don't have petty and restrictive prerequisites that have nothing to do with qualification and performance history when I check the references. One of my best guys was fired from his job at a large production company for being late to work too many times. When I questioned him about it, it turned out at the time he and his wife had just had their first child, he was finishing his degree and he had taken on the duty of caring for his mother. All that kind of stuff irons itself out and people adjust to their routines...and he was no exception. He's been the best tech I have and I think he's called out of work once in a year and a half and has never been more than 10 minutes late without a phone call at least 30 minutes of lead time to inform me.

It's stupid for a hiring manager to restrict his choices on any criteria other than talent and qualification.
 
It would not be a standard for hiring but part of the screening process.

If I knew the company that the person worked at before shut down the division/unit the person worked at, then it would not be applied to any degree. If the company that the person did work at did nothave the unit shut down, then I would be concerned that that person was let go due to that person not being one of the better workers at that company. As osuch I would not particularly want to hire that person.

Overall I would want to know why the person is unemployed in the first place. But when you can receive 50 resumes for a position which would be considered an entry level position (one that does college or University education though) and do not want to spend days interviewing people you use methods to eliminate otherwise qualified people, this would be one.
 
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The reasoning as I see it, and have applied

If the person is unemployeed, there must be a reason his/her old employer let them go rather then somoene else. Meaning that person has a flaw that did not make them a valuable employee. Would I want to hire someone who is a cast off from another company taking in that companies old problems as my new ones

If the person is still working and looking for work, has moved accross the country or a recent grad from school (regardless of age) that is not a factor.

Or they quit. Or their company closed up shop.
 
Or they quit. Or their company closed up shop.

If they quit, I probably would not want to hire them.

Last thing I would want is to look for a new person in the middle of the production season and have to train a new person

If the company closed up shop, and they mentioned that in their resume, then I would take a serious look at them
 
If they quit, I probably would not want to hire them.
Yeah, god forbid someone actually quit a job they hate, or stand up for their principles, or whatever the reason might be.

If I don't like a job, I leave. My life is worth too much to me to waste it away working a job I despise. If I don't like the way a company conducts itself, I leave. I refuse to compromise my own values just for employment.


Last thing I would want is to look for a new person in the middle of the production season and have to train a new person
Then it would be in your best interest to keep your employees content. Any company that thinks otherwise isn't one I'd ever want to work for.
 
I agree. The only other thing I could see is that they want to steal away good employees from their competitors.

In my Simplified Exposition of Axiomatic Economics I write:

Employers who ask for years of experience at relatively simple tasks do not accept training as a substitute. Their companies are expanding and they are hiring experienced personnel away from declining companies, which represents variance in an industry, not growth.
 

Cool, you wrote a short book! I read the abstract and it looks interesting, although I have a feeling that you may loose me on the math part. Gives me something to read over the weekend.

Just wondering, but how long did that take, and what was your motiviation in writing that?

By the way, one of our departments is offset printing. Offset printing is very much a shrinking industry. Many years ago I made a decision that I would only hire offset printing employees who had years of experiance, because it is really a waste not to use someone who is experianced and a waste to train someone to go into a shrinking industry. My biggest challenge in finding experianced offset press operators is that the workers also tend to choose to leave the industry. They see that it is in decline, and they also tend to choose to aquire a skill that is easier and less tedius. These days we seem to more and more have a instant gratification culture where we expect to simply press a button and a finished product appears - quite the opposite of offset printing, which requires a lot of skill and a lot of sub-processes, a lot of mechanical adjustments, and 100% concentration.
 
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