Stop treating job seekers like beggars


Let me tell you companies don't know s*** about hiring. They don't know how to treat job seekers as human beings, let alone with respect. The entire process is so screwed up and skewed in favor of companies that a job seeker has no bargaining position. It is time that companies stopped treating job seekers like beggars.

Right from applying for a job, filling out mind-numbing applications on their websites (which can never represent who you truly are), to giving out personal information, past earnings, and gaps in jobs. Everything is designed to keep control in the hands of a company.

So here are some real situations I faced in the recent past when trying to look for a job.

All these interviews are at so-called "professional companies" and have pretty websites and great LinkedIn pages describing their successes and how good they are at helping their customers.
Interview 1
I get called for an interview with a leading IT company. I used my networking skills and asked a good friend to recommend my name. I was called for an interview after they had seen my resume. I reached the interview venue 20 minutes before the designated time. I get a call on my cellphone from the HR team 5 minutes before the scheduled time that since the Marketing Head (Person who was to interview me) was stuck in a meeting and was not able to reach the venue in time so could I come to their other office.
I agreed (I needed a job) and since their other office was in the vicinity (quite far to be able to walk and not that far to hire a cab). I ran/walked from one venue to another. After a wait of about 20 minutes, I was ushered in and still had to wait for the interviewer to grace hah! the interview. She walks in with a laptop and tells me that she is communicating with a customer.
This was odd. Why call me if you had other pressing matters?
After about 15-20 minutes of answering questions (where the interviewer was focussed on the laptop more than me), I was told that they will let me know. In two weeks' time, I get a rejection call from HR citing the reason I was not a good fit for the job.
Interview 2
I apply for a job on LinkedIn with an MNC. I get a message from their HR head on LinkedIn saying they loved my profile and would love to schedule a call. I keep aside other stuff and wait for them during the scheduled time, but to date, I have received no call from them. I write back to the HR head asking her for an update and have received no reply.
Interview 3
I apply for another job in marketing with a company, in the pets food domain. I get a call from HR a month after I had applied. They wanted to do an initial interview. I am ok with that and we continue the conversation. Midway, the call gets disconnected. I wait for them to ring me back and I never receive a callback nor a message from them.
Interview 4
I had applied for a senior position in another software company. I am called for the first screening at their office. The HR was not available so they had asked a techie to do the screening who asks me questions that are designed for an entry-level position. I clear the first screening and move on to the second round.
The second round is done by another techie who has a bit of understanding of what the job entails. After the second round, they asked to check the result on their website. A few days later, I find out that the position has been kept on hold.
I fail to understand why companies want job seekers to login to their website to know the result when a simple call can suffice. Is it too hard to make an effort to contact people who want to work for you?
Do you expect your customers to do the same?
The way you treat prospective employees goes on to show what values your company holds. Job seekers need to stand up to this bullying by writing honest reviews on job sites.In the age of the internet, companies need to be careful about how they treat job seekers. Bad reviews can turn away really good candidates from applying for jobs.I plan to post reviews on each of these companies on job sites and the pathetic way they have treated me.
Liz Ryan has articulated very well in this post about how badly companies treat job seekers.
Have you had any similar experiences?  Do tell. I am all ears.

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