This is the second time that I have read an article related to employers not considering job applicants simply because they are unemployed.
Since when did a person’s employment status become a litmus test for determining a person’s ability to do a job? Why would this one factor negate the skills, experience, and education that would otherwise qualify a person for a position?
Last I checked, the unemployment rate in the US is still hovering just below 10%. While some companies are hiring, others are still downsizing and closing. Not to mention the many other reasons why people may choose to leave the work world for a time: to care for children, to tend to ailing parents, to focus on their own health after contracting an illness.
This quote by Judy Conti, a lobbyist for the National Employment Law Project, sums up my feelings on the matter nicely:
“Making that kind of automatic cut is senseless; you could be missing out on the best person of all,” she said. “There are millions of people who are unemployed through no fault of their own. If an employer feels that the best qualified are the ones already working, they have no appreciation of the crisis we’re in right now.”
To any job seekers out there who get discouraged when they hear that companies are discriminating solely on unemployment status: don’t believe those employers who would say you are not worthy simply because you are not working right now. They’re idiots who don’t deserve all the talent they are passing up.
Image courtesy of jronaldlee
Twitter: jorgensundberg
says:
Hi Melissa, I definitely agree with you but I can see how employers are thinking. It’s a bit like in the dating game, everyone (women) wants the person (man) who is already in a relationship – as this demonstrates trust and credibility already.
Jorgen Sundberg´s last [type] ..How Chris Brogan Stays Productive with Egg Timers
Twitter: TheJobQuest
says:
I understand the logic that companies are applying, but I don’t agree with it at all. Especially with unemployment so high and businesses still folding, it makes no sense to apply the same mindset that they would in better economic times.
Also, I absolutely hate what this does to unemployed job seekers. It’s difficult enough as it is, and this just seems like they are being kicked when they are down (especially when employers put it directly on job postings). There’s no call for that.
Twitter: theresumechick
says:
I agree with Melissa. Job seekers have already been let down by previous employers who have all too foolishly cut jobs for whatever reasons. Plus there are those job seekers out there who are jobless out of family or personal obligation or sacrifice (going back to school is another reason for them to quit their full-time positions). They’ve been ready to go for months now (quite a number of them have been at it for more than 18 months!) and deserve a shot. Employers need a better (and fairer) filter other than unemployment to screen potential candidates.
Karen, The Resume Chick (on Google or Twitter for questions, comments and violent reactions)
Karen´s last [type] ..5 Things You Can Do to Make the Job Feel Less Boring
Twitter: TheJobQuest
says:
Hi, Karen — thanks so much for your comment!
Several years ago, I’d heard of this practice. I was really dismayed when I learned that not only was it still happening in the current climate, but that some employers were being so bold in their opinions that employed candidates were somehow better. When the economy rebounds, companies that have made choices that disregard courtesy toward job seekers will find themselves without many quality candidates because people will remember how they were treated.