AOT: Transparency in the Application Process Needed

I’m sure everyone reading this is either themselves applying for jobs or knows at least two people actively looking for work.  I know four.  It’s really unfortunate that four folks in my circle are actively looking, as that speaks volumes to the general discontentedness of the state of the American worker right now, but we can save that lens for another day.

Today’s focus is the lack of respect employers show when letting an individual know they’re not progressing in the application process.  #4 is the most critical and always comes up in convos when people complain about the backwards application process.

We all know the application process is a joke.  Between AI blocking candidates and companies having to post jobs externally for compliance reasons even though they already have a candidate in mind…amongst hundreds of other reasons, it’s a shot in the dark to go from applicant to interviewee.  We all know this, but given the hoops applicants have to go through, there should be some mandatory things employers should have to do as well.

(1) not require you to re-fill in all your information when it’s on your resume.  Period.  You all already use AI.  We know it.  You can read my word doc or pdf.  Stop making us parse our application.

(2) require your internal leadership to apply for jobs at their company once every 3 years to see the failure points.  I bet most of them would get auto-rejected as well, but you don’t see it because you don’t require your internal mirror to be held up (think Undercover Boss, but for applications)

(3) remove the sentence “After careful consideration”.  We know that line is bullshit.  Half of applicants don’t make it past AI (not a real statistic, just how it feels) so stop pretending you’re turning someone down within 72 hours of applying because of “careful consideration”.  You can use that after an actual interview, not before.

(4) the most critical - employers should be required to inform applicants how many folks applied when they are turned down.  Ex - the auto reject because AI doesn’t like your resume for some reason (granted, I don’t think this should be permitted as it’s bogus anyway, but if it has to continue, there should be a mandated info sharing). “Thank you for your application.  Your application will not be progressing.  576 applicants have applied so far.”  

Now, let’s say you made it past the AI but not to the first interview round.  “Thank you for your application.  Your resume was not selected for continued consideration for this role.  1025 applicants applied and only 18 are progressing to interviews.”

Either way, the lack of mandated transparency is sucking the lives out of applicants, including my friends, and it’s painful to see the lack of respect shown to people who need money to work and, for the most part, are capable humans.  There are few jobs (on a straight % basis) that require some specialized training, so the inability to get seen and considered is truly the pinnacle of the power dynamic between employers and employees.  I hope it improves.  It seems corporations just want us perpetually exhausted and disenfranchised because it suits their bottom lines better, but that’s not the way you treat people.