A Job Recruiter's Dilemma
It is a tough job market today, well, since 2010. At one point, there were six applicants for each job. Doesn't matter whether it was professional or fast food, today, it is four applicants. Better, but a far cry from when the economy is good, that is, two applicants for a job.
Those who have been unemployed for over nine months face discrimination and the longer that unemployment is, the less likely will they get a job unless they end up on welfare. Those on welfare actually fair a better chance, why? The Federal and State governments offer a program to assist those get a job by paying half of their minimum wage. This way, the person is off welfare and the employer (who would never had hired the person) only pays half of the dirt wage, somewhere between $7.50 and $9 hr. What this means is that clerks at Macy's, Target, Walmart, Kmart and many others discriminate against those more skilled workers who have yet hit welfare rolls! There are millions of unemployed not yet have the reached the dregs of welfare because they are living off under the table jobs, savings, selling big item toys etc. BUT they do need a job.
For recruiters, their clients sometimes may indicate to them by innuendo or otherwise, that they will not consider a candidate, no matter how qualified, that has been unemployed for more than nine months. Think this does not happen-think again. When recruiters face a client like this, they will be leery of such a candidate even if the they are perfect for the job. Many will use it as a weeding out process, other more sympathetic ones will ask the candidate to account for the long period of unemployment, as if this is effective, it is more of a placebo for the candidate filled with hope. What difference does it make to an employer if the candidate states that for months he volunteered as a homeless shelter serving food, took a class, or whatever. Employers are cold blooded.
Other recruiters will ask the candidate to alter their resume, yes, lie, misrepresent. If the person has been unemployed for a long time (over nine months) may ask for them to "stretch" the actual employment dates to fit within the acceptable time of the client so it looks like the candidate has not been unemployed for a long time. Now, if the client does not double check the recruiter, it works and both the unemployed person and recruiter have a win situation. Recruiters are interested in placing workers with clients, if a recruiter is having a hard time filling a job or if they are very competitive, this may happen. Many recruiters with a stellar reputation, will not do this. Many qualified people unemployed for over a year are automatically weeded out for that reason alone, even if they have the skills and experience to do the job. For some reason, employers think suspiciously and are wary of those skilled people.
They need their head examined!