Masquerade
Of all the games that people play with each other, the job search games seem to be one of the most absurd. Late at night before bed I search for jobs on the usual sites. Companies ask for hard-working individuals, someone who can work independently without supervision and someone who can interact well with a team, someone with sound judgment and who can think quickly on their feet, superb writing and research skills, superb communication skills and customer service... who is writing these ads?
Let's get realistic. All the job postings I see list these inane and cliched buzzwords. They give no sense of the position itself and what the day to day tasks would be like. The best candidate for a job is someone who is well-suited for that job, how does either the candidate or the employer know if someone is a good fit when they can't even articulate what Position X does?
Job postings are arbitrary, resumes and cover letters follow suit so as not to be left out of the game. We tweak our cover letters to include the maximum number of active buzz words, including things that we don't even know the definition of. I remember going to a college fair with my older brother when he was a junior in high school. He was filling out an information card for a college, and as one of his interests he wrote "clocking." I asked him what "clocking" was and he responded, "No idea.. but it sets me apart, and that's what you want!" Competent people are turned incompetent trying to fit into the buzzword mold the company sets forth in their Want Ad.
Every company wants their shining, energetic and bright young thing, even though they might not necessarily have the work to support such an individual, even though such a person may not be the right fit at all.
Can an entry-level college grad do the same work that my father has done for 30 years? No, but which candidate would companies rather hire?
Does my office need a top-university grad with straight A's and flawless references to remove staples, collate papers and distribute memos in his outbox? No. Could this job be done by a person with a high school diploma looking for a decent job? Yes. Which person will my company hire?
The disparity is almost sickening. The thought that I may soon be sitting in interviews where I have to parrot back these buzzwords (detail-oriented, team player, my weakness is that I have no weakness) or get shown the door seems like too much! I suppose it does just give me more incentive to look graduate school and nursing... I've never been a corporate player, but don't tell that to my resume.
Let's get realistic. All the job postings I see list these inane and cliched buzzwords. They give no sense of the position itself and what the day to day tasks would be like. The best candidate for a job is someone who is well-suited for that job, how does either the candidate or the employer know if someone is a good fit when they can't even articulate what Position X does?
Job postings are arbitrary, resumes and cover letters follow suit so as not to be left out of the game. We tweak our cover letters to include the maximum number of active buzz words, including things that we don't even know the definition of. I remember going to a college fair with my older brother when he was a junior in high school. He was filling out an information card for a college, and as one of his interests he wrote "clocking." I asked him what "clocking" was and he responded, "No idea.. but it sets me apart, and that's what you want!" Competent people are turned incompetent trying to fit into the buzzword mold the company sets forth in their Want Ad.
Every company wants their shining, energetic and bright young thing, even though they might not necessarily have the work to support such an individual, even though such a person may not be the right fit at all.
Can an entry-level college grad do the same work that my father has done for 30 years? No, but which candidate would companies rather hire?
Does my office need a top-university grad with straight A's and flawless references to remove staples, collate papers and distribute memos in his outbox? No. Could this job be done by a person with a high school diploma looking for a decent job? Yes. Which person will my company hire?
The disparity is almost sickening. The thought that I may soon be sitting in interviews where I have to parrot back these buzzwords (detail-oriented, team player, my weakness is that I have no weakness) or get shown the door seems like too much! I suppose it does just give me more incentive to look graduate school and nursing... I've never been a corporate player, but don't tell that to my resume.
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