Too many applicants?

Recruiters have a standard hiring etiquette, but with unemployment rates so high, their inboxes are overflowing with candidates pressing for a response. On the other side of the fence, job forums are filled with complaints that applicants never heard back from Company X.

Neither side is happy. There is intense competition for jobs right now, and recruiters (often working with a reduced staff themselves) just cannot fully connect with each and every applicant.

So we ask: faced with a glut of applicants, what’s your “glut-iquette”?

Barb at HireWellBlog recently tackled this topic. She says:

I had been asked to join them to specifically discuss Hiring Etiquette and in research prior to the show was surprised to find that most of the articles in a Google search were about the rudeness exhibited by companies during the hiring process. Candidates complain that companies are not getting back to them in a timely manner or even at all. We ask candidates to write cover letters specific to the position, email their applications in a certain manner, and to leave work early to participate in interviews. It is only fair – and mannerly – to let them know where they stand in the process.

This is the ethical and responsible reaction, certainly, and what everyone should aim for. At the same time, the reality is that many recruiters are overwhelmed by the sheer number of applicants. In this age of copy and paste, it only takes a few minutes for someone to apply for a job that may be (let’s be honest) totally unrealistic.

Multiply that by hundreds of hopefuls, and where does it leave you?

The HR Maven gives us some straight talk about exactly how many resumes she sees and how much time she can devote to each candidate. In a candid post, she admits that two thirds of the resumes sent to her company have no chance because (1) they aren’t targeted to the job, or (2) they don’t have a cover letter. Here’s how she’s handling the glut:

I have a personal philosophy of returning every call and email. It is a reflection of my employer and my commitment to exceptional customer service. Most employers do not have this philosophy. However, please do not mistake this with personal interest in you, your application and your status. I am not your ally nor am I your advocate… Remember that any position for which you apply will likely have a number of applicants. If you call our office and speak to one of us, please be respectful of our time. I don’t need to hear your pitch and I am not interested in small, chit-chat conversation. I am busy. You will be notified when we start our screening.

Can you relate? As a recruiter or hiring manager, how do you reconcile your overflowing inbox with your own standards of etiquette?

Take this poll and then check the results –

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