The Hiring Process Needs to Change

In this day and age, it shouldn’t be this difficult

I’m going to get straight to the point. The general process around hiring people — at least for corporate or so-called “knowledge” work — sucks, for lack of a better word. There have been some improvements since I entered the corporate workforce back in the early 1990s — but in many ways, and with many employers, it’s devolved into a soulless machine of applicants on conveyor belts and revolving doors.

Over the past several months, I’ve been coaching my recent college graduate kids on applying and interviewing for jobs — hoping to impart a few nuggets of ‘wisdom’ and helping them avoid the many mistakes I’ve made in 30 years of corporate life in America. Along the way, I’ve learned that today’s job search process is unnecessarily frustrating, long, and deflating.

If you’re a recruiter or hiring manager, and care at all about the people you’re looking to bring into your organization — take a long, self-reflective look at the hiring processes you’ve created (or have been subjected to) and see if any of the following applies.

Entry-Level Jobs

If you’re hiring for an entry-level job and you’re requiring 2–5 years or more of experience — it’s not an entry-level job. My kids laugh incredulously…