In this tight job market, which makes it difficult for businesses to hire people, Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba, chief executive of Japan’s Recruit Holdings, which operates both Indeed and Glassdoor, calls for a change in the way the interview process should work.
“The hiring process is still résumés, sending résumés, checking résumés,” Idekoba said. “This is a great opportunity for us to move forward from old-school, incumbent résumé-profile culture to asking: what can you do?”
Instead of the traditional résumé, Idekoba proposes that hiring managers should ask questions and offer assessment tests. This may, according to the CEO, help companies determine if the candidate possesses the right skills and has a solid understanding of what is required to succeed in the role.
The United States has more than 10 million jobs open. Over 4 million Americans quit their jobs recently. The numbers show that there is a mismatch between jobs available and people looking for new opportunities. In the past, white-collar jobs could be hot and in demand, while blue-collar roles are far and few between. In our current climate, there are dire needs to hire across all sectors.
Another challenge is that the mindset for many people has significantly changed. The pandemic made us question our work-life choices. Seeing firsthand how fragile and short life can be, it’s made millions of people around the world reimagine their jobs and careers. This thought process turned into the movements of the Great Resignation and a war for talent.
Idekoba also offers some simple, straightforward advice: for some jobs that don’t need a college degree, don’t ask for one. For truck drivers who are always on the road, offer easy-to-use, convenient online hiring.
“There [is] a huge amount of people who can’t write résumés,” he said. Despite his assault on résumés, Recruit Holdings is “expanding its training options to help people write better résumés for jobs that need them.”
The CEO offers some practical ideas; however, he only skimmed the surface. There are far greater issues. Businesses are acting as if we are still in 2019. Job descriptions require a ridiculous amount of requirements that can’t possibly be met. A large number of advertisements call for only about three to five years experience and a knowledge of an array of technologies and software, which feels as if it’s excluding older workers. While they demand a lot, relevant information, such as the salary, bonus, corporate title, stock options and pertinent information about the future manager and their background, are conveniently left out of the job listing.
The application process is the subject of scorn and ridicule. It’s a complete waste of time to be required to complete a lengthy, glitchy online application, containing all of your personal data after just uploading your résumé, which has all of this information.
Each incremental ask on the job description and interview process causes friction in the hiring process and slows everything down. Companies are still drug testing, requiring college or advanced degrees. Instead of fast-tracking an applicant, the process drags on for one to six months. Applicants are forced to interview with three to 10 people.
Oftentimes, there is a lack of communication, leaving the job seeker in the dark. Candidates are ordered to offer free samples of work products, prepare materials and other assignments for free. Under the guise of “evaluating their work product,” it seems to many people that they are using the applicant to siphon their knowledge and ideas. After jumping through all of the hoops, the candidate gets ghosted.
Studies and surveys show that a majority of workers want remote work, or at least a hybrid option. Instead of listening to them, businesses push for going back to an office setting.
Idekoba is on the right track, but he offered only minor changes. A quick search on LinkedIn, the social media platform geared toward networking, job searches and recruiting, you’ll find members sharing their heartbreaking stories over frustrations with the entire interview process, clearly indicating that big changes are needed to improve the experience.
Source: Forbes
