Quest for New Employees — from a fifty year old CEO

I like to think that I am a progressive employer. I love new technology, embrace change in my workplace and have spent thousands of dollars on new machinery. I have tried my best to understand millennial thinking. And I have to be honest, I HATE the word millennial. I hate any word that tries to lump an entire generation into a stereotype.

I own and operate a small metal fab shop. I have worked my way up the corporate ladder ten to fifty cents at a time. I’m a woman CEO in an industry that was predominantly male run when I started, and when women were really discriminated against. That’s another article.

What I have not grasped is the new manner in which I am expected to find new employees. Up until about three years ago, things were fairly simple. I had a job opening so I would post an ad in the local paper or on a website such as Monster. Potential employees would be given the basic requirements of the job and would be asked to apply in person. And they did. It was a fantastic way of finding out who was really interested in the job. I could ask a couple of basic questions and weed out those who clearly did not have the qualifications I needed. They could size me up and see the size of my facility.

It was a very effective way to not waste anyone’s time.

I recently posted a couple of job positions in a similar manner, except that I used three sources of social media. All were directed to come in and fill out an application if interested. I received about three hundred resumes via email. Approximately two hundred and eighty had absolutely NO qualifications nor experience in anything even remotely close to what I had to offer. I have had to spend hours sorting through all of the online resumes. I did not quite understand at first that NONE of the applicants were going to stop in as requested. I was baffled at the fact that I had to personally invite each applicant to call me if they were interested in my job. Some never responded. Some responded quite eagerly. And some did not check their emails and I had already hired someone else by the time they did respond.

This is an entirely new concept for someone who has been around for a while.

I hired two very eager employees after countless hours of sorting and some interviews. The first was to be a manager of my shop. The guy never showed up. Never called. Not one message nor email. The second was hired as a saw operator. Again never showed up.

Now, I have absolutely no idea what goes on in someone’s life. No clue as to what barriers or fears they may have run into. I guess I can only be grateful that they did not show up. Certainly I consider this extremely rude and inconsiderate. I can only imagine that they have saved me the pain of having to work with them. I try to swallow my disappointment and anger and have faith that there are better candidates who really do want to work.

My next post will contain some of my interview experiences. I have been told that I should share them.