Are We Starting to See Subliminal Discrimination by Hiring Managers?

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Few job seekers who fail to get an interview know the reason, but Michelle Chesney-Offutt said a recruiter told her why she lost the chance to pitch for an information technology position.

The 54-year-old, who had been laid off from her IT job in Illinois, said the recruiter who responded to her online resume two years ago liked her qualifications and was set to schedule an interview. But he backed away, she said, when he learned she had been out of work for 13 months.

The employer he represented would not consider applicants who were unemployed more than six months, she said.

“What they don’t consider is that these are not normal times,” said Chesney-Offutt, who was unemployed for nearly three years before landing a job.

Stephen Singer of RJG.com reports, as high unemployment persists more than four years after the start of the recession — and nearly three years after it was officially declared over — many who have struggled for years without work said they face discrimination.

As of January, California, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Tennessee were considering legislation to prohibit employers from discriminating against the unemployed in help-wanted ads or in direct hiring or in screenings by employment agencies, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“There’s much more subliminal discrimination against the unemployed that’s hard to document,” said Lynne Sarikas, director of the MBA Career Center at Northeastern University’s College of Business Administration. “Hiring is an art, not a science. You rely on a gut reaction.”

For example, employers may suspect that an unemployed applicant is seeking an available job for the wrong reasons, she said.

“A manager is going to get the vibe that they’ll take anything to get a job and if something better comes along they’re out the door,” Sarikas said.

Also, some long-term unemployed applicants may come across as too urgent for work, “and desperation doesn’t translate well in an interview,” she said.

Employers generally expect job candidates — even while unemployed — to show they did some work such as volunteering or working temporary jobs, she said.

Terri Michaels, who manages a Hartford employment firm that primarily staffs temporary employees, criticized hiring practices that screen out unemployed job seekers. “People who did not work in any capacity, didn’t do anything are not as desirable to prospective employers,” Michaels said. “One has to question, is that discriminatory? I don’t know.”

Michaels said employers may use unemployment to weed out applicants for no other reason than to cut down a huge number of resumes for coveted job openings.

“When you have 14 million unemployed, everyone is applying for everything,” she said. “You have to be somewhat discriminating.”

“Don’t sit at home. Make yourself available to your community,” said Assemblywoman Celeste M. Riley.

Still, she said she backed the legislation after colleagues showed her employment ads specifying that the unemployed should not bother applying.

“I found that absolutely reprehensible,” Riley said. “When you apply for a job, you should be viewed based on your skill level, not whether you have a job or not.”

To view the complete article, click here: http://www.rgj.com/article/20120327/BIZ05/303270037/For-unemployed-hiring-bias-shows-up
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Is Good Jobs News Finally on the Horizon?

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Chief executive officers in the U.S. are feeling more confident about the economy, with more of them planning to add rather than cut jobs over the next six months, a Business Roundtable survey released on Wednesday found.

The change in mood (CEOs had been inclined toward cutting jobs for about two years) marked an important shift for an economy struggling to regain its footing after its worst downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The retail sector is leading the charge toward hiring as consumer spending begins to pick up, according to the quarterly survey which was reported by ABCNews.

Twenty-nine percent of U.S. CEOs told the Roundtable they plan to add jobs in the United States over the next six months, more than the 21 percent who planned to cut. That marked the first time since the first quarter of 2008 that more planned to add jobs than cut them.

Click this link for more details: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wirestory?id=10308575&page=1
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Even the Overqualified Have Options to Get Jobs

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This recession and the accompanying job situation have hit experienced workers hard. Millions of job-seekers are now looking to positions they are overqualified for – and are genuinely anxious to fill those roles. Yet it’s sometimes difficult to even apply to them for fear of rejection.

So what do you do? First, you may want to consider rewording your résumé. Rather than highlighting that degree you worked so hard for (ouch!), choose wording that accentuates related experience or related education. After all, a degree doesn’t prove accomplishments and results, but accomplishments and results are what hiring managers are looking for.

Second, you must help the hiring manager understand what overqualified doesn't mean. You've got to let them know you really want to work for their organization, that you're dedicated, and that you've got something you can offer them.It's all about adding value. The job applicant who convinces a potential employer they can make a positive effect on the bottom line often wins. Campaign for your dedication, your work ethic, and the things you can learn in that new role even if you are overqualified for it.

According to Phil Chipouras of The Boomer Group, "You've got to position yourself as the solution to the company's problems. So research, networking, understanding what that company's problems are and positioning yourself accordingly, are all extremely important.”

Unless you're a Type A personality who always needs to climb the corporate ladder, then don't be dishonest with yourself or them. But in fact, a new career at a lower rung on the ladder might mean less stress. Maybe right now title and money is not all that it used to be. Maybe right now having a decent income and a balanced life is more important than it was before. During the interview you can make that point.

From the hiring manager’s point of view, they want to make sure you’ll stay on the job once you’re hired, so it’s important to indicate that you’re serious and that you’re a stable, solid investment.
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