# Aren't employers supposed to be a little interested? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 22, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-employers-supposed-to-be-a-little-interested/349474 "2006-03-22T19:56:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-employers-supposed-to-be-a-little-interested/349474/21 "2006-03-23T21:27:46Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > \Ultimately, my wife couldn’t take any of the jobs for insane-hellish-commute reasons. However, we think we are going to send flowers to the HR person for actually doing their damned job. 🆒 Do it! Do it do it do it! HR people seem to exist to make other people’s lives miserable; it’s so heartening to hear about one who isn’t patterned after the Catbert role. I don’t understand the mentality of management, either. Calgary is having a tremendous boom right now, and it is most definitely an employee’s market, but everyone is still acting like every employee should kiss ass and be grateful for _any_ job - um, no, actually, there aren’t enough warm bodies to fill all the jobs right now - you kiss MY ass, and be grateful if I choose to work for YOU. And that one-way street that management lives on - expecting all kinds of responsible behaviour from us, but they can’t manage to call us on the day they said they would. That’s just bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![taxi78cab](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47c2d/32.png) [@taxi78cab](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taxi78cab)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-employers-supposed-to-be-a-little-interested/349474/22 "2006-03-23T21:53:25Z")
I’m going through all of this too. Trying to find a job from 1/2 a continent away so I can move to be with my fiance. Most of the time I’ve gotten no response at all beyond the automated “We received your resume” thing. I’m glad to know I’m not alone in my frustration. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-employers-supposed-to-be-a-little-interested/349474/23 "2006-03-23T21:58:43Z")
I think management in the western world (outside of countries where extremely storng workjer’s protection lws make it hard to hire or fire) has seen a problematic disconnect. Some work groups, like office workers, design, and IT, have benefited enormously from the growth in multimedia, computer, and IT fields. They are much more productive. Others, like HR, haven’t. They;re stuck using old-fashioned things, and their managers are old fashioned about it. Think about it: the average HR worker may now have more records on file than in a binder, but what else has changed? Indeed, HR is falling behind. How many HR people understand the slightest thing about the people they’re hiring? I mean, does the HR person actually know anything about computers? If so, how can they decide the best techie to hire? **GargoyleWB** , I’d send a personal note to the HR department commending that HR person publicly. That will look very good. Finally, I think empyers in general are still confused about their role. As information workers become more professionalize, they are also beocming more commoditized. Neither side entirely understands this. Managers think tech and info workers need close, constant management like they do with some other departments. They expect loyalty, but middle management has had its power base (for rewards and punishments) cut to the bone. So I think workers get caught between confused management and bad HR. I’ve actually had some thoughts that professional licensing, a la lawyers or doctors, might help the situation. ---
**Author:** ![Shadez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Shadez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadez)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-employers-supposed-to-be-a-little-interested/349474/24 "2006-03-24T22:26:53Z")
After going through a 6 month employment search, I also second the flowers/note idea, **GargoyleWB**. ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-employers-supposed-to-be-a-little-interested/349474/25 "2006-03-25T17:34:34Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > My least favorite interview was a few years ago. The idiot told me they’d already hired someone but in the meantime they were just “seeing what’s out there!” > > Gee thanks asshole. :rolleyes: Because of course I have nothing better to do with my time than put on a pair of panty hose and my best suit in 100 degree August heat. The 40 minute bus ride and hour spent waiting for you to come out of your office was also another great perk. > > I so feel your pain. I hope you get a good job soon. Reminds me of one I had a few years ago. The interview was set up by an independent recruiter. I went to the site and met with the hiring manager. We had a good discussion about what he wanted, etc. Everything looked/felt good. I then met with the HR manager, who announced that they actually had no intention of hiring someone through a recruiting agency because they didn’t want to pay the recruiter’s fee. Instead, they were going to continue interviewing candidates they found through Monster or their newspaper ad, because they could be hired “for free.” I never did figure out why they asked me to come in at all. I can’t belive the recruiting agency put a gun to someone’s head and forced them to call me. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-employers-supposed-to-be-a-little-interested/349474/26 "2006-03-25T17:45:41Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > However, we think we are going to send flowers to the HR person for actually doing their damned job. 🆒 Heck, give me the address and _I_ will send them flowers! ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-employers-supposed-to-be-a-little-interested/349474/27 "2006-03-26T07:15:54Z")
Oh, man. This thread makes feel queasy. Four months, one job came up. Applied. Job was, as I was told later, taken by the time my application was in. Two weeks later, by the time I had decided to move and look for work elsewhere, the job was available again. I’m still moving. The job market here stinks. They supposedly were “very interested” in me since their first hire didn’t work out, but even after pestering them, I still haven’t an interview or anything. I am beginning to think that that hospital, and all my relatives, are trying to play a weird prank on me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arent-employers-supposed-to-be-a-little-interested/349474.md?page=1)