Human Resources Lack the Resource of Humanity

A common problem that I would like to address is the issue of disrespectful and discourteous behavior by human resources departments. I just happened to read an article online about mistakes people make during an interview. It got my blood boiling because all you ever see online is advice to people looking for a job. No one ever addresses the lousy behavior of human resource departments that has become so prevalent in American society.

My husband is at the management level and I cannot tell you how many times over the past 30 years that he has applied for a job and never heard back at all from the personnel department. Zippo! Nada! I would say that 7 out of 10 employers never reply to formal application with resume and letter of introduction.

When no one makes the effort to even send you a 'thanks but no thanks' letter (which takes very little time to do), it reveals a lack of respect for their employees as well as the applicants. It reveals poor management skills and poor follow-through. Young people are growing up in this country without basic business etiquette, let alone common courtesy. Human resource departments often refuse to take the time to reply to applicants and rationalize that they are too busy to do so. What they are is too selfish to do so.

Job websites give plenty of advice to applicants about how to do a resume, how to present themselves in an interview, and a list of 'to don'ts,' However, nothing is ever really said to employers and businesses about the need to behave differently and treat their applicants with courtesy, an attribute which is in very short supply in our "it's all about me" society. It's no wonder people text back, "Thx 4 the interview," instead of writing a formal thank-you note. Some companies justify ignoring applicants because of a poor interview. Employers may get turned off by interviewee's behavior but that is no reason to leave them hanging and never inform them that the company has no interest in them.

Today's companies often show a complete lack of compassion for people who are out of work and looking for a job. Unless a company is desperate for workers, the human resource department invariably acts like it's up to the applicant to do everything. That's not the way it should be. It's not the applicant's responsibility to have to keep checking and wasting valuable time trying to find out if a company is interested in hiring him (or her). Human resource departments have just gotten lazy over the years and apathetic towards the people they are supposed to care about. What is missing from human resources is humanity.