Dear Editor,

As the world continues to demonstrate that it is a global village, jobseekers are increasingly open to taking risks in applying for jobs, even outside of familiar territories. Notwithstanding, some of these opportunities are remote. However, one of the huge setbacks encountered is that a growing number of recruiting agencies or companies are exploiting jobseekers and playing on their vulnerabilities.

The famous Greek physician Hippocrates said, “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Therefore, many job seekers spend hours searching for work, updating their CVs and cover letters, and doing certificate courses to upskill themselves. However, they discover in short order that most of their efforts are in vain.

One of the most annoying practices of recruiters or human resource (HR) practitioners is to invite jobseekers to submit their CVs then ask them to again fill out the same information via a link. This process sometimes takes between 30 minutes and an hour to complete, which is super frustrating. Why do they need to complicate the hiring process?

Another issue surrounds the seemingly interminable interviews and case studies or scenarios. Understandably, the nature of some jobs may require a second stage of interview, but to have jobseekers doing beyond three interviews with the same set of questions is ridiculous and unnecessary. Ideally, the recruiting panel has an idea from very early in the interview whether they see the candidate as a potential employee. It is often a waste of valuable time and money to attend these interviews without the surety of being given the job afterwards.

Additionally, recruiters should desist from cheap labour, manipulation, and dishonesty. Many times they give job seekers some difficult scenarios for them to propose a project or find strategic solutions. In the end, they do not hire these candidates but still use their ideas to advance their businesses or create new start-ups. If companies need consultants, they should simply pay the money to hire them.

A growing peeve is also recruiters who use
LinkedIn adverts to gain traction and followers. Many of them advertise jobs and ask jobseekers to comment “Interested”, knowing fully well they do not have the capacity to review all those profiles. Imagine the emotional distraught experienced by these jobseekers.

On the matter of compensation, recruiters, especially those in the private sector, should be encouraged to indicate the range of the remuneration in their job adverts. It helps potential applicants to contextualise their socio-professional situation and determine whether to pursue such an opportunity. In the same breath, if the applicant is more qualified for the post and he or she is still recruited, it would be reasonable for HR to pay him or her within the range of his or her qualification.

Companies want the best employees who will increase productivity and profits, but they should treat jobseekers with transparency and compassion.

Oneil Madden

maddenoniel@yahoo.com