RECCE ROOM

Continuing on with observations on the job market. This was found on Reddit. As is often the case, the entirety of the article is repeated here, in case the original post is deleted for whatever reason.  10 Lies I was taught about work: 1. Do well in school, work hard, apply yourself and you will have a successful career. 2. White collar work is more elevated, important, respectable and lucrative than blue collar work. 3. Get in with a good company, stay there for years and you’ll be fine. 4. Your performance review is extremely important, and staying on your manager’s good side is one of your top priorities. 5. People much smarter than you have spent countless hours thinking through and analyzing company decisions and processes so if there’s a policy or initiative you don’t agree with, keep in mind that you don’t have the perspective those higher up executives do. 6. Once you have a job, you should commit fully to that job and stop thinking about the world outside ...

  Why You Don’t Owe a Two-Week Notice Anymore A reader writes: "I like your take on what you call 'Wacky Hiring Practices.' So, how about the employee? What’s your take on workers ghosting jobs or leaving without a two-week notice?" Great question. Let’s dig in. Two Weeks Was Built for a Different Era There was a time when people worked 35 or 40 years for one company, then retired with a pension and a gold watch. That era is over. Today, the smartest way to move up—financially or professionally—is to change jobs every 2–5 years. Loyalty doesn’t pay like it used to. And given how common toxic jobs and managers are, sticking around too long can actually hurt your career. The two-week notice tradition came from an age when companies viewed employees as people, not “resources.” Managers knew how to lead, not just bark orders. And when someone left, companies had the time and willingness to train a replacement. In that world, giving notice made sense. In this one? N...

When Companies Cancel Jobs After Interviews: What’s Really Going On? If you’ve ever spent weeks going through multiple interviews—only to be told the role you were chasing has been canceled—you’re not alone. It happens far more often than people think. Companies invest time, resources, and attention into the hiring process, only to abruptly pull the plug. Sometimes they say the position was eliminated. Other times it’s “on hold.” Whatever the phrasing, the end result is the same: you wasted your time. This frustrating pattern isn’t just poor communication—it reveals something deeper about how many organizations approach hiring. In most cases, it’s not that the candidates weren’t good enough. It’s that the company never figured out what they really needed. Below are three common—and costly—reasons why jobs get canceled after interviews. The Search for a Unicorn Many companies start the hiring process with an impossible wishlist. They want one person to do the job of three, with ten ye...

From a reader: Just got the offer. It is a decent offer and came from a company I wasn't expecting.  Backstory - laid off unexpectedly on Feb 28. Over 740 resumes sent. Almost exclusively thru Indeed and Glassdoor. This was one from Glassdoor. To be fair, I just completed a few final round interviews and am waiting to hear back (will go with highest $$$ offer). Also, have a few more final round interviews scheduled, as well.  Lessons learned -  1. Tailor resumes. I use ChatGPT and specific filters and requests. My interview rate is about 15% on tailored resumes. It's about 2% on generic resumes. At the very least, use AI to sharpen your generic resume.  2. Sales sucks. 25 years in sales. Been laid off / fired 11 times, and left another 7 times when I got wind I was going to be let go. Now in IT Product Management. It is worlds better. Never have I ever been below quota for more than a week or two. All terminations / attempts were when I was 110% of quota or higher. ...

As this is being typed, this author just got off the phone with someone close. The person had just been laid off by Wells Fargo. Here is an article talking about the layoffs that affected this person.  Definition This author and the person in question are fans of "OE" - "Over-Employment." The person in question is (was?) over-employed at the time of the layoff. By definition, Over Employment is  the practice of holding two or more full-time jobs simultaneously, often without disclosing this to employers.  According to Google, OE is a trend fueled by factors like remote work flexibility and the desire for increased income. While some find it a way to boost their earnings, it raises ethical concerns and potential risks for both the employee and their employers. Why OE?  Over-employment is primarily a means to a better income.  Over-employment is also insurance against crazy times and layoffs (like my friend).  Ethics To be fair, the only legitimate ethical ...

Seen on Social Media: There are three types of HR people: 1. Those who are oblivious.  2. Those who are dishonest.  3. Those who are both.  Welp, it is true! 

From the archives, here is a funny conversation that I was part of some years ago whilst job hunting.  <<phone rings>> Recruiter: "Hi. I am calling about the job you applied to." Me: "Good morning. I have applied to several positions. Which one are you referencing?" Recruiter: "Well, if you are applying to multiple positions, then that shows a lack of commitment, and our company really doesn't like that." Me: "Well, if you don't know who you work for, nor what job you have available, I most certainly do not want to work there. That's a major red flag." Recruiter: <<radio silence>> Me: "Have a great day!"  <<hangs up>> The rare jobs like this, that do not tell you the position, remind me of the little girl in 3rd grade that proudly exclaims, as if it were some sort of flex, "well, if you don't know, then I am not going to tell you." And, just like that little girl, it means th...

Was watching this video recently, and a point needs to be made. Joshua Fluke, with whom I so frequently agree, makes the statement that SalesForce "fired" 7000+ employees. The fact is, to be very literal, that SalesForce laid off  7000+ employees.  Although all words are made up , the fact is that language is an agreement upon specific words having specific meaning. When meanings are conflated, or when the same word has multiple, unrelated (or even conflicting) meanings, the word loses its value. And someone who uses words to mean what they do not mean is certainly not an effective communicator.  Therefore, for the sake of clarity, let's define these words. Yes, it could be argued that these words are HR buzzwords. Nevertheless, it is important to make the distinction.  Fired: "to terminate an employee's employment" - often with what the employer considers to be "with cause."  Laid off: "to terminate an employee's employment due to lac...

Found online: Person applying to jobs. Recruiter reaches out to the person.  Conversation ensues. During conversation, person points out they have applied to 9 positions over two months.  Recruiter becomes enraged and "advises" the person that they should not apply to more than 2 or 3 positions per month.  Total insanity.  The last 3 times I lost my job, I had 150 applications in by the end of the week.  Each time.  Thoughts?

Recently came across two videos detailing "stupid stuff in hiring practices" as the YouTuber says.  I agree with his assessment. Here they are:   VIDEO 1     VIDEO 2   Here is the list of stupid things and commentary.  1. Outdated applicant tracking system. You should just upload a resume. No more.  These systems should have died 15 years ago. 2. Systems that require you to make an account. I will not apply to these.  I'll find a person at the company to send an email to first.  That's only if I really would like the job. 3. Requiring a cover letter.  I've sent like 4 or 5 all time.  Never do this. They don't even read them.  4. Require specific industry experience. This means they cannot teach you what they do.  Do you really want to work for an employer that doesn't know what they do? 5. Asking previous salary data. In many places this is illegal. But I suggest you go with the flow.  But make sure to gi...

Recently saw   this video from Joshua Fluke . If you don't subscribe to his channel, you should.  The subject matter of the video is simple, Josh discusses computer software that tracks employee input on their work issued computer. Although I am against this practice, the fact of the matter is that many companies do use this kind of software. If the computer in question belongs to the company, then the company does have an argument for the use of the software.The question still remains, if you do not trust me, then why don't you fire me immediately? An example My former employer took the cheap way out on this type of software. They tracked our time at the computer by measuring how often the application Skype went inactive.  Skype would go inactive after about 7 or 8 minutes. The computer screen would shut down after 10 minutes of inactivity. At one point, my boss brought it to my attention that my Skype availability it was not acceptable. Since I had suspicions (th...

Recently came across this video . YouTuber "Joshua Fluke" details the insanity of a situation in Wisconsin. From what information can be gathered in the YouTube video and a quick Google search, about seven employees left one company (ThedaCare) and went to work for another (Ascension). The industry was healthcare. The positions were described as "technicians and nurses." Also, here is a Steve Lehto video on same.  There is a bunch of insanity in this unfolding story, so let's break it down.  A new player came to town, hired one professional at what was apparently a significantly higher wage. That professional informed friends at work, who, in turn, also applied for positions and were hired. This is where the good part ends.  The former employer - ThedaCare - did not make counter-offers. They decided to sue the employees and the new company. A temporary injunction was ordered that prevented the employees from starting their new jobs. Cue eye roll here on insani...

This blog has detailed wacky hiring practices for over a decade. Most of the wacky behavior has stemmed from people in HR. In that vein, found this golden nugget of a comment on Reddit: "It's HR - they think of employees as a resource and are convinced they can find a diamond if they just ghost enough candidates. They are certain they can and WILL employ that one rockstar, for minimum wage, of course. Their profit chart demands it, they have to obey." - Lukas11112000 Cue Yoda: "The Padawan is right!"

This article -   30 Things To Never Give An Employer Until They Hire You  came across my desk recently.  Yes, I've been asked for all 30 things at one point or another.  An interesting comment from the FB post - "Seriously, I've worked in HR for over 25 years and have never asked potential employees any of this! However, I do realize that there are some unethical employers out there." To which I'd say, "some?!?!" Almost every prospective employer has asked for at least one thing from the list.  And many of these are Fortune 500 companies.   The most common is probably "2. Information about your salary." Many interviewers and hiring managers get really caught up in how much you make.  They want to find out, so they can offer you as little as possible - often your same or a slightly lower salary. These hiring influences will obsess over this until you give in.   It's nearly impossible to tell then you won't answer the question withou...

The Rifleman came across  an article about why job candidates should not "ghost" employers.  "Ghosting" is the term, coined by Millennials, which means to break off a relationship by discontinuing all communication. It would seem that some job seekers are ghosting hiring managers. There is much irony here as companies have been doing this to applicants for years.  Also, some employees have been ghosting current jobs as they presumably move to better jobs.  Again, the irony is thick, as the same employers have laid off people in the past, or just fired them with or without good reason.  No difference, really.  The reality is that the article is 99% sour grapes. In the previous 16+ years of bad job market, employers got a bad case of "high & mighty" syndrome. As with everything in life, what goes around comes around.  Karma is a bitch for these same companies.  The Rifleman can agree with one phrase in the article: " ... job candidates and ...

From Forbes:   Ten Reasons To Get Up And Leave A Job Interview   10. They actively insult you and/or your background. 9. You know you don’t want the job and your spidey sense is tingling (in a bad way). 8. They left you sitting in the lobby for forty minutes without an apology, and now they’ve left you sitting in the conference room, too. You’ve been there since 11:30 a.m., it’s 2:00 p.m. now, they haven’t offered you lunch and you’re starving. Take off! 7. You can already tell that you would never work in this office, or with these people, no matter how badly you might need cash. 6. It’s obvious that you’ve been scammed. The job is not a real job — it’s a “business opportunity” — or it’s nothing like the job they advertised. 5. The people who are interviewing you are pushy, rude and unintelligent. Why stick around and put up with their abuse? 4. Every message they’ve sent you sinc...

From a reader: I remember a job I had: My ex wife (before she was my ex) went into labor early.  So I had to call out. BOSS:  why did you call out? ME:  my son was busy being born.  He came early. BOSS:  how does this involve you? ME:  well, my son was being born. BOSS:  so you weren’t the one being born. ME:  no. BOSS:  and you weren’t the one giving birth. ME:  well, no, but...... BOSS:  so, you could have come to work if you had wanted to. There is no reason you count have come to work. ME:  the birth of my son is the reason. BOSS:  that’s not a reason. ME:  it is a reason.  You just don’t like the reason. BOSS:  ok smart guy.  Writing you up for unauthorized absence.  Writing you up for insubordination.

The author recently had an opportunity to speak with an individual who works in Talent acquisition for a major software firm. She relays this story: An applicant shows up for a job interview with his mother in tow. Yes, his mother. What's worse, she answers all the interview questions for them. The youth, about 24 years of age, simply hides behind his resume the entire time. Even when the interviewer asked a direct question, saying, "now this one will be for the applicant," the mom would answer for him. Needless to say, this applicant did not get offered a job.

The Ladders   put out an article on seven interview questions that are out of the ordinary. Of course, in the article, they give some of the answers that people had for these questions. However, according to the article, the outcome of these answers is often in doubt. So let's take a professional and logical approach to how to answer each question. The following answers are gut reactions by the author. They have been dressed up just a bit, solely for the sake of clear publication. Remember: there are two basic types of interview questions. A behavioral interview question determines how you respond to common tasks and challenges. The idea is to let the interviewer see how you think and make decisions. A canned interview question is designed to tell the interviewer either why they should hire you, or what you bring to their company. You will note that all seven questions from the Ladders article are variants of a canned interview question. Cisco: What kind of tree would you be? ...

From a friend of the author: Son (over age 18) was raised old-fashioned. Always be early to work. Always be the last to leave. Cut the chit-chat and work hard. Etc. Son was at a manual labor job in a warehouse. He kept to himself more and focused on the tasks at hand as opposed to much idle chit-chat. Most of the other employees chatted so much, it got in the way of their production. The young man was evidently making them look bad. 90 day review time comes. Excellent marks except a "zero" in communication. He didn't chat enough, he was told. He made the others look bad, he was told. So he was let go. Despite being their #1 widget maker ever since that plant had opened. And we wonder why American manufacturing isn't what it used to be.