September and October 2008

I didn't get a lot of mail this month, and I'm tired of reading spam, so let's get back to answering the first comment on every message board for my latest AskMen.com articles.

In case you forgot, AskMen.com accepts no responsibility for the content of its message boards. As such, the posts are considered public domain. Also note that AskMen.com is not accountable for my inane responses, so leave Britney alone.

Our first comment refers to the article Signs You Don't Want the Job.

Wow, this is so true, especially when I had this group interview held at a hotel. I got bunted off three months later for no reason.

Carl

Thank you for sharing your experience, Carl. Here's what my own exposure to group interviews was like: after making the candidates wait for about half an hour, the manager came in, went around the table as we introduced ourselves, asked us each one question, and then left. Quite a screening process, isn't it?

Our next post is from the Decipher Job Postings board.

Makes me want to go look at job postings again and see what they really mean.

Iluvspl

Have fun! Thanks for writing.

Well, that was short and sweet. We really can't have that, so I'm going to answer another comment from the same board. This one, it turns out, is a bit more condescending.

The reason that a company does not post the salary in the advertisement is for two reasons.

If you say the job pays 60K then everyone who currently makes 30K but has always wanted to make 60K harasses your secretary and HR staff. I used to have people camp outside of my office waiting for my staff to arrive at work.
If a company is willing to pay 70K for a highly qualified person they might miss the applicant because that applicant thinks they can only make 60K in that job.

Note: Companies do not include their name in ads because people will show up at their door and aggressively seek the position. Most of those people are not qualified for the position.

HR staff try and filter out people with their language. If you have experience in the field, you're prolly familiar with it.

Realemployer

First of all, I just want to mention that if you are indeed a real employer, I never want to work for you. You have absolutely terrible hiring policies. Now, let's address some of your points.

If you don't want your human resources team to get hassled by angry employees, you might want to avoid grossly underpaying your staff. A range of thirty to sixty thousand dollars for the same position is just plain excessive. Besides, if you absolutely have to keep that salary difference, why don't you just indicate it on the job posting? Most companies advertise a salary range instead of a single number.
Why in the world would you want to hire someone who gets intimidated by a high salary? Worthwhile applicants usually look at the job description to determine if they're right for the position.

As for your note, reputable companies usually put their names on their job advertisements because they want applicants who are interested in working for them specifically. Candidates who contact the employer personally show a certain degree of initiative and resourcefulness. By comparison, those who just send in their resumes without bothering to find out for whom they allegedly want to work just seem lazy and indifferent.

Finally, I don't know what your human resources team told you, but job advertisements are designed to attract the right candidates, not scare the others away. That's why they're called advertisements.

Our next post was found on the message board below my blurb for the keyword Promotion. I'm surprised anyone bothered.

R.B. ALBUM DISCIPLINE = JANET JACKSON 2008

Best = Buy

Thanks for writing, but I'm afraid I have no idea what this means. Janet Jackson isn't exactly known for her discipline, album-related or otherwise. Did something change in 2008? Incidentally, I'm fascinated with your name. Your parents must have been fierce capitalists or possibly shopping addicts with delusions of grandeur.

This next comment refers to the article Career Fair Survival Guide.

I agree. Furthermore, if a company asks you to fill its own job application form, don't be shy about attaching your resume to give more information about yourself.

Nick

Thank you for sharing this great advice, Nick. Here are three more tips that didn't make the cut as I wrote my original outline:

Prioritize.
Don't visit employers in which you're not interested, but take the time to explore companies outside your industry.
Extend Common Courtesies.
Offer to help out and to get the recruiter some drinks, snacks, etc.
Dress and Act the Part.
Dress on the conservative side, and make sure to check your body language: make eye contact, shake hands firmly, etc.

You'll notice that some of this advice was integrated into other sections of the final article. That's Internet writing for you: shove as much information in as few words as possible. It's to compensate for the fact that you readers are all lazy and borderline-illiterate. I'm also told you shouldn't use irony without a little emoticon. We'll find out soon enough if that's true.

Well, that concludes this edition of DE Expressions. Let's see if I get any hate mail next time.

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