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Job Seekers Get Put Through the Wringer

by Stephanie Armour, USA Today (8/17/01)

Continued economic uncertainty and mounting layoffs mean the job hunt is getting harder.

Laid-off workers are finding employers are no longer eager to take just anybody. Instead, they're being more selective, using tactics such as team interviews, phone screenings and written tests. Candidates are being brought back two, three and four times for repeat interviews. For example:

Testing: More than 40% of employers required basic skills tests of applicants, according to a May study by the American Management Association. Eighty-five percent of those firms don't hire those whose skills are lacking.

Melanie Terrell, 40, of Marina del Rey, California, has had to take math and psychological tests as she looks for work.

"You're seeing employers get all these resumes, and you're applying for jobs you know you're qualified for," says Terrell, who was laid off about a month ago from a dot-com. "But a lot of times, you're not even getting the calls or the opportunity."

Tougher questions: Employers are turning to behavioral interviewing techniques, which require workers to answer to specific situational questions, such as, "Tell me about how you handled the last mistake you made," rather than, "What are your weaknesses?"

Panel Interviewing: Workers are being interviewed by a panel or being asked to return for multiple interviews over a number of days. This is done, experts say, so more participants can have a say in the process.

"They're meeting the boss two and even three times," says Bernadette Kenny, executive vice president at career services firm Lee Hecht Harrison in Woodcliff Lake, N.J. "It can be frustrating for a job seeker, but it's leading to better hiring decisions."

Other steps: Employers are checking references and revoking job offers if the evaluations are negative, putting candidates through phone screenings before bringing them in, and asking more questions about gaps on resumes.

Employers are being more selective because the quality of hires has become critical as productivity pressures mount. Also, mounting job cuts mean there are more employees looking for work despite a 4.5% unemployment rate. Increasingly, job seekers are finding they must be flexible and consider a wider array of jobs and even relocations.

Still, laid-off managers and executives are finding new jobs in a median time of 13 weeks, according to an outplacement firm Manchester.

"Employers want as many guarantees as possible. That's what's changed," says Robin Ryan, author of 60 Seconds & You're Hired! "Managers in the recession in the '90s found it took 9 months to get a job. Now it takes 2 to 3, people say 'Why is it taking so long?' People want an instant cure, but a little perspective helps."