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| ISSUE NO. 673 |
| SHOWING UP CAN BE THE MOST . . . or the least...that we ask. That's because it has two components, as we shared last week:
This week, we wanted to address what showing up means for the job seeker, but - spoiler alert - it still has a lot to do with the employer. It also has a lot to do with the role itself. We heard from a lot of folks on the topic of ghosting (if you need a primer on ghosting, do yourself a favor and spend 4 1/2 minutes with Sonya Renee Taylor, whose analysis I thought about for weeks after listening) and we're grateful to everyone who offered something for us to learn from. We get the sense that a lack of response from applicants has become the 'new normal'. Whether the candidate doesn't show up to the interview, or goes through training but skips the first day on the job, or doesn't show up for work once hired, or walks out in the middle of a workday with no explanation, never to return. We can feel the frustration that this trend brings up for folks. And we can see how hard many employers continue to work to affirm their experiences with job seekers, even after they have been ghosted. One employer, in particular, stood out in that regard. Brooke, who works in hospitality, shared that when candidates don't show up, she starts to doubt herself and her ability to be discerning. She went on to share: "The ghosting doesn't do any favors for my commitment to inclusivity and giving people more chances. I have to remind myself that giving more people more chances can open up the number of opportunities to be ghosted. And I shouldn't toss out my mission because it's hard." Brooke saw an increase in ghosting starting in 2019, and now experiences it 'every day'. Yet when people don't show up as scheduled, she leaves them a voicemail: "I say something like 'I'm sorry we missed each other today for our appointment at Xam. If you are still interested in the X position, please reschedule for a time that works better for you.'" We were inspired when she summed up her attitude by saying, "I'm not sure what has motivated the ghosting, but what I do know is that I can't fight something I don't like with apathy or negativity. So I'm leaning into hospitality and empathy and trying the best that I can to keep an open mind and an open heart for people who can't/don't/or are struggling to show up for opportunity." From an employer with a state agency in Pennsylvania, ghosting shows up primarily for manual labor positions with wages that fall below the cost of living (and no benefits). This had us wondering if ghosting during the application process correlates to positions where there is also a high turnover once people are hired. (If you have any data on that, we'd love to know.) This connection also reminded us that because applicants are putting in a lot of (unpaid) time and effort to apply for jobs, they might send a blast of resumes out, and not even recall each place they applied to. Technology is supposed to be the great timesaver, allowing us to do things like send out a mass of applications, or gather a ton of resumes at once...but in the end, are we really saving time, or maximizing our chances of connection, if we're not doing things on a human scale? This brings us to the latest round of brilliance from Sal over at Roosterhaven Farm who, you may recall, got us started on digging deeper into equity in the application process. We very much needed to hear this reminder from Sal, that "interviews don’t necessarily indicate a candidate’s ability to perform a job, they indicate how well a candidate can ace an interview." How many of those ghosting are people who are used to investing time and energy in an interview, knowing they are unlikely to be selected for a variety of personal or systemic reasons? Sal went on to share that, "If you want marginalized groups to feel welcome, maybe list accommodations that you would be happy to extend during the application or interview process rather than leaving all the impetus on the candidate to request an accommodation. For example, 'We strongly encourage historically underserved groups to apply for this position. To further those ends, we can offer closed captioning or written questions during the interview, provide interview questions ahead of time, offer working interviews, or schedule a one-to-one instead of a committee for the first-round interview.'" Yes, please, to all of those. Just sharing ideas like these can welcome people to chime in with their own, and contributes to the reimagining of a better way forward. Sal also reminded us that the interview process can be improved by emphasizing an individual's existing skills over those abilities that can be teachable within the position: "Remove jargon from interview questions and ask questions that allow a candidate to share their conceptual understanding of the job duties." Originally we wondered if what this system of applying really needs is a major dose of re-imagination. How can we take what's been done before and transform it into something completely different, and vastly more effective? But this week's learning brought us a parallel consideration of the practical needs in the hiring process. Those needs always begin with the role that is waiting to be filled. And if that role doesn't offer a livable wage and the benefits that support people in getting to work every day, then ghosting might as well be built into the process. In the end, you as an employer may never know why a candidate no-showed. But there are a lot of things you can be certain about, including the work experience you are providing. In Sal's words, "I don’t think there is a way to attract diverse candidates to your organization by STRONGLY encouraging them to apply and then asking them status quo questions or bringing them into a patriarchal, micro-managing, grind-culture workplace." We recently had the privilege of learning more about community organizing - what it's all about and why it's effective - and one thing we took away from that learning was that between the real world and the world we want to imagine for ourselves and everyone around us, there is a big river of tension. And that the people who are really powerful, in terms of creating and affecting change that matters, are the ones who live in between. They sit in the river, feeling the discomfort, the tension, the pain, and the hope. We're here to sit in the river with you. To creating change that matters, Tay + Dor PS We're here with an oh-so-rare addendum on a completely different topic: for the first time in 14 years, GFJ is raising its job posting prices. There will always be a Pay What You Can option, but the rate for an individual job post will be $75 as of January 1, 2024. Our job package rates will also increase - more on that next week - but this is your first notification to snatch up some job packages at the current price, knowing you'll have a full year to use them. Thanks for sticking with us, and please reach out if you have any questions. |
tidbits...resources on anti-racism, environmentalism and food culture AKA stuff we're reading / listening to / watching / noticing / thinking about / captivated by this Tuesday . . . |
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