Please Stop Calling Me
by Deb Conde
Hello, my name is Deb Conde. My husband, Dan, is the Webmaster of the CCIEFLYER, and Eman is my brother-in-law. Dan and I were recently discussing the current state of the economy and the fact that so many people are out of work. I relayed a story to him, that he encouraged me to share because it looks at the unemployment situation from a different perspective…mine. I am not a recruiter, that’s Eman’s job. I just know what it feels like to be unemployed. I was laid off from a Telecommunications company in 2003 as a result of a bankruptcy. After four months, I found a position at another company that also went bankrupt a short time later. Before I got the axe for the second time, I managed to obtain a position at my current company. For those of you who are employed, you can probably relate, and for those who are unemployed, perhaps this story will give you something to consider.
If you haven’t already figured it out, the job market these days is tough, discouraging, and really rather depressing. Although I am happy to say that I have a job, many of my friends and former co-workers do not. Many of us, including myself, have experienced job losses as the result of company downsizings, mergers, and bankruptcies.
We have all been told that networking is required because jobs are no longer found by cold calling employers or pounding the pavement trying to personally visit companies that advertise they are hiring. For security reasons, employers often don’t accept walk-in appointments, and many (my company included) only take employment applications through their online company career websites. A typical practice is for applications to be screened by a Human Resources placement recruiter. If a suitable candidate is matched to one of the open positions, the applicant’s resume is sent to the hiring manager for review. Once that occurs, candidate selection is made by the hiring manager and the position is filled.
Having said all of that, I shall now explain my personal dilemma. As I’ve stated previously, I have a job. As a result of this fact and because my company does have open positions, I have been bombarded with phone calls, emails, and requests from my friends and former co-workers for assistance in obtaining one of the open slots. I’ve been asked to share phone numbers and email addresses of other people my friends and I know, which I have refused to provide without the other peoples consent. I want all of the folks that have contacted or approached me to know that I have been doing my best to help them. I’ve reviewed and turned in their resumes, filled out referral forms, and vouched for their work ethic. I’ve even done online searches on their behalf and forwarded them job postings from other companies in which I thought they might be interested.
At the repeated requests of my friends, I have approached my company’s Human Resources (HR) recruiter, and also some of the hiring managers with open positions. HR basically told me they screen applicants and nothing more. The hiring managers told me the number of applicants for each open position is incredible. This allows them to take their time to choose the most appropriate candidate for each job. They are willing to take a look at my submissions, but ultimately it is their choice as to whom they hire. Even with my assistance, my friends still remain unemployed, and some of them are reaching the point of desperation. While I understand their plight, I cannot make someone hire them. The available positions are not mine to fill.
I have received requests through LinkedIn for recommendations for my friends, which I have provided. I must draw the line there however because now I am getting requests for referrals and recommendations for friends of friends of friends. I do not know any of these people, and am therefore uncomfortable and also unwilling to oblige these requests. I do not think I am being unreasonable or unhelpful for not providing references for people I don’t know. These requests are illogical in my opinion, and I am starting to get miffed for being asked.
I would like these folks to understand that I really am trying to help them, but I recently realized that my patience and willingness to assist is waning. As the emails and phone calls to my office, home, and cell phone continue, I am beginning to feel that they are angry with me for not getting them jobs. None of them call me just to chat or see how I’m doing anymore. I find myself forgetting to check voice messages or waiting a day or two before checking my emails again. This is hardly practical for a busy person like me. It is preventing me from getting important messages that I actually want to receive, and is not a very good solution to this problem.
Trust me, I do understand, and I have been there. I want my friends and former co-workers to know that I realize they are stressed. I do care about them and also worry about their situations, but just for now I would like them to stop calling me…I need a break!
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