Why Employers Aren't Rushing to Hire

Posted by in Career Advice


On the news, you might hear that the economy is recovering and as proof of this fact, they point to the extremely large number of job vacancies. Still, many people are going on second, third and even fourth interviews and aren't getting job offers. Are the reporters lying or is there another problem? If this has been your experience, it's not all in your head. It seems that employers are dragging their feet during the hiring process, determined to find the most qualified candidate – even if it means leaving a job open for a long period of time.

 

As the job market recovers, many companies are taking longer than ever to fill vacant positions. According to a recent report at the New York Times, the average company advertising a job opening is taking longer than 23 business days to fill the position. When they looked into why this was happening, they found that the problem wasn't that there weren't enough skilled applicants. The problem was that the companies don't have any sort of incentive to hire new employees right away and instead, they are content to wait until they find the perfect match.

 

It's an employer's market, and most hiring mangers feel confident that if they wait long enough, they will find an applicant who is an exact match for the position and who has the precise skills and experience they are looking for. In addition, while business is improving, many companies are worried that the economy will stall and they will be on the hook for the additional expense. Instead of jumping in, they are taking the “wait and see” approach.

 

In fact, according to Glassdoor, the average interview and hiring process for major retailers has more than doubled since 2010. This means that even for entry or low-level jobs, being asked to interview multiple times is becoming more and more common. In the Times article, they spoke with a man who said that he had interviewed with the same company more than six times. He had been to the office so many times that the security guard fussed at him for not bringing his employee ID. Because he had seen the man so many times, the guard incorrectly assumed that he was already working for the company.

 

Going through several rounds of interviews only to find that the company has decided to leave the position unfilled can be disheartening. There is so much work that goes into preparing for interview after interview that losing the job to no one can feel almost like a slap in the face.

 

One of the reasons that it's so easy for employers to simply wait is that they aren't in a rush to hire. Because of the tight job market, their current employees are more than willing to take on extra work without demanding additional pay. They have cut back on employee compensation, raises and bonuses and their employees are working harder than ever. Without a pile of work that urgently needs to be done, there is little motivation to hurry up and get a new person on board.

 

Not only are additional interviews frustrating for job seekers, they can be expensive. The cost of dry cleaning, transportation, lunch or snacks in addition to the time away from their current jobs, their families or their job searches. Although there's no clear answer to this problem, all job seekers can do is hope that all their effort will pay off in the end.

 

Have you been through several rounds of interviews without getting a job offer? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

 

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  • Stacey Beck
    Stacey Beck
    I see where they are coming from, but I still wish it wasn't this way.  A lot of people still need jobs to support themselves and families.
  • Melissa Kennedy
    Melissa Kennedy
    Thanks for sharing, Kathleen. You aren't alone. It's really tough for so many people right now. If you aren't having any luck finding a job in your career field, maybe you could look for jobs that relate to your other interests or hobbies in the meantime. For example, I like to read and I enjoy roller skating (although I'm getting a little too old to skate as much as I used to). So, jobs at a bookstore or working the door at a skating rink would be possibilities for me. Even though I don't have direct experience in these areas, I would market my enthusiasm and my sincere interest. Who do you want to work at your bookstore, someone who is passionate about books and loves to read or someone who has 3 years experience working retail but isn't particularly interested in books?
  •  Kathleen K
    Kathleen K
    I am glad you wrote this article.  Having three degrees, and having taught college level in three different disciplines for over 45 years. In the last two part time positions I held at colleges in the area, I was replaced by people much younger than I, relatives of someone at the colleges, and have been looking for adjunct teaching for over two years.  I really believe it is an age factor, and never receive any feedback from people to whom I've applied.( Are they  afraid of being accused of discrimination?)  I, like many others, need to work (mentally and financially)  I am sorry to learn there are so many in "my boat" but also comforted in the knowledge that I am not alone.
  • Susan B
    Susan B
    If I were an employer I would wait for the perfect match. I feel that older workers' work ethic is usually significantly superior to their younger counterparts.
  • Scott W
    Scott W
    very good article that i just read.
  • Sandy A
    Sandy A
    It's a crock of crap. I've been to Three Interviews, for the Same comany at Three Different locations and have STILL NOT gotten  the jobI am so tired of even trying to find a job, yet the bill collectors keep calling. I dress the "part", that they ask for, I give a firm hand shake, I look the interview-er in the eye, and answer all of the questions appropriately. Personally. I believe that it's an Age issue as well as, the sorry economy and health care bill balony. Thank you.
  • Larry S
    Larry S
    What I just read is horrifying. I worked for the Federal Government for over 22 years as an Electronics Technician and lost my job due to cutbacks in the military.  I've been applying for jobs for quite a while now with no results.  I want to work and I need to work and I have been diligent in my job search wondering why I am not getting anywhere. It's seems like now I know and it's hurting not only myself but thousands of other Americans that are out of work and cannot find jobs.
  • Carol H
    Carol H
    Thanks for the info, it brings to lite what I have suspected. I currently work part time and hours are based on sales. I live in AZ in Snow Bird Territory and when they leave it's devastating to many who work part time in retail/restaurants/hotel/motel. Without the added benefits of snow birds the economy suffers greatly. Full time positions are available to those with a college education and be damned to those of us with experience alone. At 54 and looking for a FT job is not easy.
  • Alan R. B
    Alan R. B
    Two responses to previous comments, based on a book which I've just read:1.  Don't expect interviewers to let you know what went wrong: from their point of view, doing so would let you game the system.2.  Don't call them after the interview (unless you suspect that they may have called you while your phone was down) - it inconveniences them for no purpose, since the decision probably hasn't been made yet.  Write a short thank-you (I would say type it if you can, on a computer or otherwise), hope to hear from them, and don't stop looking.No, I'm not gloating over your troubles: I'm unemployed too.
  • Cheryl W
    Cheryl W
    I have encountered the same situations as most of the posters.  I have been applying on line for positions posted with no success.   I am currently working as a contractor for a Global Co.  and I am greatly under employed.  After a year, I was asked to apply for a position that was open and had not yet been posted.  I went through all the stages of the companies interview processes and after  6 interviews and was told that they selected another candidate.  My Interviews were  behavioral interview and I was asked questions about my past employment and situations related to past positions and how I handled them and all of  my positions were in Northern California, San Francisco  supporting a Vice President and then   President  of a Global Co.   I now reside in Houston to be near my family while searching for employment.   The recruiter asked If I wanted feedback and I said certainly.  I was told that the group thought that I "spoke quickly" and that they thought I was aggressive?     I asked her if anyone had difficulty understanding anything I said and was told no.  Needless to say,  I was disappointed.  I never give up and every morning, I ask God to see me over here in Texas.   
  • Eddi H
    Eddi H
    My direct experience is submitting applications and not hearing anything at all for months. That can even be more frustrating as you look for positions.
  • Juanita W
    Juanita W
    I am glad you wrote this article.  I thought it was just in the nonprofit secotr.  have been asking myself what is the problem-especially when the same announcement continues to appear in online job searches.  I am so frustrated because I have a debt to repay for earning my Masters and I need a position with comparable pay that will allow me to do that!  Even more, I want to utilize my skills and my 17 years of experience in the nonprofit sector.  It should not be this hard!
  • Darlene T
    Darlene T
    I am turning 51 next month I to have had several interviews with no success. I worked for Ivy Tech Community College until 03/08/13 they ran out of money for my full-time position, and hired two part-time people to take my place. I already lost my job in 2008 to a plant closure. I now have my Associate's Degree in Office Administration and worked for Ivy Tech for two years. I believe my age has a lot to do with it also. If HR would let us know either way if we got the job would be less stressful wondering and waiting.
  • Terri M.
    Terri M.
    Very informative article.  It is reassuring that I am not alone in the hiring process.  I too spent an hour on the phone with the interviewer, drove 3 hours and interviewed with 3 people for two hours.  I was told I would hear from them in  a week.  No call.  I have never had an employer not give me the professional courtesy of a phone call.  What are employers thinking?  We have bills to pay and a life to lead as well, we need a job.
  • Renee F
    Renee F
    I went through a series of 6 interviews, actually got a job offer over the phone, not only from the hiring manager, but also the recruiter that got the me lead.  Went through the background check, Drug and Alcholol Test, which passed, then received a call from the recruiter at 7:30 a.m. on morning, and he told me the manager changed his mind and decided to hire someone internal with a Masters degree.  Devestation is an understatement on what I was feeling at that moment..  I don't think the economy/job market is that much better and think they are sugar coating it, and also go by the numbers from unemployment claims, in which there are so many, that don't count because they have exhausted all their unemployment benefits.
  • Sherry C
    Sherry C
    Things have definitely changed in the job market today and not in a good way. I have three degrees and never had an issue getting a job in my life until now. I got laid off in January and I have sent out over 150 resumes and cover letters in the last 6 months. I have my resume on numerous websites and tailor make each resume with keywords in the hope of standing out to an employer, because I know that is the only chance I have. I do all the steps everyone says to do to get a job. I have had three interviews and only one of those was with an actual company, the other two were with hiring/temp firms, I heard nothing back from. Out of the 150+ jobs I've applied to I have only received responses back from maybe 20 companies, saying there were candidates more suited for the position. I do think companies are dropping the ball on their end. They hide behind the process that has become so impersonal, everything is done now on the internet, you never talk to a person or have contact information. Most of the time you can not even send a follow-up, because the application process is done through an automated website. I agree with your comment about, "It's an employer's market, and most hiring mangers feel confident that if they wait long enough, they will find an applicant who is an exact match for the position and who has the precise skills and experience they are looking for."  It is very infuriating for those trying, so hard to find work, so they can provide for their families. The one interview I legitimately went on, they informed me I was too qualified for the job. Wouldn't having someone too qualified willing to work for your company benefit the company, not detriment it? It seems no one wants a hardworking, dedicated employee anymore, they don't want an oval they can turn into a circle, they want the perfect circle to begin with. I am facing going back for a 4th degree now just to hope to get a job. I have spent more time in school training to work, than actually working at this point, in the hope I can get a job that isn't through a temporary/hiring firm, but that my dear is an entire article's worth of discussion of itself.
  • Jason L
    Jason L
    I have the eqivalent education level equal to just shy of starting a doctorate degree. The only type of jobs I have been able to aquire are short-term temporary jobs for the past 7 years. To add insult to injury, I am an african american male. Second, I have to compete with grads, half my age, I am 42 years old. At this rate, I will only be able to save a quarter of the average money for a pension. There is a glass ceiling, but it turned into steel. I blew almost $50,000 on an ivy-education, only to make the American dream a bigger lie. Was the labor of slaves really worth the investment. If America didn't want Africans in this country, why did they shanghi my ancestors? What makes it worse, people from Africa can't stand American black people. Ponder that idea. American blacks couldn't even go back to africa because we would labeled traders or sell outs by our own people.
  • Frank M
    Frank M
    I have also had this problem. Seems they are looking for people with degrees that are just out of college and willing to take a low paying job. The way the school/student loan system is going they will run out of these preffered people in a few short years.
  • Candace L I
    Candace L I
    I am over 55 years of age, looking for employment at my age have been difficult. Interviews, I've had my share. It took the prospective employer a while to hire me. I wanted to ask why, now after reading your article, I got the answer. Thanks.
  • Joy T
    Joy T
    In my case, I believe it is age discrimination.  I am 57 and have 37 years in banking as an admin assistant.  They won't even give me a chance to say I will take a pay cut.  I know I will not be able to make the salary I did on my previous job. My position was eliminated and I have been looking for 10 months.  I need a job!
  • Pamela B
    Pamela B
    It's tough getting a first interview or even a call back. Lucky if the reply online to say no thank you but we'll keep your resume on file. Most companies are outsourcing and the outsourcing companies are paying slave wages. What is the fate of the country.
  • Dee C
    Dee C
    I've read several of your comments and can relate with so many of you. I've invested so much money and time towards school, believing in all the "hype" that it would pay off in the end. Having earned my associate's degree with a 3.93 GPA, and less than a year from completion of a bachelor's, I left school; partly because of a financial aid nightmare and the reality that at age 58, it doesn't seem to be paying off. Continuously earning a spot on the Dean's list, the past seven years have left me unemployed or  underemployed. It's so discouraging. For those of you who have secured interviews, I applaud you. I've secured very few. I've turned to "experts" and recruiters to review my resume and cover letter format requesting guidance on how I can better "sell" my skills and experience; always told that both are "excellent", as well as my portfolio, and that's it's just "timing". Well my "time" never seems to come because I get little to no interviews and the portfolio is of no use when I can't get it in front of a potential employer. Week after week I apply for job after job and the only calls I seem to get are from Sallie Mae; continuously extending my deferments because I have absolutely no way to pay back my debt that continues to pile up with interest. I tried to be set an example for my now adult children, but instead live in embarrassment as they watch me lose everything. My son just secured a $70,000 a year job; having dropped out of college after years of failing grades because he missed classes due to his "college experience" of late nights and good times. Who's setting the example? But he's young, whereas I am not and that's what potential employers seem to want. And I won't even touch on the impact that healthcare reform has had already towards destruction of the job market - and it barely started! So as a few of you put it, I will just keep pushing onward, hoping for a miracle and regretting the money wasted on higher education at my age; realizing that I'll probably be dead before getting it paid off.
  • Teri W
    Teri W
    I have been on more than 15 interviews some more than twice to the same office just to be called later and told I don't have the position or not called at all.  I am an older female and it is really difficult.  My daughter who is 25 wenton 3 interviews before she finally was hired for her position.  I am currently waiting to hear at my last job interview which I have had two grueling 2 hour interviews each time and may have to go back for another.
  • Marsha K
    Marsha K
    HR Dept:  If you are reading this, can you at least contact all applicants regardless of continued interest?  Thank you in advance for being respectful.     
  • Joseph K
    Joseph K
    I think you hit your points well ..... but you did not mention that the employment picture is cyclical and eventually it will become an employee's market instead of an employer's market, which does not bode well for those employers who evade reasons to hire.  Next there is age and salary discrimination in the workplace and there always will be so accept it and move on to either pointing out the value you bring to an organization instead of the value of the job to you.  Next, Obmacare or PPACA has an absolute impact on hiring as many business owners are misinformed as to compliance rules (some deliberate others not) and the associated fees and penalties could very well exceed the cost of adding one or more employees.  I think you meant that employees are willing to take on more responsibility without additional pay really means that if they are not "willing" then they might very well be replaced.  Next many of the jobs being created are low pay and low or no benefits, but due to the large number of unemployed or underemployed currently, this has almost become the norm.  Next, we are in the Internet age where even a job at MacDonalds requires one to go through the website to apply and the first level of contact is now a software program rather than an individual - accept that and adapt.  Finally, some of the delay in the process is actually a negotiation tool on the part of the employer so again accept that.

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