When it’s time to begin a job search, you have to remember the mindset of the human resources department, and understand where they are coming from. If you can approach HR with the right understanding, your efforts will be much more fruitful.
HR can be somewhat of a thankless job to begin with. Employee 1 was late for work today. Employee 2 isn’t happy with his medical coverage. Employee 3 is madder than a hornet because his paycheck had the wrong deductions. And, oh yes, we need to hire somebody today.
And when it comes time to hire, the lid blows off for the HR department. They have all of their regular issues to deal with, and now they have to sift through a stack of resumes. A very large stack of resumes. If HR runs an online ad, they’ll easily be drowning in 300, 500, 700 resumes that they have to go through. What an unproductive mess!
So, when you submit a resume, try to find another route without going through HR. Find the name of a hiring manager, or a supervisor, or even the CEO, but try to avoid HR.
When you do talk to HR, understand that their plates may be a bit full right now, and they may be a little tired and cranky. You want to have the HR department on your side, so show some understanding and patience. Depending on the company, HR may have some say in the hire process–understanding shown today may result in some much needed support tomorrow.
