Filtering Out Jobless Applicants: Do We Think or Know It’s Good for Business?
In today’s New York Times, Catherine Rampell reports that some employers are discouraging the unemployed from applying for job openings and/or filtering out jobless applicants. Rampell’s article, “The Help-Wanted Sign Comes With a Frustrating Asterisk,” lists a number of reasons why employers may be taking this step, some of which I have listed below.
- The unemployed may be out of work due to poor job performance.
- The unemployed may lack up-to-date skills and relationships.
- Employers need ways to narrow down a deluge of job applications.
In reading through these reasons, a number of questions came to mind:
- Are employers screening out unemployed job applicants based on facts or assumptions?
- What evidence is there that the practice of screening out unemployed job applicants is good for business?
- Has your organization measured and compared the performance of employed versus unemployed hires? What did you find?
Share your experience and perspective.
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3 Comments
That is horrible. On the bright side, I do know employers, for example my boyfriend's company, who puts those currently out of work at the top of the list of potential candidates. His rationale is that he wants someone hungry, hopefully appreciative, who can start pretty much immediately.
It's an interesting concept; a real issue / problem for many people it looks like. I'm glad to hear of your example Theresa, that is flipping it the other way for sure!
Thanks for the comment Theresa. I would be interested to hear if others are making a specific effort to hire the jobless. Today's high unemployment could be a unique opportunity for employers to secure jobless, but highly talented individuals who would be much harder to attract in a more competitive job market.