|
I think I’ve seen it all (Or at least I
hope)
By Bethany J. Royer
Mother of the Munchkins
I’m on the hunt for a job. In fact, I have been for quite some time now
and thought I’d seen and heard pretty much everything in terms of job
interviews, through my own experiences and that of others.
There have been, unfortunately, many a horror story such as an
interviewer who asked a friend of mine how much of her life had she
screwed up to have only finished college in her thirties. If she hadn’t
been so desperate for a job, after a year of searching, she more than
likely would have done what anyone else would have done after such a
comment; walked out.
However, trooper that she is, hung in there and still did not get hired.
Or how about a friend who was asked during an interview if she planned
to have kids anytime soon?
Likewise, I’ve had some interesting moments, though far too few and
in-between. And what I’ve come to realize in my first job hunt in four
years is that things have changed. Many companies perform initial job
interviews over the phone, much to my dismay since I abhor phones, and
like to hand out tests. The latter has proven especially humiliating
since one potential employer managed to frame-work my less than stellar
math capabilities.
I honestly could care less how many people got on the train at noon,
and how many got off at Albuquerque to grab a Starbucks before they
returned and was on the train for two more hours, so how many poodles
were in the caboose?
Do I really need to know how many poodles are in the caboose in order
to work at a software company?
I even had a job interview where the process went so smooth I became
over-confident, an assured shoe-in, until politics crept into the
conversation.
I knew then I hadn’t a stones throw chance.
You don’t talk politics at an interview anymore than you would at
Thanksgiving dinner with your Republican uncle and Democratic
grandmother and far-leaning liberal cousin and
I-just-want-to-watch-the-game father.
It can get ugly.
As I said, I pretty much thought I’d seen and heard it all until I
noticed an article about SunCoke Energy, a subsidiary of Sunoco Inc.
SunCoke manufactures coke, a coal byproduct used to make steel, and the
company has been in the news a lot in relation to job openings in
Middletown.
Of course, with the job market being as arduous as it has been it is
little surprise to read about the avalanche of applicants to the
company. The latest report is 650 applicants for exactly 59 jobs.
While the enormous number of applicants in comparison to job openings
speaks volumes as to the unemployed numbers out there what is far more
important and troublesome seems to have been overlooked.
SunCoke is charging applicants $47 for behavioral assessment tests.
In short, applicants must pay to see if they qualify for a job.
It rather reminds me of some big-box stores where they charge for
membership. You pay them so as to shop their store for milk, bread and
a large screen television.
There’s no argument that the job market is fierce and competitive, that
employers are overwhelmed with applications. That the process to weed
through potential employees has to be equally problematic and costly,
but to charge potential employees for a chance at employment seems like
a step in a very bad direction.
With so many jobs that require drug screening, background checks and
even credit checks at what point do companies decide they no longer
wish to burden the cost of such evaluations and ask for money upfront
from job seekers?
This has always been a huge no-no for any work-at-home job seekers; the
first rule of a WAHJ is to never, ever pay to work.
So what happens if SunCoke practices become not only a norm but
encompasses far more than a series of evaluations? Will we have to fork
over money for the credit check, the drug screen, the background check,
the health assessment, and the hourly wage of the person who interviews
us?
For folks who find themselves living a hand-to-mouth existence and in
desperate need of a job, any job in too many cases, to charge folks for
assessments to see whether they are committed, punctual, and the like
to a job is yet another stress factor to add to the already
over-stressed unemployed.
The thing that bothers me the most is to hear people
say it is worth the risk to pay whatever it takes to get a job.
Have we really come to this and is it really, truly
worth it?
I’m afraid to find out.
The mother of two
munchkins, Bethany J. Royer is an independent contractor and writer
currently studying psychology with Florida Institute of
Technology. She is actively seeking a publisher for her
post-apocalyptic novel and blogs prolifically at
motherofthemunchkins.blogspot.com and can be reached at
themotherofthemunchkins@yahoo.com.
|
|
|
|
