The culture of job hunting has changed like many things. I can't really say that it's getting better. I've yet to come across forward thinking companies who scrap the "Must have xyz degree and 15 years experience" in an entry level position. Ok I'm exaggerating to make the point but it's not far off. How inclusive is it to auto-reject applications based on criteria that is not inclusive of divergent brains?
Recruiter automated service:"Do you have a degree in xyz?"
Applicant: "No but I wrote a book on the subject"
Outcome: REJECTED
Schools and universities aren't always set up to encourage divergence. Perhaps the applicant can build a website or a computer but they didn't get a degree in it.
So how can we resolve this issue, not to mention all the "fake" jobs and the "fake" applications that are cluttering up the environment. Things are just crazy now. We need a paradigm shift (yes I've said this before.) We need a better way to rapidly assess if someone is suited for a role and a cultural fit without the standard black and white conformist questions. There's not even room for equivalency for many jobs. I do see a few attempts at "if you don't exactly fit the job don't worry - apply anyway." However when you access the job description it's must haves are stated.
Let's be clear: having a degree in something doesn't qualify you to do that role. Yes you may have learned techniques and theories, but what if someone is older and that degree didn't exist in their day? Are they expected to drop everything, the kids, the mortgage to go back to fulltime school for 3-4 years to get a piece of paper to tell them that they can now do the job that they've been performing for years? It makes no sense. We need to shift to the SKILLS, not the pieces of paper.
Which begs the question - how do you qualify those skills? Well don't we have something called AI these days? Isn't that a better use of it than screening out yes/no answers to questions 1, 2 & 3?
Anyway, I'm pausing in Montreal because timing and winter required it. So I'm here for I don't know how long. I love Montreal and it's nice to close the loop from where I started in Canada, 19 years ago. If you want to follow my job hunting strategy then follow me on LinkedIn. Click the button below. I gave myself 10 days to find a job and show my strategy throughout.
Did I get a job? You'll have to follow and find out. . .
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