runforlove2024An HR department can make or break a business. I've seen and heard some shady shit.
In terms of job applications, I applied to a position a couple years ago that I would have easily been the highest qualified applicant. Not to the point of "oh this person is too expensive" but more so because it would be highly unlikely given the geographical area that someone would have comparable experience to me. It got held up in HR so long, the hiring department manager never saw my application before they chose to hire someone. I'm talking nearly 2 months of HR limbo. I followed up twice with HR cuz I really wanted to move back to the area, was sick hours (3x12's), and coulda worked with people I knew. My buddy was doing a rotation at this ER and reached out to someone close to the hiring manager. They never even received my application from HR lol but it was too late at this point. So annoying.
This was the second bad experience I've had with this prospective employer, so it's safe to say, I shall not be applying to work there ever again. In the end though, I'm better off having not left my current employer.
Yeah I work in HR and it sucks, but this is pretty common tbh. Chances are they'd already interviewed or had a candidates in the pipeline that would be a good-enough fit for the position by the time you'd applied. Even if you're more qualified, most recruiters are just looking for someone that can meet the minimum requirements of the job becasue they get measured on volume or time-to-hire, not on quality of hire. GOOD employers will let you know ASAP that they're already steps ahead with other candidates because it sucks when you get stuck in limbo so it does seem like you dodged a bullet with a shitty HR department.
In my current position, I was referred and had already gone through three rounds of interviews by the time they'd even posted the role online. I got an offer letter the next day and I'm sure there were tons of other qualified people that had applied and were feeling similar to you.
It blows, but networking is the most important thing. I'd always heard it, but never really realized the importance of "it's not what you know, it's who you know" until I entered the corporate world.
