When HR Is Bad PR

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I was laid off at the end of August '08 and have spent hours daily applying for jobs online and emailing resumes and cover letters. After a month went by where not a single employer acknowledged receiving my application or resume, I started sending out follow-up emails. One person tersely responded that he had received my resume. Nothing further. In the two months since then I have never received an acknowledgment that my application was received, though two employers kindly and belatedly informed me that the position had been filled.
Being unemployed is depressing enough; the lack of response from employers is heartbreaking.

DrPr of CA 1:48AM January 05, 2009

There's a fourth option, your federal government at work. If a company acknowledges every application if must then track every application and keep records on each. Even if the person is applying for a position is not open. Even if the person doesn't meet the basic qualifications for the job. Even if you aren't hiring at all. The solution to avoid all the administrative time and costs is only to accept applications for positions that are currently open and for which the person meets the basic requirements of the position.
Guidance from the Office of Federal Contract Compliance and Programs (OFCCP)a division of the department of labor, has issued guidance on what is an applicant and suggest only accepting qualified applications for positions which are currently open. Under these guidelines if you respond you have made them an applicant.
HR would love to respond if for no other reason than to stop the follow up phone calls and additional applications from the same people they have to deal with. To avoid the complications caused by the regulations, they do not.
An automated system does nothing to remedy this situation. The problem is in the definition of an applicant as promulgated by the DOL.
Don't take the lack of response personally or as a reflection upon the company. Though callous it is doing business as directed by the federal government.

An HR professional of MS 12:43PM December 17, 2008

I am employed, but not happily, and have been job seeking actively for the past 8 months. I am looking to change careers which makes it more difficult, I know. I have applied to countless jobs with very little response. It would be polite for an employer to send any kind of response. It is a lot of work seeking a new job, and I have spent hours and hours searching for jobs, writing cover letters, re-writing my resume, all with having a full-time job and a chronic illness.
Manners seem sadly non-existent in many places these days, and the HR world is one of them. An automated response saying thanks, but no thanks, would at least make me feel as though employers took the opportunity to peruse my resume. I feel as though my resume gets sent, then deleted automatically, it is very discouraging.

CS of NY 2:25PM December 16, 2008

They simply need to buy an automated system to handle this issue. I understand about costs but each time a company does something that others companies let slide...current employees, prospective employees and customers, even, notice. It is just basic stuff IMHO.
thank you for stopping by and making a comment,
have a great holiday,

GL HOFFMAN of MN 12:26PM December 10, 2008

With everyone cutting costs these days if you were to take a look at the underlaying costs in responding to resumes ...
First off, I am no HR person and I too would like some type of acknowledgement for my efforts.
Back to subject ...
If you were to figure in the people costs in responding to e-mails as well to voice mails to every resume sent, the costs would add up. And if you were to respond via snail-mail you could add that in as well!

CK of FL 6:18AM December 10, 2008