A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

For everyone tired of applying and testing, over and - over again, with no company reply: (sm)

Posted: Oct 25, 2012

Here is a website by a headhunter that is a real eye-opener. We all know it isn't just the MTSO's who are jerking people around (they're just the most adept at it, that's all!) For the past 2 years, I've come to believe that online job search sites and online job applications were hurting, now helping us. Come to find, my thinking was on the right track:

http://corcodilos.com/blog/5639/pbs-newshour-online-job-applications-keep-america-unemployed

CORRECTION: "NOT" helping us, not "now". - Sorry for the typo. :-/

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Consider over 300 applications per posting - HOW ON EARTH

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They don't have time to personally respond to each email.

NO I AM NOT AN MTSO.

Just put yourself in their shoes.

Sorry I don't buy it. Nor do I buy the reason for posting - ads for nonexistent jobs, either.

[ In Reply To ..]
Read up on the subject. What I'm talking about is how the online application process in today's business world (MTSOs included) is a large part of the problem. Large HR departments have software set to look only for certain keywords. Others time out their applications too soon. Often perfect-fit candidates are overlooked because the less-than-perfect "sorting" system kicks them out. And of course, when that keeps happening, they have a perfect excuse to moan, "But we can't find enough qualified applicants in the US!" and they now have an "excuse" to send more of the work offshore. Or to bring in cheap foreign workers.

The bottom line is, many of these companies don't want US workers at all. Others only want to hire from a... shall we say... "select" group. (wink-wink) Automated online applications allow companies to practice discrimination.

Even those that are genuinely looking for outside applicants often shoot down their own search by relying too heavily on software to do the choosing.

No doubt, many MTSOs use the same software, and so it's highly likely that many highly qualified applicants' resumes never see the light of day... they're deleted as soon as they hit the company's inbox.

I learned (the hard way - lost an interview) that you should never put your applications through the job-search site. Get the name of the employer posting the ad, and try to apply through their own website. And if an ad doesn't even post a company name, and instead puts "company confidential", I wouldn't even bother with them, because it usually means you're dealing with an agency.

Anyway, since many of these companies have software sophisticated enough that it can look for keywords and boot out non-matching applications, how hard would it be to set it so that at the very least, the rejected applicant at least gets a generic robo-rejection note in his email?

So now the machines are discriminating against you - Give me a break

[ In Reply To ..]
That is a new one....the MACHINES are now turning against us...bwaahaahaa!!!

No, not new - Nancy

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This is not new. I've had issues with this in the high tech world for 15 years. The way I combatted it was to ensure I had the keywords from their ad in my resume and made sure they are typed exactly how they are in the ad.

By the way, I came from working in high tech for 25 years and what is happening in the MT world is pretty similar to what happened there. Some will thrive and others will fail. Those who thrive will be the ones who are proactive regarding new technology.

One reason I never use the "apply now" button on - job search sites is because - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
some software can be set to kick out applications that come through those big sites (Monster, Indeed, CareerBuilder, etc.) That's why, once I see a job I'm interested in, I apply directly at the company's website, and not through the job-search site. I've had too many applications "vaporize" after being sent, and it wasn't 'til I finalled called HR at one of them and asked if they'd received my application, and they said they hadn't. Likely, their software kicked it out because it came through the search site.

When they gripe about having "too many resumes to read", it's because of these sites. In addition to legitimate applicants, they also get those from unqualified applicants who apply to every ad they see that they even think they can merely SORT OF do. So many companies just set it so the only applicants they look at are the ones that, after reading their ad online, went to that company's website and applied there.

Some companies run ads continually because they want to convince their shareholders they're growing, even if they're not. (One more reason why when a company offers stock, quality starts to go down.)

It's also been theorized that the companies WANT people to find, cut and paste their ad's keywords into their resume, because they want cookie-cutter employees who will just shut up and conform.

Other employerss mistakenly believe that if they just wait long enough, then just like magic, that "perfect match" employee will somehow materialize out of thin air. Meanwhile, the job (if there even IS a job..) sits empty while Americans need to work.

I think these mechanized applicant selection programs are very much like VR: They're useful in some instances, and to a certain extent, but when overutilized, they're a nightmare.

Applying directly... - Nancy

[ In Reply To ..]
...doesn't guarantee your resume doesn't go through an electronic screening system. One of the companies I worked for (and several I know) scan every resume into the computer and run it through the system. Only resumes that survive that process are even looked at by human eyes.

I think she meant yet another complaint from this person with whom - it never ends. NM

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.

Yep, against all applicants. Been going on a long - time, and youre just hearing of it now?

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Online job applications - Alice

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This is not the first time that I've heard that online applications are kicked out if the "right keywords" are not included in the resume/application. Though it is not clear what these keywords are, I was recently told that the keywords are often included in the actual job ad. So, what if we include a copy of the entire job ad within the resume that we submit with the application? Will that help to ensure that all keywords are included in the application?

Testing - oaf

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applying,taking their stupid multiple choice questions and then the actual transcription test and no word! That is maddening.

Thanks for this article, it's very helpful to me - anon

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Thanks for this article. I think it is right on. I did an MT test one afternoon and know I did a good job on it but the person in charge would never tell me how I did. I asked her several times and she only told me that she would let me know if she needed another MT and that someone who was full time came back to work as part time. I am sick and tired of taking their darn tests and wasting my time and not even knowing how I did when I ask them and they don't tell me. I do believe it is better to see the manager face to face and I am working on a job right now that I intend to do just that. Let them know you are really interested in the job.

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