The robots are taking over

[Square Wheels]

I applied for a job (actually about a million) today.  About 1 second after I applied, I got an email.  This happens a lot, it's usually an acknowledgement and some fake words that they will review your info and get back to you if you're a good fit...

Not this email.  I have to do a screening interview with a computer.  I have three days to finish it.  I read the question, then I have three minutes to respond to each question.  I'll be staring at myself on my computer screen while I answer.  There may also be games I need to play.

What happened to talking, in person, to a real person?

This is awkward.

[bikeman564™]

this is sad

[bikeman564™]

3 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

What happened to talking, in person, to a real person?

 

I don't think young people like talking to people

Prayers & vibes you get something quick

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

25 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

What happened to talking, in person, to a real person?

 

It's all been pretty much converted to text format on internet Forums, now...

 

 

 

[Square Wheels]

Just now, Thaddeus Kosciuszko said:

 

It's all been pretty much converted to text format on internet Forums, now...

 

 

 

I'll ace it then.

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

12 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

I'll ace it then.

That, good sir, was never in doubt, robot or otherwise.

[MickinMD ★]

1 hour ago, Square Wheels said:

I applied for a job (actually about a million) today.  About 1 second after I applied, I got an email.  This happens a lot, it's usually an acknowledgement and some fake words that they will review your info and get back to you if you're a good fit...

Not this email.  I have to do a screening interview with a computer.  I have three days to finish it.  I read the question, then I have three minutes to respond to each question.  I'll be staring at myself on my computer screen while I answer.  There may also be games I need to play.

What happened to talking, in person, to a real person?

This is awkward.

I don't like it.  Even if it's preliminary.

It's hard to impress a computer or give it the impression you're a team player who would fit in well with the company.

There may be aspects of the computerized questions that the creators didn't think about that may result in your answer not fitting their conception of "correct."

For example, a new grading system was implemented on essay questions in high school functional tests in the 90's.  We had a faculty meeting about it where a team from our countywide school systems headquarters explained to us how the essays were graded.

An example was given based on a presentation about the decline in population of the Giant Panda in China.  We were then given examples of essays graded from 0 to the max, 5.

We science teachers raised our hands in unison and said, "But your max., perfect answer is WRONG!"  and it clearly was, based on the short written story that exam takers would read and then write an essay about.

So having some idiot write questions, have a computer ask me them, and then have a predetermined grading system is something I would never trust.

The two times I was interviewed after college, the first was for a research chemistry position at Minerec Corp, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical.  I was asked which of two organic chemical compounds, the structures drawn for me, would more strongly attract copper ions.  When I picked the right one, I was then asked, Why is it stronger?"

It turned out the company didn't know!  When I explained the 3D shapes, the position of polar bonds - which bear a partial electrical charge and the negative ones attract the positive copper atoms - I was talking over the head of my interviewer, who had gone to college in the 1930's and worked on the Manhattan Project in WW2.

HOW could I interact with a computer about stuff like that?

The second interview was to become a high school teacher where I was interviewed by a former teacher who had been promoted to the board of ed. offices.  I was asked how I would react in certain angry parent confrontations, violent student behavior, etc. as well as how I'd teach and how I taught as a college lab teacher during grad school.  I remember asking for clarification about some of the questions: that would not likely be part of a computer's programming.

 

 

 

 

[Mr. Beanz]

I used indeed dot com to apply back in December. 80%of the jobs applied for sent a link to take those match addresses and names, shapes, mechanical theory type stuff. Actually pretty difficult as they give you a list of 15 names all similar and long names asking you to find the differences within 3 minutes. Man they suck and have nothing to do with the job. I scored as proficient but one, pretty sure I screwed up pretty bad. Took me 2 minutes to figure out the instructions in each section. 🤣

[donkpow]

10 hours ago, bikeman564™ said:

I don't think young people like talking to people

They do, just not about work.

[Ralphie ★]

It seems like GEICO has stopped showing that robot getting frustrated taking the robot test commercial.   I miss it!  Maybe the robots thought it was detrimental to their image and took it off.  

[Tizeye]

I had similar “continuing education” certification exam required by the SEC for all licensed stockbrokers. It was mind bogging easy/stupid. I’m blowing through it and suddenly get the message “you’re going too fast. Slow down.”

The robots are watching you! 

[Further]

Sq Wheel, how goes the job hunt?

[maddmaxx ★]

HR isn't well qualified to deal with humans anymore.

[bikeman564™]

28 minutes ago, Tizeye said:

I had similar “continuing education” certification exam required by the SEC for all licensed stockbrokers. It was mind bogging easy/stupid. I’m blowing through it and suddenly get the message “you’re going too fast. Slow down.”

The robots are watching you! 

they thought you was a robot

[Parr8hed]

I have been putting in for some jobs lately.  Been on a few interviews.  The whole process has changed so much.  Incredibly frustrating.  You just deal with recruiters now.  I don't want to talk to a recruiter.  I want to talk to someone on that unit. 

I applied for an IR job at a hospital.  The interviewer called me and was very impressed with my experience, resume, etc.  She told me she would get me and interview within the next week.  I got an email saying that after "careful" consideration they had decided that I was not being pursued for that job.  No reason why.  I emailed her back and asked her how "careful" the consideration was that a 22 year nurse with the experience they were looking for could not even get an interview.  No response. 

Had an interview that felt very promising yesterday. 

[Zealot]

2 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

I have been putting in for some jobs lately.  Been on a few interviews.  The whole process has changed so much.  Incredibly frustrating.  You just deal with recruiters now.  I don't want to talk to a recruiter.  I want to talk to someone on that unit. 

I applied for an IR job at a hospital.  The interviewer called me and was very impressed with my experience, resume, etc.  She told me she would get me and interview within the next week.  I got an email saying that after "careful" consideration they had decided that I was not being pursued for that job.  No reason why.  I emailed her back and asked her how "careful" the consideration was that a 22 year nurse with the experience they were looking for could not even get an interview.  No response. 

Had an interview that felt very promising yesterday. 

“They smile in your face

All the time they wanna take your place...”

Things really aren’t that different. The tools have just changed.

[Parr8hed]

Just now, Zealot said:

“They smile in your face

All the time they wanna take your place...”

Things really aren’t that different. The tools have just changed.

I feel like a lot of really good people are weeded out because everything is done on smart phones.  How many of these applications actually make it to employers?  

[Zealot]

2 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

I feel like a lot of really good people are weeded out because everything is done on smart phones.  How many of these applications actually make it to employers?  

Actually quite a few do make it to the employer. I’ve been one to review the resumes/qualifications once they get there. 

[Zealot]

4 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

I feel like a lot of really good people are weeded out because everything is done on smart phones.  How many of these applications actually make it to employers?  

But even without the recruiters, so many resumes get passed over quickly and an otherwise qualified applicant never gets a chance because the resume didn’t grab someone’s attention. 

Same process really, just different tools.

 

[maddmaxx ★]

24 minutes ago, Zealot said:

But even without the recruiters, so many resumes get passed over quickly and an otherwise qualified applicant never gets a chance because the resume didn’t grab someone’s attention. 

Same process really, just different tools.

 

Then the process stinks.  The robots or people screening the resume's don't understand the applicants qualifications because they don't understand the jobs.  They scan for buzzwords and check boxes.  

[Square Wheels]

1 hour ago, Further said:

Sq Wheel, how goes the job hunt?

soso, I'm mostly looking at pharma and I hear they are very picky about people that have not worked in pharma.  They don't care about "transferable skills".

54 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

I have been putting in for some jobs lately.  Been on a few interviews.  The whole process has changed so much.  Incredibly frustrating.  You just deal with recruiters now.  I don't want to talk to a recruiter.  I want to talk to someone on that unit. 

I applied for an IR job at a hospital.  The interviewer called me and was very impressed with my experience, resume, etc.  She told me she would get me and interview within the next week.  I got an email saying that after "careful" consideration they had decided that I was not being pursued for that job.  No reason why.  I emailed her back and asked her how "careful" the consideration was that a 22 year nurse with the experience they were looking for could not even get an interview.  No response. 

Had an interview that felt very promising yesterday. 

These are automated systems. most places use them.  I applied to two completly unrelated companies.  I got the exact same rejection response from each.

[Zealot]

31 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

Then the process stinks.  The robots or people screening the resume's don't understand the applicants qualifications because they don't understand the jobs.  They scan for buzzwords and check boxes.  

I’m not saying that isn’t true. 

[Zealot]

I remember looking for jobs back when I separated from the military. I applied at lots of places. Those were ‘showing up in person,  filling out paper applications and handing out resumes as well as writing introductory letters’ days. Call backs and actual interviews were probably proportionate to what I’ve experienced in the modern setting of computer recruiter application and screening. 

YMMV

[Kzoo]

37 minutes ago, Zealot said:

The robots or people screening the resume's don't understand the applicants qualifications because they don't understand the jobs.

That's a rather uninformed assumption.

 

[Zealot]

4 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

That's a rather uninformed assumption.

 

That was not my quote. 

[Ralphie ★]

12 minutes ago, Zealot said:

That was not my quote. 

Who’s on first? 

[maddmaxx ★]

43 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

That's a rather uninformed assumption.

 

It's informed by experience with many HR departments over the years.  I've watched the change from before the days that there were HR departments.  Eventually the HR departments became specialists like the purchasing departments and their qualifications went from working for the people who were doing the jobs to working for the HR department.  It's similar to what happened in town governments where the shift was from workers to managers.

 

[Kzoo]

45 minutes ago, Zealot said:

That was not my quote. 

My bad...

 

[Kzoo]

1 minute ago, maddmaxx said:

It's informed by experience with many HR departments over the years.  I've watched the change from before the days that there were HR departments.  Eventually the HR departments became specialists like the purchasing departments and their qualifications went from working for the people who were doing the jobs to working for the HR department.  It's similar to what happened in town governments where the shift was from workers to managers.

 

That's a rather broad generalization.

[maddmaxx ★]

3 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

That's a rather broad generalization.

Yes it is.  IMO good HR departments are a rather small group so it's appropriate in many cases.

[Parsnip Totin Jack ★]

Many large corporations use scanning software to review submitted resumes. If the percentage of key words in the job description is less than 85% or so the resumes are dumped and human eyes never see them. When I was job hunting in 2016, I had to tailor my resume to resemble the position description. 

[Kzoo]

Just now, Old No. 7 said:

When I was job hunting in 2016, I had to tailor my resume to resemble the position description. 

You should always do this, robots or not.

I do the hiring here.  No robots.  We are a small organization.  I've hired 3 in the last 6 months.  I use ZipRecruiter exclusively for resume collection.  I also have an approach that "I don't hire resume writers."  Everyone gets at least a cursory glance.  It's scary what some people do with their resumes.

[Zealot]

8 minutes ago, Old No. 7 said:

. When I was job hunting in 2016, I had to tailor my resume to resemble the position description. 

But that’s not new. I always taylor my resume for a position I am applying for. 

[Ralphie ★]

3 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

You should always do this, robots or not.

I do the hiring here.  No robots.  We are a small organization.  I've hired 3 in the last 6 months.  I use ZipRecruiter exclusively for resume collection.  I also have an approach that "I don't hire resume writers."  Everyone gets at least a cursory glance.  It's scary what some people do with their resumes.

Catbert?

[Zealot]

2 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

You should always do this, robots or not.

I do the hiring here.  No robots.  We are a small organization.  I've hired 3 in the last 6 months.  I use ZipRecruiter exclusively for resume collection.  I also have an approach that "I don't hire resume writers."  Everyone gets at least a cursory glance.  It's scary what some people do with their resumes.

Zip recruiter is a go to. And yes, I too have seen some pretty ‘interesting’ resumes. 

[jsharr ★]

@Square Wheels tell a few jokes to the computer.  It will assume you are one of it's kind and you will get the job! 

[maddmaxx ★]

20 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

You should always do this, robots or not.

I do the hiring here.  No robots.  We are a small organization.  I've hired 3 in the last 6 months.  I use ZipRecruiter exclusively for resume collection.  I also have an approach that "I don't hire resume writers."  Everyone gets at least a cursory glance.  It's scary what some people do with their resumes.

I've found that small companies have hiring practices closer to the actual work floor than large companies with HR departments staffed with dedicated HR people.

[Square Wheels]

1 hour ago, jsharr said:

@Square Wheels tell a few jokes to the computer.  It will assume you are one of it's kind and you will get the job! 

There are 10 types of people in the world.

0. Those that understand binary.
1. Those that do not.

[jsharr ★]

15 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

There are 10 types of people in the world.

0. Those that understand binary.
1. Those that do not.

[maddmaxx ★]

1 hour ago, Square Wheels said:

There are 10 types of people in the world.

0. Those that understand binary.
1. Those that do not.

Don't forget the 10 group.  They don't fall into 0 or 1.

[Square Wheels]

Darn responses will be reviewed by a robot too.

[Zealot]

8 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

Darn responses will be reviewed by a robot too.

So you’re being video recorded? 

[Square Wheels]

8 minutes ago, Zealot said:

So you’re being video recorded? 

Yes, while staring at yourself.  Very odd.  I could turn that part off, but I think that might have been worse.

You had 30 seconds to form your response, and 3 minutes to answer.  I flubbed one and rerecorded it.  You got 4 chances with each.

I miss talking with humans, now I talk to myself during an interview and that's considered healthy?

[Zealot]

39 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

Yes, while staring at yourself.  Very odd.  I could turn that part off, but I think that might have been worse.

You had 30 seconds to form your response, and 3 minutes to answer.  I flubbed one and rerecorded it.  You got 4 chances with each.

I miss talking with humans, now I talk to myself during an interview and that's considered healthy?

Wow. I’ve not done that. It’s kinda like that scene in “True Lies” where Tom Arnold and Arnold Swartzenegger interrogate Jamie Lee Curtis.  

[Dottleshead ★]

20 hours ago, Square Wheels said:

I applied for a job (actually about a million) today.  About 1 second after I applied, I got an email.  This happens a lot, it's usually an acknowledgement and some fake words that they will review your info and get back to you if you're a good fit...

Not this email.  I have to do a screening interview with a computer.  I have three days to finish it.  I read the question, then I have three minutes to respond to each question.  I'll be staring at myself on my computer screen while I answer.  There may also be games I need to play.

What happened to talking, in person, to a real person?

This is awkward.

Those days are gone.  Welcome to my world.  It's all about buzz phrases and matching games to get to the next round.  I would suggest loading up your resume w/ buzz words and perhaps even paying somebody with subject matter experience to tweek your resume for you.  Basically you've got to get through the bots.

[Kzoo]

1 minute ago, Dottles said:

somebody with subject matter experience

He is the subject matter expert.  He be da man.

 

[Dottleshead ★]

1 minute ago, Kzoo said:

He is the subject matter expert.  He be da man.

 

Yeah, good point.  Then he's got to dumb it down to computer search strings.  That can be a case of learning how to put your ego aside.  I usually let a few choice cuss words fly at the bastards myself.

[Kzoo]

1 minute ago, Dottles said:

Yeah, good point.  Then he's got to dumb it down to computer search strings.

If he needs to dumb things down he should talk to me.  I'm the SME of dumb.  I've been dumb for so long I don't even have to work at it.

 

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

9 hours ago, Parr8hed said:

I emailed her back and asked her how "careful" the consideration was that a 22 year nurse with the experience they were looking for could not even get an interview. 

 

Answer: The nurse who just graduated with a nursing degree was cheaper.

[maddmaxx ★]

51 minutes ago, Dottles said:

Those days are gone.  Welcome to my world.  It's all about buzz phrases and matching games to get to the next round.  I would suggest loading up your resume w/ buzz words and perhaps even paying somebody with subject matter experience to tweek your resume for you.  Basically you've got to get through the bots.

So what happens to people who are supremely qualified by who don speaka da engrish so very good.  Do you now go to a resume writing business to get help to beat the resume reading business?