Many readers of Punk Rock HR want to know my secrets so they can outsmart, outfox, and out game Human Resources.
Unemployment has skyrocketed, and I know you want a new and stable job in 2009. My candid response? The biggest secret is no secret at all. If you want a better employment arrangement, find a way to bypass Human Resources and make an impression on a hiring manager.
No matter how relevant Human Resources deems itself in an organization, we don’t make decisions. Your chances of landing a new job are the best when a manager knows you personally, has an opening in his department, and walks into the office of Human Resources and says, “I know I need to go through the motions of interviewing a shitload of people, but I really want to hire this guy.”
[This guy? That would be you.]
Instead of trying to outsmart Human Resources, try to find ways to avoid it. You are wasting your time when you try to outwit the personnel department. It’s like trying to find a way to outwit a toddler — you can do it, but it’s a pointless battle and usually ends with tears.
My best advice to job seekers? Make HR irrelevant in your search for a new role. When you can control something enough in your life to deem it irrelevant, you have the power.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Isn’t avoiding HR the same as outsmarting it? If HR is trying to insert themselves into every part of the hiring process, that certainly seems to be the case.
There are major pitfalls to hiring managers wanting to hire “this guy.” It includes reasons for hiring that aren’t so punk rock including:
- Cronyism
- Racism
- Sexism
- Incompetence
At least, that’s been my experience with hiring “this guy.” This may not matter entirely to the sucker looking for a short term fix but the deficiencies of using this process consistently are pretty terrible.
@Lance I think making HR irrelevant is different than outsmarting it because it’s really about where you put your energy.
Also, you’re right about cronyism & racism & sexism & the other assorted -isms, but I will tell you this much: if HR and Internal Recruiting Departments spend 20 seconds reviewing resumes and make a recommendation for a slate of candidates based on our initial screenings, ‘this guy’ probably doesn’t have a shot. I prefer to work in partnership with my clients. You want to interview ‘this guy’? Great. Let’s put him in the mix, see how he compares to other candidates, and review his knowledge, skills and abilities in a fair manner.
By the power of Grey Skull, I have the power.
@Jenn LOL, I forgot about He-Man. I was thinking of Howard Dean’s tag line from 2004: “You Have the Power.” You’re damn right I do.
“It
Hey Laurie, my CEO and COO don’t trust the line they make awful hiring decisions so you have to come through my team, we have a better average then a coin flip on making new hires (and avoiding bad ones)…maybe we are the exception to the rule…
Isn’t it nice to hear an HR group that adds value regularly!!!
Do you want to clap or Hurl??? Inquiring minds want to Know!
M
@FrannyO You are the experts with the toddlers, yo!
@Mark It’s nice to know that an HR team is better than a coin toss!
Well said. It’s good to see some “Real World” advice for jobseekers…
@Amanda Thanks. I’m so glad you think so…
I find this hilarious. The only way I got out of my last awful job is because of the Internet ($50K, btw). The person I worked for had such a bad reputation, and yet so much power in the organization, that either A) They assumed that since she was an idiot, I must be an idiot too; or B) They knew I had potential but were afraid of crossing her.
In my current position, I’ve used what little freedom I do have to showcase my skills to other managers. But my current boss knows this and does his best to restrict my movements, cutting me off as well as he can…because he can’t get anybody else to do the job for so little pay, and because he knows that I know that his business practices are one of the things that nearly made us go bankrupt.
Sound like total BS? Maybe it is. But what conclusion would you draw, if your boss still says you’re incompetent when you point out that he’s using last year’s project plans to manage you, and you gave him this year’s? Why would your boss pull you from a project if it’s helping another department (by finding a solution he said was impossible?)
This is great advice !
I am totally enjoying the HR Punk Rock forum.
Keep upmthe good work.