Why is this so hard????

From the Fortune 500 to SMBs, companies are investing time, energy, and resources on employer branding, talent attraction, building talent communities, campus recruiting events, career days, and other outreach initiatives. As part of the growing importance of having a robust recruiting strategy, an organization is continuously updating its Facebook page,  company Linkedin page, Google Plus, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. Then advertising their open reqs on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, job boards… Investing significant amounts of money to attract job candidates.

However, much of this is wasted effort. Let me explain.

Candidate’s organizations are targeting are encouraged to go to the company’s career page, where they read lofty descriptions of how wonderful, and forward thinking and exciting “XYZ” company is. “A place where employees can grow and achieve great things,” they promise.

Then, innocently enough, the interested job seeker attempts to submit her/his résumé, using the applicant tracking system (ATS), conveniently located right there on the career portal. Importantly, the company makes it very clear that submitting your résumé through the ATS is the only way to apply for a job.

And it’s at this inflection point where everything goes straight to hell.

Five Strategies for Moving Beyond the Election

How am I dealing with the outcome of the election?

I’m continuing my post-election strategy to stay insanely busy, completely self-absorbed, and intently focused 24×7 on writing, recording, my kids, and business. (Here it is Sunday afternoon, and I’m writing this).

Obviously, there are many people very happy with the election results – however I am not one of them. On November 9th I honestly felt similar to the shock I felt in New York City on 9/11.

Prior to the election, I was obsessed with Google News, The New York Times, Washington Post, New Yorker, Five-Thirty-Eight, Politico, The Hill, Cook Political Report, Talking Points Memo, HuffPo… you get the idea. Spending way too many hours nervously… clicking. Since the election, I have tried to completely tune out. No NPR, no cable news, nothing.

The 2016 North American CandE award winners.

What are the CandEs you ask?

Have you ever applied for a job, spending hours writing a cover letter and jumping through hoops to upload your resumé into the company’s crazy ATS (applicant tracking system), then waiting… and waiting… and never, ever, hear anything back? From anyone? (A curse commonly known as the resumé black hole).

Six years ago, three recruiting and HR leaders – Elaine Orler, Gerry Crispin and Ed Newman got together to address the “candidate problem.”

The result? The Candidate Experience Awards (aka #TheCandEs), and a new non-profit organization, Talent Board was created, focused on the promotion and benchmark research of a quality candidate experience.  Since 2011, The CandE Awards have grown to an international movement.