Griping About Applications

Okay a little side trip here that has some small advice for businesses. I am on a search committee representing my division in a search for a International Studies coordinator. There were some applicant whose qualifications were so unrelated to the position the only reason I imagine they applied was seeking a job in Hawaii. Other than that, the process has been pretty good.

However, it did remind me of some pet peeves I have with the job application process from the point of view of someone who has applied for jobs.

My first pet peeve is with objective statements on resumes. I think they have to be a cruel joke played on the public by job search web sites, books and advisors. The only reason I could imagine for using it is if you are applying generally for entry level position in a large company that won’t read cover letters. These places need an easy way to route resumes so the objective statement helps the human resources department out.

Otherwise, I would tell people applying for a specific job or an upper level position to leave it off. This is because it makes you sound like an idiot without any skills. People write such general, all encompassing objectives they sound useless. I am talking about stuff like “Objective: Acquire a rewarding position that will allow me to apply my skills in marketing, management, advertising or public relations.”

I have been on interviewing committees for everything from intern positions to department chairs and I have never voted to hire someone with one of those silly objectives. (Obviously, by the time they get to department chair, they aren’t using them.) I have also never used one on a resume and maybe that is why my last job search took so long, but I can live with that.

It just seems more effective to me that even if you are fishing around companies for unadvertised jobs, it is much better to be very specific about the job you want, preferably in the form of a cover letter where you expound upon your experience in a directed manner, rather than sound anemic with vagueness.

My other pet peeve is the requirement that you send a resume AND fill out an application. Now I understand that some organizations require that the search process be uniform for everyone. My problem is that places use the same forms for everyone no matter what the job is. I honestly feel frustrated and frankly insulted when applying for a desk job requiring a Master’s degree and I have to fill out where I went to high school and if I possess a CDL license.

The forms also only provide a tiny space for talking about your experience. This may be good because it forces you to summate your responsibilities and accomplishments into one sentence and doesn’t leave room for a lot of BS. On the other hand, the committee I was on was looking at the form as a primary source of people’s qualifications. Writing “See Resume” on the application form was strongly scowled upon. I thought people were much more impressive on their resume. I would hate to think that I had been judged for jobs by what I was able to squeeze on that stupid application.

Of course, you can show initiative and recreate the application on your word processor. This is fraught with peril too. Some folks on my committee didn’t like the way an applicant had formated the form he/she laboriously duplicated.

Yeah, it is probably arrogant of me to think I am too good to be filling out application forms. On the other hand, if an organization expects that people will draft original letters specific to the position and perhaps take the time to find out the proper name of the managing director to whom they were instructed to send their resume, they should put the energy into customizing the application process as well.

In an age where technology allows people to customize their lives-when and how they experience the world and entertainment, the fact that companies are using outdated application procedures doesn’t speak well for them. The same technology also makes it easy for organizations to create uniform online applications or customized .pdf format applications that don’t include irrelevant questions.

So that is my rant and my suggestion– attract high caliber applicants by requiring only relevant and pertinent answers.

About Joe Patti

I have been writing Butts in the Seats (BitS) on topics of arts and cultural administration since 2004 (yikes!). Given the ever evolving concerns facing the sector, I have yet to exhaust the available subject matter. In addition to BitS, I am a founding contributor to the ArtsHacker (artshacker.com) website where I focus on topics related to boards, law, governance, policy and practice.

I am also an evangelist for the effort to Build Public Will For Arts and Culture being helmed by Arts Midwest and the Metropolitan Group. (http://www.creatingconnection.org/about/)

My most recent role was as Executive Director of the Grand Opera House in Macon, GA.

Among the things I am most proud are having produced an opera in the Hawaiian language and a dance drama about Hawaii's snow goddess Poli'ahu while working as a Theater Manager in Hawaii. Though there are many more highlights than there is space here to list.

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