Interviewing for a job is taking longer than ever
By Jena McGregor, Washington Post
If it seems like it’s taken a long time for that recruiter to call you back, or for that first interview — and second, and third — to turn into a job offer, you have company. According to a report by Glassdoor, the interview process looks to be taking longer than ever.
The report, released on this month, analyzed more than 340,000 “interview reviews” that job candidates and employees have submitted on Glassdoor’s careers site over the past six years. It examined differences in how long it takes to interview in various job categories, sectors and cities. Washington, D.C. is the slowest city in the nation by far, job seekers say.
Its findings also suggest a sharp rise in the overall length of the average interview process in the United States — 23 days in 2014, up from about 13 days in 2010. (After controlling for some factors, that rise looked somewhat smaller but still significant.)
The whole system is outdated! There should be a secure site on Cyberspace where everyone can have a completed generic application which meets the requirements of industry and government. Some of these applications are 8 pages long and take a whole bunch of time to complete. (I think the Petco application is 8 pages.) For someone who is applying for 5 opportunities, it would take a day+ to just complete the applications! What a waste of time and resources!
If completed generic applications (with the education & employment history, etc.) all completed, applicants could attach a current resume & cover letter if desired and/or necessary. An authorization for background check could be included, to be acivated when the applicant sends the application from Cyberspace to the hiring entity.
I will never forget how frustrating it was to complete so many long applications when I was looking for a job! The government should take the lead in making this a much simpler process.