Further Proof that HR people (or whoever’s doing the job posting these days) don’t have a damn clue:
I’m checking out what I missed on various job sites in the past few days, and discovered something pretty odd. There’s one site that lists jobs under “Internship,” “Entry-Level,” “Mid to Senior-Level,” and “Executive.”
I like checking all of the categories, just to see what’s out there, and notice that every single job in the “Entry Level” category is asking for a degree, plus 3-5 or 4-6 years of directly related experience. Seriously?
Could someone who actually has a clue please enlighten me on what exactly is entry level about someone who’s three or four years post-collegiate? More specifically, someone who’s been working all those years, as opposed to taking a very extended Gap year?
Job Posters: Do y’all need someone with a damn degree in Communication to help figure out the definition of “Entry” so you can perhaps post your jobs in relevant places? Because currently, the medium is sending the message that you don’t make much sense.
Do you *really* want an HR professional to enlighten you or were you asking hypothetically?
Because I would, if you’d like. There is, actually, a very good and simple reason for what you’re finding. This is the kind of thing you learn in “HR school”.
Agreed. That is utter crap.
Entry level should be someone who’s just out of a degree program, or PERHAPS someone with a two-year diploma or equivalent with one or two years of experience.
Y’know, it’s part of the whole prejudice against the young, energetic, talented worker which I absolutely detest in today’s world.
My take on this is that they *want* people with a degree and 4+ years of experience, but they’re only willing to pay an entry-level salary. Sadly there are companies out there that are looking for people with low self esteem who will take whatever work they can get.
dearheart: actually yes, I would like to know. I’m hoping there’s a reasonable explanation for it.
Especially since, according to those postings, I have “entry-level skills” (a degree, plus 3-5 years of directly related experience, between co-op and post-degree work) – and have been told by multiple HR people that I’m overqualified for that type of posting and should be aiming higher.
They want the experience, and the ability to PAY entry-level 🙂
gill, Kyn – I think you guys probably have it.
It doesn’t seem like dearheart’s going to provide an answer (in fact, I think she’s out of town at the moment) – which is unfortunate. I was looking forward to the official “HR School” reason.
Though does it strike anyone else as a bit wacky that one should have to go to HR School to understand how to find a job (except one in HR)?
Basically, it’s because you *are* entry level. No harshness intended.
“Mid to Senior-Level” inherently implies “management”, something that is *not* entry level.
Given that there are only four “levels” within this recruiting website, entry level is where you would be classified. It’s not so much that your skills are entry level, it’s just that you’re not any of the others.
And, of course, my comment was facetious…jeez. But after all your other comments about how useless HR professionals are, I felt it prudent to indicate that I did, in fact, go through two years of fairly brutal hell to get my qualifications. And we *did* learn things like how to classify jobs on recruiting websites.
And yes, I *am* in New York. Thanks for the opportunity to be able to respond while *not* on vacation.
dearheart: I’m glad you checked the post after returning (and hope you had a good trip). I wasn’t sure you would, and a few people asked me if you had – so I figured I’d post a comment as such.
I stand by my comment that a majority of HR people I know in a professional context are very bad at their professions. Frankly, so are a lot of marketers – otherwise the collective profession wouldn’t have a reputation as spinners and liars.
I still can’t comment on your personal HR work, because I haven’t worked with you in an HR context – (just as you haven’t worked with me in any job where I *have* managed people, processes and marketing campaigns) but I’m glad you take your profession seriously enough to stand up for its importance.
Perhaps instead of taking this observer’s comments as a personal attack, when they had nothing to do with your work – take them to your organization and say “hey, some of us are giving everyone a bad name, and that shit’s gotta stop.”
That’s what I do with my colleagues.