That shouldn't matter...

I came across a file the other day of an applicant who was screened by one of my coworkers, and it made me laugh. Ergo, I am passing the story along to you in an effort to make you laugh. Or at least roll your eyes. Same thing on this blog, really.

Lady applied for a job (obviously), so my coworker called to do a screen of her work history, preferences, etc. (Also obviously. You should be sensing a theme at this point.). The application was well-written, clearly by someone reasonably educated and taking care to come across as a professional. All good things.. The main issue – because there always seems to be an issue – was a terrible work history.

According to the comment in her file, the applicant got mad when my coworker asked her about her past jobs. "Why does that matter? I'm looking for work now."

[Pause for dramatic effect.]

Great…and it is hard to argue with the second sentence…but to recycle one of your own words, why would we hire you if you haven't held a job in four years with no reasonable explanation for the unemployment? And if we are really being picky [sarcasm], why don’t we discuss why you haven’t held a job for longer than five months at any given time in the past ten years? Oh, lest we forget, let us also visit the other significant gaps in your work history over that same stretch.

The myriad additional why questions one may pose obviously didn't occur to the applicant. The comment in her file indicated that she repeatedly told my coworker that "that shouldn't matter. You need to give me a job."

Again: Why? Because you applied? No. This isn’t school, with its wealth of participation awards. Our clients are looking for an [approximately] stable work history that they can use as a basis for future behavior. The hiring process costs money, and her work history indicates a consistent lack of longevity. Frankly, she probably wouldn’t be working long enough to pay back the costs of hiring her, let alone pay back the money a client might further spend attempting to train her before she bailed on them.

As one may expect, the applicant got mad when my coworker told her that her work history was terrible and we wouldn't consider hiring her. She continued to reiterate that "that shouldn't matter" until she hung up on my coworker.

I hate to break it to you, people, but work history does matter. A lot. Also, we are not obligated to give you a job simply because you applied. Shocker.