Based on A True Story Time…

I have a friend, Jane, who was looking for a job.  Another friend, D’Keisha worked for a company that was hiring from exactly the position. Jane gave D’Keisha  a copy of her resume.  D’Keisha put in a good word, physically handed it to the hiring manager, AND sent him an electronic company.  A week goes by and D’Keisha hears that the hiring manager is busy interviewing candidates.  She’s perplexed as to why Jane never got an interview, let alone a call.

At the time, I had access to their whole pool of applicants.  I checked and Jane’s name was nowhere to be found.  She was NOT an applicant.  She never actually applied.  If her name wasn’t in the list I saw, she didn’t exist.  Her credentials were never scored or reviewed.  Neither woman knew how this worked.  They genuinely thought D’Keisha was able to hook Jane up.  Naw.  Nope. and Nada.

I was looking for a job because I’d found myself working in a cult (always believe Glassdoor.com reviews y’all).  I saw an opening and contacted a friend who worked there.  He put in a good word, put in a good word and made sure the job description was written in a way that I would be perfectly qualified.  The first review of resumes was done by HR, not the hiring manager.  My friend had spoken to the hiring manager.  But I had to get past the HR folks to receive the blessing that was a result of my friend talking me up to the hiring manager.

I got the interview and got the job.  THAT was a hook-up.  I understood the process, my friend understood the process, and the hiring manager understood the process.

Moral: Understand the process.