How to respond to desperate job applicant?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would this person have any access to money or things worth money if they got the job? If the answer is yes, do not give them the job.

LOL are you calling someone a thief because they are expressing interest in a job? Please explain your mental gymnastics because Nobody deserves to be called a criminal for breaking social norms.

Desperate people do desperate things. This is why companies check credit scores of potential new hires.

Again, trash take. Asking for a job is nowhere near the level of being a thief and no amount of straw man arguments will change that. I can talk endlessly about executives embezzling money but I won’t go there, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would this person have any access to money or things worth money if they got the job? If the answer is yes, do not give them the job.

LOL are you calling someone a thief because they are expressing interest in a job? Please explain your mental gymnastics because Nobody deserves to be called a criminal for breaking social norms.

Desperate people do desperate things. This is why companies check credit scores of potential new hires.

Again, trash take. Asking for a job is nowhere near the level of being a thief and no amount of straw man arguments will change that. I can talk endlessly about executives embezzling money but I won’t go there, either.

This person is not asking for a job. This person is hounding someone for a job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s one thing to be eager. But it’s another thing to blatantly say “I need the money”. Yikes. Sounds like they care more about getting paid than the role.

Would you do your job for free? No? Don’t perpetuate this.

OP - are you planning on hiring this person? Just straight out say the process is a little slower than you would like, but you will be in touch. I wouldn’t change my hiring decision based on this. S/he is hungry, broke, inflation is high, but qualified for the job, right? Throw them a bone.

+1

[Anonymous]

I can't imagine you have lots of applicants in this market anyways. She's worth considering if she's passed her interview, reference and background check.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You NEVER say “I need this job cause I really need the money” during the interview process. The company will bring it up during the offer. This is business 101

"I have no money" is not the same as "'cause I really need the money". Especially after passing the phone screen and in-person and on to references. This was after a normal "Thank you and I learned a lot at the interview". To me this sounds like a naive poor phrasing of a "Cash advance" or "immediate start date" are my requests in a position. Too pushy is totally bad form, but OP's stringing her along without informing her of the typical timeline would have saved OP this nagging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not about needing money or being desperate for the job. Of course employment is about providing one's labor in exchange for money that can be used to purchase goods and services.

But OP's applicant had an interview on Thursday and then sent an e-mail every day since asking for an update and saying how desperate they are. That shows amazingly poor professional judgment, an astounding lack of patience, and a complete misunderstanding of professional norms. I would not want this person as an admin.

Is the person young and maybe not understanding how it is supposed to work? I would cut them some slack.

I would do that anyway. Those of you with solid jobs might not realize how many job applications get spat out by computers before applicants ever make it to the interview, how many jobs come with zero benefits, and how few people are told what the invisible UMC standards are for “understanding professional norms” — which often vary by profession and even by the cultures of specific work places.

Thursday was the last day of the month. Rent is due. While the PP is prattling on about “amazingly poor professional judgement” shown by someone who wants to clearly communicate their eagerness to work, why not call out the OP — or whoever could have assumed the responsibility— for not being clear about the anticipated timeline following the interview? It’s both professional and kind to go beyond an open ended comment about checking references to provide some general guidelines: “ This process usually takes about a week. I’ll email you by Friday with an update”.

The funny thing is that once this role is filled, being pro-active and time conscious as well as eager to work could well be viewed as assets.

tldr: People who have networked their way into jobs and /or who have never had to worry about making a rent payment likely don’t get what it’s like to be on the other side of of the vague response that the applicant has to deal with — in the guise of so-called professionalism.

I would be eager to hire this person based on the information provided here.

[Anonymous]

If this was a man applying for a non admin role he would be described as a go-getter, passionate and hungry. All very positive adjectives. But this is a woman applying for an admin role and she’s called desperate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not consider them for the job. The person obviously has no concept of professionalism or boundaries. I would be paranoid every time they interacted with a customer or colleague.

+100. Lacks decorum and the ability to read the room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If this was a man applying for a non admin role he would be described as a go-getter, passionate and hungry. All very positive adjectives. But this is a woman applying for an admin role and she’s called desperate.

+1. Writing a thank you letter after an interview is ENCOURAGED and male candidates are told to this to help them stand out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s one thing to be eager. But it’s another thing to blatantly say “I need the money”. Yikes. Sounds like they care more about getting paid than the role.

Are you a full time volunteer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s one thing to be eager. But it’s another thing to blatantly say “I need the money”. Yikes. Sounds like they care more about getting paid than the role.

Newsflash - we all care more about getting paid than the role.

Newsflash. You don’t outright beg and say “I really need this job because I need money”.

Try using common sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If this was a man applying for a non admin role he would be described as a go-getter, passionate and hungry. All very positive adjectives. But this is a woman applying for an admin role and she’s called desperate.

Disagree. This level of desperation in a man is really unattractive.

[Anonymous]

The person who keeps trying to bring up the man Vs woman argument are pretty clueless in this particular scenario. It has everything to do with professionalism and who do you want to represent the company.

Someone who constantly nags, and begs, is someone who would probably annoy this companies clients in the long run. You have to be professional. And this candidate doesn’t seem to understand that.

[Anonymous]

This is a red flag. Someone who doesn't understand professional norms, realistic timeliness, and is pushy during hiring will continue to do all those things when hired.

The reality also is, most places don't pay you the second you walk in the door, there's a timesheet lag. This person will 100% be harassing you for funds for the 2+ weeks until payday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's better to hire someone who needs the money than someone who doesn't. This person will work hard to keep the job. I'd give them a shot.

Wow, glad my manager doesn't subscribe to this philosophy.