Am I the only one who finds NotHired.com repulsive?
Maybe it’s the just-celebrated-Easter in me, but this new site – a collection of online resumes, cover letters and such that anonymously highlight the lesser educated among us – is simply sad and wrong.
I received an email last week from the holier-than-thou founders:
We are a group of HR monkeys and hiring managers and got the idea for Not Hired while sitting at a bar in San Francisco last April. We were laughing about each other’s worst candidates and realized that all of us were seeing a steady flow of goofy resumes, cover letters, and Craigslist postings.
Look, I’m not above making fun of people. But I follow two important rules:
- 1. Give a return address. Throwing insults at anyone should be done with a name attached to it. Your game is weak otherwise.
2. Pick on someone your own size (or bigger). Tossing grenades at the CEO of a public company or large organization, for example, is a lot different than shining a spotlight on the less fortunate among us for amusement.
I’ll add that it does little for the advancement of, or the PR for the HR profession. I wouldn’t be surprised if the world outside looks at this site and thinks, “Man, HR people are real jerks.” And it doesn’t help when reputable sites like ERE offer favorable content about such junk.
Anyone attaching themselves to this crap should be ashamed.
Popularity: 7% [?]
March 24th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
@ Joel:
This site is indeed an absolute insult.
I’ve picked it up and blogged about it (in Dutch…) but also left a message to the morons that founded this site, as per their request ([...] you are a hell of a lot brighter than we are, so if you have an idea for how Not Hired could be better [...] send us the idea right now).
My message to them reads:
Do you think your site is actually funny? I find it deeply disturbing that people that receive applications can blatantly trample upon privacy and decency as values that have no meaning in their pursuit of a quick laugh. If you are actually hiring managers or recruiters you should be fired on the spot.
If enough people would do the same perhaps this could activate their neocortex to a level of awareness we could call human. If that happens they will pull the site immediately.
March 24th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
The concept of this site is nothing new. I have seen dozens of articles and web postings of resume faux pas. And it can be funny. So when someone sent me the link I looked at it for 5 minutes, had a few chuckles and moved on. If you’re new to the HR world and resume viewing, the joke may last longer. But for me, It’s the Andrew Dice Clay of the blog world…it’s a one-trick-pony.
My prediction is that once folks realize this site is no “Purple Cow” the limelight on this will fade.
March 24th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
omigod!! i am frickin’ loving nothired!!! sorry you hate it but it is making my whole day right now. thanks for posting about it!!!!!!!!!!
March 24th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Calling the sites founders “holier-than-thou”, and then ending the post with “anyone attaching themselves to this crap should be ashamed.” Isn’t it ironic?
It’s also pretty apparent to me that you’ve never spent a day in your core audience’s shoes. Anyone who’s spent a lick of time sorting through resumes, screening, and interviewing has at minimum a handful of these horror stories to share. I’m guessing you’ve spent very little time (if any) doing any of the above. It’s probably not funny to you because you can’t relate. If that is the case, maybe your next post should be about why you’re considered an “industry guru.”
Here’s to hoping you fall off your high horse, hit your head, and regain your sense of humor.
March 24th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Joel – couldn’t agree with you more. In addition to doing little for the advancement of HR it becomes a huge trust issue. Like it or not, if you’ve chosen this profession there is an unwritten code of honor/responsibility that comes with it – don’t like it there are a lot more careers to consider. Instead of making fun of what they find perhaps they can figure out how to contribute value. Its one thing to get a chuckle once in a while, we all do, but going so far as creating a website out of this is taking it too far and negatively impacts the reputation of the profession – which we all know needs all the help it can be taken as a more serious strategic player and contributor.
March 24th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Joel – I don’t understand why you dragged ERE’s name into this post.
Your link is to a post on Simon’s blog, which is hosted on ERE’s site, but is written entirely by him, with no direction or input from me or anyone else at ERE. It’s a blog, and you should know as well as anyone that blogs are a place for personal expression.
Whether or not you like what he wrote, his views no more reflect the views of ERE than your opinions reflects those of Wordpress.
March 24th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
They should have stayed in the bar.
March 24th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
I thought it was funny. Guess you didn’t! If any non-recruitment industry candidates happen to visit nothired.com, perhaps they’ll learn to take a little more time, think a little harder, and do a better job before sending off their resumes and cover letters? That’s it! Nothired.com is a public service site…
March 25th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I think this site is hilarious, and as long as identities are protected, i don’t see the harm. Would love to see the lens turned on employers. The recruiting world needs something like Thefunded.com. seems to me that transparency and accountability on the recruiter side of the equation would go a long way to improving the job search experience.
March 26th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
get a grip buddy – it’s pretty funny…
March 26th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Whatever dude….. stirred it up as usual Joel :>)
March 31st, 2008 at 6:18 pm
I agree, just another example of an industry that is deeply deeply troubled
April 2nd, 2008 at 9:20 am
Aw, come on Joel – lighten up.
HR is often seen as a pariah because of the perception that we take ourselves too seriously. Nothired.com isn’t a forum for evil HR folks who want to laugh at the unfortunate, it’s for everyone who has ever applied for a job.
Potential applicants can use it as a “things to be careful of” site, former job seekers can use it as a healthy “been there, done that” reality check and everyone can relate to the guy who put on his objective line, “Enter some company/job specific bulls*it here”.
Nothired.com is a good sampling of the everyday humor that adds spice to our lives and our profession. Take a gander and enjoy it for what it is, a moment of healthy satire in the all-too-serious world of business.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
This site is mean spirited and negative. Some of the stuff they put up for ridicule or fair game, the zany, the crazy, but somethings fall into a gray area. You can see it in the comments left by some people. For example, in the post “Totally” what looks like nonsense jargon isn’t so cut and dry. Some companies don’t even read cover letters, they just scan them for keywords. So in that case couldnt it just be some young applicant hoping to get in as many buzzwords as it takes to get a human being to look at him/her? Theres lots of other gray area stuff, and I don’t buy this “You can learn from it” nonsense. Why don’t you HR people post the BEST cover letter you’ve ever seen? This site just confirms peoples’ worst fears, that HR people really can be petty, terrible human beings, who find merriment in others’ shortcomings.
September 14th, 2008 at 10:19 am
“Tossing grenades at the CEO of a public company or large organization, for example, is a lot different than shining a spotlight on the less fortunate among us for amusement.”
Really??? Who is holyer-than-thou now? Big or little, “tossing grenades” is a low thing to do to increase your ratings.
“Man, HR people are real jerks.” (or hypocrites)
September 14th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Ha ha ha sounds like somebody saw their resume over there.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:16 pm
I think the site is great, and i agree with the comment that maybe the site will cause someone to at least proofread their resume.