There's no such thing as winning a singing contest by vocal prowess. It's all judges discretion.
I hope you all still remember how to report a discriminative job advertisement in JobStreet. If you can still recall, we actually reported a "live" discriminative job ad due to age discrimination. You can view this post to have your memory refreshed.
Let me share to you the reply we received from JobStreet. I think it would be better for me to post here a screen shot of the email from JobStreet for the sake of data integrity.
I hope you all still remember how to report a discriminative job advertisement in JobStreet. If you can still recall, we actually reported a "live" discriminative job ad due to age discrimination. You can view this post to have your memory refreshed.
Let me share to you the reply we received from JobStreet. I think it would be better for me to post here a screen shot of the email from JobStreet for the sake of data integrity.
For those who are having problems reading the email per the image above, let me copy JobStreet's reply and post it here. JobStreet replied to us, "Thank you for your email. We will ask the employer to modify their ad although the age will still be up to the employer for their job requirement."
Unfortunately, things are still up to the employer's sole prerogative.
This is the sad reality of job hunting. You can collect and showcase all credentials you can think of. But at the end of the day, it's the employer who has the last say.
And the sad reality of employer's prerogative applies not only in job applications. It also applies in employees' evaluations, ranging from regularization to promotion.
We all know the fact that we pursue formal education to get a job. We spend unforgiving amount time and money to gain a documentation of our competence, because these documentations is a way of pleasing whoever is assessing our application. But whether we like it or not, companies can still hire or not hire anyone for any reason. I have seen cum laude's being turned down simply because the HR officer did not find them entertaining, and I have seen applicants gifted with angelic faces and diabolical curves getting hired despite their failure to meet the 35 words per minute passing rate in a typing test.
And the most heart-breaking fact is the reality of employer's prerogative is an absolute truth. It knows no exceptions. Yes, the legislative branch of the government can have equal employment opportunity bills approved into laws. JobStreet and JobsDB can regularly remove discriminative ads from their site. But what happens during the interview is strictly between the applicant and the assessor. The company may not write their discriminative preferences in their ads, but they can turn down anybody without telling anyone why.
So that being the case, the absolute truth of employer's prerogative teaches us, surprisingly, both pride and humility. Cool isn't it?
Now what do I mean by that? When we apply for a job, there can only be two outcomes: it's either you get hired or not.
For those who get the job offer, the initial reaction is to hold the self in high regards, massaging the ego with thoughts of credentials and qualifications. Wrong! Please bear in mind that you got hired because the assessor finds you pleasing. No more, no less. Yes, you can be as qualified as you believe, but no matter how qualified you are, the assessor can shred your resume at any moment he/she finds you bland! And please remember that there are definitely other applicants out there who are far more qualified than you but did not get the job offer for some reasons beyond their control. Please have the humility to remember all these.
And for those who did not get hired, don't take it too hard on yourselves. Take a look at your resume, your skills, and your character. If you honestly find yourselves qualified for the job, then walk away and find a company who can find your worth. Have the pride remind yourselves that not everyone can see your good qualities. You did not get hired not because you are dumb or something but because you were not able to please your interviewer, which is obviously not your fault.
I hope I was able to impart some job market wisdom here. Sure, you can still pursue your formal education and polish your skills, but let me stress one thing: you cannot please everybody, and not everybody can please you.
Unfortunately, things are still up to the employer's sole prerogative.
This is the sad reality of job hunting. You can collect and showcase all credentials you can think of. But at the end of the day, it's the employer who has the last say.
And the sad reality of employer's prerogative applies not only in job applications. It also applies in employees' evaluations, ranging from regularization to promotion.
We all know the fact that we pursue formal education to get a job. We spend unforgiving amount time and money to gain a documentation of our competence, because these documentations is a way of pleasing whoever is assessing our application. But whether we like it or not, companies can still hire or not hire anyone for any reason. I have seen cum laude's being turned down simply because the HR officer did not find them entertaining, and I have seen applicants gifted with angelic faces and diabolical curves getting hired despite their failure to meet the 35 words per minute passing rate in a typing test.
And the most heart-breaking fact is the reality of employer's prerogative is an absolute truth. It knows no exceptions. Yes, the legislative branch of the government can have equal employment opportunity bills approved into laws. JobStreet and JobsDB can regularly remove discriminative ads from their site. But what happens during the interview is strictly between the applicant and the assessor. The company may not write their discriminative preferences in their ads, but they can turn down anybody without telling anyone why.
So that being the case, the absolute truth of employer's prerogative teaches us, surprisingly, both pride and humility. Cool isn't it?
Now what do I mean by that? When we apply for a job, there can only be two outcomes: it's either you get hired or not.
For those who get the job offer, the initial reaction is to hold the self in high regards, massaging the ego with thoughts of credentials and qualifications. Wrong! Please bear in mind that you got hired because the assessor finds you pleasing. No more, no less. Yes, you can be as qualified as you believe, but no matter how qualified you are, the assessor can shred your resume at any moment he/she finds you bland! And please remember that there are definitely other applicants out there who are far more qualified than you but did not get the job offer for some reasons beyond their control. Please have the humility to remember all these.
And for those who did not get hired, don't take it too hard on yourselves. Take a look at your resume, your skills, and your character. If you honestly find yourselves qualified for the job, then walk away and find a company who can find your worth. Have the pride remind yourselves that not everyone can see your good qualities. You did not get hired not because you are dumb or something but because you were not able to please your interviewer, which is obviously not your fault.
I hope I was able to impart some job market wisdom here. Sure, you can still pursue your formal education and polish your skills, but let me stress one thing: you cannot please everybody, and not everybody can please you.
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