'The Unemployed Will Not Be Considered'

[Wingfoot]

Disturbing Job Ads: 'The Unemployed Will Not Be Considered'

Bad news: There are about 5.5 people looking for work for every job available, according to the latest data from the Labor Department. To make matters worse, some companies are ignoring ALL unemployed applicants.

In a current job posting on The People Place, a job recruiting website for the telecommunications, aerospace/defense and engineering industries, an anonymous electronics company in Angleton, Texas, advertises for a "Quality Engineer." Qualifications for the job are the usual: computer skills, oral and written communication skills, light to moderate lifting. But red print at the bottom of the ad says, "Client will not consider/review anyone NOT currently employed - regardless of the reason."

In a nearly identical job posting for the same position on the Benchmark Electronics website, the red print is missing. But a human resources representative for the company confirmed to HuffPost that the The People Place ad accurately reflects the company's recruitment policies.

Sony Ericsson, a global phone manufacturer that recently announced that it would be bringing 180 new jobs to the Buckhead, Ga. area, also recently posted an ad for a marketing position on The People Place. The add specified: "NO UNEMPLOYED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONSIDERED AT ALL." When asked about the ad, a spokeswoman said, "This was a mistake, and once it was noticed it was removed."

Ads asking the unemployed not to apply are easy to find. A Craigslist ad for assistant restaurant managers in Edgewater, N.J. specifies, "Must be currently employed." Another job posting for a tax manager at an unnamed "top 25 CPA firm" in New York City contains the same line in all caps.

There is no law prohibiting discrimination against the unemployed, though advocates said the practice could be illegal if it had a "disparate impact" on minority groups.

[CableAvoidanceTool]

This economy is like a black velvet painting come to life.

[ProfessionalLocator]

A poor economy brings bad things out of the woodwork.

I have had interviewers tell me straight to my face they do not hire people my age, and that is illegal.

I believe what we are seeing is employers who think an unemployed person will take a job they do not want and only stay until they get another job. So they hire people who are employed thinking they are only leaving their job because they want to work at this new job and they will not be leaving.

[Wingfoot]

I believe what we are seeing are employers who think an unemployed people will take a job they do not want and only stay until they get another job. So they hire people who are employed thinking they are only leaving their job because they want to work at this new job and they will not be leaving.

Thanks ProLoc - You're reasoning makes perfect sense to me... I couldn't understand the logic for hiring only the employed when I found this article.

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[ProfessionalLocator]

Thanks ProLoc - You're reasoning makes perfect sense to me... I couldn't understand the logic for hiring only the employed when I found this article.

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You are welcome, now I will point out the flaw in these employer's logic.

If a person is will to leave their present job and come work with this firm it is because they see a bigger, better deal and will just as likely leave this new employer. They will be there long enough to make some nice new additions to their resume and then use their work record there seek a higher position with a competitor rather than spend decades there rising through the ranks. This practice is called 'job hopping' and these types of ads invite people who practice this method. They may as well have advertised a request to be used, abused and then thrown aside.

It can be equally argued that take someone who is unemployed and hire them, let them know they are welcome, treat them decent and encourage their growth in the company. This type of treatment can instill a feeling of job satisfaction and any recruiter will tell you that an employee with job satisfaction is very difficult to hire away from their employer.

So many people just try to be so slick when the old tried and true methods work great, they have worked for centuries for a reason.