Why Companies Are Missing Out on Great Employees

Michelle Plett
Aug 8, 2017 · 3 min read

I landed “back” in North American in November of last year. Since then, while freelancing and working part time, I’ve applied to well over 200 roles across North America. I’ve had interviews and I’ve heard nothing. I’ve updated my CV, made my profile on LinkedIn All-Star, developed a website…

By no means have I done nothing.

I’ve yet to land a full time role.

As someone who tries to learn from each interaction, I can’t help but notice that there are few similarities between the companies that have said “no”.

  1. They’re afraid of the unknown. While I have been running around the world, building up my skills and experience, successfully working for companies and clients alike, they have stayed put and done things one way. Instead of seeing how bringing in new experience could create better results, they decide I don’t fit into a box and they run.
  2. They have lost the understanding of “transferable skills”. I think about my career and the projects I’ve worked on. I’ve run launches in Paris, charity events in London, tech events in Austin. I’ve gotten clients into trade papers across Europe, consumer media in America and even onto Russian television. I can speak 5 languages and get by in a handful more. I understand culture in a way that most study years to achieve, but yet I haven’t, “written a press release to media in X city” so I immediately get denied. Instead of nurturing transferable skills employers take their wishvlist, ie. checklist of attributes and forget that X doesn’t always equal Y. They miss out on people with great skill who may not look like “Dan” in the desk next to them.
  3. They say they want an entrepreneurial attitude, but hire the assistant. How many job postings do I look at that claim to seek someone who can “run on their own” and work like an “entrepreneur,” when actuality that translates into “will work long hours for no money”. There are a lot of great employees out there, who like me, are freelancers, part time business owners and creatives, who simply want to help build other’s visions. We do, however, come with more expensive skills and a belief that life is more than work. But work we will and hard, if you only gave us a chance.
  4. They want skill, but are not willing to pay for it. We are called the entitled generation. Told we want to be paid for doing nothing. Except that myself and others have years of skill and experience, but people are not willing to pay for it. As someone who’s worked globally, successfully on my own, I may not be easy to define. Instead, I’m competing with inexperienced college grads who are simply willing to do whatever it takes to get a job. I’m not willing to work for 20,000 dollars a year, when the work I will do will garner a company millions. Nor should myself or others have to do that.

So what will it take for employers to see the benefit of youth, experience and skill beyond what they’re able to put in a box. Are we all going to be forced into consulting roles while we work part time to pay the rent or will companies stop using software to find the next assistant and instead begin to see what lies in front of them. A whole generation of people who work hard, are highly skilled and are not willing to simply do a job out of desperation. We are not entitled, we value life and want to use our skills to help others.

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