Davidson & Partners

Are misguided ‘savings’ needlessly limiting the diversity of candidates likely to submit their application?

So here’s the thing.

You see an ad for a job that you feel eminently well‐qualified for. You download the briefing pack (such as it is – austerity means that not as much time has been put into preparing as much material as used to be the case, and in any event, employers are increasingly assuming that there are hoards of folk out there just gagging to make a move, so why bother).

Despite the paucity of material, you still think this role is right up your street.

You are mildly disconcerted to find that the council seems to have gone
backwards in customer care, given that the response instructions say that if you
don’t hear back from them, you should assume that your application has been
unsuccessful.   Back in the bad old days of snail‐mail, you used to worry about
this crappy behavior from a potential employer because you always wondered if
they had ever received your application in the first place.  You recall complaining
one time, only to be admonished by some jumped‐up dork in ‘Personnel’ who
responded patronisingly by asking if you had any comprehension of how much
the postage cost for frippery like ‘acknowledgement letters’ and ‘reject letters’
added up to? Suitably chastised and humiliated, you vowed never again to apply
to that authority for a job.

The thing is, though, in the era of email, surely the postage costs are now zero?
So, curious, you ring up regarding this role – only to be patronized yet again by
still another dork in personnel saying ‘do you have any idea, in these days of
cutbacks and austerity how much time it takes to log everyone’s details and
email everyone’?

The thing is, although pretty hacked off with this response, this is not in fact the
main issue that you were anxious about – its just that you are so hacked off with
the response to your query that you call it quits and abandon any plan to
complete your application.

No – the thing that has really wound you up is another item in the small print of
the response instructions, which states the council’s policy is not to pay any
travel expenses to candidates who might be called for interview.  Now, if you
lived in London (which is where the job is based) then this might not have been
too much of a problem (although you still feel that it is poor etiquette).  But no –
the problem is that you are based in Glasgow.  Money is tight.  And return fares
to London for up to three interviews (preliminary, shortlist and panel) are a
luxury you are not sure you can justify.

Does the sector that proclaims the critical importance of diversity really think
that a policy whereby only local candidates or those who can afford the travel
fares (quite apart from taking precious holiday time for the long‐distance trips
for the interviews) is appropriate?   Increasingly and depressingly, it seems,
apparently so.

Hamish Davidson is Chairman & Senior Partner of Davidson & Partners
hamish.davidson@davidsonpartners.com