An Argument for NotHired.com

Over the past couple of weeks several HR/business blogs have stumbled upon NotHired.com. The reviews have mostly been good, that is until Joel Cheesman argued that the website was “pathetic” and “disgusting.” Joel contends that it does nothing for the HR profession and that it makes fun of the lesser educated. I disagree with Joel’s critique and other critiques about the site.

  1. It’s not making fun of the less educated. - The majority of the people who are listed are people looking for attention. They want to stand out from the crowd. The only typos posted are the ones that result in funny sayings. If HR pros made fun of every typo or misspelling the website would be updated every second. (I also doubt the Craigslist posts are from HR professionals).
  2. It provides therapeutic relief. - HR pros deal with a lot of shit. If we didn’t laugh once and a while we would have emotional breakdowns sooner than we already do. It’s also fun for people who are not in the field. It’s really no different than the funny headlines on the Tonight Show.
  3. It’s educational. - Job candidates can see what works and what does not. It encourages them to actually check their resumes before they send them. It also makes them realize that they’re not the only ones adding fluff to their resumes and that we don’t like it. Many of us are limited in the “help” and feedback we can give to applicants. I know my company would not be comfortable with me providing resume and interview tips to rejected candidates and frankly if I did it would consume my time. This is a way to reach out to them.

To all the naysayers: get over it. Life is too short to be amused by unoffensive humor.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 10th, 2008 at 6:00 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “An Argument for NotHired.com”

  1. The Hiring Managers Says:
    April 10, 2008 at 2:23 pm | Reply

    Hi, Rachel.

    Thank you so much for the kind words! You nailed our philosophy exactly: we aim to provide a much needed mid-afternoon laugh for HR pros and hiring managers, and a what-to-avoid perspective for job-seekers.

    Joel Cheesman is obviously a super-smart guy, but his read of Not Hired seemed to miss the plot entirely.

    Take care,
    Hiring Managers D., K., J. & K.L.
    Not Hired

  2. Rachel Robbins Says:
    April 10, 2008 at 6:58 pm | Reply

    Not Hired Managers – My only complaint is the over abundance of Craigslists posts. Regardless, I find the site very amusing. Perhaps someday I’ll submit some of my own.

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