

[Website] hid my job application from an employer? - rmellow

I&#x27;ve been browsing jobs for some time on a certain website and today I found some convincing information that it hid at least one of my job applications from a potential employer.<p>Notice: The story below is entirely anecdotal. I don&#x27;t see any feasible way of collecting evidence, so I will not identify the website.<p>I created my account a few months ago on [Website], but had absolutely zero follow ups to my job applications.<p>[Website] offered me to sign up for their [Premium Program]. I was getting absolutely no results, but there was a free trial period. What could I lose? I signed up and focused on getting the most of it.
The trial period was over and I still had no followups. Their [Premium Program] brought me zero prospects, so I did not become a paying customer.<p>I kept on using the [Website] to find jobs, but then it hit me: If [Website]&#x27;s users got hired before their [Premium Program] trial period was over, they would make a lot less than if their users were hired after the trial period was over. There is a definite advantage for [Website] that users involved in [Premium Program] don&#x27;t get hired until they become paying customers.<p>While I continued to use [Website] to find and apply to jobs, I started to apply outside [Website] via email or web forms. This past month I had four followups.<p>Today my suspicions were confirmed. I had an interview today with one of the companies that I applied to via both [Website] and e-mail. The interviewer could absolutely not find my job application on [Website]. I double checked and my profile clearly showed that I did apply. To the very same job.<p>Did [Website] hide my profile from prospective employers, hoping I would pay for [Premium Program]? This would be a disservice to the community, negatively affecting both job posters and job seekers.
----<p>TLDR: Job interviewer couldn&#x27;t find my job application on [Website], even though I could clearly see that I applied.
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Gustomaximus
I would be suspicious of any website that wanted me to pay to apply for a job.
Recruiters get paid big money to find talent. I can't see many of them
seriously using a service that hid candidates that don't have a paid for
account.

If this is LinkedIn, it seem a good time to short these shares. If this kind
of activity is allowed it sounds like the beginning of the end for any website
that is desperate for revenue at any cost.

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sound_of_basker
It is LinkedIn, isn't it?

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JSeymourATL
> but had absolutely zero follow ups to my job applications.

Applicant Tracking Systems are notoriously bad. And worse still, their users
are primarily flunky HR types. It's also possible, your CV is weak or off-
target for the role.

The work-around: From now on, go direct to the boss. E-Mail and call the
hiring executive (yes, people still use the telephone). Linkedin is good for
figuring out who's in charge. Sort for CIO, VP or Director of Engineering,
etc...

You'll find doing this gets better response rates and more courteous follow
up.

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BWStearns
Did you check the request traffic? If it's API driven they might have
accidentally left in some clue there. That would be a bad idea on their part
but so is acting against the best interests of your user (by and large).

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mmastrac
> I don't see any feasible way of collecting evidence

The story above seems pretty compelling to me. Why not ask one of the other
companies on the site to test your theory?

