In May, the state released an article stating that unemployment rates are higher than the national average. Despite this, businesses constantly have “Hiring Now” Signs, and many people post online they are searching for a job.
While it may be easy to say “Just apply” to those searching, sometimes things aren’t as easy as they seem.
Unemployment rates in Michigan have steadily grown these past few years, yet people can always see businesses taking applications, and social media is filled with people looking for jobs, so what is going on?
Shelly Keene with Michigan Works! says there are many reasons applicants may not hear back, or why businesses are not seeing applications.
One reason is possibly A.I.
“Oftentimes the HR departments have a full workload plus some, so I think AI is really helped with them in that initial screening process, which then unfortunately will help screen out candidates that aren’t qualified.” Shelly Keene says, she adds “But on the flip side, it also would screen out those who potentially could be a great employee, but they’re just missing some of those keywords and getting kicked out of their AI screening tool.”
It can also be due to a lack of knowledge.
I spoke with a representative from Horizon Books in Cadillac who told me that they recently hired someone part time for the store, and dealt with two issues.
One issue they faced was that it took multiple shares on social media to gain traction. The other issue? Once people did apply, they discovered that many of the younger applicants either incorrectly put together a resume or did not know what one was.
She informed me that of the 50 applicants, only 3 or 4 had actually applied correctly.
Keene says that can be the result of just being in a different generation.
“It is so much different even now applying for a job than it was ten years ago. Like we do most everything is online. You don’t step in and say, hey, are you hiring? It is. You have to follow the process. You follow the application online. ”
Keene adds that for businesses who are struggling to find applicants can also work with Michigan Works!.
In the end, Keene says it is all about perseverance and not being afraid to ask for help, for both applicants and businesses.