Oh, the dreaded "overqualified" label. The problem with that garbage is the candidate usually knows they are overqualified and applies for the job anyway. I've made it to the final round of interviews and have been strung along as a "leading candidate" before finally being told that I was too good for the job. Yeah, thanks. Just lie and tell me the other candidate was a better fit rather than implying that he was dumber.

As a former client and employee of an employment agency, I have to say that I try to avoid them. Sometimes it is the only way into a company but in our current economy, I wouldn't trust a company that feels the extra expense is worth it unless they only need temporary help. I truly feel that computers and recruiters have made it much harder for the job seeker to find a job. I hate putting my hopes for a good job into the hands of a recruiter who is probably relying on a program to "weed" out the undesirables. Just because my resume or cover letter has the right or wrong "key words" is a poor way to find the people needed for a job. No wonder personal reference is still the best and most used way to find the people you want.

Companies have gotten lazy and don't want to talk to anyone. They want everything to go through their online forms that they barely even utilize.

A company I recently interviewed with (and cancelled the second interview because of a different job offer) posted a job with the following title: "We don't believe in titles. Work hard and have a sense of humor. Heh heh." At first I was skeptical and the description didn't say much but it was the type of posting I would want to make. They wanted to see how you responded, not just what your resume stated. I liked them. It would have been fun to work there.

Fer"Glad to be working anywhere"rick