Why Is It So Hard to Get a Straight Answer from HR About Job Openings?

Continuously searching for entry-level opportunities within my state, I've never experienced an HR professional providing a direct confirmation of an available position with a simple "Yes, we have an opening." Usually, the response tends to be either "No opening at the moment" or no reply, even when there might be a vacant position.

It is confusing whether HR professionals are primarily meant to recruit individuals or inadvertently subject them to a bewildering process.

This is not unique to India; it happens all over the world. In my previous experiences, I encountered the same situations.

No one nowadays ever gives a straight yes or no answer, something they have learned from politicians. You cannot have failed to notice that Modi and his team never say yes or no. Neither does the President of the United States nor the Prime Minister of the UK, or any other political leader for that matter.

A simple yes or no sounds too direct, so people find ways to tone it down for many reasons. Examples might be not wanting to hurt someone's feelings, or they don't want to commit to anything, etc. Learning how to say NO is not easy, and I can attest to that from experience. Think about interactions with your friends; do they answer your questions with simple yes and no answers? Chances are they don't; it will often be a maybe, we could, possibly, I'll think about it, etc.

Strategies for Effective Communication with HR

One of the secrets is never asking a direct question such as "Do you have any vacancies for XXXX." As you have learned, you get the same answer every time. Sit down and work out a new strategy. If you can get to talk with an HR manager, initiate the conversation with a series of questions that ultimately may get you the information you want. However, you have got to go in there looking and sounding like a winner; a half-hearted attitude will sink your ship in the first 60 seconds.

Understanding the WIIFM Principle

Above all, remember the golden rule WIIFM (what's in it for me?). This is the question the hiring manager is asking himself, and you need to convince him that you might be a good fit for his team and worth taking a look at your CV.

Give it a go and report back to us on how it went.

Hi,

Perplexing Dance of HR : HR professionals often find themselves as puppets in the hands of management; they are expected to dance to the management's tune!

You are just starting your career. Please don't be frustrated. Unlike the old days, when we relied only on the HINDU Opportunities page, today's generation has more platforms like web portals, social sites, WhatsApp groups, and many more. So just keep applying. First, identify your goal, stay focused, understand the expectations of the employer, develop necessary skill sets, and project how you are unique among other candidates.

When there is a huge opening for freshers, HR needs to follow many processes, right from preliminary approval from management to the final go-ahead from top management.

There are instances where HR is advised to hold the trainee batch at the last minute. So every move of HR is based on top management's signal. When responses are huge in numbers, responding to each and every candidate is not a realistic task.

Please keep knocking on doors with hope that one day they will open.