Applicant Interview Ghosting

Scheduled 12 interviews so far in an effort to hire office an assistant.

Ad is relevant and enticing, interview scheduling is prompt and immediate after they apply, and pay is quite competitive.

1 cancelled in advance, 9 did not show with no notice or cancellation, the other 2 are still scheduled for next week.

I'm at 0%.

At least the 1 cancelled - 9 out of the 10 others so far have all been total no-shows.

Paying "Indeed" $30 per applicant.

All the applicant screening that Indeed offers cannot legislate for nine rude people. Did the one cancel because they got another job or did they just have to postpone?

Here's hoping at least one of the two makes it into your office.

Scheduled 12 interviews so far in an effort to hire office an assistant.

Ad is relevant and enticing, interview scheduling is prompt and immediate after they apply, and pay is quite competitive.

1 cancelled in advance, 9 did not show with no notice or cancellation, the other 2 are still scheduled for next week.

I'm at 0%.

At least the 1 cancelled - 9 out of the 10 others so far have all been total no-shows.

Paying "Indeed" $30 per applicant.

Talk to your business clients... they go through this weekly.

Our country is going to SH*T.

maybe they think it is a remote position lol

Maybe it's just me, but I'm more surprised that you found that many good applicants in the first place. Combined with 9/10 flaking out, it feels like something more than the normal issue that employers are facing in the current job market. I'd consider lodging a complaint to Indeed support about fake job applicants.

Fake job ads have been a thing forever, and legitimate employers have been posting fake job listings as part of their HR processes. I guess it was only a matter of time before the applicant side became completely fake, too. Unfortunate to hear that it's affecting you, especially as we are so close to tax season.

How would one tell fake job listing from a genuine?

These seem pretty legit - based on where they worked, how they spec. on a search, etc.

Now I'm up to 14/15 no shows.

13/14 just plain didn't show up, one at least cancelled 2 hours prior.

This remaining applicant emailed to reschedule the morning of the interview, saying she was feeling sick, so we rescheduled her.

No one has actually showed up yet.

I think the problems are:

1) Covid made an already withdrawn and tech-hypnotized younger population even worse, somewhat understandably.

2) Our state unemployment benefit department only appears to require that the applicant state where they applied, they do not need to confirm or verify that they show up for an interview. So they literally become professional ghosters.

I think the problems are:

1) Covid made an already withdrawn and tech-hypnotized younger population even worse, somewhat understandably.

2) Our state unemployment benefit department only appears to require that the applicant state where they applied, they do not need to confirm or verify that they show up for an interview. So they literally become professional ghosters.

You probably have enough information from the resumes to make an educated guess at the age of your applicants and whether they might be currently eligible to receive unemployment benefits. That should help establish how likely either of these are true.

In any case, you should absolutely be demanding refunds from Indeed.

How would one tell fake job listing from a genuine?

Sometimes it's easy (in the same way that scam e-mails from Nigerian princes are easy to spot). Sometimes it's not, especially when a professional writes the job ad, and you only find out during or after the interview, if at all.

Going through work histories, it seems like the professional interview no shows are just under 50%.

So, allegedly, half are scheming, and half are just rude.

But perhaps I'm just being negative due to my frustration. We have a 5-6 employee firm that will be operating with 3 this tax season, it appears.

Wall Street Journal had an article today about accountants quitting and how students are turning away from accounting as a major. It's tough out there if you're hiring.

[url]https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-so-many-accountants-are-quitting-11672236016
[/url]
Why So Many Accountants Are Quitting
Even some accounting majors don’t want accounting jobs
KPMG’s Paul Knopp talking with students during the fall at the University of Texas campus in Austin.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By Lindsay EllisFollow
Dec. 28, 2022 9:00 am ET

More than 300,000 U.S. accountants and auditors have left their jobs in the past two years, a 17% decline, and the dwindling number of college students coming into the field can’t fill the gap.

The exodus is driven by deeper workplace shifts than baby-boomer retirements. Young professionals in the 25- to 34-year-old range and midcareer professionals between the ages of 45 and 54 also departed in high numbers starting in 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Recruiters who have been luring experienced accountants into new roles say they are often moving into jobs in finance and technology.

The huge gap between companies that need accountants and trained professionals has led to salary bumps and more temporary workers joining the sector. Still, neither development will fix the fundamental talent pipeline problem: Many college students don’t want to work in accounting. Even those who majored in it.

KPMG needs to recruit thousands of entry-level associates for fall 2023.

Jordan Pixley put his attention to detail and love of numbers into his Clemson University accounting classes. But in internships, he felt bogged down by the repetitive tasks of accounting—such as balancing cash sheets—and the work proved less interesting than the college class he enjoyed most—data analysis.

The 22-year-old accounting major attended a KPMG LLP recruiting event in Orlando, Fla., but ultimately chose not to apply. He graduated last week without a job lined up and is exploring opportunities with the U.S. military. Accounting’s grueling hours—70- and 80-hour weeks are common at the biggest public firms before tax and audit deadlines—were part of the turnoff, he said.

“I was a little scared of it, not going to lie,” Mr. Pixley said. “I don’t know if I want to do all that.”

KPMG said it is considering ways to reduce overtime hours and workloads during busy seasons. While salaries vary by market and position, most entry-level workers across audit, tax and advisory services at KPMG in 2023 will earn salaries that are 5% to 15% higher than those who graduated and joined in 2022, the firm said. One entry-level tax associate job based in New York City, which requires firms to disclose pay, has a posted range of between $71,000 and $82,000.

In the past 12 months, most KPMG employees have received three successive pay increases, a company spokeswoman said. Chief Executive Paul Knopp spent several days this fall on college campuses, including the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Illinois, pitching the company and meeting with students. He said the profession hasn’t done enough to help students understand the career options in accounting.

“The accounting degree is an incredible, powerful tool to help you succeed longer term in the business world,” he said.

It isn’t an easy sell, said Steven Kachelmeier, who leads UT-Austin’s accounting department. As the number of accounting majors has dropped, the bidding war to recruit students has intensified.

Industry groups are trying to change the perception that accounting work is tedious with daunting hours.
Firms promise higher salaries after a few years on staff, Prof. Kachelmeier said, but “when you’re 19 years old, you don’t think about 10 years from now or even five years from now. You think about right now.”

Students want to make more money up front than many accounting firms are paying—and they are finding it in other industries, according to professors. The expanded opportunities have come during a decadelong economic boom that has created new roles in sectors from banking to tech. Top students straight out of college can make significantly more going to work for consulting outfits and banks, rival fields that are drawing quantitatively minded students, according to recruiters.

“I don’t know who we’re not competing with, quite honestly,” said Rod Adams, who leads PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s hiring in the U.S. and Mexico.

The firm, which needs to recruit 4,200 entry-level associates for fall 2023, has prospects in its hiring pipeline as early as their sophomore years. Students do an internship after their sophomore year, and many of those interns are funneled into a second internship after their junior year, Mr. Adams said. Many go on to receive full-time offers.

One significant barrier to entry remains for many newly minted accounting graduates. To earn a certified public accountant license, a professional needs 150 credit hours, or 30 college credits beyond the typical 120-hour bachelor’s degree requirement. The 10 extra classes can add up to a fifth year of college, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars in additional tuition and fees.

PwC has joined with Saint Peter’s University, based in Jersey City, N.J., so that some students can get the 30 extra college credits by working at the firm. The company is paying tuition and paying the students for the year of work. Company leadership hopes the pilot project that allows work for credit will result in more young professionals sticking with accounting and becoming full-fledged CPAs.

The number of U.S. students who completed a bachelor’s degree in accounting declined nearly 9% to about 52,500 in 2020, down from almost 57,500 in 2012, according to the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. The slump has continued over the past two years, according to the group, though it hasn’t published final numbers for 2021 and 2022. Fewer students are also sitting for the four-part examination to become a CPA.

While some mathematically inclined students are drawn to accounting, the field still suffers from a stigma that it is uncool, with tedious work and daunting hours, said Keith Wolf, managing director at the Houston-based recruiting firm Murray Resources. Companies are sending young professionals into high-school classrooms to try to change that perception, and an industry group has drawn millions of views with a TikTok campaign to show the field in a fresh light.

Accounting is a reliable path to stable, steady work, Mr. Wolf said, but there are easier ways to enter the business world.

“There’s so many options,” he said. “Why pursue a much more difficult path?”

Write to Lindsay Ellis at lindsay.ellis@wsj.com

Corrections & Amplifications
The CPA license refers to certified public accountant. An earlier version of this story incorrectly described it as the certified professional accountant license. (Corrected on Dec. 28)

OP is trying to hire an assistant, not an accountant.
I think low level job candidates will fish for the easiest job with the highest pay. More fishing poles = more fish.

Scheduled 12 interviews so far in an effort to hire office an assistant.

Ad is relevant and enticing, interview scheduling is prompt and immediate after they apply, and pay is quite competitive.

1 cancelled in advance, 9 did not show with no notice or cancellation, the other 2 are still scheduled for next week.

I'm at 0%.

At least the 1 cancelled - 9 out of the 10 others so far have all been total no-shows.

Paying "Indeed" $30 per applicant.

Talk to your business clients... they go through this weekly.

Our country is going to SH*T.

Heard this quote recently: "I had all the disadvantages necessary to be successful." That's the problem. So many have it so easy that there's little drive to succeed anymore.

Going through work histories, it seems like the professional interview no shows are just under 50%.

So, allegedly, half are scheming, and half are just rude.

But perhaps I'm just being negative due to my frustration. We have a 5-6 employee firm that will be operating with 3 this tax season, it appears.

It's very understandable to be frustrated, for sure! I hope I didn't come across as mean; I just know from experience that if one starts from a wrong assumption, it's really hard to come to a right answer. HowardS brought up a good point in that you're looking for an assistant, not an accountant, which also could be a contributing factor.

Industry groups are trying to change the perception that accounting work is tedious with daunting hours. Firms promise higher salaries after a few years on staff, Prof. Kachelmeier said, but “when you’re 19 years old, you don’t think about 10 years from now or even five years from now. You think about right now.”

It's not just the entry-level pay -- the promised salaries in the future aren't even that great! It's not that "nobody wants to work" it's that "nobody wants to work the stupid hours employers demand for the pay on offer."

For about 15 years, our profession has known about a demographic problem hitting around 2020, and we really didn't do much to avert it. Then we got hammered worse by COVID and the PPP/tax law changes. It really couldn't have happened at a worse time.

Going through work histories, it seems like the professional interview no shows are just under 50%.

So, allegedly, half are scheming, and half are just rude.

But perhaps I'm just being negative due to my frustration. We have a 5-6 employee firm that will be operating with 3 this tax season, it appears.

It's very understandable to be frustrated, for sure! I hope I didn't come across as mean; I just know from experience that if one starts from a wrong assumption, it's really hard to come to a right answer. HowardS brought up a good point in that you're looking for an assistant, not an accountant, which also could be a contributing factor.

Industry groups are trying to change the perception that accounting work is tedious with daunting hours. Firms promise higher salaries after a few years on staff, Prof. Kachelmeier said, but “when you’re 19 years old, you don’t think about 10 years from now or even five years from now. You think about right now.”

It's not just the entry-level pay -- the promised salaries in the future aren't even that great! It's not that "nobody wants to work" it's that "nobody wants to work the stupid hours employers demand for the pay on offer."

For about 15 years, our profession has known about a demographic problem hitting around 2020, and we really didn't do much to avert it. Then we got hammered worse by COVID and the PPP/tax law changes. It really couldn't have happened at a worse time.

I certainly did NOT take anything you wrote as mean or rude.

And I can handle the frustration - it's "all part of it".

This problem is happening with many professions. It's like your only option as a young adult is to seek a career with Walmart. (I'm not saying as an entry level person, I'm inferring that even a professional must seek work with a low-paying, big corporate entity and work their butts off for "less").

I think if I were a senior in high school, I would be looking to go into IT of some sort (or to be a tax practitioner with my own firm, lol)

Heard this quote recently: "I had all the disadvantages necessary to be successful." That's the problem. So many have it so easy that there's little drive to succeed anymore.

Very much agreed. I don't want easy. If it were, there would be no barriers to entry and I wouldn't be in such a fortunate career position.

As frustrated as I am, however, I feel bad for them. Don't they realize that a life of ducking work and sponging benefits just to scrape by does not lead to fulfillment?

Relaxation time is fine, but when it's time to get to work, take whatever your brain wants and do the opposite.