A girl I worked with in 2020 saw one of my Facebook posts about my infuriating job search. Particularly, I had posted my frustration about being denied a position with TJ Maxx…again. How can a place have signs that they are urgently hiring just deny an applicant without even an interview?
This girl recommended that I apply to Rite Aid where she had been working as a pharmacy technician. She said they were desperate for part-time help in the pharmacy, and while I have absolutely no interest in that type of work, I still need a job, so I went to their website.
After inputting some of my information, I was met with an AI that asked me questions. I was initially turned off by this, preferring to just enter my work history and proceed as normal. I then went to CVS’s site and applied there instead, taking their long assessment, and likely failing the tests for dyslexia. I have always had mild dyslexia and suffer from ADD, a bad combination for lengthy tests meant to check for dyslexia.
I later returned to the Rite Aid site and continued with the AI assistant. It asked me a few more questions and then just stopped, giving no indication if it was finished or if one of my answers disqualified me. I gave up, guessing that I had finished the application.
Recently, I received an email thanking me for my interest, but informing me that they are moving “forward with other candidates.” The standard automated response that you are not good enough for the position. They are in desperate need, yet no one even called me and I was never asked about previous work experience. Perhaps this is why they are desperately hiring: their website will not let people apply.
I still stand by my opinion that many companies want to stay short-staffed as a way to save money. Why hire more employees when the current ones will work themselves to death for the same money? This was how Joann operated daily, which is why they had to close when they were short-staffed. A skeleton crew means less labor expenses, so of course companies would prefer fewer employees to save money for executive bonuses.
Whoever came up with the idea for an AI assistant instead of a simple application is making too much money. It does not make the process easier and will frustrate some applicants—more so than just me. When I attempted to apply to McDonald’s, I was met with the same problem and abandoned it in anger.
I have enough intelligence to enter my data into an application without the help of an AI assistant. I don’t need to be matched up with other jobs that might better suit me that are not in my area. I just want steady income, not a career. My career is self-employment, but my business is too young for me to live on those profits. Someday…
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