If you’re going to waste my time

…don’t waste my time.

Looking for part-time, seasonal work as of late, I recently applied to several retail jobs.

Familiar with the dos and don'ts of the selection process, I made it abundantly clear that I was available 24/7, for just about any job available. You can imagine how surprised I was when all but one employer turned me down, saying that they ‘didn’t have a role available that matched my preferences.’

Obviously, this is ridiculous. Because I was open to all the possible positions and preferences. Which means that they knew they didn't have a position available (despite the vacancy), which means they knew they were going to waste my time.

Or consider the string of ‘fall internships’ I applied to a few months back. Even though none of them explicitly said they were only for recent college grads, and even though all of them managed to contact me about an interview (presumably because none of them bothered to read my resume), all of them later informed me post-interview that their apprenticeships were intended for ‘up-and-coming professionals only.’

I would have been completely fine if they told me this before the interview. But to have me sit there for 30 minutes and listen to them talk when there was absolutely no chance I’d get the role was a waste.

It makes no sense to me when people deliberately waste people’s time and energy—or why there aren’t systems in place in to avoid these traps.

Any of these aforementioned employers could have easily adjusted their job boards, communicating that they no longer had any roles to fill. And if the string of employers with internships had simply read my resume, they would have known beforehand I was unqualified.

Time wasted, after all, is time you can’t get back. That applies just as much to job candidates and employees, as it does to customers, patrons, and bystanders. In other words, it’s a disservice and a waste, no matter the context, no matter the place.