Hiring Woes

Ever since I was hired at the pawn shop, we have been understaffed. And, as would be expected, this results in large quantities of work that never gets done. Dozens of gaming systems need to be retested and marked, shelf after shelf of merchandise needs to be organized in the back storage room, the showroom floor needs to be better stocked, items need to be marked properly, our Amazon and eBay accounts are horribly neglected, and the list goes on and on. The funny thing about being understaffed for so long (over three months now since I've been employed there and probably for a long time before then) is that there is a surprising number of applicants but very few of them are hired.

I've asked about why this is because there have been several days, like today, when multiple people have applied. I just didn't understand how so many people could be turned down. I have since been informed that, sadly, the background check knocks a lot of people out of the running. Being able to trust someone is a big issue as large quantities of cash, expensive goods, and fine jewelry are at stake. The application, which is required to be filled out in the store, makes the occurance of a mandatory background check very clear, and this has been a concern to some of the applicants. Recently, some of them have asked me about this.

One man asked me if having a DWI (Driving While under the Influence of alcohol) would instantly disqualify him for employment. To be honest, I had no idea, and I told him as much. I also told him that I assumed they were most concerned about assaults, theft, and repeated offenses. He seemed to find some encouragement in this, but I am not sure if he should have.

Another man claimed that he had nothing to hide and began to unfold the tale of the blemishes on his record. I would have happily listened because I find such things interesting, but as I really have no say in if he gets hired or not, I didn't feel it would be very moral for me to have him reveal his past transgressions just because I was curious. He dropped some very serious phrases such as "attempted vehicular manslaughter" and "aggravated assault" and that was when I interrupted his thrilling tale. The man was trying to be so brave and upbeat about it all, and I really didn't want to lead him on into thinking he had convinced me that his record was justifiably colorful instead of irrevocably damning. He was a very polite man, and I wish the best for him, even if "the best" does not involve working alongside me and my fellow employees.

Beyond the background checks, a couple of other things that have prevented people from being called for an interview have been 1) The Math Section: the last two pages are a math section that test the potential employee's basic mathematical skills. Apparently, this is very difficult for some people even though they are supplied with a calculator and are encouraged to use it as much as they need. 2) Not Writing Their Name Legibly: this happens more than you would think and we have been specifically asked by management to make sure the name on the application is legible when they are handed in.

On a side note, it is somewhat of a wonder that I was even hired. After filling out the application, I handed it in to a nice woman (who I had no idea was the manager of the store). I spoke briefly with her and asked how long it would take to hear back from them. She said it might be a while because of the background check. I then asked if they actually did those, and she assured me that they did. She then asked me if there was anything I needed to tell her, only half-joking. Surprised by this answer, I promised that my record was spotless and that I just wasn't sure if anyone had ever actually conducted a background check on me because of the not-terribly-serious nature of my previous jobs. A few days later, I received a card in the mail from this pawn shop. It thanked me for applying and said they had tried calling me to schedule an interview but that I must have written my phone number down incorrectly on the application because they couldn't get through to me. I was very surprised by this for two reasons: 1) How could I write down my phone number incorrectly? I'd had the same number for over three years, and 2) If I was a boss and someone couldn't even fill out their own phone number correctly, I would have tossed the application out and labeled them as an idiot undeserving of the job. Luckily, that did not happen for me. I ended up having both interviews in two days and, obviously, was hired. I am proud to say that I am one of the proud few applications that made it through the gauntlet of this fierce hiring process.