30 Absurd Job Requirements That Are Exactly Why “No One Wants To Work Anymore”

To get a better understanding of how to scroll through job ads, we contacted the founder of TRAP Recruiter, LLC, Keirsten Greggs, who has spent two decades in talent acquisition and career coaching.

"A good job posting is discoverable by the qualified audience/job seekers it intends to attract," she told Bored Panda. "It is more than a list of duties and responsibilities. Job seekers should come away with a clear understanding of what problem they are solving, what they can offer to the role and organization, and what the role and organization can offer them so that they can apply and/or move on to the next, more desirable role quickly."

According to Greggs, a good job posting also shares the salary or hourly rate, work schedule, work location, and benefits, as well as provides an easy way to apply.

Conversely, Greggs said that some of the biggest red flags people should watch out for in job ads are:

• The descriptions of duties and responsibilities are vague;
• The list of duties and responsibilities is long and/or doesn't specify the qualifications at all;
• The language used isn't inclusive;
• Phrases like "high performance", "sense of urgency", etc. in a manner that feels toxic;
• The lack of salary/salary range, or the range is enormous, and/or states the salary is "commensurate with/determined by skills and experience".

"Absurd requirements usually stem from an inexperienced hiring manager who doesn't understand the role they're trying to fill and doesn't have a solid grasp on the available talent in the market," Keirsten Greggs explained.

"This is where recruiters can partner with them by asking the right questions that will ultimately make the job postings more attractive and inclusive, help them set expectations, and improve the candidate/job seeker experience at the onset of the hiring lifecycle."

In 2022, the Paychex team surveyed Americans who have recently looked for a job, and people across the country shared their current standards for evaluating an open position and what constitutes a potential warning sign. Their main concerns coincided with what Greggs told us.

Compensation is one of the most important aspects of a job, especially in times of economic uncertainty. So, it's unsurprising that not including a salary range was at the top of the list (65%). For many candidates, omitting that information implies that the salary range is probably low. Not including a salary and using the phrase “gain experience” makes them feel that the company expects them to work for free.

Sometimes, a great benefits package can make up for a salary that's a little lower than you want to accept, but if the pay is much less than you think you’re worth and there aren’t other benefits to compensate for it, people feel there's no point in considering it.

The respondents also mentioned arguably the most frustrating part of looking for entry-level jobs, which is the requirement to already have several years of experience in a related role.

Having that expectation is extremely discouraging, especially for new graduates trying to start their careers while also needing to make a living.

They also mentioned spelling and grammar mistakes. Just as employers don't want to see misspelled words in a resume, candidates are turned off by them in a job posting.

These things show little attention to detail and look sloppy and unprofessional. The best candidates know their worth and will generally be put off by such errors.

If people have to tick a lot (and I mean a lot) of boxes even to get their foot in the door, they start hearing alarm bells.

A potential reason for this is the fact that the company may not really know what it's looking for, meaning new recruits might be set up for failure from the get-go. It could also mean the scope of the role is too broad, in which case people might be in over their heads as soon as they arrive, too.

The last pet peeve on the list was too many interview rounds (anything more than two rounds). Ideally, the whole thing should be organized and efficient, and when the process drags on, it indicates to people that the team is indecisive or overly consensus-driven.

I wonder how many respondents of the survey belong to the two subreddits that these pictures are from because their answers seem to match pretty well.