Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Employers, please use postmarked letters for job applications (2025)

soapstone.mradford.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 109 posts

Re: Employers, please use postmarked letters for job applications (2025)

#71

Post by eightys3v3n »

jaredklewis wrote: post #29
personjerry wrote: post #23

This does nothing. I'll just start a business that mails letters to companies for you. Now, an APPLICATION FEE, that's interesting. Hmm.

Well, presumably your business charges something to mail out job applications to companies? Like an application fee, that charge incurs a cost to applicant which will do something (presumably reduce applicant volume).

Plus by making that fee optionally replaced with time spent writing the letter, people who don't have the finances to pay a whole bunch of application fees can still apply for as many jobs as they're willing to put in the time.

Re: Employers, please use postmarked letters for job applications (2025)

#72

Post by thaumasiotes »

eightys3v3n wrote: post #69
thaumasiotes wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In your process, I understand why step 2 would occur. But what are the companies "adjusting" to in step 3? What's gone out of whack for them that they're trying to correct?

They get too many supposedly unqualified applications.

How is raising the stated qualifications going to help with that?

Re: Employers, please use postmarked letters for job applications (2025)

#73

Post by toast0 »

mckn1ght wrote: post #17
ralph84 wrote: post #5

They already do this, listen to the radio at off hours and there will be many job ads with instructions to apply via postal mail. Of course the reason isn't to deter LLMs it's to deter Americans so the employer can claim no Americans applied in their visa and green card filings.

Do FAANG, FAANG wannabes, or startups do this for software development roles? I've never heard of that.

Take a look at the job ads in your local paper's classified section. You'll have to search as classifieds don't have their own section anymore, but it'll be in somewhere.

You'll likely see some listings with very specific and odd instructions to apply. I seem to recall there was a ruling/advisory that requiring application on paper doesn't actually meet the requirements for immigration, but it used to. You would see very detailed and specific requirements, and it would be cumbersome to apply, and the hiring company would be hoping that only the candidate they already knew would apply.

Re: Employers, please use postmarked letters for job applications (2025)

#74

Post by bigpeopleareold »

While time consuming, I would gladly use my otherwise underused but decent enough handwriting to carefully write out job applications. Can get really good pens to do it too. However, given my own network, that's probably not necessary anymore either way.

My mother had insanely superb handwriting, in part because her mother pushed good penmanship on her. While I can be sloppy, it was for me a challenge when I was young to copy her perfect handwriting (not for forging signatures though!) Handwriting is influenced by which hand is dominant. I am left, she was right handed... so not exactly close :)

Re: Employers, please use postmarked letters for job applications (2025)

#75

Post by eichin »

aitchnyu wrote: post #65
malfist wrote: post #31

2D plotters are what, $100? That's basically no cost for someone wanting to spam "handwritten" letters

Two students built their own https://makezine.com/article/technology/robotics/homework-ma...

The EMSL Axidraw launched in 2016...

Re: Employers, please use postmarked letters for job applications (2025)

#76

Post by eightys3v3n »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #72
eightys3v3n wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They get too many supposedly unqualified applications.

How is raising the stated qualifications going to help with that?

Well, if the majority of candidates are applying to a job where they only meet four out of five of the requirements, if the employer can add a sixth requirement they may naively think then applicants will have five out of six requirements. Alternatively, if they receive too many applications, a solution is to be more specific so they receive fewer or they can filter out more earlier. Adding additional requirements is one way to do this, even if the requirements are not necessarily connected to a successful candidate (knowing how to write in languages that aren't used in the company, for example); some recruiters don't seem to know that some of those requirements are completely irrelevant to the position.

Re: Employers, please use postmarked letters for job applications (2025)

#77

Post by ghusto »

elgertam wrote: post #30

Introducing JobbyPasta, the service that will hand-complete and mail in job applications for a small fee of $9.99 per application. Add on a transcription of your cover letter for an additional $4.99, or have us generate one (with your approval) and transcribe it for $7.99. Have a lot of applications to send out? Subscribe to us monthly for $34.99/mo (billed annually).

I feel like this is already addressed in the "Aha! But you see..." section. There is nothing that one can't poke holes in, but if the holes are not big enough, the proposal is still sound.

Re: Employers, please use postmarked letters for job applications (2025)

#78

Post by ghusto »

vulcan01 wrote: post #18
stackskipton wrote: post #6

After seeing the flood of resumes for application, I do think a small cost to apply wouldn't be a bad thing for either applicants or companies. I also realize that if someone is unemployed, getting them to pay money they don't have to find a new job is counterproductive. However, when we wanted to hire a new Ops person at work, the flood of obviously not qualified at all applicants we got was insane.

> the flood of obviously not qualified at all applicants we got was insane From speaking to folks looking for jobs in tech over the past few years, this is a natural result. 1. Companies write requirements on the job posting that are a little beyond reasonable for the role and salary. 2. Applicants learn over time, and start applying to jobs for which they only meet most of the qualifications. 3. Companies adjust and…

I wish this wasn't true (but know it is from experience), because those of us who are posting job requirements that actually correspond to what we're looking for are left with nonsense applications.

Re: Employers, please use postmarked letters for job applications (2025)

#80

Post by ghusto »

personjerry wrote: post #23

This does nothing. I'll just start a business that mails letters to companies for you. Now, an APPLICATION FEE, that's interesting. Hmm.

The barrier of entry has gone up from nearly nothing to signing up (and presumably paying for) your service. This is a significant increase, which will simnifically decrease BS applications.
Post reply on HN