"Would you hire someone who left a phone number answered by the front desk at a shelter? Do you think these people have a lot of successful friends and family that are professional in the way they answer the phone and take messages?"
As a matter of fact, if they had the skills I wanted, decent and just down on their luck, I'd hire them. I suppose you wouldn't. Well, not everyone is like you, thankfully.
Do you really believe that people who run shelters and facilities for the homeless aren't EAGER to help them move on? Would I hold it against a potential employee how SOMEONE ELSE answered the phone and took a message for someone trying to climb out of poverty? Absolutely not. My goal would be to see if there is a fit between the interviewer and NOT the message taker.
How is it, that ALL homeless live on this ISOLATED ISLAND from ALL contact? How is it that people trying to HELP these folks get back on their feet, ALL leave BAD impressions answering the phone and DO NOT want them to MOVE ON and get back on their feet? Truly those previous "kind words" of mine apply more than ever as you reveal more about your condescending self. You have NO heart and disrespect those that do and live it through their actions.
As a matter of fact, if they had the skills I wanted, decent and just down on their luck, I'd hire them.You don't know how decent they are, you're just calling because they gave a job application. Most employers with a stack of applications in front of them would hang up if they got someone who was answering at the homeless shelter, or worse, the teenage kid of the friend who said employers could call there. Friends and family are not all that skilled or reliable at taking messages... Heck, my dad wasn't when I was looking for a job, and if he failed to write down the name and number right, I was out of luck to know who it was who called.
An applicant gets one shot at a decent impression, usually, and this voicemail is one way maybe they can give the impression of normalcy that might help them get the job.
Those people who have good friend and family connections certainly fair better when down on their luck. I know I have depended on friends and family in my own past and was thankful for that. But not everyone does.
nmh, you don't have a clue about me. I think, no... I ~know~ your instincts on the larger issue are just as out of touch. Good day.