"The 10 Worst things about job hunting" - a comentary

US News and World Reports has a career blog and a few weeks ago they posted a piece entitled "The 10 Worst things about job hunting". Here is the list:


 1. Contradictory advice.
 2. Online application systems that barely work.
 3. Job descriptions that don't match the reality of the job.
 4. Employers who set up phone interviews and then never call.
 5. Interviewing and then never hearing anything back.
 6. Employers who insist on knowing your salary history but won't reveal what the job pays.
 7. Having your new salary based on what you used to earn, not what you'll contribute to the company.
 8. Not being considered if you're not a local candidate.
 9. Routine invasions of privacy.
10. Employers who say they'll give you an answer within a week and then go silent.

Now I first was directed to this article via one of my LinkedIn groups (a great was to stay connected and Network with people in either your current field or a field you are interested in entering...). The consensus on that discussion list was that point #10 is the worst, and I agree that it can be the most frustrating. But shouldn't we be more concerned about #9? I have had personal experience with #'s 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 & 10. Maybe this makes me fortunate... but it could just be the nature of my field and the HR people in it. The reason I think that #9 should raise the most concerns is that it is becoming more common in all aspects of our lives. For example to do just about anything online that involves customizing, ordering, the creation of an account we have to agree to a privacy policy... but how many of us read them in full AND understand them? And how often are we told as job seekers to provide access to ourselves digitally that we may not agree to in the physical world? I fully subscribe to the advice to remain as professional as possible with your online presence, and I have never had a Facebook account (just never saw the point), but I can't imagine giving a potential employer access to my account if I had one. Or friending the HR person just to apply for a job.

Which of these have you experienced? Which do you find the most frustrating? Or troublesome?