Sadly, I did not get the job I interviewed for shortly before Christmas. And I found out in the worst possible way. I was referred to the position by a bus buddy (I’ll call her Marsha). I’ve asked Marsha only twice since the interview about whether they’d made a decision. She seemed a little standoffish, like she was being put in an awkward position, so I decided to back off and just wait to hear from the woman who interviewed me. Haven’t heard yet.
So this morning, Marsha asks me, “Have you heard from them?” I say, “Nope. I think I’ll call on Friday if I don’t hear by then.” She says, “Well, I know they’ve made their decision.”
After a couple more questions she finally tells me that she knows they didn’t choose me. I ask, “Did the other person start already?” Marsha nods.
Man, that pisses me off.
What cracks me up is that their human resources director insisted, several times, that they would call me within three weeks and let me know, one way or the other. That would have been a welcome change from every other position to which I’ve applied. Lying sacks of shit.
Bummer. I’ve had the same sort of thing happen a lot. They tell you they’re going to call, but you never, ever hear from them. You call the HR person a week or so after the interview, and they insist they haven’t made a decision yet. Eventually, you just have to write them off - they’ll never call and tell you “no.” Sucks, doesn’t it?
Canth,
That does suck! Sorry you didn’t get it. I don’t think that potential employers know how important it is that they f/u with people instead of leaving them hanging.
Yeah Athena, it really really sucks. Especially for someone like me. If I were an HR representative, I would have the huevos and common decency to do what I said I would do. What do they think is going to happen? Like I’m going to throw a hissy fit or start crying or something. Give me a break.
When I say “someone like me” I mean that I am assertive, almost to a fault. If I have a problem with someone and it’s really bothering me, I tell them to their face. If I have a tough job to do, someone to confront, shoot, any uncomfortable task, I just do it! Get it over with, rip the frikkin’ bandaid off… Don’t get me wrong, I’m tactful and thoughtful about it, but I frikkin’ DO IT!
::Packaging up a huge boxful of Godiva and Cadbury, addressing it to Canthearya::
Yow, sorry to hear about the job. As a contribution to the sourness of those grapes, though, why would you want to work for a company with such a lame HR department? You’re totally right that a two-minute phone call would cost them nothing but the cojones to pick up the receiver, and give you the feeling of being handled professionally.
That really sucks, especially about your friend not being willing to tell you they had already filled the position. If you wanted to look at it another way, however, they could have hired someone like me, who (before I got the job I have now) worked as a temp at one job and a part-time permanent person at another for 5 days each, then quit both with no notice to come here. So it is possible you were a second choice for the position and the first choice won’t work out. That happens more often than you’d think.
I would never have left either job without notice had it not been for the fact that my last employer told me to leave the same day I gave my two weeks’ notice. (I was moving across the state back home to care for my mom, and they knew I’d be stuck there 2 weeks anyway, and needed the money, and yet they screwed me like a bitch because my boss thought women shouldn’t work. I resolved then NEVER to give any notice again.) Because companies do that to employees, they expect employees to act the same way. They often do, resulting in the second candidate getting a call after the first person flys the coop.
Anyway, I hope it all works out for you, and that when the call about a job comes, it will be what you want.
Major bummer, Canthearya It took me months to find my current job, and I never once got a call from anyone saying no. I just got a couple of “thanks for coming in” letters from a couple of them, months later.
OK, nobody wants to make the call and have to answer a rejected person’s questions (“But why?”), but gutless is gutless. At the very least, they shouldn’t promise to call if they won’t. You’d think none of these HR types had ever had to look for a job themselves.
Can’t,
I’m really, really sorry to hear that. A place that treats potential employees like that doesn’t deserve to have you. Good luck in your future searches.
Zette
Love is like popsicles…you get too much you get too high.
Cant, that really sucks. I wish you all the best in finding a new job with a company that respects people. I (still) have a big ol’ bag of candy sitting in my closet for you, I’m waiting to find the elusive big, flat coke gummis before I mail it off. I’ll find them, I swear!
Sympathy and commiseration coming your way, Cant. It’s a real disappointment, but I think this may be a letdown that’s really a lucky escape. In my view, anyplace that treats you like crap as a candidate sure wouldn’t have treated you any better as an employee.
This way you’ll be free to accept the next, better thing that will assuredly come your way. Hang in and hang tough.
really sorry to hear this, cant. i really know how you feel. i lost out on an internal job a while back because of some office politics.
someone w/ absolutely no qualifications whatsoever was given the job, which upped her pay to approx. $10,000 more/yr than me. that stings more than a little. as a topper, because she is totally unqualified, they downgraded the work requirements for her. she promised to go to school to get degreed but in nearly 2 yrs still hasn’t even applied.
life just isn’t fair.
i would suggest you ditch the chick that told you about the job in the first place. she doesn’t sound like any kind of a friend.
but hang in. i’ve never lost out on something that the replacement wasn’t even better.
The purpose of life is to matter, to count, to have it make a difference you lived at all.
Yes you will get a good job…better than this one. HR can really be louses sometimes. I put in for another job where I work…months ago…they didn’t even have the decency to let the 15 of us that had applied even have a chance to interview…they interviewed 4 people…and still haven’t filled the job…which leads me to believe I really don’t want it anyway.
I wish you luck canthearya, not knowing is the hardest thing to cope with when looking for a job, and the hardest thing for HR to understand. You put yourself out on the line and they have no respect for that.
If it makes you feel better my worst interview/job hunting experience was a group interview. Yes, there were about 15 aplicants they rounded up at the same time in a conference room. Then they went around the room discussing each persons qualifications and everything else. It was very apparent that many of these people were WAY more qualified for the job than me. I felt trapped, there was nothing in the world more dear to me than getting the hell out of there. I had to admit to the whole room that my current job was landscaping. Oh, the horror, I felt like white trash in that god damn room. Definately the most regrettable interview I’ve done.
One of my (many) employment agents told me: after an interview, send a thank-you note to the person who interviewed you. Send it the same day, if possible. Just a short note, on neutral stationery, saying “Thank you for your time.” It’ll make you look gracious, which may be a tiebreaker, and even if they don’t hire you, you’ll get a reply, because you’ve put them on the spot.
Remember, I’m pulling for you; we’re all in this together.
—Red Green
I once got a rejection letter for another applicant. Presumably, she got mine.
It’s nice when they don’t even take the time to match the envelopes and letters.
Let the Truth of Love be lighted/ Let the Love of Truth shine clear. Sensibility/ Armed with sense and liberty
With the Heart and Mind united in a single/ Perfect/ Sphere. - Rush
