I need some opinions about whether or not to make a certain phone call, and I hope there’s someone out there who can give me some good advice.
If you spend much time in the BBQ Pit, you may have noticed my ass-kicking thread. This one takes up the story where that one stopped.
This morning I came in to work and found a response to the message I sent the engineers at our supplier’s company. The response that I got shows that, first of all, the only person there who understands the product at all wasn’t involved in the development of this newest model, and that no one there really understood what was wrong and why I was so bent out of shape. To top it off, they want us to send them a couple of our radios on the assumption that some difference between the european and the american versions (same hardware, different sticker) is making their newly developed equipment malfunction. If they understood the product at all, they’d realize that the malfunctions are coming from their device and are independent of the equipment it is installed in. I also have the impression that they aren’t understanding why some of the things I described are wrong.
Because there have been too many incidents like this one, and because of other problems with our customers, I’ve quit my job. Remember, this is a job I’ve been doing for ten years and that I really enjoy. There are plenty of technical challenges, I get to travel some, the pay is great, and the guys I work with are all really cool. Its just that I’ve come to hate our supplier and our customers to the point that I have got to get out of here.
Since I’ve been here so long, I have to give my boss time to find a replacement (Hah! good luck there!) so I will be working here until the end of March, 2003.
I’ve put in applications at a couple of places, and one in particular has really go me excited. The job itself is more software than hardware, but that’s no problem. It sounds challenging and interesting. In fact, from the interview, it sounds like this place was before our supplier started going to the dogs.
So, now to the problem. This latest go around with our supplier has made me feel physically sick. I’d like to crawl off in a corner somewhere and puke. The need to get out of here and move on is just incredibly strong. I’d like to get up and walk out the door - I just don’t have anywhere to go yet, job-wise.
The one company that’s got me so excited hasn’t given me an answer yet. The interview was on 28 October (a Monday,) and they told me then that I’d have an answer by the end of the week. That Friday was a holiday, so I didn’t expect an answer. Wednesday of the following week, I called and asked if there had been a decision made. They told me that they hadn’t decided yet and to just be patient. It is now over three weeks after the interview, and still no word.
Should I call again and ask how things are going, and if so how should I go about it - or should I just sit tight and wait?
I know from experience that managers and HR departments can take a very long time to make a decision on a job offer. (Four months in my case.) And I also know from experience, though not directly, that managers will drop an applicant for the stupidest reasons; recently someone in our department didn’t hire a very qualified candidate because she didn’t make enough eye contact during the interview!
All that said, it’s a fine line between “eager” and “annoying” when it comes to post-interview followup. Relatively speaking it hasn’t been all that long since your interview, so I’d sit tight at least a couple more weeks. Is there anyone at the company you can call who isn’t involved in the hiring decision, but would be able to talk to the people who are? I would also try to get another job offer in the same field, regardless of how willing you are to accept it, and then use it as a bargaining chip with this company in order to force their hand. Whatever you do, don’t be pushy or act like they “have” to hire you.
Yeah. That “fine line” is the thing that’s worrying me. I really want to work for them, and I know that they don’t “have” to hire me. I just want to get an answer, yes or no, and move on. If I get a “yes” then life is fine and my current job won’t get on my nerves as much. If I get a “no” then that won’t be fine, but I can intensify my search instead of oscillating between searching for another job and already working on the projects at my “dream” company in my head.
Back to the “fine line.” I want to keep in touch so that they know I am interested in the job, but I don’t want to annoy them and lose any chance at the job.
In my opinion, it’s high time you called them back. I mean, consider: they told you they’d make a decision within a week, and it’s now over three weeks later. No need to be pushy or anything, just say, “hey! I’m really excited about the position I applied for; do you have an idea when you’ll be making a final decision?” See if you can get some kind of time frame, because that will give you a good excuse for calling back again later, if it takes longer than they say.
Well, Zut, it looks like you were right. It was time to call back. The problem from their side is not whether or not to hire me, it is a question of funding for the new position. The head of the technical department has made his decision, and I am it. The finance guy is trying to get things nailed down for further expansion of the company (read: funding for a long term development project I would be involved in) and until that is done they can’t hire me. The technical boss apologized for it taking so long and promised to light a fire under the finance guy.
Thanks for the advice.
Hooray! I gave someone the correct advice for a change! Usually whenever anyone follows my advice, they wind up getting fired.
Just kidding. Good luck, Mort.
Hey, no problem getting fired. I can swing that on my own, and I damn near did it this afternoon. I had a talk with the chief engineer from or main supplier. Things got kind of hot, and I as good as told her that they’ve been delivering shit to us. Well, that went uphill in their offices until it hit the BIG GUY level who then dumped on my boss. I tell ya, if I hadn’t already given notice a couple of weeks ago, he’d have probably given me notice today.
I’ll tell you what, though. It sure felt good telling them how bad they’ve gotten to be.