Sorry, but an applicant is nothing in business. You don’t work there, you aren’t at all important. A business has priorities, and if you’re lucky as applicant, one of those priorities is hiring new employees. But if it’s not, and you don’t like being at the bottom of the list, you better find someplace else to work. When there are deals to make, problems to resolve, government forms to file, a phone message light blinking, a screen full of urgent emails, someone who just wants a job has to wait until I have time. I don’t want anybody working for me who throws a hissy fit if they have to wait because things get backed up.
The problem is not that the guy doesn’t have time for an interview. The problem is that he didn’t even have the courtesy to cancel. And yes, you have enough time to shoot off a “Sorry, got busy, will reschedule” email. You’re not an air traffic controller.
I don’t know if we’re talking past each other here; if you’re busy, you would make an appointment for an interview in a week’s time when you can fit them in, but then actually show up for the appointment because you have made a commitment for that time. Busy does not equal rude.
It almost sounds like the people saying that being late for interviews and the things you said you would do is excusable because you’re busy are missing the point that employees and employers are in a symbiotic relationship - both need the other. People need a place to work, but companies need employees, too.
My experience has taught me that the universe sends you a pebble before it hits you with a boulder.
If I were you, I’d cut this one lose, no matter how ‘hella cool’ it’s made to seem, at this stage.
I think, you are smart enough to know, this cannot indicate anything good, about this company. You may think they are their ‘reputation’, but in today’s world everything is always changing.
I always maintain it’s a rookie mistake to ignore your own intellect. And you’re certainly intellectual enough to recognize the red flags for what they are. Tread carefully.
How will you feel if, while in their recent employ, this company fails, and somehow manages to take out your professional reputation, in the process. Will you kick yourself for ignoring the signs?
MOL, you can choose to get bent over these perceived slights, or you can turn it to your advantage.
“Wow, we’ve had a real devil of a time trying to synch up on these interviews. You guys must be incredibly busy. Here are the specific skills and experience I have that can help alleviate your workload right away…”.
We can debate busy vs. rude all day long, but if you want the job, take the high road. It will lead you there.
I agree that it would be discourteous not to cancel. But sometimes people get stuck in the maze and don’t realize they’ve missed something, or rely on others to pass along a message, and sometimes that doesn’t pan out right either. Sometimes it is just plain rudeness and irresponsibillty. But anyway it happens, it’s insufficient information to judge a position or company on. And it’s foolish to pass up a potential opportunity over a minor inconvenience. If it results in a job offer, you take the information you have at that point and make a decision. Up until that point, it’s just part of the game.
That happening once is perhaps forgettable - we shrug and move on. Twice is an insult, and that it happened without an immediate apology is deeply unprofessional.
I’m sorry, that’s just bullshit.
Interviewing new applicants is part of your job. Whether you’re part of a dedicated HR department, or just someone who has had filling a particular position assigned to you, it’s part of your job. And it’s a part of your job that needs to be done–if you didn’t need help, you wouldn’t be hiring. If you continually blow off scheduled interviews because you’re so very, very busy, what that says to me is that you have an unreasonable workload because there aren’t enough hours in the work day for you to do your job. Do I want to work for a place that gives you such a workload that there’s not enough hours in the day to do everything that’s assigned to me? Nope, sure don’t. I might eventually get desperate enough to take a job like that, but that’s exactly what it would take–desperation.
Or maybe it’s not that the workload is so unmanageable, but just that ten million urgent things chronically pop up at the last minute. Do I want to work for a place where crisis mode is a normal and acceptable state of affairs? Nope, sure don’t.
Then again, maybe that’s not a normal state of affairs. Maybe things are only this crazy because they’re short-staffed. But in that case, it would make sense to prioritize the hiring process, because the sooner you get some help in the door, the sooner things will settle down. If you’re blowing off an interview in that situation, it means you’re too goddamn stupid to see your own best interests. Do I want to work for someone too goddamn stupid to see their own best interests? Nope.
I think that the question is “how much do you need the job that exists on the backend of this shitty interview process.”. It is likely that the interview process is indicative of other issues within the company - overall workload is probably high, the decision making process may be slower than you like, communication may be less valued than you want. Those are certainly questions to probe, and I’d do it by talking to people who work there outside of the process. But if it’s a choice between this job and a worse situation - no job, a current boss who is abusive, an overly stressful situation, then it’s probably worth ignoring the interview situation regardless. If you have a good job that you like and is stable, I’d be blowing off this company based off the interview signals you are getting unless there are other mitigating factors (i.e. everyone you’ve talked to says its great once you get in).
Not enough information, sadly. There’s nothing here that indicates whether the guy is the Lone Flake in the chain of command, or if it’s typical of the work environment. The fact that you wouldn’t be working closely with him makes me think you should stick with the interview process, at least until you can get a sense of the people you would actually be working with.
It’s certainly ANNOYING, and for that you have my sympathies.
Very nice phrasing there, aesop. Me likes.
Now this is really excellent advice.
I agree with all of this, but since there is so little information, I think MeanOldLady would be making a mistake by ignoring a large chunk of information she already has, which is that this company’s HR department is crappy. Someone said something to me a long time ago that has turned out to be true far more than not - “Management sets the tone.” The tone here is a big red flag to me so far.
Bump for an update, MeanOldLady?
I got the job.
Had some more interviews, met folks at the office, everyone was super friendly which is a huge departure from my old gig. I start April 02. Very excited considering my last gig was a shitty job at a shitty company with the shittiest boss in the world. Gods, that woman was an epic cunt. Epic. Cuntiness aside, the work is more along the lines of what I actually want to do, plus the work environment seems awesome. I’m spending this downtime enjoying the weather (80 degree Chicago March – say what?) and me time.
Thanks all for your help. I really, really, truly. no bullshit, appreciate it.
Hot dog! I’m glad he turned out to be a lone flake who wasn’t representative of the company as a whole.