If you’ve applied for a job with a company and been turned down, how does that affect how you feel about that company? What if you feel that the company treated you poorly as a job applicant? Joe writes that he wonders just that. He feels that a company of which he was a customer treated his girlfriend unprofessionally after interviewing for a job there, and wonders whether he’s justified in taking his business away from them.
About a month ago, my girlfriend interviewed for an IT position at [redacted]. She did two phone interviews and then was invited to corporate HQ for a face-to-face interview. She met with four people, including the hiring manager, for several hours during the course of one day. Now at least a month later, she has not heard back from the company: not a word. She has contacted the HR person who set up the interview(s) but she also will not respond.
Now, we are smart people and know what this means. We don’t think anything illegal has taken place or that [the company] should be “punished” or anything like that. But we do feel wronged. It shatters everything we know about professionalism. So much so, in fact, that it is affecting our decision to [patronize this business.] So my questions to Consumerist.com are…are you hearing about this type of unprofessional treatment from others? Is there anything we can do other than tell anyone and everyone who will listen? Why would a company do this? To save costs?
Should I consume good and services from a company that wouldn’t have me as an employee? If companies are inundated with resumes then have they realized that these hundreds or thousands of applicants might carry a grudge later on?
There are really two parts to Joe’s question. There’s his main question about continuing to be a customer of a company that you feel has treated you unprofessionally.
At the same time, there’s another question: was the company’s behavior unusual? I’ve been on a lot of job interviews in the last ten years, and I can probably count on one hand the number of actual rejection letters or phone calls I’ve received. I may just be forgettable, but this seems to be a wider trend. Are the people in charge of hiring so busy that they simply don’t have time to notify the rejects?
These are complex questions for a simple poll, so have at it in the comments.
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I just remembered that at some point since I hired on at my current company (8 weeks ago), someone mentioned that each person our recruiters deal with is a potential customer, which is why everyone gets treated as well as they would be if they were dealing w/ customer transactions.
Where I work, the people who interviewed you aren’t allowed to call you up and tell you whether or not you got the job – only HR can do that. And HR doesn’t want to tell you that you weren’t hired, because if the first-choice applicant doesn’t show up for the first day of work, or gets tossed out after a week on probation, they’d like to still be able to call the second-choice application up and see if he or she is still interested in the job. And then it’s been a month or more since someone got the job, and HR’s busy, and there were 20 other positions that were interviewed for/filled during that time, and rejection letters just aren’t high on HR’s priority list…
The one that freaked me out just a little was the time when I not only got a “sorry, you’re not hired” letter, but the letter actually gave the full name of the person who did get the job. Never saw that before!
If the manager acts like an idiot when I turn in my application, then yeah, I’m gonna avoid them for at least a while. But if it’s an employee that acts like a DN (figure it out, I’m not gonna spell it), then I’ll give them another chance. If I stopped going to everyplace where a clerk gave an angsty sigh or a wise-ass remark when I ask if the hiring manager is available, I’d be shopping online exclusively.
Being unemployed and not having looked for a job for a VERY long time, I was surprised by just how many companies send me “thanks but no thanks” emails. It’s running at about 50%. As a former hiring manager, I used to call people to let them know but the problem was they’d ask questions as to why they didn’t get hired or specifics and it was a HUGE legal minefield to answer. So, HR came in and made a company wide policy that quite literally prevented the hiring managers from doing anything but asking questions from a script and referring people over to the HR dept email. Sadly, I knew that nobody answered that email….
Still, I am personally not going to a couple of businesses that I used to do business with because they were downright jerks. Employees tend to treat people the way they are treated and I for one prefer to deal with companies that treat their people right.
As a recruiter, I can say this is complete BS. An integral part of the selection process is the wrap-up, in which you let people know they they have not been selected. Not only is it professional to do so, if you ever end up needing someone else and contact one of the previous applicants, you don’t ever want to hear, “you never got back to me.” click. FIRE THIS PERSON lol
I agree completely with the other commenters who say that Joe’s girlfriend should complain (appropriately and civilly) to the company for not letting her know if she got the job. She should contact whoever is the boss of the HR person who is ignoring her calls, for starters.
Two years ago my company did a nationwide search for a very high-level job (applicants had to have a Phd or MD and many years of experience). Our HR at the time was being run by someone who was quite incompetent. She brought in three candidates in the fall of 2008, each of whom had multi-day job interviews over several weeks that included presentations and so forth.
When one of the candidates was hired, the HR head never contacted the other two to let them know they did not get the job. One of those people only found out several months later when he contacted HR, only to get an impersonal brush-off. He contacted the president of our company and raised seven different shade of holy hell. The head of HR was fired that week.
Even though Joe’s girlfriend may not have that clout, there’s no reason to let HR folks get away with not doing their jobs.
Out of all the jobs I’ve ever applied for in my life, ever, the only one that ever formally informed me that I would not be hired and the position had been filled was Barnes & Nobles, when I was a teenager. They sent me a form postcard, but nonetheless, I really, really appreciated it anyway. It was nice to not have to keep hoping for that call back.
There is nothing wrong with voting with your dollars. You aren’t saying that the company should have hired your girlfriend, so now you’re mad. You’re saying they should have treated her professionally.
In the past, I have been turned down so nicely by companies that I liked them just as much after they rejected me. I have also learned that companies that treat candidates (people that have been interviewed) badly, will treat customers in the same way.
I absolutely hate it when companies do this. I’ve had countless interviews that went absolutely swimmingly- got along great with the interviewer, was qualified for the job, had the right experience, etc. They would end the interview on a happy note & tell me, “Ok then, we’ll give you a call in a few days & let you know the next steps!”. I leave all excited, SURE that I’ve got the job. A week passes… nothing. I give them another week… still nothing. Not even so much as an email. During this time I’ve been waiting on their call, not applying to other jobs because of how well the last interview went. I call the company back, and get a nonchalant response- “Oh, we decided to go in another direction, sorry!”
Ok. Fine. But it wouldn’t have killed you to give me a fucking PHONE CALL about it so I could go put out more apps!!!!
I don’t care how ‘commonplace’ this despicable, cowardly practice has become, it is WRONG. If you make it to the interview phase, they OWE you a phone call or email if they decide not to hire you. This is the thing that pisses me off most about job hunting.
You are justified in expecting a reply after a face to face interview.
Had you simply sent an unsolicited resume a reply stating your resume was received is expected.
Once you are contacted and interviewed, whether on the phone or face to face you deserve a rejection communication.
So yes, take your business elsewhere.
To be honest I think I have this story beat. Earlier this year I put in a resume for a job with a company that is known for being very formal and upscale. The position was for an hourly manager and me having 10+ years in the field thought I had at least a fair shot. Within a week I was contacted for an interview and was more than thrilled – as it was for the company I always wanted to work for doing exactly what I loved.
My first interview was with the general manager, and it went GREAT. The actual interview lasted 10 minutes and we spent the next 70 minutes just sharing our favorite work stories and whatnot. Before I get home I was contacted by the GM telling me he really thinks I am perfect for the position but another interview with another hourly manager would be necessary. A few days later I have my second interview and again it goes exceedingly well. Before I get up from the second interview the GM comes over and asks me into his office. Naturally I follow. He begins to tell me that not only do they want me to work for their company but they think I would be the person to replace him – as he would be leaving the company in a matter of weeks.
Of course I was completely shocked and overwhelmed that not only was I going to work where I wanted to, doing what I wanted, but that I would be the General Manager of the location as well. wow. I was enthralled! By this time my credit/criminal background check had processed and everything was all clear and in the green. The only thing left was to have a sit down with one of the Vice Presidents of the company to interview for the GM position.
The big day arrives and the VP and I have our meeting. We sit down and talk serious business for an hour straight. After all of the no-nonsense grilling is over we actually share stories and laugh for a bit. As the interview is winding down the VP and I get up and shake hands. He smiles warmly and tells me that he will have a decision within a day and that as a formality he will be calling my references. Of course I reply and we close on a hearty handshake.
That was the last time I ever heard ANYTHING from the VP or ANYONE at that company. I did not recieve a phone call, an email, a text message, a letter in the mail, not even monkey-gram with a little note pinned on his shirt reading “PISS OFF”. Nope. Nothing. My references are high-ups in other companies I had worked for and also really close friends of mine so of course I ask them how the conversation with the VP went during the reference check, and each of them replied that they had never even heard from the guy.
Of course I did not sit down on this and just wait, like a good interviewee I immediately sent a ‘thank you’ note to both the GM and VP and waited a few days. After which, I called the location, I emailed both the GM and the VP, I called the VP’s secretary, and the VP even gave me his CELL PHONE at the end of the meeting so I called that and left a message. Again, nothing. This was over 6 months ago and I hadn’t heard anything since my last interview.
6 months ago was also the last time I stepped foot inside of the location or any other. I have no desire to waste anymore time or offer up my money in support of a company that is not only discourteous, but unprofessional. The poster has EVERY RIGHT to do the same. Allowing the company to get away with this sets precedent for other companies to not only follow-suit but tread down a slippery slope.
Side Note: I did my research and found that the VPs best friend from another city had gotten the postion. Awesome.
You are justified in expecting a reply after a face to face interview.
Had you simply sent an unsolicited resume a reply stating your resume was received is expected.
Once you are contacted and interviewed, whether on the phone or face to face you deserve a rejection communication.
So yes, take your business elsewhere.
I’ve never been notified that I was rejected. I thought that was the way people do things. Weird.
A month? Calm down. A large company can take 2-3 months to decide, and if the decision is being made over the summer, it might take a month just to get the decision makers together to review applicants after the process has finished (think – vacations). The higher level the position is, the longer it will take.
Nagging the people with whom you interviewed is not a good idea.
I’m assuming that the OP’s girlfriend hasn’t been looking for a job for long. My husband has been unemployed for 3 1/2 months and has applied to hundreds of jobs. He has had at least 10 face-to-face interviews (plus many more phone interviews) in that time and one company sent an email and one sent a letter to let him know he didn’t get the job. The norm is to not contact you at all. In the beginning, he would email or call to find out about the position but you learn quickly that if you don’t hear in a week or two, it’s a no go.
One of his recent interviews, who didn’t let him know if he got the job or not, was with a well know fashion company for an IT position. The headhunter told him the rate (it was contract to hire) which was acceptable and set him up with an interview at the company. The interview went well but during the interview the hiring manager started talking money. My husband was told that they couldn’t pay what the headhunter had told him and quoted a figure that was $40,000 less a year. It seems that they wanted my husband but had interviewed someone who agreed to the lesser salary. This for someone with over 15 years of hands-on IT experience. The headhunter couldn’t believe that they low-balled him but then my husband got a call from a VP at the headhunting firm trying to talk him into the lower salary and this is all without any job offer. They never made him an offer yet kept talking money – my husband was willing to take less than the original amount quoted but I guess they decided to go with the less experienced person who was willing to work for dirt. The thing is that after being treated this way during an interview, it probably would have been a terrible place to work and, even if he got the job, my husband would have been looking for another one anyway.
Not hearing from a prospective employer seems to be standard, unfortunately. That said, I would probably go out of my way to do business with a company that did take the time out to respond to job seekers.
If it was just a phone interview with no request to come in, then the lack of response is understandable. If she took the time to meet with several people, then the courtesy of a response, even a rejection (IE you were qualified but we had so many qualified with more experience….) would be appropriate behavior.
Unless that store was critical (IE only electronics store in the area) I would cease patronizing and explain fully why. Maybe then you will get a response (or not).
Uh, that’s usually how it works. When I was unemployed, I very rarely got rejection letters or emails. Phone calls were even more rare. The overwhelming majority of the time it was just silence and un-returned phone calls.
She just didn’t get the job, plain and simple. She wasn’t treated badly. That’s just how things are. Courtesy went out the window a while ago, especially in this job market.
Then again, I’ve applied for jobs and heard back three months later. Who knows, maybe the person in charge of such decisions was in a bike accident or had a death in the family. It’s only been a month. To me, boycotting a place because they didn’t hire your girlfriend just seems childish. And I can assure you, the business will never even know.
Almost same thing happened to my son including phone interviews, they flew him 2600 miles, rented a car and put him up in a nice hotel for two nights. When they decided against hiring they let him know right away, though and not through the snail mail.
Company’s behavior was unprofessional, but not disgustingly so.
OTOH, barring contractual obligations, you have no moral or ethical obligation to do any business with them in the first place.
How satisfied are you as a customer with their professionalism?
I rarely got rejection notices in my last job search. Some companies would, some wouldn’t. Several jobs got to the point of flying me out to see them, hotels, saying they are signing the offer letters to mail them now… and vanished. One told me two months later I’d gotten the job except they then lost approval from their financial dept. They’d even paid for a trip for me to look for a place already. It’s not necessarily number of candidates or the size of the company – many just don’t tell you much anymore.
On the flip side of the coin, the job that finally did pan out gave me a 5 minute phone interview. Then I didn’t hear anything for 3 weeks. Then I got a call that said they thought I was starting now and would I come in to get my building badge and stuff? *sigh* I had to call HR and sort through everything, then start work on a day’s notice, but hard to be picky on manners at the moment – the offer was right.
After the recession began, I have probably visited about 140 different locations. After awhile, I realized that none of them called me. I called my references and my employers – they didn’t hear anything. On average for every 30 places I went to, I would get 1 that would send me a letter, 1 would send me an email for at least acknowledging I came by, and 1 would want an interview.
My uncle told me that if I really wanted the job, I would have to visit them everyday and ask them what they decided about hiring me. To me, that is just harsh. Not knowing is probably just as harsh.
I have a friend who is a hiring manager for a major corporation. They do contact people though e-mail to let them know they weren’t chosen for a position. If they might be right for a position down the road, she asks them to apply for another position.She said that in this economy, she has people e-mail her cussing her out, calling her and telling her she is a bitch, etc…People are insane. I can completely understand why HR doesn’t call those who didn’t get the job.
The only time you can count on feedback if you have not been hired is if you are using a professional recruiter. I am in IT, currently job hunting, and always get a follow up call from the recruiter, not the company doing the hiring.
Usually I tell people that there are several canidates for the position, we plan on hiring them by x date and we will contact them if we have further interest. If the recruiter has the ability to send an email to a canidate saying that the position has been filled but their application will be kept on file for future openings, great do it. Calling them just invites the pleasentries of dealing with nurotic individual hell bent on finding out how come they didn’t get the job. Generally it’s not a black and white (no pun intended) answer.. sometimes the difference between two canidates is little more than a gut feeling. It isn’t worth the grief and potential legal issues.
Having searched for jobs numerous times all I can say is some of you need to put your “big boy pants on”. “I don’t want to work for them because they are so rude for not calling me back” . If they called you a month later and offered you a job you would snap it up… A better job search strategy if you really need a job is to apply everywhere you can and don’t stop until your first day of work. Honestly it doesn’t matter if they notify you or not that you don’t have the job… If you don’t hear the words “you’re hired” you don’t have the job and really no one should have to tell you that. Save your energy to network and find new places to apply.
Finally, most hiring decisions are made in the first 30 seconds of an interview. I don’t care what job you are applying for- if you can’t take the time to be clean including fingernails, well (appropriately dressed) and on time don’t waste the interviewer’s time. Also, unless you are applying for the circus don’t expect to be taken seriously if your body is covered with tatoos and you have more metal sticking out of you than a junkyard dog.
I’ll never forget when the company told me I was hired a day after they said they were laying off people and that then I would not be hired.
I once had an interview with a guy who told me that everyone that lives in the area of town that I do is a thief and a liar and he would not hire people from there. He went on to tell my wife(then girlfriend) during her interview 20 minutes later that she got the job and could start that week even though she had the same address.
We both told him where he could stick his business and haven’t been back since.
I’m kind of curious, for most job interviews how many people do you believe actually call up after a rejection to gain feedback to see what could make them a better applicant for the future, or improve and do you think it’s wrong of a company to completely deny that feedback?
I am actually astounded by the low level of basic courtesy with most recruiters out there. I’ll say that it does make the good ones really stand out. What’s really crazy is when a company reaches out to me, I respond, and then nothing. If you weren’t interested, then please don’t waste my time in the first place.
Ironically, this happened to me with the startup Jobvite, who claims to be streamlining the hiring process”. I blogged about it here.
http://www.kpao.org/blog/2008/12/the-great-irony-of-jobvite-1.html