Tuesday, July 22, 2008

How rude!

No matter how you explain it, it’s rude! I’m talking about potential employers who don’t let you know whether you got the job or not. As most of you know, I’m back to the world of the working. But it’s amazing to me, I still haven’t heard back from several places where I interviewed. Today, one of my friends sent me an e-mail that clearly showed someone was hired for a position I applied for more than three months ago. Not only did the woman who interviewed me fail to call or e-mail to tell me she hired someone else, she also failed to respond to a follow up e-mail I sent last month. I know she’s probably busy, we’re all busy. But really it’s just plain rude.



I’ve been a supervisor before, I’ve hired people and I just can’t imagine ignoring a candidate’s feelings and leaving them in limbo. It’s a terrible feeling when you’re waiting to see if you get the job, it can make you very antsy. But to realize you don’t even come up on the person’s radar enough to solicit a “We chose someone else” e-mail is impolite, inconsiderate and unmannerly (okay you get my drift!)

For many of us, whether you get hired affects your entire life. If you're unemployed, you need a paycheck. But you also want to make sure it's a good choice for you. If you're underpaid or in debt, you may need to find a higher paying job or you'll lose your home or your car. And in both cases, you may received another offer and need to decide.

But above all, you deserve to know the employer's decision. If they bothered to take the time to bring you in for an interview, it should show they found you qualified. And if that's the case, you should not be punished simply because they liked someone else better. It's 2008, sending an e-mail is not difficult. While of course I'd prefer a phone call if you and your colleagues spent a few hours grilling me about why I'm the best person for the job or why I left my last job, I'll take what I can get!

Stylishly yours,
Miss Attitude

P.S. I want the record to reflect that I did interview with some very considerate employers who did call or e-mail to let me know their decision, even if it wasn't what I wanted to hear.

11 comments:

~Just Jen~ said...

I would check with your state cause CA requires them to inform you if a position you actually interviewed for has been filled.

Miss Attitude said...

I think that would be nice, but FL doesn't, at least not that I'm aware of by any EOE training I had as a supervisor.

TopSurf said...

I agree with you 100%. What ever happened to common courtesy?

Anonymous said...

When I graduated from college, I was astonished to find the same situation. It really made me mad. I kept that in mind when I went to a career fair. I was honest, and responded.

Rebecca/CUpS said...

Unfortunately I have found this 'rudeness' applies even when you aren't job hunting. Hey, a short email works!
Love your YT video too. But, do young boys ever say 'How rude'?! I wonder...

Anonymous said...

That always drove me crazy when I was looking for a job as well. I get it that it might be more time consuming, and possibly even expensive to inform everyone that didn't get the job. But at least return the phone calls or emails that come in directly. Sheesh!

Anonymous said...

I agree completely! It's just common courtesy to call someone and say either "You're not we're looking for" or "We found someone more qualified" or even a "screw you" would be nice. When my husband was looking for a job, he would go for an interview and then never hear back. And Stephanie couldn't put it any better -- "How rude!"

Anonymous said...

I am in that boat now. I had an interview, followed up with an e-mail, and thought I really had nailed the job. The interviewer told me they would make a decision on Monday (yesterday), and I didn't hear from her, so I called, and got her voicemail. She never returned my call. I really wanted that job, too, so it made me sad.

Anonymous said...

You're absolutely right. The lack of courtesy in this country is invading the work force. At the very least you should have gotten a note letting you know the position had been filled.

Grrrr!!!!

Anonymous said...

That's awful! I like to hear the bad news rather than not knowing. People suck.

janey jay said...

I could write a book filled with job interview horror stories much like yours. Even though some of these incidents took place nearly 20 years ago, I still get pissed when I think about it. Courtesy is sadly becoming a lost art...