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The Godfather · Oct 22, 2006, 10:01 AM

So, you find a job ad that might replace your no-excitement job, and you feel qualified for it. You send your resume online (and each HR website asks you to re-type your resume in their little field boxes), and you wait. And wait. And wait. And wait, for 2 months maybe.

Then you get a call from that HR office, and you answer his questions, but there's no feedback because he is, putting it in the nicest way, not that adept in the topic. Then your second phone interview comes in 2 weeks, and you do very good at it, and the employer is very impressed. Then your personal interview goes very well, and you are feeling great returning home.

Then you wait the standard 1.5 weeks to start bugging the employer about this position. Surprise, he is gone for his 2 week vacation. And you finally get him on the phone 1 month after the personal interview, just to hear:

1. Sorry, you came out on top of all other applicants, but there's no funds for us to hire you. Maybe we'll call you in 6 months.
2. Sorry, you have too much experience for this position and we were looking for entry level. But our other department has another position that requires more experience than what you have and we sent your resume to them.
3. Sorry, we forgot to tell you that we only hire people that can get Secret Clearances.
4. We want you, but we are changing the offer from a 9 month contract to a 3 month contract. No, we don't think there will be a good chance for a contract-to-hire transition.

So, 2006 has been the most active year in job hunting for me, but also very disappointing.

Any other ridiculous ways you have been shut off from getting a job?

Buckaroo · 12:52 PM

Take the 3 month and bust your butt, and they might ask you to stay.

You got to get your foot in the door, then prove yourself.

The Godfather · Oct 22, 2006, 05:18 PM

Originally Posted by Buckaroo

Take the 3 month and bust your butt, and they might ask you to stay.

You got to get your foot in the door, then prove yourself.

Being the only breadwinner in my household, I'd rather not leave my permanent position for a 3 month contract.

Buckaroo · Oct 22, 2006, 05:24 PM

No, that would not be a good idea. I missed the part where you said you were currently full time, sorry.

Eriamjh · Oct 22, 2006, 09:33 PM

Companies that can't hire people quickly are displaying a defect of management and their HR department. It is a sign of incompetence. You do not want to work for them.

Some people may care this being "thorough", but good candidates can be found within a few short weeks, not months. The quest to find the best is often a waste of time when many good candidates are passed on because of bad hiring pactices.

CharlesS · 11:50 AM

never mind

itai195 · 12:23 AM

I do hate being strung along. I recently interviewed for a job and it took two weeks longer for the response than I had been told it would take. Didn't mind that much though, since I really wanted the job and ended up getting it, and I had previously worked with the manager and knew he wouldn't keep me waiting for a silly reason.

My current, soon to be former, job had an even worse waiting time. I should have known from the start it was a bad sign. I sent in my resume, two months later had a phone interview. A month later I'm asked to come in for another interview, but I'm not told what the position is or given any other details. I show up, do the interview, and am told I'll hear back in a week. Six weeks later I'm told I got the job, phew. Turns out the reason it took so long is they wanted to do more interview rounds so they could try to find a female candidate as qualified as I was...

Worst experience I had, but didn't involve being strung along, was during the dot-com crash. I got a job offer after several long days of interviews, but the compensation was some 30-40% below market. Uh, no thanks... they were just looking for someone to take advantage of.

ghporter · Oct 23, 2006, 09:17 AM

What Eriamjh said. Not having one's corporate stuff together enough to make sure that every applicant knows the requirements of the job, including ability to get a Secret clearance, says "we're not really a good place to work."

HR is one of the cornerstones of a business, whether it's a "mom and pop" operation or a Fortune 500 leader. If they can't get that right, they may have problems with payroll, benefits, accounts receivable, and everything else. That's bad.

Having had a Secret clearance (and higher investigation), it's not that big a deal except for the time it takes to do the investigation and all the "tee crossing and eye dotting" that goes with it. But from the other end of it, things are different. ANY clearance takes a long, long time nowadays, and every employer that needs cleared people MUST know that, MUST know how very expensive even a Confidential clearance is, and MUST know why they need cleared people. So how can they forget that a clearance (or being clearable) is a job requirement? By having poo for their corporate brains, that's how.

GF, you're managing to do a great job of screening potential employers. So far, all of them you've screened have failed. Keep up the good work!

Y3a · Oct 23, 2006, 09:54 AM

When you FIRST talk to any perspective employer, ask them if they use Administaff. If they say "Yes", don't work for them. They have already mismanaged their HR staff, or there is Sr. Management greed and office politics going on which has distroyed the HR dept. Anyway you look at it, they are incompetent at running things.

You should look at ALL interviews as test runs, or practice interviews. When an employer REALLY wants to hire YOU........they will make sure to call you back ASAP. make sure your references are loyal and honest, and make sure your cover/intro letter and resume' are top notch.

It seems to be a trait of most all big businesses today that they offer little, give no benefits to speak of, and don't even care if your loyal to the company, as management and employees don't even know what loyalty IS anymore. If you are in an "Employment at will" state, either party can dump the other as soon as they want.

Today it's all about the bottom line, and how much can the impatient clueless stockholders get this quarter.

Dakar² · Oct 23, 2006, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by Y3a

Today it's all about the bottom line, and how much can the impatient clueless stockholders get this quarter.

Welcome to capatalism.

Hawkeye_a · Oct 23, 2006, 10:03 AM

Godfather, I hear you man. I graduated last year and have been in a job that uses none of my talent. Every company i apply for and interview with have some BS excuse not to hire me. The sad part is, i have friends who graduated from Purdue, GA Tech, AZ State, etc... And none of them have managed to get their 'foot in the door'.... many have gone on for further study and the couple who have found jobs were cause they knew someone who worked in the company. Others have started their own businesses......i even have a couple of friends doing their Phds at Impreial(UK).

Job hunting is so friggon frustrating.

itai195 · Oct 23, 2006, 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a

the couple who have found jobs were cause they knew someone who worked in the company.

Unfortunately, that's often the way people get their foot in the door.

Zeeb · Oct 23, 2006, 03:31 PM

I completely sympathize. I went to a prospective employer (NYU) for 3 interviews and the manager was very excited about hiring me and told me that I would hear from the HR department within the week. I didn't hear from the HR department, so I politely called and was told to wait some more. I did, then called him again and was told to wait again. At that point I wasn't comfortable calling again since I didn't want to be a pest. I did anyway several weeks later and was told to wait. I never heard from them again.

I had another 2 interviews at a different place and once again they were very excited and asked when I could start. 2 months later they called and said they gave the position to someone else but they'll keep me in mind for another down the road.

You just wanna scream and tell them how rude and asinine they are for doing these things but you can't because you never know if you'll interview at these places again. Sucks.

Hawkeye_a · Oct 24, 2006, 04:51 AM

I think HR teams do this sorta thing to make it look like theyre actually working.

Kevin · Oct 24, 2006, 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by Dakar²

Welcome to capatalism.

socialism has it's faults as well. Joe Schmoe that barely works get payed the same someone working twice as hard as Joe.

Chuckit · Oct 24, 2006, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by Kevin

socialism has it's faults as well. Joe Schmoe that barely works get payed the same someone working twice as hard as Joe.

That happens in capitalism as well.

Kevin · Oct 24, 2006, 12:17 PM

Ah but with capitalism, atleast in my experience those people end up "working themselves out" meaning getting fired or actually work harder.

Unless you are talking about Unions, then yes. There is a chance of that happening with Unions as well.

Lots of Union workers getting payed to do nothing all day just because they are Union.

And people wonder why our jobs are getting shipped.

Dakar² · Oct 24, 2006, 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by Kevin

socialism has it's faults as well. Joe Schmoe that barely works get payed the same someone working twice as hard as Joe.

Hey that's great, I wasn't saying otherwise.

Chuckit · 12:33 PM

Originally Posted by Kevin

Ah but with capitalism, atleast in my experience those people end up "working themselves out" meaning getting fired or actually work harder.

They're usually the ones in charge — the Pointy-Haired Boss Syndrome, kind of. As long as they have competent people under them, they don't need to work harder.

Kevin · Oct 24, 2006, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

They're usually the ones in charge — the Pointy-Haired Boss Syndrome, kind of. As long as they have competent people under them, they don't need to work harder.

From what I have experienced those don't last long. And if they do, it's because they have blackmail on someone above them.

And that is just the human condition.