Being passed on after an interview
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I've been in a hiring position for the last 5yrs and the #1 thing that irritates me more than anything is when a candidate sends a sarcastic or off color email after being passed on. (ex: explaining to me that I am obviously looking for an impossible to find candidates, yada yada).
Just drop a thanks for your time and let it be.
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Have people really complained to you?
That surprises me and it seems like you made the right decision if it happens. Someone should always thank you for the interview and move on.
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I agree. Why burn bridges if you don't have to. I have always either called, sent email or snail mail thanking the interviewer for their time and encouraging them to contact me directly if there are any concerns/questions that come up after the interview.
Additionally, while I have felt like bad mouthing former employers I've always resisted the urge. While you may think that you'd never go back in a million years, circumstances have a way of humbling the best of us.
James.
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Belive it or not it happens but it's not the norm. People never suprise me.
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I had a guy get up and leave in the middle of an interview, because he thought the job was beneath him. A couple of years later, he came in again for an interview. When I mentioned the earlier interview, he said he didn’t remember it.
There is no reason to bad-mouth a current or former employer in an interview. It doesn’t gain you anything, and it makes you seem like a malcontent.
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And, of course, you NEVER know what or how you will impress the other person in the interview. No matter which side of the table you are on - hiring or applying. I reverted to my pre-married name (I'm now divorced) on this board, even though i didn't change my legal name because once you know my last name, I'm outed. There are only myself and my 3 kids with the last name. I'm condemned to be memorable no matter what.
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Having been passed over for a position on one or two occasions, I admit that the gut reaction is to bellow "why wasn't I good enough?". However, now that I've been around the block a few times and have been on the other side of the interview table, I have a better understanding of the process. If your screening process is thorough enough, every candidate who makes it to an interview is well qualified. Interviewers must use a combination of intelligence and intuition to find not only the most qualified but the best 'fit'.
As for me, I'd rather be passed over for a promotion than I think I've earned than to be promoted into a position for which I am not ready. There _are_ worse things than not getting promoted - like getting promoted and then wishing you hadn't.
Tim Mitchell
TimMitchell.net | @tmitch.net | Tyleris.com
ETL Best Practices -
I would have thought that only a true idiot would fire off a sound-off email to an employer because there is no way of getting away from office politics (no matter how much you want to) and people remember stuff like that.
I know I do.
A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
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The other side of this coin is the interviewer who doesn't have the decency to let you know you've been passed. This has only happened to me once, but I still get ticked-off thinking about it.
If you've spent the time to interview me, and I've spent the time and effort to come in for an interview - the least you can do is send me a form letter saying you're not interested.
Sorry - rant done.
Kindest Regards,
--SF
(SELECT COALESCE(Phlogiston,Caloric,DarkMatter) as Construct FROM Science.dbo.Theory)
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Well.... that ranks right up there with the majority of recruiters (as well as employers) who are looking for professional types but lack basic business etiquette and the basic skills needed to act, even remotely, as professionally as those they seek.
I don't care if recruiters or an employer get 1,000 letters for a job or 200 applicants a day - basic business communication and courtesy is an absolute MUST when dealing with people outside the organisation.
I spoke to a recruiter back in February who used the bullsh*t excuse on my that company practice dictates that they don't need to contact the client if they don't proceed with the application. This bloke was seemingly dumbstruck when I said that they could not keep my details on file; that they were not to contact me in the future; and that I had absolutely no desire to work with a company that was as ignorant & unprofessional as they were. They never contacted me again
A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
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Regardless of the recruiter's possible lack of professional acumen, the interviewee is the one who must practice restraint and show emotional fortitude.
And, yes, I have been interviewed for two different jobs at two different companies (in different years), by the same person. Due to my professional way of having left the first interview, I was welcomed warmly on the second -- and I got the job. What if I had "enjoyed" a brief moment of revengeful bad-mouthing?
You really DON'T know what the future holds for you. Do you?
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Personally, I think the cost of being civil to your contractor / perspective employer after an interview is far, far less than the cost of not getting the job / networking contact because you were rude.
I truly don't understand why some people only live in the moment and choose to feel persecuted just because one person said "No".
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You're absolutely right Brandie. Things you say and do tend to come back to you, whether good or bad. The bridge you burn today may span the river you need to cross tomorrow.
Tim Mitchell
TimMitchell.net | @tmitch.net | Tyleris.com
ETL Best Practices -
I have to agree with what you say about not burning your bridges even when someone does you wrong and that is a practice I maintain. There are times though when action must be taken to combat the slack attitude that oh-so many recruitment agencies propagate.
I used to register with many agencies but now I know which are the good ones and will only allow my details to be forwarded with those that have proved themselves to be reliable.
A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
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But only working with agencies that are reliable and polite is not the same thing as being beligerent or rude to a recruiter or potential employer. I'm sure, Matt, that you can do what you're doing while being entirely civil about it. A "Sorry, not interested at this time" kind of thing.
Maybe your behavior also burns bridges, but never in a way that gets you black-listed in your local community. And since these people have proven unreliable to you, it's not as great of a loss.
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