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Lack of Follow Up by Employers

I am beginning to think that it is the rule, rather than the exception. Recently, I have been fortunate enough to have gone on several interviews, many of them being second or third interviews, however, I have found that the lack of follow up from employers to be frustrating, to put it mildly.

I am not one who has a thin skin, but after going on what seems like a countless succession of interviews, only to be met with silence from perspective employers, I do not know what to do at this point.

I am just tired of all of the unprofessionalism and the absence of common human courtesy.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Karen D. Swim on April 29, 2008 at 8:21pm: Janet, I don't disagree with you. Candidates do need to follow up. When I work with clients I ensure they get next steps before they leave the building, follow up same day with a thank you and then follow up on the agreed upon date. However, my comments were directed to employers who do not respond to follow-up calls, emails and leave candidates hanging in the wind. It happens more often than you believe. I also of course hear the same complaint from those not reaching the interview stage. Many have stated they would even appreciate a standard rejection email, or form letter as it would at least offer some closure. Job hunting can be tough on the human psyche, even tougher in the absence of feedback.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Brett Gold on April 30, 2008 at 10:04am: The crux of the issue is when job hunter DO conduct follow up, regularly and diligently, only to be met with silence and an absence of acknowledgment.

Your "Reality Check" is only applicable to those who expect employers to conduct follow-up.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Janet White on May 2, 2008 at 9:33pm: Brett,

From your post, it seems you hold a commonly held belief that job hunting is like a volleyball game -- you get your turn, then the employer gets his/her turn. The problem is that when the employer doesn't take his/her turn, you've lost not only your turn, but the game.

In fact, job-finding is a golf game in which you are the one who makes all the decisions about how to handle each situation as you come to it. So, you've done all you can do with a particular employer and gotten the silent treatment. How are you going to handle it?

Well, you could take it personally and blame yourself, or you could blame the crass, rude, unfeeling employer for treating you so badly, or you could realize that this is their way of telling you the bad news without actually having to tell you the bad news.

I know, it's kinder to hear "no" even though it hurts, but very, very few people enjoy telling applicants they didn't make the cut and they hope that if they say nothing, you'll get the idea and just go away.

Years ago, I got a dream job as Director of Public Relations for the country's most prestigious real estate consulting firm at the time. My boss, Jim, had his own candidate and did not want to hire me but he was outvoted by his superiors.

For the first six weeks I was there, Jim did everything he could to ensure I would fail. When I not only succeeded but made him look terrific, he changed his mind about me. And it was only then that Jim sent a letter to his candidate (I obtained a copy) that said,

"As you may have guessed by now, we have filled our public relations position. I am not attempting to flatter you when I say that you were by far the best candidate for the position. My ongoing concern was being fair to you. Ultimately, I had to admit our opportunity was no long term match for your exceptional talents and potential."

Now, let's assume you were this candidate. After six weeks of silence, you get this bit of doublespeak from a man who you had impressed and obviously clicked with. How do you feel? Taken? Lied to? Used? Angry? Bitter?

Or had you realized after the first week of what you knew would be the time the decision was being made that you didn't get the job, you were better off cutting your losses and moving on.

Maybe you realized that perhaps this job was really not suited for you (in fact, I was FAR more qualified than she was, which is why I got the job), and not getting this job enables you to find one more in keeping with what you have to offer.

Sometimes silence speaks volumes. And to hear what it's saying, all you have to do is listen.

Janet White, Author
Secrets of the Hidden Job Market: Change Your Thinking to Get the Job of Your Dreams
www.jobmarketsecrets.com
Also available on Amazon
Sign up for Quite the Contrary, a very different kind of job advice newsletter; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Brett Gold on May 2, 2008 at 11:17pm: Janet,

There is nothing that excuses a lack of professional etiquette.

BG; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Karen D. Swim on May 3, 2008 at 8:52am: Zakstar,

Well said! The strategies discussed here for candidates are right on target. However, I also work with companies on their brand. Many companies are losing customers and the interest of talented candidates because they have missed the boat on building relationships. Brad's original post addressed this disconnect. You cannot build relationships with customers, employees, future employees (who may also be potential customers) if you miss opportunities to communicate. While we know how to handle these unprofessional situations my hope is that they would become less frequent.

Karen; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Barry Groh on May 1, 2008 at 10:45pm: Janet,

I appreciate your opinion, but let me pose another angle. In many of the positions I have applied for there is a statement in their hiring post that states NOT to call for any information. I may be naive, but when someone says "don't call", I take them at their word. Of course, I also take them at their word when they say they'll get back to me after we have talked.

If they don't, then I know they weren't really interested in me, nor should I be interested in working for them.

Barry Groh
hoosier2@verizon.net
http://www.linkedin.com/in/barrygroh; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Janet White on May 2, 2008 at 12:19am

Barry,

The mistake here is your assumption that the only way to get hired is through Human Resources which placed the ad. Of course they don't want phone calls -- HR doesn't hire anyone except other HR people and they can't talk intelligently about anything except HR. You need to understand that HR has the ability to say "no," but they have absolutely no authority to say "yes."

The only person who can say "yes" is your future boss, who is either a corporate executive and/or a department manager who I will call "Mr. Bigg." Let's look at this hiring situation from Mr. Bigg's perspective for a moment.

Mr Bigg told HR to go find someone who can do something he needs done because he has a problem or situation or opportunity that no one on his current staff can do. All Mr. Bigg cares about is getting that problem solved, that situation fixed and/or that opportunity met, and he will hire the first person who he believes can do that for him.

Mr. Bigg could easily believe that person is you if you approach him the right way. In my book, I teach you how to contact Mr. Bigg by using common sense, sound business judgment and an understanding of basic human psychology.

The result will be that Mr. Bigg will want to talk to you, want to meet you and want to hire you -- without you ever "selling yourself" or going through HR or other intermediaries.

Now, let's look at HR's role: HR is the intermediary between Mr. Bigg and the outside world, or so you would think. But actually, all HR does is round up likely prospects based upon the criteria Mr. Bigg has provided to them and find those who most likely match what Mr. Bigg said he wants.

If you ask anyone in HR, they will tell you that they don't make decisions for Mr. Bigg about who he should or could or would hire; all they can do is make suggestions based upon the candidates they've rounded up.

But Mr. Bigg can and will often ignore HR's suggestions because he has found his own candidate (or more accurately, his candidate has found him).

So what does this mean to you? It means that if you want to get hired, you must contact Mr. Bigg directly and talk about HIS needs, HIS concerns, HIS problem/situation/opportunity, not about you!

After all, Mr. Bigg is just a human being and he is the center of his own universe. The key to getting hired is to help Mr. Bigg get what he wants, and he will help you get what you want.

What this boils down to is while you're trying to play the Traditional job hunting game on HR's terms, a Contrarian job-finder has already contacted Mr. Bigg and their meeting is on his calendar. And guess who Mr. Bigg is going to be more inclined to hire?

This approach works. I know it works because I've used it for 35 years and gotten every single job I ever wanted easily and effortlessly. In fact, I used it when I got laid off right before the Christmas holidays. My job search lasted a whopping 18 hours (read the article to find out how I did it).

Janet White, Author
Secrets of the Hidden Job Market: Change Your Thinking to Get the Job of Your Dreams
www.jobmarketsecrets.com
Also available on Amazon
Sign up for Quite the Contrary, a very different kind of job advice newsletter

Attachments:

My 18 Hour Job Search.pdf, 42 KB

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Permalink Reply by Janet White on May 2, 2008 at 12:36am

Zakstar,

Here's a very simply way to close the deal -- remember that you got the meeting simply because Mr. Bigg believes you can do what he needs done. If he didn't believe that, he wouldn't waste his time talking to you.

And here is the key to acing every single interview every single time -- all you have to remember is that this meeting is NOT about you! It's about Mr. Bigg and his problem.

Get Mr. Bigg talking and keep him talking about himself, his company and his situation, and the next thing you'll know is Mr. Bigg will talk himself right into hiring you. :D

Janet White, Author
Secrets of the Hidden Job Market: Change Your Thinking to Get the Job of Your Dreams
www.jobmarketsecrets.com
Also available on Amazon
Sign up for Quite the Contrary, a very different kind of job advice newsletter

Attachments:

Walk In & Walk Out Hired.doc, 138 KB

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Permalink Reply by Casey on May 13, 2008 at 6:48am: Janet,

Now, I've seen you post the same paragraph twice now, and no offense, but I'm beginning to think that book you wrote might have gotten to your head. Try Jim Jackson's "Power to Change".

I do agree that employers should have a bit more professionalism in their application processes, but of course the applicant should contact the employer or Janet's "Mr. Bigg", sexist at the least. If you don't make an effort to follow-up with the employer, it does seem that you have no interest in the position. Generally speaking though, when a person applies for a job, they are interested in the position, so when a company leaves them sitting for weeks, they're losing possible candidates. And honestly, if you're applying for a position, you normally need the job, and companies know this so why are they keeping people waiting? But my mind sense is, if they don't care to contact you, how do you think they might treat you as an employee? They aren't worth your time, find a company that is.

And please, don't get me started on the jobs checking credit report issue. It's a giant circle. People have more bills than their job can pay, they gain debt, they look for a higher paying job to settle the debt and get denied because of their debt. Something seem a little awkward about that? It sounds similar to The Salvation Army serving food to people who weigh the most first. Something needs to be done about it.

Thanks for listening. And sorry for any rudeness, Janet. I'm a little intolerant of people criticizing others when they probably haven't had to face the same problem once in their life. ;); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Janet White on May 13, 2008 at 9:11am

Casey,

The reason I haven't had to face this problem even once in my life is because I actually follow my own advice. That's why I can tell you (even three times) this stuff works because I've used it for 35 years and it's always worked.

I have to take exception with your statement:

Generally speaking though, when a person applies for a job, they are interested in the position, so when a company leaves them sitting for weeks, they're losing possible candidates. And honestly, if you're applying for a position, you normally need the job, and companies know this so why are they keeping people waiting?

Imagine yourself as "Mr. or Ms. Bigg" for a moment. You're running a business, you're putting out fires, you need someone who can fix whatever it is you need fixed so you can go back to doing what you do best.

You post an ad, get the word out and attract an overload of resumes. You delegate the responsibility of shifting through the stack to a recruiter, agency, Human Resources person or secretary (in one of my job searches, this fell to the president of the hirinhg company's advertising agency).

Out of all the applicants, two or three are the most promising; the rest you let fall by the wayside. Perhaps your company or delegated person sends out a "Thanks but no thanks" letter or email; perhaps not. You, however, don't give the ones you're not interested in a second thought.

Are you cruel? A terrible business person? Insensitive to the needs of those desperate job seekers? No, not a bit. You're just the center of your own universe, and each of them is the center of theirs.

It's called "being human."

Janet White, Author
Secrets of the Hidden Job Market: Change Your Thinking to Get the Job of Your Dreams
www.jobmarketsecrets.com
Also available on Amazon
Sign up for Quite the Contrary, a very different kind of job advice newsletter

Attachments:

The Poison of Fear.doc, 133 KB

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Permalink Reply by Brett Gold on May 13, 2008 at 10:17am: How could do qualify a lack of professionalism as being "just human"?

You are giving Mr. Bigg far too much credit for the amount of thought that is put into most hiring processes.

I do think that what is missing in this discussion is the fact that many of us, who are fortunate enough to go on several rounds of interviews for the same position, with the same company, are often met with deafening silence. Janet, how would you explain this away?

After dedicating countless hours to the search, and subsequent interviews, to not be afforded that common courtesy of letting the candidate know that their time was appreciated, can only be characterized as classless and unprofessional. After all, candidates must jump through the hoops like circus chimps to get noticed, however, when it all comes down to it, if a candidate is qualified and has been led to believe that they might be a good fit for the role, I do not think that it is out of line to expect a modicum of common courtesy through feedback and communication from the hiring organization.

Obviously, you believe that we should just shut up and take it, as it is just Mr. Bigg, and the other hiring managers "being human."; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Casey on May 13, 2008 at 4:31pm: Janet,

I understand where you are coming from. It's not "Mr. or Ms. Bigg" who does the hiring, he prompts his HR department to do it for him. Well, if Mr. or Ms. Bigg doesn't have enough staffing in his HR department to send out a simple e-mail stating "We're sorry to say that we have filled the position with an applicant who is more qualified for the position, thank you for your time.", then he might want to put out a few more job postings for some HR help, also.

Despite your "success" through the job industry with "Mr. or Ms. Bigg", this does not mean in the least that what you're saying about the employer not having the responsibility to have a courtesy letter sent out to his applicants, I respectfully disagree.

Now hear what I think is a better consideration. I believe the job industry works both ways, it is similar to supply and demand. The company needs employees, so they put out job postings; applicants need jobs, so they apply for the positions posted. The applicants slave away on their resume and/or cover letter, take hours of work at times on the application, to sometimes not even receive a "Thank you for applying" e-mail from the employer. Now if the job industry runs on a need-need basis from both sides, why aren't both sides treated with the same respect, time management, and professionalism?

Now, I'm betting the only reason applicants still stick around when they receive no reply is because of the thought in our great "human" minds of a glimpse of a chance that maybe the employer hadn't checked your resume yet or maybe they didn't receive it. We all want to think that maybe there's a chance that we can still get the job that we wanted enough to apply for.

Imagine that, huh?; ▶ Reply to This