ARGH! I don't GET it!

[KikiW]

This is driving me insane...

 

My SO is moving 1200 miles to be with me. He has had the same job for almost 18 years - was bored in HS, so got his GED so he could get out and get into the workforce. He's really smart and wants to go back to get a bachelors in Electrical Engineering. He works for a water company as the chief plant operator and can do every job in the place from testing to maintenance to custom computer programs to monitor potable water levels blah blah blah.

 

After a few weeks of searching online, he got a call back from a blind submission - they talked for 45 minutes about the position... the guy there now is leaving next summer, they would like to bring someone in to be there for a while and step in. The guy leaving does the exact thing my SO does now. It is literally the perfect fit! Over a couple of days they spoke again about some details... money was good and everything. The last thing the guy said was that he would email my SO job details and benefits package.

 

That was Wed, August 19th I believe.

 

My SO called Friday to follow up, left VMs. He called Monday, got VMs again. Tuesday he called main switchboard just to say "hey I don't want to bother him if he's in but is Mr. Smith out of the office? I have been trying to reach him and haven't been successful." They transferred him to the guy's secretary, who puts him on hold, then comes back and takes a message. He did not hear back from him.

 

Yesterday he gave it another shot and sent a FAX saying "I hope this fax finds you well, I will be in NJ on this date to take care of personal matters and appointments, and I would be very interested in arranging a time to meet because I am still very interested in the position we spoke of a couple of weeks ago..."

 

It's now past closing time here, so we are now past 24 hours since he sent the fax.

 

WTH??

 

I just don't know what's going on at ALL. I excused some of this as perhaps emergencies came up, personal absences, the holiday weekend, etc. but now it just seems RIDICULOUS. What reason could he have for going from asking my SO when the next time he would be up and courting him with describing a "Cadillac benefits package" to absolute zero communication?

 

We are both so frustrated. He doesn't want to be a pest, but why can't this guy pick up the phone for even 2 minutes and give an explanation?!?

[Thaddeus]

Obviously something's happened that's making the organization second-guess their decision.

 

Further contact with them will likely get you (or your man) nowhere. This obviously isn't any sort of priority with them.

 

Sorry to say, but that old adage of, "no news is good news" doesn't apply in employment searches.

 

I don't know if your man was dealing with an HR department, but from my experience with them they're the most ineffectual, time-wasting and useless departments ever to be created. Non-performers judging performers.

 

During a job search a few years ago, I kept a file of how many times HR departments would make a commitment to contact me after an interview. No fewer than 8 out of 10 times, after they made a commitment to make contact, they never followed through. That's 80%.

 

Some HR types would suggest that they're just too busy (yea, right...) or have other priorities. But the fact is that if someone makes a commitment to do something and then doesn't follow through, there's just one word that describes them: liars.

 

And, with a ratio of 8 of 10 refusing to follow through, that says volumes about HR departments in general.

 

I hope your man has other irons in the fire, because this is not likely to come through.

[TaraMaiden]

why can't this guy pick up the phone for even 2 minutes and give an explanation?!?

 

Short answer?

Because he doesn't have to.

[KikiW]

@Thaddeus - nope, this guy is the borough administrator. I am just really surprised that it went from full steam ahead to "poof" with absolutely no explanation.

 

He's got his name and resume out there, but nothing's panned out yet.

 

@TaraMaiden - I just wonder whatever happened to common courtesy.

[Thaddeus]

@Thaddeus - nope, this guy is the borough administrator. I am just really surprised that it went from full steam ahead to "poof" with absolutely no explanation.

 

He's got his name and resume out there, but nothing's panned out yet.

 

@TaraMaiden - I just wonder whatever happened to common courtesy.

Frankly, I don't find it surprising in the least. Not because your man isn't a capable candidate or anything of the sort, its just that organizations treat applicants/potential employees like crap. It's typical short-term thinking; after all, these people that get treated like your man is getting treated don't disappear, they're still out there, telling people that they got the runaround and treated like dirt from ABC company.

 

But it still goes on. Very sad. Common courtesy tends not to apply, unfortunately.

[KikiW]

Sad thing is, when he is able to visit me he typically flies in Friday around noon and flies out 48 hours later - we spent one Friday afternoon rushing from the airport to an appointment with a recruiter who's agency dealt with placing people with specialties like his. They also loved him, were impressed by his credentials and experience... Two weeks later he calls to follow up on an opportunity he saw, and the recruiter basically offered to get my SO the name and number of the contact so my SO could call. Wha? It may be a long time since I used a headhunter, but usually THEY actually DO something to place someone. I'm becoming quite embarrassed by the behavior of people here, and it's not giving him a really good taste of where he plans to live.

[TaraMaiden]

I often ask myself the same thing... In fact, I have come to realise that courtesy nowadays is anything but common.

 

I read this in Reader's Digest once:

"Courtesy:

A form of polite behaviour practised by civilised people when they can be bothered to find the time."

 

The amount of people - and I hate to say it, men rank high in this - who actually would rather barge past you, instead of pausing and uttering the words 'excuse me'.... is on the rise, indubitably.

Women who push double-decker, triple-seater pushchairs on the pavements (sidewalks) and expect you to step into the road as if it's their god-given right to take up the whole width....

 

It's astounding...

And so, the rudeness infiltrates every strata, and we cease to make the effort that should make it common, but sadly makes it rare.

 

The guy, to use LS parlance, has gone NC on you.

But with no justification whatsoever, other than bloody insolence garnished with a hefty layer of guilt, I have no doubt.

But until your H does get to talk to him - you'll never know.

[Tayla]

Correct, Proper business etiquette is to respond to messages . Its apart of the job duties. Not sure where the "Because he doesn't have to" response comes from. In the work world, not responding to legitimate business matters - Which a prospective employee IS a business matter, would be grounds for poor job performance. The pendulum swings both ways.

 

Take this persons' INACTION as a signal though. There really isnt a good business reason, unless the gent himself was fired for NOT responding to previous prospects.

[TaraMaiden]

It is extremely rare for job applicants in this country - even if they have attended interviews - to receive rejection notices.

 

If you haven't heard within a week, you should take it as read, here, that you didn't get the job.

Most companies state that they simply do not have the resources or funds to contact every single failed applicant - which as both you and I know, is utter crud.

It's just a way of saying:

"We're going to be rude, but that's the way we operate, so get over it. Don't like it? go look elsewhere."

 

It's an employer's market, at the moment. This means that desperate folk are at the mercy of companies, some of which couldn't give a damn, it seems.

[KikiW]

Trust me, I get that some people get innundated with resumes, a good deal of which are horrible matches and the person had no business submitting it in the first place. I get that sometimes you just can't be the really nice person and call them all and say thanks but no thanks.

 

My issue is this. The guy called my SO twice before my SO was even out of his meeting, presumably right after he looked at his resume. He talked to him over a 3 or 4 day period, went over a lot of details. Said he was going to email him all the details and full benefits explanation. He spoke eagerly of meeting him as soon as possible - my SO was literally waiting for the email to arrive before making his travel plans for the following week-two weeks.

 

Then he disappears off the face of the planet.

 

Did the guy get in an accident? The receptionist said nothing to indicate that was that case. Did the guy get stonewalled by someone else about the offer, like did someone call him and say his cousin needed a job - put him in this one? Why not just call for 2 minutes and say he's got to put him on hold for now? Why leave him totally hanging like this?

 

that's just what I don't get.

 

And yes, i am trying to look at this like there is a good reason he hasn't heard. Maybe the guy is a horror to work for, maybe he was going to set my SO up for a bait and switch (oh yeah you'd be perfect for this nice cushy job, but before I can promote you, you'll have to start at entry...). I just still can't quite wrap my brain around everything but the official offer in his hand to complete disappearing act.

[KikiW]

Update: a girlfriend of mine with balls of steel actually called the guys office pretending to be a recruiter who was setting up appointments for my SO while he was out here and she knew he had spoken with them and wanted to make sure he got to all of his appointments - he's coming up in a week and a half to help me move into our apartment. (I didn't know she was actually going to do this until she had already done it... when we spoke and I was lamenting the issue, she just asked the guy's name) They didn't give much info over the phone, basically blew her off. She called me right after, told me what she'd done, and we assumed they were just no longer interested. This was yesterday morning.

 

First thing this morning, my SO gets a call from the guy! They set up an appointment for the afternoon after he flies in. He said the guy sounded kinda of nervous, said he had gotten really bogged down with things. I am guessing my friend's call was just enough of a push to make my SO sound like he was being courted and had several interviews lined up and it lit a fire under his butt.

 

Fingers are crossed, he just needs that foot in the door.

 

PS: Have already told my friend I will be buying her all the drinks she wants for her birthday, which is in 2 weeks She really has brass ones, I don't think I would have had the guts to try that.