Shabby treatment by company

LegacyUser

I completed an interview in a big American multinational in Dublin. The place is huge and the interview was setup by an internal HR. They had a fancy job title like "Talent Acquisition Specialist"

The interview was for 90 minutes with multiple people and a short break as people came and left. Everyone was lovely and I did my best.

After two weeks I sent a short friendly email to the internal recruiter asking for an update. After 3 weeks I sent another short note. I wasn't being pushy I feel but anyway I got no reply. I know there are management sign offs and things take time.

Now today it's approaching five weeks. Look I know I didn't get the role with all this silence, so be it. As the interview was 90 minutes and I had travel to do I had to use a half day from my annual leave, just wasn't possible to use my lunch break.

If I got a PFO email I'd deal with it but is this shabby treatment common? This isn't a small startup, the company has full time recruiters within their HR team. It was my decision to take a half day off work, I'm not ready looking for anything but to get a speck of respect and an acknowledgment email.

Or am I taking this too personally and this is standard for candidates these days? I'm in my role a few years so not used to this.

Another day

Normal treatment. Having been for many interviews I am stunned at the ignorance of companies. Not so much as a quick mail/call.

mahamageehad

It's shockingly common. Also, I would point out that no news could in fact be good news. I was offered a job in Dublin by a large American company 4 months to the day after I have my second interview, with no contact in between although I followed up once or twice at the start. Same here in Frankfurt (although they were better at keeping in contact), I think the time between interview and offer was about 3 months.

skallywag

This topic frequently gets covered over on the Work Problems forum.

I agree that this class of carry-on has unfortunately become commonplace.

Speaking as someone who hires for a relatively large company myself, I find this type of behavior very unprofessional. If we tell a candidate that we will come back to them by a certain date then we always make sure to do so, even if it is just a say that we need more time to come to a final conclusion, and will hence be back in touch by latest etc, etc.

A hiring process is very much a 2-way street. If you set a shabby tone from the off then it can often be indicative of the general attitudes within a group or organization.

LegacyUser

90 minutes with a change of interviewer would suggest to me that you were interviewed along with dozens or hundreds of others and the interviewers were changing candidates. It sounds like you will all be placed somewhere on a panel, high enough up it to get a job offer or low enough down it that there's no realistic way you will. It could take weeks for the top candidates to get an offer of a second interview, then months for an offer having checked references etc. and so on down the panel. For top level jobs in some firms, it's not uncommon for it to take 6 months for a vacancy to be filled.

They may be quicker than that, they may never get in touch, they may have a job for you, there's no way to know right now and if you're looking to change careers/jobs, you might have to steel yourself to go through this process a few times before you get the one you want without wrecking your head.

LegacyUser

Hi OP,

As somethone who has been unemployed for 2 years, I can tell you that this type of thing is incredibly common. However it is absolutely not OK.

I honestly think the best thing for you to do is draw a line under it.

The past 2 years for me has been an absolute eye-opener for me in terms of how companies treat prospective employees. This has happened to me numerous times.

I really think there needs to be some type of legislation in place to protect prospective employees. This probably sounds completely dramatic to anyone who hasn't undergone continuous shoddy treatment while job searching, but the effect of this process on mental health is horrendous.

I'm sorry it's happening to you, and it pains me to say it but from now on I would EXPECT to be treated like this, anything more is a bonus.

Best of luck and I hope things change for you soon.

Lux23

If that is the process it should be explained at the outset. Ive gone through similar setups and they were clear that it could take months.

zoobizoo

I wouldn't say that it's par for the course not to hear back after an interview but it does happen - and it's always surprising the companies that do it, particularly the big ones.

Sometimes decisions get delayed, the position gets held up for a few weeks, the HR manager hasn't been communicated with or vice versa. . . and sometimes they're just very disrespectful and don't get back in touch. I've been interviewed by people I know and never heard back from them.

What you have to remember is while it is a massive thing for you, for them it's just another task to be performed. They don't consider that you might be hanging onto the hope that this job comes good for you.

I had an interview with a college for a position. They enlisted the help of an outside recruiter to select the interviewees and to aid with the interview process.. I was told by said recruiter "we'll be in touch by the end of the week,". End of the week came and went..... then the next week so I emailed the recruiter directly and heard nothing back.

I then phoned the college to speak directly to the manager asking if they had come to a decision, but knowing that I probably hadn't gotten the job. The manager was stunned that the recruiter hadn't been in touch with me to let me know. He explained that they had reached a decision and they'd gone with another candidate two weeks prior and that the recruiter was meant to have let the rest of us know. So sometimes, it's down to the lack of thought of one person, not the company as a whole.

AJG

Unfortunately very common nowadays. After a week or two if I haven't heard back I just draw a line and move on. It's come to the point I'm more surprised if they actually do get in touch to say I've been unsuccessful. This kind of treatment is just a symptom of the modern world unfortunately.

Curry Addict

it is fairly normal, you are simply a number. yet many people seem to happily give their full priority to these companies. if you every work out why please let me know!

pilly

American firms are notoriously slow at hiring though so they may not have decided against you yet.

I've had both situations, one where the company was just rude and unprofessional and one where they came back to me 3 months later.