Does a scheduled phone call after interviews mean rejection or offer?

The Young Wan

Have a call scheduled this evening with a company I've interviewed with last month. Today is my birthday so I'm rather worried bad news would put a dampner on it.

From previous correspondence with the company, I believe they've made their decision.

OMM 0000

A scheduled phone call would make me think follow up interview by phone.

Dial Hard

In my experience, they ring with good news, email the bad.

LollipopJimmy

It could be anything, offer, rejection or even an invitation to another step in the process. Either way I wouldn't be worried about it. If it's a rejection then at least you'll know and if it's anything else you're in with a shout.

Happy Birthday!

Dial Hard wrote: »

In my experience, they ring with good news, email the bad.

If any of my team ever rejected a candidate by email I would take them outside and shoot them

The Young Wan

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

If any of my team ever rejected a candidate by email I would take them outside and shoot them

I've had rejections by email, and TBH would prefer it that way. It gives you time to compose yourself and take the news in, which a call doesn't

Theboinkmaster

The Young Wan wrote: »

Have a call scheduled this evening with a company I've interviewed with last month. Today is my birthday so I'm rather worried bad news would put a dampner on it.

From previous correspondence with the company, I believe they've made their decision.

Definitely good news

tedpan

Dial Hard wrote:

In my experience, they ring with good news, email the bad.

LollipopJimmy wrote:

If any of my team ever rejected a candidate by email I would take them outside and shoot them

Many employers don't even contact the candidate if they're rejected.

Duane Dibbley

I've had scheduled phone call to say I didnt get the Job before.

Tazzimus

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

It could be anything, offer, rejection or even an invitation to another step in the process. Either way I wouldn't be worried about it. If it's a rejection then at least you'll know and if it's anything else you're in with a shout.

Happy Birthday!




If any of my team ever rejected a candidate by email I would take them outside and shoot them

At least they reply to rejections.
I've got a good few where I just never heard back after the interview from the recruiters.
Quick email or phone call isn't that difficult.

LollipopJimmy

The Young Wan wrote: »

I've had rejections by email, and TBH would prefer it that way. It gives you time to compose yourself and take the news in, which a call doesn't

I am a recruiter and I find the personal touch of a call with feedback is always the best way to go. I will always tell the candidate they are free to call me back to discuss at a later stage but I also think that rapport with candidates is the most important part of my job, I want to be able to pick up the phone to unsuccessful candidates with other opportunities. If I have sent somebody out for interview I have a decent relationship with them already.

Tazzimus wrote: »

At least they reply to rejections.
I've got a good few where I just never heard back after the interview from the recruiters.
Quick email or phone call isn't that difficult.

It happens and I don't understand it, if the candidate was good enough to put in front of a client then they are worth holding on to if unsuccessful because there's always the next role to fill.

all the bais

The Young Wan wrote: »

Have a call scheduled this evening with a company I've interviewed with last month. Today is my birthday so I'm rather worried bad news would put a dampner on it.

From previous correspondence with the company, I believe they've made their decision.

By any chance would the company be a leading CRM platform?

Dial Hard

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

If any of my team ever rejected a candidate by email I would take them outside and shoot them

Then you are very, very much in the minority. I'm genuinely trying to think of a single time I was phoned with a rejection and I actually can't. And I spent a period of time unemployed in 2017 and did a lot of interviews in that time. These were generally direct with the employer as opposed to through a recruiter, though, so maybe therein lies the difference?

jr86

have had a real mixture over the years.

Jobs where i was really down to the wire and was in the last 2 or 3 candidates and didn't get job - mainly got a phone call, although its actually very difficult digesting the news over a call in that scenario. When you see the phone ringing too its hard not to get excited!

Mainly though throughout all other stages, I find rejections come in the form of email. The minute I see an email from Joe Bloggs - X company come in on my phone, I know I didn't get job

Job offers, invite to next stage - were always a phone call

None of the above have ever been at a scheduled time though - the call/email just came in randomly. I suspect they just break the news asap to get it done with

OMM 0000 wrote: »

A scheduled phone call would make me think follow up interview by phone.

I'd be prepared for something like this tbh.

Turquoise Hexagon Sun

I had an interview a few months ago and I didn't get it but they gave me lots of valuable feedback over the phone. Basically, I lost out to someone more experienced but it was refreshing to get feedback. I really felt that company cared.

jr86

Turquoise Hexagon Sun wrote: »

I had an interview a few months ago and I didn't get it but they gave me lots of valuable feedback over the phone. Basically, I lost out to someone more experienced but it was refreshing to get feedback. I really felt that company cared. It was a publishing company.

Yeah had the exact same scenario myself a few years back.

Was down to 2 and lost to someone with much more experience but I really appreciated the phone call in that scenario. They gave plenty of valuable feedback too

Another one I was down to last few and got email rejection about a month later - a blatant copy and paste job with the usual token buzzwords.

I certainly know which company I'd apply for again

LollipopJimmy

Dial Hard wrote: »

Then you are very, very much in the minority. I'm genuinely trying to think of a single time I was phoned with a rejection and I actually can't. And I spent a period of time unemployed in 2017 and did a lot of interviews in that time. These were generally direct with the employer as opposed to through a recruiter, though, so maybe therein lies the difference?

Recruiters get a bad rap but the thing is in the main if they have feedback they'll give it. I've been involved in processes where none of my candidates were successful but they won't tell you and you have to hound the HR dept for an update.

The Young Wan

It seems I got worked up for nothing. They haven't called.

OMM 0000

That's disappointing. Please update if they finally call.

Gimme A Pound

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

If any of my team ever rejected a candidate by email I would take them outside and shoot them

Crikey. Obviously I know it's not literal but what is so terrible about an email confirming this? What's the point in phoning? Waste of time and an awkward conversation - for both parties. Nobody should feel bad for a candidate not getting a job.

An email with an offer of feedback by phone if the candidate wants to give them a call seems like a perfectly fair approach.

LollipopJimmy

Gimme A Pound wrote: »

Crikey. Obviously I know it's not literal but what is so terrible about an email confirming this? What's the point in phoning? Waste of time and an awkward conversation - for both parties. Nobody should feel bad for a candidate not getting a job.

An email with an offer of feedback by phone if the candidate wants to give them a call seems like a perfectly fair approach.

Relationship with candidates and client comes before all else and the personal touch of a call helps build that. The team are experienced enough to handle the call in such a way that it's not awkward for either party.

This kind of action is actually why the company I work for stand out within the industry.

Gimme A Pound

Personally I prefer email. A phone call is associated far more with being successful, so the disappointment would be magnified.

LollipopJimmy

Gimme A Pound wrote: »

Personally I prefer email. A phone call is associated far more with being successful, so the disappointment would be magnified.

I suppose there is context too, as the recruiter I am not the final decision maker, I will have managed expectations and tell candidates to expect a call with any news I get, good, bad, indifferent or even if I have no update. We are experienced enough to know how to handle the situation

Tazzimus

Gimme A Pound wrote: »

Personally I prefer email. A phone call is associated far more with being successful, so the disappointment would be magnified.

I just prefer being told, instead of left guessing.
It's that little touch that would make me reply to the recruiters mail with a different job, or take their call again.

In my experience, there's very few decent recruitment companies, most are cowboys just chasing numbers.

Gimme A Pound

Tazzimus wrote: »

I just prefer being told, instead of left guessing.
It's that little touch that would make me reply to the recruiters mail with a different job, or take their call again.

In my experience, there's very few decent recruitment companies, most are cowboys just chasing numbers.

Oh some of them are an absolute disgrace (some great too though).

JeffKenna

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

Gimme A Pound wrote: »

Personally I prefer email. A phone call is associated far more with being successful, so the disappointment would be magnified.

I suppose there is context too, as the recruiter I am not the final decision maker, I will have managed expectations and tell candidates to expect a call with any news I get, good, bad, indifferent or even if I have no update. We are experienced enough to know how to handle the situation

Ah hold on now, we're comparing apples with oranges here. If a recruiter put me forward for a role and then subsequently e-mailed saying I didn't get it I would consider it very poor business. A call is required in that situation.

The OP interviewed directly with the company. I can only think of once ever I interviewed and got a call to say I didn't get the job.

LollipopJimmy

JeffKenna wrote: »

Ah hold on now, we're comparing apples with oranges here. If a recruiter put me forward for a role and then subsequently e-mailed saying I didn't get it I would consider it very poor business. A call is required in that situation.

The OP interviewed directly with the company. I can only think of once ever I interviewed and got a call to say I didn't get the job.

I've been in internal recruitment and moved to agency because it my needs better (closer to college and a few other things) but in internal I always spoke to the candidates over the phone. Where possible I speak to people rather than email. But as I said, the relationship would have been built

The Young Wan

So, anyone looking for an update:

They're shelving the hiring until October. So I can get back in touch with them in late Aug/early Sept and see where the land lies.

Thanks all for the advice/support!