Thursday, January 26, 2012
When you apply for a job and hear...nothing
Fortune Management: The last time I looked for a new job, about four years ago, the most discouraging part of the process was applying for a position, even going through more than one interview, and then hearing nothing back. Now, it's happening again. I applied for an opening at a company where I've always wanted to work. They called me in for an interview, which I think went really well, about three weeks ago. I've followed up by phone and email a few times to reiterate my interest since then, but I've heard nothing. Nada. Not a peep.
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4 comments:
This is really the most aggravating thing. I have applied for many a job where the employer did not bother to respond back after applying. Granted, these were high school jobs and not on any level close to corporate, but the principle remains the same. It is very inconsiderate and does not reflect well on the company. When this happens I tend to just tell myself that it wasn't meant to be. If it is, you have to be patient and you'll find out soon enough. With "real" life quickly approaching I should really learn to take my own advice.
With the advent of the blast email, I feel that it is completely unacceptable, and frankly idiotic, for companies to not respond to job applicants. I understand that, given the economy, applicant numbers have increased dramatically, and I'm not asking for a handcrafted piece of literature telling me to keep my head up and stroke my bruised ego, but I feel that receiving a form-letter "thanks but no thanks" is common courtesy. If I haven't had any contact with a hiring department post-interview, I'm also inclined to wonder if the entire company is this disorganized and this rude, making me question whether I want to work there.
Most people who have applied for a job have experience this frustration. I know I have, and it was made worse by the fact that it was my first choice companies. Since the larger companies especially have an internal system keeping track of the status of every job application, as the article pointed out, it's hard to imagine why they would not take the simple step of integrating an auto-response system. I think the reason this happens is because companies aren't aware of how damaging this is to their reputation. The internet has changed how people interact, and many companies probably do not realize how much of an impact word of mouth can have. Until companies decide to do the considerate thing and reply to every application, the best we can do is move on and try not to get discouraged.
I think I would be asking myself if I wanted to work at a company that did not show common courtesy from the get go. I would be wondering what else they may do. I also don't think I would wait as long as they say. I would want them to know how interested I am in the position so I would call in a week if I had not heard anything. Sometimes it is personnel that has dropped the ball and not the person who interviewed. They may think it is being pushy but I think of it as being assertive. I would definitely go for it. What do I have to lose?
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