| Back to Home > Bulletin Board > Media Issues > Topic: Is this the new normal? |
Topic: Is this the new normal?
| Author | Message |
| ny or bust | Posted – 7/13/2007 12:05:17 PM | show profile I had a second interview with a company about 3 weeks ago, and at the time they seemed like they were very interested in me. Then I never heard from them again. I tried calling and emailing (not in a stalker way) and still never heard back. In the past I would at least get a rejection letter or email, and now - nothing. They can't take 2 seconds to shoot me back a rejection email? What really bugs me too, not just with this particular company, is that I put a lot of time and effort into responding to their request for pitches and a mock article. I'm sorry, but I feel used and blown off, and feel this kind of behavior is completely unprofessional. The other "new normal" I seem to be encountering is employers contacting me to set up interviews or send edit tests, and then I never hear back. What is going on? I would love for some HR people on this board to shed some light and explain this bizarre behavior. |
| lo17 | Posted – 7/13/2007 1:11:40 PM | show profile i totally agree! this is EXTREMELY RUDE AND UNPROFESSIONAL and i think people need to start being held accountable. i turned in an edit test 3 weeks ago for a job- i worked on the test for 4 days and gave away tons of secrets on amazing freelance writers and resources and i never even got an email back. nothing. i'm not too upset about the job- i don't want to work for a company/individual who is so unprofessional, but i feel like i was tricked into giving away free ideas. i want to send them an invoice for my time and invaluable ideas/contacts. i feel jilted in the worst way... |
| foodlit | Posted – 7/13/2007 1:12:10 PM | show profile If they send you edit tests and you never hear back, then they didn't like your test, most likely. If they're contacting you to set up interviews, it might be more of a pre-screen and you didn't make the cut, for whatever reason. However, to not respond at all after a second interview, is just rude and I agree, it is unprofessional. Pam |
| mailbag | Posted – 7/13/2007 1:40:19 PM | show profile | email poster Been on both sides, and from your side I feel that pain. I can't speak for others who hire... No doubt we are slammed by CVs. (Just no doubt, trust me.) So of that lot -- most of which are not qualified -- I try to pick 20-25 and phone each one. Now, this is a once-in-a-chance call, because with 25 candidates to phone I will not try to reach them twice. (And here is a hint -- if you apply to a job be by the phone for the next two days, after that move on.) Of that lot who either answer or call back within a few hours, I go through standard questions. From my experience in the past year of candidates -- it is VERY easy to narrow it down to 5 or less on one phone call. For those I have no interest in - I leave it with "thank you for your time, I will call you back IF I think you are a good fit." (I think that is pretty clear.) The 5 come in. Provided all goes well with face2face, that final decision sometime rests with the chair. Sometimes we all decided to wait. Sometimes we decide for an immediate hire. But for the 5 either way I do send them thank you notes. |
| PW | Posted – 7/13/2007 2:08:18 PM | show profile This sort of behavior has really jaded me. I understand that HR people and editors are busy, but if I take a couple of hours to put together and edit an application, the least they can do is write me a one-line e-mail at some point telling me that they went with someone else or weren't interested. I don't know if they're trying to be nice, but I'd much rather know than wait. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 7/13/2007 2:16:33 PM | show profile Unfortunately, the new normal in business circles is using a non-response to say No or Not Interested. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 7/13/2007 2:17:14 PM | show profile Unfortunately, the new normal in business circles is using a non-response to say No or Not Interested. |
| jubjubbird | Posted – 7/13/2007 5:48:53 PM | show profile Yup this is common way for rejecting queries too. I think it is beyond rude. Lately I've been a little more aggressive about pointing out when they are being non-responsive and it seems to work a little better. Just a little, though. |
| ny or bust | Posted – 7/13/2007 7:56:46 PM | show profile foodlit - I should've clarified the second part better. I know full well about not expecting another call if I didn't pass the edit test or pre-screen interview - I'm talking about employers reaching out to me about setting up an interview or sending me an edit test - and then they never do! Oh, and neither one was in the context of a pre-screen interview. |
| WordyBird | Posted – 7/13/2007 8:20:06 PM | show profile For the life of me, I wish more people would do things like Mailbag. What's more, I think a "pre-screen" interview should be a 15-minute phone call. Having someone come in for an hour to "pre-screen" is not just rude, but bloody rude, and if you can't tell whether someone has the right general background and a professional demeanor in a 15-minute phone call, then brush up on your listening and interviewing skills. Finally, EVERYONE who has a face-to-face should get a response of some sort, if only to thank them for taking the time to come in. Years ago, they used to send letters. Now, an e-mail will do. But don't take up someone's time and not even thank them for it. Besides, if your first-choice doesn't work out, you just might need to call your second--who would be within his or her rights to give you the one-fingered salute. |
| ny or bust | Posted – 7/16/2007 12:33:23 PM | show profile Anyone else share the same experience of being contacted for an initial interview or editing test (not a pre-screen interview, just an email or something) and then never hearing back??? |
| WordyBird | Posted – 7/16/2007 1:19:24 PM | show profile It's common, because unprofessional behavior is now common. You're not the only one, NY or Bust. Someone else has a thread going about being stood up for an interview. Or you can see my thread on headhunters/recruiter types. I can go on all day and give about 10 examples of unprofessional treatment. The industry is becoming peppered with flakes, it seems. Freelancing is becoming more and more appealing every day. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 7/16/2007 1:55:27 PM | show profile You encounter the exact same things in freelancing. People contact you about gigs or you put together proposals for them and you never hear back. --Freelancing is becoming more and more appealing every day.-- |
| WordyBird | Posted – 7/16/2007 2:52:36 PM | show profile Oh, I'm sure there are flakes everywhere and you run into plenty of them when freelancing. But at least when you freelance you're a little bit more in control of your own fate. I think with freelancing the most irritating part is chasing down money people owe you. Can you tell I am really just disgusted with the way people treat job applicants. There's no civility or basic common courtesy. |
| pitcher | Posted – 7/16/2007 6:51:38 PM | show profile the new normal I suppose it should be comforting to see that it's not me, but others too, who are being treated the same way. But somehow it doesn't make me feel any better. It appalls me that people who have met me before and spent time talking with me would not even acknowledge a personal email sent to them. However, I do see somewhat of a trend. The higher-up the person is in the chain of command, and the more with-it and on top of his or her game, the quicker he or she will get back to you. It's the true pros who have some sense of decorum and act like human beings toward the people who want to work with them. |
| bfb1212 | Posted – 7/17/2007 2:03:21 PM | show profile same trends in freelancing I agree with whoever made the post about the same things happening for freelancers. My friends and I think the most maddening thing about working for yourself is when you cultivate a relationship with an editor, send in pitches and ideas as prompted, and then hear NOTHING back, not even when you politely follow-up. Most frustrating for me was when I secured a meeting with an editor at a major women's mag from a cold e-mail pitch, even though I had no national clips. We met in NYC for about an hour and she said she loved my ideas and to follow up with the pitches, tweaked with a few of her suggestions. So I did -- three times -- and never heard anything back, ever. Since then, I've broken into three major magazines, several national newspapers, one major website, written two books, and secured a weekly column, but that one still kills me ... |
| Ima Putz | Posted – 7/17/2007 2:35:34 PM | show profile Whew. In a way, it's really nice to see that everyone else is just as frustrated with this as I am (although I wish we were all bonded by thoughtful interviewers and hiring managers instead). I've now had eight interviews with eight different hiring managers in the last six months and not one of them has called me to let me know that I didn't get the job. I had to call each and every one (well after the date they said they would call me). One person led me to believe I had a great chance of getting the job. I called to follow up and she did not return my call. I e-mailed. I called again. (All within a reasonable time frame, of course) And I never heard from her. How hard is it to pick up the phone or write a quick one-line email to let someone know that they weren't hired? The rudeness of these people is appalling. And after eight interviews (and a few second interviews) followed by dead silence, I'm starting to think I should show up in their offices and demand a direct answer. I wonder if that would be out of line... |
