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Topic: Stood up for a job interview
| Author | Message |
| nika | Posted – 7/14/2007 5:25:50 PM | show profile | email poster Ok, tell me what you think. I had a job interview on Thursday for an Assistant Editor position, that I was qualified for and I thought sounded like a fantastic opportunity. So I get all dressed up in my suit and tie (in 90 degree weather), and travel an hour and a half to get to their offices. When I arrive, 15 minutes early, the receptionist cooly tells me that the editor who was supposed to interview me had already left for the day (the interview was scheduled for 5 pm -- at the editor's request). Now this strikes me as odd, as I had just spoken to the editor that morning to confirm the appointment. The receptionist said that they will contact me to reschedule the interview. So today, I get an email from the editor wondering when I would be able to come back down for another interview (without an apology or any kind of explanation), and I'm just wondering how I should respond. Is it even worth it for me to go back there? Will the editor even show up this time? I mean, really, if I'm going to be working with these people I'd want to be respected and treated professionally -- which obviously I haven't been so far. Thoughts? |
| writesonwater | Posted – 7/14/2007 5:44:25 PM | show profile SOrry about that! Don't you just wonder if sometimes, they're not just testing to see how much crap you'll take? If you had jobs galore to choose from, I'd ignore it. The editor is probably an inconsiderate, unprofessional ass. If he's that way before he hires -- when he should at least be making an effort to make a decent impression -- it will get worse. If you NEED the job, I'd be sweet about it, go to the interview. If it was an anomaly and he's actually a kind, absent=minded prof type guy, you're good. If he's a jerk, you won't mind leaving him when you find something better. Good luck! |
| Marie | Posted – 7/14/2007 7:31:18 PM | show profile Try to find out whether there was genuine confusion about the time. Maybe there was. We all get confused about times once and a while. You can check that quite innocently: Dear [fill in name]: Thank you for getting back to me. I'm so sorry I missed you when I showed up for our appointment, which was scheduled for 5 p.m. last [fill in whenever it was, with date and day]. Did I have the date or time wrong? Again, I'm sorry I missed you. Then set up another appt. if you want the job but make it in the morning, say 11 a.m. (this will give you enough travel time], or at 2 p.m. That way you're not likely to get stood up again. I'd say you're safer with the morning. If you think it's a good job for you and you don't have any other offers, that's how I'd handle it, although I'm sure many will slam me for such an obsequious approach. |
| WordyBird | Posted – 7/14/2007 7:44:41 PM | show profile If you confirmed the appointment earlier that day...well, I'd wait tables, first. Sorry, but there's really no excuse for that kind of flakiness. It was not confusion. This editor messed up and didn't have the convictions to admit to it or apologize. Move on. One could only imagine what working for that person would be like. |
| MedScribe | Posted – 7/15/2007 1:39:36 PM | show profile I wonder if that position has already been unofficially filled? It's annoying to be stood up and doubly so that he chose not to apologize, but if you really need a job I would probably suck it up and give him a second chance. Personally I would prefer to be in a "fantastic opportunity" as an assistant editor (albeit with an arrogant boss), than waiting tables. |
| WordyBird | Posted – 7/15/2007 8:14:58 PM | show profile Well, MedScribe, perhaps it depends on how old you are and where you are in your career. Personally, I'm 40, and I have had it up to my eyeballs with flaky interviewers, rude employers, and the general (and rather disgusting) lack of professionalism that has taken over this industry. I am sick of employers who treat employees and prospective employees like dirt and expect the "help" to put up with any old treatment on the assumption that everyone is just so DESPERATE for a job. Well, *I'm* not desperate, and it sounds like Nika isn't either, simply because it seems to me that Nika's gut is right on. A good instinct will take you far in this business, and I think Nika's would be wasted in a shop like that. Don't get me wrong, I'm the first to decry big egos, but in this case, Nika has a point about wanting to be respected and treated professionally. That hasn't happened, and Nika hasn't even MET the person yet. As for waiting tables...waiting tables, temping, freelancing, selling used cars...it doesn't matter. The way I see it, if someone is smart enough to find MB and participate, that person is too smart to have to put up with, well, crap, just for a paycheck. There are a gazillion temp agencies out there. If you can type and you know your way around Word, Excel, and the Internet, you can make money while seeking out an employer with whom you can have a professional and rewarding partnership. I've done it before, and I'm preparing to do it again in the coming months because I'm relocating soon. That's just my opinion, of course. And yes, it stems from roughly six months of running into this kind of nonsense in this industry. It boils down to rudeness, and if there's one thing I cannot stand, it's people who are rude in a business setting. |
