Frustrating job interviews, success, and non-offer

fields5069

Aaarrgh! I'm coming to the end of a very frustrating job interview process, with probably no job offer at the end of it despite being "successful". I had 2 phone interviews for the same job, over Christmas, followed by a chat with my prospective boss and an assurance that an offer would be imminent. I've been waiting 3 weeks for the offer now, and the agency have not been much use, partly because they're Canadian and 5 hours behind (6 hours behind boss man who is based in Prague). It's a start-up, so boss man is flying here there and everywhere weekly, and no doubt sometimes doesn't even have time for a shit. However I just have this feeling that no offer is coming my way, and why the fuck can't the company or the agency just be honest that they fucked up and don't want me anymore. I have a feeling that the agency messed up with their salary estimates, and boss man can't deliver. The last I heard, on January 16th, was that "the money will be tight" and "X isn't confident that the offer will be acceptable". Try me! I can only say no!

I know what the correct advice is - forget it and be very wary of this company in future, you live and learn etc. In truth I would accept a good offer in a heartbeat, I can't wait to leave my current job and the new company sounds like a very exciting place to be, with a good salary and stock options as a sweetener.

Feckers.

Phil_aka_Pip

I am used to what seems like a perfectly good job hunt just going cold. The agent likes you, the telephone interview goes well, then suddenly it all goes dead. Makes you think you might be on some kind of blacklist.

axisus

Sounds like a right bummer. Is there no way you can try move things along? After my last job interview I rang the guy who interviewed me and I said "if you want to offer me the job it will have to be today as I've been offered another" (true). He rang back 20 mins later and gave it to me. 28 years later and I'm still here.

munckee

My advice is control what you can control, if he has changed his mind you can't help that.  You can do everything you can until you find out for sure by persisting in trying to force the offer or renegotiating if you need to, until its dead in which case you move on.

richardhomer

I got through to the final part of a recruitment process a couple of years ago and was told (there and then) that the presentation I’d given was the best they’d seen. I was also asked when I could start.

Three hours later the agency told me that the company thought ‘you’re over-qualified and would get bored’ - so they weren’t going to offer me the position. I suspect the real reason was because I was over 50....

Since then, I’ve done bits and pieces on a self-employed basis and live a hand-to-mouth existence on far less money than I would’ve earned working for them, with no security whatsoever.

Employers sometimes make perverse recruitment decisions....

fields5069

I texted boss man this morning. No answer as yet, but like I say he is working 26 hours a day I think.

If I get no answer by tomorrow morning then I'll know something is wrong. He has answered a text of mine before. The strange thing is, he got 2 engineers in Prague to interview me on 22nd and 29th December, there seemed to be urgency which appears to have dissipated.

On top of this, I was sounded out about the same TYPE of job at the same company, by a UK agency, just last week, and they told me not to worry because there were a few roles going currently.

Very odd.

fields5069

munckee said:

My advice is control what you can control, if he has changed his mind you can't help that.  You can do everything you can until you find out for sure by persisting in trying to force the offer or renegotiating if you need to, until its dead in which case you move on.

I guess I just want some honesty - tell me to fuck off at least!

Ravenous

He's very probably waiting on someone else for the decision... even if he's the boss man in charge of the company, it's very likely he's not in charge of the money!

fields5069

Ravenous said:

He's very probably waiting on someone else for the decision... even if he's the boss man in charge of the company, it's very likely he's not in charge of the money!

That has been the story. It just seems that, for a company which constantly has to move fast, this is taking so long. It may yet work out, I've just had some frustrating news at work so I'm really ready to leave.

Adam_MD

richardhomer said:

Employers sometimes make perverse recruitment decisions....

Mrs_MD repeatedly has problems with this.  She has a PhD but hasn’t been able to get work in her field due to cuts to funding after the financial crisis.  

When she’s been interviewed for jobs since potential employers at interview have often given her great feedback and remarked the job is beneath her skill level.

Despite giving appropriate reasons as to why she wants to work for that company or why she believes she’s a good fit for the job they again give her great feedback but never hire her.

the last 3 jobs she went for she left her PhD off her cv and she was offered every single one of them.  

fields5069

I hope they don't think that of me, that I'm over-experienced particularly. it's more hands-on and guess could be seen as more junior than what I'm doing, but I'd also be changing tack slightly so I have no problem with that.

FreddieVanHalen

Many times I’ve seen jobs go cold because the hiring manger or company wasn’t fully aware of who or what they wanted when they started advertising.

After seeing a few candidates they realise their situation and start looking for other candidates.

They fail to speak with the early candidates partly out of lack of time, partly embarrassment and partly to try and keep their own options open.

So many things to change or go wrong during the hiring process, it’s never worth getting your hopes up until they’ve sent you a contract.

Doesnt make it easier to cope with if you’re out of work though. 

Phil_aka_Pip

Adam_MD said:

the last 3 jobs she went for she left her PhD off her cv and she was offered every single one of them.  

I think that with a lot of the jobs around here, if you don't want the job you should include your degree and details of the software designs you've done, and if you're desperate for income from any kind of work (suitable or not), then you should hide those things.

hassleham

I gave up on getting a job a while ago.. couldn’t even get an interview!

iseverynamegone

This happened to me twice in the space of 6 months. some years ago.  On both occasions I had a second interview and was called afterwards by the interviewer to say an offer would be forthcoming.

On one occasion the company announced a global freeze on new hires one week after that call. 

On the other the EMEA president was let go a few days after  and the organisation changes  were put on hold. 

In both cases there was little either I or the local people I was dealing with could have done differently so I wasn’t too down about it. 

Chalky

You are like a shop selling stuff. Interviews are like your shop door opens and someone walks in and starts looking at the stuff you are selling.

Are they going to buy?

They then leave.

Are they going to come back?

So you are like a shopkeeper who grabs the person as they are about to leave the shop and says "Tell me! Are you buying what I'm selling or not?! I need to know!".

Weird behaviour for a shopkeeper.

Best to look for other interviews. You are taking them far too seriously.

ToneControl

Don't take it personally

(Unless you never get past first interview stage, or never get interviews)

Recruiting is a pain, and takes a lot of time. No one gives you a second interview to pass the time of day

fields5069

No answer to my direct text. If you think about it logically, there's no reason for that behaviour so maybe there is something wrong.

If I'm the shop keeper, the company is someone who comes in, says "I'd like to buy some apples please" and then ignores me for the next 3 weeks.

fields5069

FreddieVanHalen said:

Many times I’ve seen jobs go cold because the hiring manger or company wasn’t fully aware of who or what they wanted when they started advertising.

After seeing a few candidates they realise their situation and start looking for other candidates.

They fail to speak with the early candidates partly out of lack of time, partly embarrassment and partly to try and keep their own options open.

So many things to change or go wrong during the hiring process, it’s never worth getting your hopes up until they’ve sent you a contract.

Doesnt make it easier to cope with if you’re out of work though. 

I think they could be keeping their options open. I'm not convinced that the vacancies being handled by the UK recruiter aren't the same that I went for, despite assurances to the contrary.

thermionic

“We’ll let you know beginning of next week, certainly” and never hearing anything back is normal in my experience. So is emailing the person who interviewed me, getting no reply, and denying receiving the email when I call them, unfortunately.

fields5069

ToneControl said:

Don't take it personally

(Unless you never get past first interview stage, or never get interviews)

Recruiting is a pain, and takes a lot of time. No one gives you a second interview to pass the time of day

Exactly. The boss man got 2 of his minions to phone me at 5 o'clock on a Friday over Xmas, the second one was even during their furlough.

It's time to park this one I think. Something may still happen. It could be that there was time pressure to recruit, and now there's not.