The Courtesy of Callbacks
It’s been about a month on the job hunt now. Obviously I haven’t found a new position yet, or I would’ve been blogging about my good fortune instead of ranting my frustration. I have had some success, however, in getting interviews. About one a week since being laid off, in fact, which I consider a pretty good rate.
Did I expect to have an offer by now? Not necessarily, although I was definitely hoping for one. I won’t say it doesn’t bother me. After all, there’s nothing I hate more than being unemployed.
What’s really been irking me, though, is the lack of any response at all. In my daily job search this morning, I came across an ad placed by SchoolDude.com, the first company with whom I interviewed last month. Naturally, the ad was for the same position for which I had applied. In a month since the interview, this has been my only indication that they were no longer interested in hiring me, even after several emails and phone calls asking for updates.
I can’t begin to say how unprofessional and downright rude this sort of conduct is. I went out of my way to meet them in person for the interview. The least they could do is let me know things didn’t work out. I would’ve been fine with that. Instead of giving me the courtesy of a callback, however, they left me hanging to eventually figure out their decision on my own.
I wish I could say this is an isolated incident, but SchoolDude.com is just the most recent in a long string of potential employers who didn’t have the decency to pick up the phone. Did I miss something? When did professional courtesy go by the wayside? Are people just afraid to say, “I’m sorry, but we’ve decided to pursue other candidates”?
Here’s my message to all the SchoolDudes of the world. If you decide not to hire someone, tell them so. Pick up the phone, send an email… heck, send it snail mail if it makes you feel better. The important thing is that you do it, because most of your potential employees would rather know than live with false hopes. Leaving them hanging is just plain inconsiderate.
February 8th, 2007 at 11:22 pm
It’s funny that I should write this post today and get exactly what I was ranting about only hours later. The answer was, unfortunately, in the negative, but at least the recruiter was courteous enough to let me know. I only wish I could say the same for employers like SchoolDude.