Bizarre Hiring PracticeI am just wondering if anyone has heard of this type of hiring practice: My fiance applied for a job at Microsoft and, because he lived three states away, interviewed by phone. He was told that he got the position, but that they would like to set up a face-to-face interview nonetheless. Thinking that he had the position, he decided to move out to Seattle, and let Microsoft HR know his intentions to move when they called to arrange a plane ticket for the interview. They said he could just interview after he moved to Seattle, which was within two weeks. After he moved to Seattle, he had to wait about three weeks for the interview, but was again told he had the position. His would be a new group, his supervisor was "getting the rest of the team put together", and would let him know his starting date. For the next sixth months, my fiance called his supervisor every couple of weeks and was always told that his starting date was "soon"; sometimes he would be told "in a couple of weeks" and sometimes "by the end of the month". Well, six months and over ten thousand dollars later, he finally gave up and moved back home. My fiance graduated with a computer science and political science degree, is very clean cut and well spoken, and had an internship in the computer field with a major software company. I really really don' t think they would have changed their minds after interviewing him. I was just wondering if this is a common practice with bigger companies and something to watch out for, just really really bad luck, or the universe trying to smite him? Always, always get it in writing. He is now out that money. If he took them to court to recover his moving expenses, they' d lie through their teeth and they can afford more lawyer than he can. If he' d had a written offer he could sue and almost certainly win. He might write them a polite letter recapping what' s happened and asking them for his expenses for the move to Seattle, but he' d have paid rent somewhere and it was his choice to move away again. They might cough up something. Sorry this happened, but browse these boards and you' ll read story after story of people being jerked around by recruiters and HR. I fell for it about a year ago myself, so believe me I sympathize. Human Resources = The "Let's lie to people to get their hopes up, inconvenience them, and ruin their dreams and hopes for a fruitful life" Department. But yea, I wouldn't have moved though until I got a more firm grasp on the start date. I have had some bizarre things happen to me with recruiters and HR but that one takes the cake. One HR after the interview would call me every so often telling me they were still interested but lost something and could I send another copy of… or so and so is in another state and when they return they will….. That one went on for a few months. After one interview I got a call from HR saying I clinched it and they will make me a formal offer as soon as the dept head comes back from vacation. I told them until I get that letter in hand I am not going to give my notice. The dept head came back and laid off a bunch of people. The dept head came back and laid off a bunch of people." So.....we' re you hired on after he came back from vacation? (laid people off,and then hired you?) Seriously, there' s got to be a law out there or a law should be made against this negligence. If someone verbally tells you your hired and give you a start date, you go right into work. Make it so that verbal is just as good as written. Of course, if it' s in writing, you can' t do a thing about it anyways. This guy has no one to blame but himself. He moved without an offer in writing, it sounds like they didn't even give him a formal verbal offer. No I didnt give my notice. I told them I needed the letter in hand. When I was a field engineer one of the companies I got parts at told me they were looking for a field engineer. Something felt funny so I didn’t apply. So a couple of months later I asked did you hire a new person yet? They told me they interviewed 10 people, brought back 2 for a second interview, checked all their references and then figured out they didn’t need anyone. I know I' m going to be accused (again) of siding with the big guy over the little guy here, but I have to believe there is some misunderstanding on your finace' s part. If they want him to continue to interview, then he is STILL interviewing. If they want him to continue to interview and haven' t set a start date, he is STILL interviewing, not employed. From several years of reading these boards, I can tell you that applicants often hear what they want to hear and frequently misunderstand things and interpret them to mean they have the job when nothing is final yet. While having it writing doesn' t make it any more real or any more of a contract, in this case, it would have clarified that for however the communication broke down, your finance jumped the gun. If they were still interviewing, there might be any number of reasons they changed their minds about your finance. Someone else may have been in the running. They may have thought he wasn' t the right "fit" for the group. He may not have come off confident enough or came off too arrogant, not perky enough or too peppy... you really can' t know. Perhaps they were waiting for funding for this group to come through and it hit an internal snag and was held up. Or they had funding but someone with more clout "stole" it for their project. Things like that happen all the time. So, no, this isn' t normal in that major companies don' t delibretely let people think they' re hired and move across the country for a job that doesn' t exist or that they haven' t been hired for. Something went awry here and most likely it was something that your finance misinterpreted. For the future, if anyone says you still need to interview and hasn' t set a start date (written or not) you don' t have a job yet. I am in HR, and have never heard of anyone being hired, and then asked to come in for another "interview" Very odd.....with all due respect, are you sure your fiance did not misunderstand something? if the company does not send you an offer letter, then something is fishy, ALWAYS get an offer letter, does not guarantee anything, but usually a good sign they are legit and have an actual opening. Sorry for the ordeal, that is awful! You' re right on the money! The little guy messed up much more than the big guy this time. The job seeker did not make a wise decision to move based on nothing but vague promises. If nothing else, he killed any chance of recovering relocation expenses. The company didn' t give him the green light to move. I would have said I don' t have the funds to move (even if I did). This would force them to ante up early on. Also, I would have continued to interview with other companies. With a competing offer in hand, the candidate now has a valid reason to give his first choice a "drop-dead" date. | |
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