is it tattling (long)Hey everybody-- I'm struggling with a really awful situation. Pardon the length of this post, but a lot's gone on. I'm in the post-interview process with my alma mater for a PR position. While I fit every qualification listed in the advertisement and got called back extremely quickly, the interviewer made it very clear to me that she's not going to hire me... without rejecting me outright. I thought things were great at first but then she became curt and condescending during the interview, maintaining I was "better off" staying at my current job. While I'm aware I may not be the ideal candidate, I was obviously good enough to score an interview, and while I may not have what she'd prefer in the way of PR experience in particular, the ad didn't call for that (and still doesn't; I've been monitoring the posting for changes). I also have transferable skills-- although I'm young (23), I have over twice as much communications experience as was requested in the ad. Of course, while I was arguing that point, she kept cutting me off to tell me she still wasn't convinced I was right for the position. Then, in a bizarre twist at the end of the interview, she promised to send me a writing test two days later, and I felt as though I was able to redeem myself. Two weeks later, there is no test-- even after I mentioned how eager I was to take it in my thank-you note! She gave me her card and told me to call her with any questions or concerns. Since I knew the hiring process would be lengthy, I decided to call today-- ten days after our last exchange. When I called this morning to follow up, she was very brusque and curt and even cut me off to talk over me, as if I were being a pest. I haven't talked to you in ten days! I haven't seen you in two weeks! What on earth is the problem? Though jarred, I decided to stick to my original plan and asked her if it would be okay to have my current employer contact her as a reference and she said, "Ummmmm.... Sure," like, 'She can call if she wants, but I still think you're totally wrong for the position!' Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'm sure she could have come up with a better way to deflect, like saying "Actually, you know, things are really hectic here in the office, what with the hiring decisions and all... I'll contact you with any further steps regarding references" or something. Even "Don't call us, we'll call you" would have been a more apropos response for what she was projecting! I was really surprised at her vitriol and lack of professionalism and asked a former professor what to do. She was horrified and suggested that I file a complaint with her immediate superior and CC it to the alumni council; since much of the school's funding relies on alum donations, this would be terrible press for the school. I'm a little nervous about boat-rocking, since I'm not sure you can really do anything about an interviewer just not liking you. But everyone around me thinks that by speaking up, I may end up getting at the very least a fair shot at a job I'd love to do. So is it tattling to complain about an interviewer's practices? My biggest fear is that it could cost me the job, but at this point, I'm already a reject, so what do I have to lose?
This job is obviously not in your future. Move on. You will have other similar bad experiences in your job hunting life. You can't know what her problem is.
just came up a few weeks ago
http://monster.prospero.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=mstinterview&tid=228 I know you don't want to hear this but here goes. You will not be getting this job. Something about you rubs her the wrong way, or although you meet all the minimum job requirements listed in the ad she's got other much more qualified candidates to choose from. Although you may not care for her manner, she's tried to tell you pretty plainly to move on. Why are you continuing to beat this dead horse? Complaining is not going to give you a chance at the job. She doesn't want you, that's that. Complaining is only going to burn a bridge with this organization for the future and with her permanantly. As a friend of mine often says "friends come and go but enemies accumulate". Don't accumulate one over this. You're just going to come off whiny and she's going to say "I don't know what the problem is, I told him/her that I had better qualified candidates and to move on." Then she's going to produce the list of others and that's that. And cc-ing the alumni council? Burn bridges there too while you're at it. If I was on that council and got your letter, I sure would think twice about hiring you into MY company. That's like burning every bridge in Venice for pete's sake! So, chalk it up to a personality conflict or whatever you want and move on. You certainly don't want to work for her anyway.
Tess Yeah; I saw the other post's link when I logged back in and did some rooting... I realized the experience mirrored mine very closely. In response to the other posts: I'm giving myself until Wednesday to make the decision whether or not to mail the letter, though as of right now I've been convinced to do it by everyone I've asked (save for the suggestions not to here). Should I do it, I would be as respectful as possible and not involve the alumni council, but if the only reason not to do it is burnt bridges at a private college that heavily relies on alumni donations... I'm going to need much better reasons.
i guess it just feels good to pi$$ on somebody's pant leg every once and a while. Besides feeling good it won't do much for you except perhaps burn parts of your network even if it you are looking too short-sighted to see it. Remember those encouraging you are likely doing so from the vantage point of being securely employed.
I'm not sure what the problem is. Your qualifications looked good on paper. You were invited in for an interview. Then, one of two things happened. Either your real life performance did not measure up, or your personality was not what the interviewer was looking for. She let you know that, which is more than what many other interviewers would've done. She gave you her business card, which is just a standard way of ending an interview and not an indicator that they really expect or want to hear from you. When you called, she once again let you know that she was not interested. I honestly do not see what else she could've done to make it clear to you that you should let this one go and move on. It's over, done with, time to move on. Things don't always go your way in a job search, and this won't be the last time you face this type of situation. The fact is, many applicants are interviewed for an open position, but only one gets the job, the rest are rejected. That's just how it is. Just because you don't like what happened does not make it fundamentally wrong. My opinion is that if she treats you in that manner, she most assuredly has treated other people the same way. The unprofessional and disrespectful way that she conveyed her message to you was not in any way acceptable and YES, she should be reported to her supervisor. The other individuals she treated in such a way may not have had the opportunity or were too "afraid" of the outcome if they complained. That did not serve her in a good way and it made them look weak and pathetic. If this interviewer wants to push buttons, show her that you can push back. Her supervisor may not kow that she does this or (far-fetched, but you never know) the supervisor may have instructed her to act in just this manner to root out the individual who is not afraid to speak out and speak up for themselves in a professional and respectful manner. Since the position is a public relations position, you will undoubtedly be faced with unreasonable individuals who treat others as if they are dirt because they may have more money or feel they are higher "up the ladder" than you. How you deal with this situation (with the interviewer) is a very good indication of how you will deal with others during the course of your work.
Five minutes ago I was dead set on sending that letter, but now I think I'm going to hold off-- not because of what anyone here says, but because I'm re-realizing the subjectivity of the human interaction. My post is just my perception of what happened, not necessarily what exactly transpired. No one in this thread or any of the people I asked were in that room with me or on the phone this morning, and no matter what I type here, the story is always what I would perceive it to be. There are a number of variables at work and that is actually more of a reason for me to hesitate than something like "ruining" possible "relationships" with "contacts". I think even the OP in the thread linked in this one waited a month? before making their decision to complain to someone. So I'm holding off, if only because I don't know what to make of the initial situation anymore. Move on. First, it is obvious that you don't have the job. Second, this probably isn't the first person that has treated you rudely and won't be the last. Put it behind you. Third, "this would be terrible press for the school"??? You're kidding, right? Do you think anyone really cares that an HR weenie (or even HR VP) was rude (according to your version) to a candidate? You think this will be the headline in tomorrow's paper? or even the school's paper? You will come off as a bitter, rejected candidate. Fourth, your former professor has no skin in this game. Anything you do won't affect her so her advice should be taken with a grain of salt. I'm not saying she was right, nice or acceptable. I'm not saying you exaggerated the story or did something wrong. What I'm saying is that this episode is over and you need to move on to the next opportunity. | |
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