Princess,

I feel for you, and know the pain. It happened to me, too!!!  Four years ago in August, after losing a 13 year position due to downsizing a few months earlier, I interviewed for a Bookkeeper position on Friday, was offered it on the spot, and I accepted it later that afternoon.  Just had to go in Monday morning for drug test, and pass the background test.  No problem.  My husband and I celebrated that weekend by me going out and replacing my 7 year old car with a brand new one (and car payment, to boot).

Wend for the drug test the following Monday, and signed the paperwork for the background test.  Was supposed to start that Thursday.  The owner (person who had hired me) called me Thursday to tell me they had just gotten the drug test results (it took longer than expected, because I take prescription meds).  While she was waiting, business had slowed down (it was a product assembly company), and she was afraid that they were going to have to take the job offer back.   WHAT!!!

I got a six month temp job the month after that.  Come the following March, my temp job ended, and I was due to start a brand new permanent job the next day.  I get a phone call, and it's Mrs Owner, asking me if I am ready to come work for them now.  It seems they ended up hiring someone part time for the position they took away from me, and she was leaving due to health issues. Told her "Sorry", but no way.

I know it sounds hokey, but having been there myself, all I can suggest is try to suck it ups, and move on. Since this all just happened in the past week, is there any chance of contacting the two other companies you turned down to see if they are still interested in interviewing you? Hopefully, something better is around the corner.  Good luck

I got a call for a interview and they said can you come in on friday at 10. I said sure. Then they said let me check with the head of HR first and I will call you back.

Then I didnt get a call back. On friday I got a call at 10:15 asking why I didnt show. I said you were suppose to call me back with a firm date and time.

So we settled on tuesday at 1. At 11:30 on tuesday I am dressed and going over my notes and they  call to tell me the job went to a internal person.

On job offers I tell them all the same thing. Until I have a signed offer in my hand, I am not giving my notice. That is so lame to make a offer and then pull it back. Can't they plan out what they need.

Don't throw in the towel, friends.  But please do do whatever you can, by any lawful means necessary, to call these clowns to account.

It seems that among many employers, the main qualification for being anexecutive is a demonstrated inability to make up one's mind.  And inlight of how so many employers treat job applicants and employees, theyhave no business wondering why people like me call those gems of thebusiness world "empliars."

In some cases where prospective employers have treated me rudely or highhandedly, I've been known to remind them that they are dealing with potential customers, clients, vendors, suppliers--or even bosses, and that I, for one will do all I can to avoid doing business with them and urge others to do likewise, telling others exactly why.

Some have been known to all but laugh it off; many employers get downright angry at hearing their "divine right" or even possible fantasies of divinity challenged (we all know this is so, but why do so many employers get so pathologically uptight and threatened when thus questioned--are they that insecure?), but others have been shocked and even downright shaken.

Good.

It is delicious to all but hear their jaws drop three feet; many seem to think it some sort of birthright to treat us workers like dirt, and are stunned when one of us dares to talk back.  They've got that--and much more--coming.

Employers that treat job applicants and employees poorly will stop only when enough of us, ideally together, stand up to them and let them know such treatment will not be tolerated.

lmem

Every once in a while, I repost "The Letter."  This was, without a doubt, the worst experience I have ever been through during all my years of job searching.  I posted this message on the previous templates before this new Forum was created  Here it is:

I cannot find my post about this situation, so I am copying and pasting my original letter here. It was typed in August 2002:

**************************************************************

Dear Ms:

I’ll get right to the point: On Tuesday of this week, I reported to your department to work as a mailroom clerk. Juanita had faxed you a copy of my resume, so you would be familiar with my background, qualifications and experience. After a brief overview of the duties, you sent someone to the area to train me and she did a good job; she was extremely pleasant and I felt comfortable. At about 10:30 she left. At that time, Juanita called which did not surprise me since she had said she would call to see how I was doing. She told me that things had not worked out, and, “gosh”, was I shocked! I did not even comprehend immediately what she said, but as soon as this unsettling news sunk in, I left. Juanita had asked me to give you the badge, but I decided to go to the security desk and leave the badge where it belonged.

I cannot understand how you could possibly decide in less than three hours that I was not qualified to perform these mailroom duties unless you figured this out immediately based on my age, ethnic appearance, and other emotionally-based “off-the-wall” factors, and you were waiting for the right time to call Juanita and request that she unceremoniously “dump” me. In fact, I was not performing any duties on my own but barely starting to become acquainted with the functions and routine. Taking this fact into consideration, nobody in her right mind could decide that I was either qualified or not qualified to perform the required duties after such a ridiculously, short time with no opportunity to observe how I do the job on my own once most of the training is finished.

I foolishly rejected a permanent job offer, which I received a day later to accept this assignment, because I had made this commitment to Juanita and was looking forward to the challenge of doing something a little different than I have done previously. Also, Juanita told me that this was a long-term assignment with no end date in sight. I think she was deliberately mislead because I found out that the mailroom clerk is on short-term disability leave which means that she could be coming back anytime. Therefore, this is not a long-term assignment, and people coming in to “audition” for this job should be told the truth before they even arrive at the facility. I also requested that I interview for this position first before coming like any sensible person does before agreeing to work someplace for an indefinite period. Juanita rejected this request. You should have insisted on an interview and then, perhaps, you would have been able to make a valid determination that I was not the right candidate for the job.

Unfortunately, in some cases there is a lack of integrity, honesty, good will, and common decency among people in the business world today. Take a look at yourself in the mirror - you are one of the individuals that lack these qualities!

Yours truly,

 

 

http://community.monster.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=129901&PageIndex=2&#155673

i had a similiar situation a few years ago. I was hired to answer the phones and do bookkeeping. After two days, my boss came in, sat down and smiled. "you are a nice lady" he said. thinking I was about to be completmented on my first two days work, i thanked him and said "you are a nice boss". He then went on to tell me "sorry, this isnt going to work out. i need someone more agressive". ......er, what?....."more agressive, to get this company up and running, you are just too nice to work here. Isnt that weird". he giggled. I agreed that it was quite weird. I had not been hired as his partner or a salesman, I was the secretary. I asked him how agressive one needed to be to do Quickbooks and answer the phone. I later sent him a letter telling him my thoughts on the whole situation. Obviously in these situations more is going on behind the scenes that the boss is telling you and some people are just not honest.

You're absolutely right.

If they're honest and feel that they may have made the wrong hiring decision, they give you more a chance to improve and while this is going on, they offer constructive feedback and suggestions.  They don't decide very quickly than you are not the right person for the job unless something very unusual and off putting happens that could pose a serious threat to the other employees and to the business.

I think some bosses get lazy and decide that the person they just hired needs some guidance and a little training, and they do not want to provide it; it's too much trouble and they are not up to it.  They expected something that they did not get because they were not realistic in the first place.  They expect instant expertise or they want to new hire to pick up everything on her own without bothering them or the other employees with questions.

Sometimes they get contacted by someone else, like a friend or family member or even a business acquaintance who needs a job, and then give your job away to that person without even considering the fact that this is wrong and shows a lack of integrity.

I have also had a few other situations which are similar to what you've described.  I guess this is to be expected in the professional world of today.

 

Bunzo

I was hired for a Temp to Perm position as an Executive Assistant and after one day they fired me.  To this day I don't know why.  I was professional, efficient and friendly, not too aggressive or passive. 

I worked for some of the most demanding employers in New York andconsider myself to be an outstanding assistant, so this was really a blow.  The agency claims they never received an explanation, just that "it wasn't working out".    It could be something as simple as someone didn't like my suit or hair color or the way I answered the phone. 

I wasted way too many hours trying to figure out why and now I consider myself lucky.   You will, too!  Good luck!

Wow!  I am sorry to hear this happened to you, and I guess I am not alone.  I had a temp to perm that lasted one week.  I came in on the following Monday and was told "Oh, I am suprised you are here".  I didn't think anything of it- people say those things all the time when you start a new job.  So, the office manager came into the office I was in, closed the door and told me that she didn't think it was going to work because I asked to many questions she    couldn't answer.  I was shocked, to say the least.   During the previous week, she had not really given me much to do, or help them catch up on.  She had me enter some AP invoices in a worksheet and enter numbers into a work in progress worksheet.   I had asked a question about the WIP worksheet, which frustrated her because I know she told me that they had always done it ( she has been there 20 years) but she didn't know how or why or what they were trying to accomplish with it.   In fact, on the Friday before she had me type an envelope.   I was supposed to be hired to be a full-charge bookkeeper and they were in a big hurry because they were a month behind.  So, I left a permanent job to take this job, and now find myself trying to figure where to go from here.  
I had never in my life had anything like that happen before.  How can they decide in a week, if they haven't given you anything to do?  My questions, by the way were regarding payroll tax dates ( pr taxes can be paid monthly or weekly) and sales tax due dates ( monthly or semi-annually).

 Fortunately, I am getting some leads, but currently the jobs are too far away - like 45 minutes, 40 miles.   I am trying to find something with in a half hour and 30 minutes driving time.

So, I guess I keep treading water.

It is not a fun task, this job hunting!  I found in New York professionalism was abundant.  Here it's more like how friendly and accomodating can you be, and I find that appalling.  I'm a very friendly, outgoing and sometimes kooky person, but I realize first and foremost that I am being paid to work, not socialize, and apparently, that's a foreign concept.  Oh, well...keep plugging away, you will find something wonderful!