Interviewers who see themselves in the driver’s seat, need to check their side view mirrors. Their would be passengers can afford to be selective about where and with whom they climb aboard.
Job applicants can get mighty frustrated when they arrive at their interviews and are told “we’re busy, come back tomorrow.” Most of them are currently employed and find it challenging to arrange time off without neglecting their ongoing responsibilities, and nerve wracking to explain their mysterious disappearances.
And there’s the other side. Interviewers have more to do than just, well, interview. Like the rest of us, they are multi tasking their way through days that require a quick response to many masters. They are doing the best they can. Unfortunately, juggling too many eggs at one time results in dropping a few along the way. When what goes splat are their applicants, the damage can be hard to estimate and the mess can be hard to clean up.
If you need a few examples from the annals of aggravated applicants, these might help:
“I was ready to jump in my car and head to my third and final interview when the phone rang. It was the employer’s secretary telling me that her boss was out of town and would reschedule my interview as soon as possible. When they didn’t call back, I called them. Their response? ”Didn’t anyone tell you? We aren’t hiring for that job anymore.”
“My husband accepted a job offer, passed the physical, resigned from his old job, and called his new boss to confirm a start date. The boss said that something had come up. He’d call right back. He never did.”
“I got to my interview with plenty of time to spare and wasn’t seen by anyone for two hours. No one could tell me what the hold up was or how much longer I should expect to wait. Finally, some guy said they were really busy; that I should come back another day.”
Recent calls and e-mails report more cases of applicant-neglect than I have space to print. I’m not the first person who will hear their story and I’ll not be the last. Bad news spreads quickly.
Why? People are more apt to talk about bad experiences when they believe that they have been dealt with badly. Maybe they’re trying to move past it and feel that talking about it will help. Maybe they want someone to say, “You’re right. You were done wrong and that company shouldn’t have treated you that way.”
Is it fair, this one sided story telling? No, it’s not. But that’s the only side anyone who is willing to listen is going to hear.
You’ve all heard stories about companies with poor customer service and places that treat their employees badly. You know because the offended individuals tell you and everyone else they can find. You also know that unless companies change their ways, their turnover and related costs increase, and their customer base erodes.
Whether public or private, service related or product driven, companies are known for the way they treat people. Interviewing for a job is intimidating stuff. Rejection is a bummer. That’s life. There is no acceptable reason for companies to make the process more difficult or dehumanizing than it has to be.
And so, for those interviewers, and the rest of us, who sometimes lose sight of what’s really important, here are a few reminders:
Keep your word.
Say what you mean.
Be courageous.
Be courteous.
And tell the truth.
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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:
Joyce Richman (www.joycerichman.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started her own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.
