Interview scheduling conflict gone bad 3

[ischgl99]

I sent my resume in to a local company unsolicited and they called very quickly for an interview saying they were planning on looking for someone with my qualifications for a new position. I had to reschedule due to an unexpected meeting time change for exactly the time for the interview that I could not get out of. I gave the company three days notice and the HR manager said they would try and reschedule for the following week and would call me back once she had checked schedules. I left a voicemail and sent an email over the next couple weeks asking when they can reschedule and never heard anything back. Needless to say they are no longer interested in me.

I was a hiring manager in a past position and there were times interviews needed to be changed on my side and I was always flexible with the interviewees since I know things can come up that are unavoidable, so I am a bit confused they would lose interest so quickly. To make it more interesting, I work for a company that is potentially a very large customer to this company, to my knowledge we do not buy anything from them now, and was looking forward to seeing their operation since there is a project where I could recommend their product. I would have thought they would have wanted me in for the interview at least to get some info from me about my company and to show off their company.

After this long winded tale, my question for the hiring managers out there, is having to reschedule an interview really that bad even with several days notice?

 

[KENAT]

Possibly, especially if you have competition.

While not entirely fair (who said life was fair?) the first impression is that you aren't going to go out of your way for the company, so the company may respond in kind. This is especially true if it's a position they don't think they'll have trouble filling.

Plus, who knows what else may have changed since you originally sent in your resume. They may have had budget cuts or other change in plans etc which mean the position is no longer available.

Or as I implied in my first line, perhaps they had someone else scheduled the same day as you, or a day or two after, and hired them?

Similar happened with us, but even worse in that part of the cause of the applicant unavailability was our own HR depts fault for not knowing the difference between 'he's free in the afternoon' and an 8:30 a.m. appointment. However, the guy still didn't get a second chance that I know of as the perception was that he couldn't have been that keen or similar.

Recruiters think they can be picky right now sadly.

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[MadMango]

Having notice that a candidate needs to reschedule is good, though just because you gave notice doesn't mean that the people that were to interview you had open schedules. Also, they might have scheduled more than a single candidate for interviews for that day, and someone else landed the position.

If you had to reschedule a second or third time, I think that would reflect badly on you and excluded you for consideration.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."


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[ischgl99]

I was interviewing with the president of the company, so I'm sure he had a busy schedule and might have been annoyed he had to change it for me. I see your point Kenat about them interpreting that as me not being that interested, but I looked at it from the other side that instead of sticking with the interview I attended a company meeting. I'm sure had I been working for them, they would have preferred I do that!

They might have found someone else, but the position wasn't advertised yet, and they hadn't even started looking for people, so not sure if that is the case. It could be they decided to postpone hiring, but in any case, you would have thought HR would have at least let me know instead of silence.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

instead of sticking with the interview I attended a company meeting. I'm sure had I been working for them, they would have preferred I do that!

I'm sure they would prefer you weren't interviewing at other companies, period...

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[peppinu]

ischgl99

I have never been in your position but your way of thinking makes sense. The fact that you put aside your needs and attended the meeting should be a plus.
What really bugs me is that some HR's think that they can treat people like dirt. Last year I finished a diploma in management and when you hear these things you would think that the authors are writing fairytales. These persons should be the nicest persons in the organisation.
My opinion is that in the end they are just puppets on a string.

I think you should strive to get an answer from them.
Does the company you work for now that you have applied with a potential supplier? I heard of instances where a person applied to work with a sub-contractor. When the the company that this person ws working for got to know they told the sub-contractor that if they accept one of their epmloyees they would stop all business with them.

 

[jmw]

I had to reschedule due to an unexpected meeting time change for exactly the time for the interview that I could not get out of.

I suspect you really should have taken the one off interview and do nothing to mess up an arranged interview. These can be your one and only chance to make the change.
Your own employer can come up with as many meetings as you like and frankly, so what if you miss one.

So who changed the meeting?
You hadn't booked a day off?
If the meeting changed to suit some one else, who?
Did you really need to go?
If so then why would they not schedule your meeting for when it suits you? If you are important to the meeting and yet not important enough to be consulted about the time but just given a dictat and required to attend, what does this say about your company's attitude to you?
What would have happened if you were sick?
Would they:
[li] have the meeting anyway and send you the minutes[/li]
[li] reschedule for you just as, apparently, they have for ome one else. [/li]
Whichever answer you give, this was not a meeting you simply had to go to. Not if you were genuinely looking for a new job.

In the end it really was a choice of who to say no to and you made a choice that probably sent a signal both to the prospective employer and your own.



JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[casseopeia]

What I've noticed is that if you do not jump on something right away, there are numerous others ready to step in and take it. There is unbelievable competition for jobs, any job, out there. Most hiring managers are not going to have the time/inclination to go back and reschedule. They're just trying to solve an immediate need for the first reasonable-looking candidate.

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump

 

[jmw]

PS:
".......for the exact time...."
"I work for a company that is potentially a very large customer to this company...."
Any chance your company twigged you were about to attend an interview?

PPS
"...and was looking forward to seeing their operation since there is a project where I could recommend their product."
Don't confuse your objectives. If this was an interview, treat it as such, not a sales call nor a client call.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[JRESE]

Perhaps you are seeing how this company does business. It could be that you got a free glimpse at how these folks treat their employees, without even having to do the interview.

 

[ischgl99]

The meeting was a conference call and arranged the week before for that afternoon to fit the groups schedule. The person holding the meeting is in California, I'm on the East Coast, so I did not expect that if the time got changed, it would be scheduled for the morning, which is when the interview was scheduled for. I hadn't taken the day off yet and planned on scheduling a "doctors visit" for that morning, but the meeting change came in first. Next time I will make sure I take the time off sooner! This meeting dealt with several projects I am working on, in addition to a few others, so not attending was not a consideration in my mind. Since I work from home most of the time, I could still attend even if sick. Meeting minutes are not taken, you take your own notes.

The company in question is located near a location I work out often of and it is possible they know some people there or elsewhere in my company and called to check me out. One guy in particular would not waste the chance to throw me under the bus, I have been critical of his work in the past, and for good reason. I would not put anything past my employer, they would ruin an interview in a heartbeat if they could and quite possibly could have told some of our suppliers not to hire from the company, but I would have expected them not to schedule the interview in the first place if that was the case.

PPS
"...and was looking forward to seeing their operation since there is a project where I could recommend their product."
Don't confuse your objectives. If this was an interview, treat it as such, not a sales call nor a client call.

No confusion at all, if I liked what I saw enough to work for them, there was a project I could recommend their products for before I left. I talked with a colleague responsible for the project and he was not familiar with the company I was planning on interviewing with and was interested in hearing about their products, that is until I told him they wouldn't return my calls. His response was if they do that to you, will they return my calls when I need service?

 

[jmw]

....I told him they wouldn't return my calls.

Sounds to me like some one has been stirring the pot. There is no reason not to return calls.
I'd keep looking but next time get the priorities in order.

I would not put anything past my employer, they would ruin an interview in a heartbeat if they could and quite possibly could have told some of our suppliers not to hire from the company, but I would have expected them not to schedule the interview in the first place if that was the case.

You had an interview set.
Assume that at this point everything is still under wraps.
Then something happens. An inappropriate call from the prospective employer?
Then you get an unusual morning meeting exactly scheduled against your interview.
Then the prospective employer doesn't return calls?

Time to check the smellometer. too much for co-incidence maybe?



JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[patprimmer]

HR are people.

People are different. What one thinks is great, another takes offence at. Like KENAT said, lifes not fair. Get used to it and don't over think it.

Regards
Pat
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[bigTomHanks]

You applied to a job that didn't exist. The people in charge may have initially given consideration that you may be a gamble they are worth taking. When you canceled the interview they decided to pass. They aren't going to bring someone in with the intent of expanding into a new line of business that doesn't appear to be extremely motivated. You played your cards right in protecting your current employment so I wouldn't think too much about it.

 

[ischgl99]

Sounds to me like some one has been stirring the pot. There is no reason not to return calls.
I'd keep looking but next time get the priorities in order.

Not trying to stir things up, he asked how the interview went and I told him what happened. He was interested in what I thought about the company because he never heard of them either and has been in the industry for years as well. And next time I will definitely have my priorities in order!

You had an interview set.
Assume that at this point everything is still under wraps.
Then something happens. An inappropriate call from the prospective employer?
Then you get an unusual morning meeting exactly scheduled against your interview.
Then the prospective employer doesn't return calls?

Time to check the smellometer. too much for co-incidence maybe?

It certainly is looking like that isn't it?

 

[jmw]

I was referring to your comment that people weren't returning calls. I assumed you were commenting on this to your co-worker, not that he had anything to do with it.

Of course, this is all speculation.
Plenty of other reasons for the behaviour but I do find it curious that after you have had a good reception to your resume and they are prepared to interview you when they don't have an open vacancy (it happens and it can be a very positive step ahead) but having arranged an interview your meeting is suddenly rescheduled to the exact time of your interview and the company now won't answer your calls.
I just wonder if, in their enthusiasm they didn't make a call to someone at your company (when they shouldn't have) and that person then poisoned the well and arranged for your rescheduled meeting. The "poisoning the well" or giving you a bad review seems a possibility which would explain why the company won't return your calls. It is inconsistent with being so impressed with a resume they'll want to interview even without a vacancy open... and hence ought also to be flexible about the time where possible because they have no time constraints and no other applicants to see.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[ischgl99]

That is pretty much what I have been thinking, I choose to reschedule instead of skipping the meeting believing they had enough interest that a minor inconvienence would not be an issue. Lesson learned is take care of myself first. Thanks everyone for the feedback.

 

[jmw]

Be nice to find out if they did talk to someone. If they did it was a mistake on their part. They didn't have any permissions to take up references etc. and the hazards of talking to a candidate's current employer are all too well known and this is just one of the possible outcomes.
But probably best to let it lie and be more circumspect in future.


JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Permission to take up references? Say wha?

As far as I'm aware, there's no limitation for companies (or individuals) to talk to whomever they wish. If they want, they can call up and ask if their janitor is working out for them. I agree that it's a bad idea (almost) all around, but nothing that needs permission...

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Permission to take up references? Say wha?

As far as I'm aware, there's no limitation for companies (or individuals) to talk to whomever they wish. If they want, they can call up and ask if their janitor is working out for them. I agree that it's a bad idea (almost) all around, but nothing that needs permission... or am I reading too much into your statement?

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com