Job application/Job interview process too slow in big companies?? 6

[masieh2004]

Hello Engineers,
I applied to three different Engineering positions at three different big oil refining companies (10,000 to 43,000 employees) about 2.5 months ago. Their application websites show that my application is “under review”. I have started to think that I won’t get interview call after this long. Is this normal for big companies to take that long? Should I just forget about these positions? What do you suggest? Thanks

 

[Compositepro]

This is not at all uncommon in large corporations. Hiring for them is a continuous process with many gatekeepers, and all the gates are in series, so do not give-up. But do not reject other jobs offers either

 

[truckandbus]

The process can be long and drawn out.

Make sure you read and understand how each company administers their job site. Often your resume is only considered for a specific position that you apply to, so if there is more than one job opening you may have to submit an application for each one. If a job posting is taken down and then put back up, likely all the resumes received the first time are thrown in the trash and you will need to re-apply.

Leverage social media like LinkedIn, your school's alumni organization, or technical/professional associations to identify potential contacts that can give you insight to the company and its hiring status or to at least get your resume put on the top of the pile

 

[Lomarandil]

A long, slow, drawn out interview process is just preparation for candidates. That way they'll have the right expectations for decisions made at those companies in the furure.

Only partially kidding.

----
The name is a long story -- just call me Lo.

 

[CWB1]

After 2-3 weeks with no contact I would expect your application to be sitting in the rejected bin of their automated applicant tracking systems. In many cases rejection notices get sent out in bulk only when the position has been filled or after some ridiculously lengthy period in case the humans behind the system want to review, which rarely happens. Sad as it is to say, a sense of polite courtesy isn't too common today.

When I was interviewing for my current position I had two prospective employers that out-shown the rest in my mind, competitors in the same city. I applied and coincidentally did phone interviews for both the same week, company A called me a few days later to schedule a flight out for an onsite interview. Out of courtesy I emailed company B and gave them my travel schedule (sans mention of my interview) in case they wanted to sit down with me. I received a polite thanks then silence. I made my trip, interview w/A went well, and an hour afterward their head of HR called to offer me slightly more than I had asked for (to cover taxes) and explain their onboarding process. The next day at home I received a call from B to schedule a flight back out to the same city I was in the day before. I politely informed them I was now employed by their competitor. Icing on the cupcake came a few months later when I ran into one of B's founders/owners at a SAE event, he recognized my name and asked why I chose to work for their competitor, I simply rehashed this paragraph and mentioned polite courtesy.

 

[hendersdc]

One company I worked for didn't contact me about an interview until 6 months after I submitted my resume online. Many companies will post jobs without actually having openings. They will get around to looking at the applicants when they need to hire someone and see if they are still available.

 

[Mr168]

I've never waited more than two weeks to hear back from a company that had any legitimate interest in hiring me. It should also be noted that posting certain positions publicly is in many cases nothing more than a formality for them to promote/shuffle current employees around within the company, with no real intention of hiring from the outside.

 

[ctopher]

I have noticed it's not only the hiring process, it's every process within companies these days that have slowed.

Chris, CSWP
SolidWorks '17
ctophers home
SolidWorks Legion

 

[Agent666]

I've waited a while in the past, but only after they tell me that they are working up an offer. Alway got an interview for positions relatively quickly after applying.

I find if the hiring is up to one individual and there is an immediate need to get someone on board things move pretty quick. Bigger the HR input, the longer things seem to take, they hate to interupt those long lunches by doing some work or something. All it takes is one person to have doubts in larger companies and you are out of the process, similarly the number of people who apply for a given position are probably higher.

A year after leaving a large company (3000 employees) they contacted me to see if I was interested in coming back, I humoured them with an interview/chat to see what was on offer, and even after knowing what they were getting and the team I would have been joining really wanting me back, it still took 3 months to get it through HR. Gave me time to think about what it was like to work there, consequently I ended up turning it down the day I got the offer. Huge waste of time in hindsight, they even for some unknown reason offered me less than I left on. The mysteries of HR....

 

[debodine]

I have never worked in HR, so my opinion is not worth the paper it is printed on (and since my opinion is electronic, not even worth paper!) but I believe HR was created to and exists to protect the company against violations of federal, state and local laws and to make sure employees have no opportunities to sue the company. Being involved in the hiring and firing process is not a priority to them except to make sure the process doesn't expose the company to the above named hazards.

 

[Gymmeh]

You many need to start in a smaller company. Are you looking at OPS positions or Office positions?
OPS may be easier to get into, however the hours suck/hazards are real/the pay is great but, it will get you in the door for a cube job (if that's what your looking for).
I worked for a small EPCM on a diesel train FEL design to get my foot into the door....took a year or two to get in a large company (~80,000).
Just look at the long hiring time as training for the arcane inter workings of large corporations.

 

[D Scullion]

. . HR was created to and exists to protect the company . .

In a previous role, I was Engineering Manager in a small company and one of the 5 strong management team that ran the company for the MD, including 2 Production Managers, a Finance Manager and a HR Manager. At management meetings, all I remember the HR Manager ever saying was "you can't do that", "you can't say that" and "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that"

Declan Scullion CEng

http://www.leandfm.com

 

[IRstuff]

Seems to me that a) the HR person wasn't doing their job, and b) scary that you remember that many things that the company was doing when it shouldn't

TTFN (ta ta for now)
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[Agent666]

Just my opinion, HR will never side with the employee when it comes down to it. They are there to protect the company interests within the bounds of what is required/allowed by law (sometimes skirting dangerously close to stepping over the edge of acceptable or ethical behaviour).

 

[IRstuff]

Sure, but the comments imply something that the company would be on the hook for, and whether or not they meant it, they ought not say in it public, so HR was continually reminding them to shut their traps to get their plausible deniability.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
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