Timing is everything . . .

This evening's rant, er . . . post, is about timing.  Important in so many things, including the job hunt.  I'd posted earlier about my experience applying for a job at LargeCo.  There are actually two jobs I've applied for at LargeCo.  The first one I didn't get because they selected an internal candidate.  

In the rejection email he sent me, the supervisor for job #1, Dick, said to let him know if I applied for other openings at LargeCo.  He thought I'd be an asset to the company (what a wise, wise man.  Not wise enough to hire me but his IQ is clearly above amoeba-level) and he'd put in a good word for me with the hiring manager for other jobs.  Classy guy.

I replied that I'd applied for job #2 and had a phone interview about 2 weeks ago with HR.  HR lady said she was forwarding my info to the hiring manager.  I figured that if I don't hear anything in a couple weeks, I haven't made the cut.  Silly me.  Dick sends me a note today advising that the hiring manager is looking at internal candidates and, if none of those pan out, she will then contact external applicants.

My experience has been that openings are posted internally for a set period then the position is listed on job boards for those outside the company.  Call me crazy, but what's the point of soliciting resumes AND conducting phone interviews if you haven't already eliminated internal possibilities?  

August 27 - applied for job #2

Sept 21 - first response from LargeCo

Sept 22 - Phone interview

October 14 - they're still looking internally

7 weeks.  Seven-freaking-weeks and counting . . .   

If media are to be believed - God knows, they're a trustworthy, impartial bunch - the economy is recovering <snort> and there are more jobs and fewer job-seekers.  So why do companies piddle around and take their good ol' sweet time getting around to interviewing & hiring?  'We need another person but, what the hell, we'll just load up the other staff with that work for a couple of months.  I'm sure all those candidates that applied will still be available after 2-3 months.  We're LargeCo, quality people are just beating down the door to work for us.'  

Idiots.

Didn't your parents teach you any manners?!

The answer to that is mostly a big NO but, in this case, it's a resounding YES.  This post is how to do rejection the right way.  

I applied for a position at a large mfg company in early August.  I had a phone interview with HR  about 2 weeks later and an in-person interview 4 days afterward.  My interviewers were Dick - who'd be my supervisor; Jane - a VP who was Dick's manager; and Spot - who was observing to learn how interviews were to be conducted.

It was a great interview and I felt I connected with Dick & Jane.  Spot?  He just sat there and licked his bits. Actually, he was mostly silent but did ask two questions.  As I was one of the first interviews, they said they'd make a decision about mid-September.  Mid-Sept. rolls around, I haven't heard anything so I fire of an email to Dick to follow up and express my continued interest in the job.  Dick responds that interviews will finish up in a few days and a decision will be made the following week.  The end of September arrives and nada, not a word.

I know day-to-day stuff can delay even the most motivated hiring managers but I figured that they'd chosen someone else and I'd never hear a word.  Which is what you hear from almost EVERY employer and many staffing agencies.  Imagine my surprise when I received this email today.  You could have knocked me over with a feather!

I am sorry it took so long to follow up with you.  I wanted to let you know that we have selected an internal candidate for the XXXX position and they accepted the offer.    I apologize for the bad news.   Jane, Spot and I all thought you did really well when we interviewed you and felt that you would be a good fit, but unfortunately we had a few internal candidates with XXXX experience that applied for the position after we interviewed you.   The fact that some of the internal candidates had XXXX experience within LargeCo gave them the slight edge when we had to make a final decision.  If you happen to see any other positions on our site that you are interested in applying for, please let me know.   I will be happy to speak to whomever is interviewing for the position(s) and put in a good word for you because I think you have a lot to offer to a company.  Thanks for your time and interest in the position.

In my entire working career, I've never received a rejection letter that was so nice. If you get a rejection email/letter at all, it's the generic "we're pursuing candidates that are a better fit." Dick's parents raised him right. 

Games staffing firms play - update

My interview at Client Co. finished right at 5 pm, so I didn't call the staffing firm with my feedback; I was going to do it today.  But before going to bed last night, I wrote my thank you note to the interviewer at Client Co. and emailed it to the recruiter at BigTemp.  I had another interview this morning so I didn't check email till just after lunchtime.  BigTemp recruiter replied asking how the interview went and my response was:

"I thought it went well.  There is a disconnect between the salary range on BigTemp's job posting and Client Co's.  The job posting has a range of $20-$22/hr and they said the max was about $18.  That is a significant difference.  Can you explain?"  . . . . <crickets>

I've pondered the lack of response to my email and came up with 3 possibilities:

1. She's devastated at their faux pas on the salary and is too humiliated to contact me.
   
2. She's pissed that a candidate would point out the discrepancy and, by extension, call into question their ethics.  She's unable to respond without popping a vein.
   
3. The company views candidates as an unending commodity.  If one raises an uncomfortable point, pass them by - there's plenty more in the candidate pool.

If you chose 3, you may go to the Double Jeopardy round . . . 

Games staffing firms play . . .

This afternoon I had an interview for a temp-to-perm position that I saw posted by a contingent staffing firm, let's call them BigTemp, that I've worked with over the years. BigTemp is a global firm, so it's not some Mickey Mouse outfit.  Over the course of my interview with John & Mary from Client Co, the subject of salary comes up. 

The job description posted on the BigTemp website indicated the salary range was $20-$22/hr. which is what I tell John & Mary from Client Co.  A brief look of surprise passed between them and John said that the temp salary range for this job tops out at $18/hr.  They wondered if there was a miscommunication between the recruiter they worked with and the recruiter I normally dealt with.  That's the charitable way of looking at it.

Call me cynical, but I look at it as bait & switch.  Why?  Because about a month ago, I interviewed for a permanent job via BigTemp and the max. salary was $2000 less than stated in the job posting.  But, hey, what's the big deal over $2-$4/hr ?  Annualized for a 40- hour week it's $4,160 - $8,320/yr.  Not chump change.  

I was meh on this job so I don't care whether I get an offer.  But I'm really annoyed with BigTemp.  There are slimy staffing agencies out there but I wouldn't have said BigTemp was one of them, until today.  They reel in candidates with one salary range that they know the client has no intention of paying.  Then, if you're offered the job, the recruiter will have a list of reasons why the company doesn't feel you merit the "top rate".  You're told that once you prove yourself, you'll make it up with annual raises.  

B.U.L.L.S.H.I.T.  

$22/hr is 22% more than an $18/hr rate.  Given that salary increases aren't a guarantee for even good employees these days and the avg. annual wage increase is 2%, it will take about a decade to make up that $4 per hour difference.

I think I'll be breezing past the job postings from BigTemp from now on.  I can't work with people I can't trust.

HR really stands for Human Remains

My former supervisor, Kathy, always referred to Human Resources as the Human Remains dept.  As in most things, Kathy was right and what was true in the 90's is even more so today.  

Do HR recruiters actually recruit these days?  My guess is no; their recruiting efforts extend primarily to attending job fairs and posting openings on job boards.  They solicit resumes but they don't actually recruit talent by networking, referrals from employees or otherwise actively seeking already-employed candidates with the skills they desire.  They're passive participants in their job.

The HR passiveness continues with the use of software to scan resumes.  Software is touted as increasing efficiency because there's no way an overburdened HR dept can actually READ all the resumes submitted.  I think that's bullshit in all but the rarest cases.  

My diatribe on resume-scanning software will have to wait till tomorrow, Gentle Reader, because I'm beat.

Good Lord woman, why are you adding to the glut of blogs??!!

I have been gainfully unemployed for almost 4 months.  As pissed off as I am about not having a job, I'm glad I'm no longer driving to Company X five days a week. The job wasn't nearly as fast-paced as I'd been told. Worse, there was a deadly hush over the office.  I'm used to working where there's a steady white noise of activity and you talk to your colleagues as you work.  At Company X, everyone spoke in hushed tones and there was little chit chat among coworkers as you went about your day.  Most people were nice but it was an odd place.  

The job search process is more frustrating this time than it has been in the past.  I rant to my family, on Facebook and to my dogs, who show complete disinterest.  So, the blog is part commiseration with my fellow job-seekers and part cheap therapy for me.  Maybe there will be a few nuggets of information that others will find helpful.  As much as I believe everyone is entitled to my opinion :-), committing my thoughts to the internet is at odds with one of my favorite quotes, "Never write a letter, never throw one away" - Frank Rizzo, former mayor of Philadelphia.

Advance warning - if you're offended by swearage, this isn't the blog for you.  I'll try to limit my longshoreman tendencies but this is a blog about the frustration of finding a new job, after all.