Just a dog in shirtsleeves?

I'm currently 'between professional opportunities'. As a consequence of my job search, I am often invited to attend interviews but sometimes arrangements fall apart for one reason or another. When they do, I often have to wonder why it's so difficult to notify candidates ahead of time that changes are being made? I have a few suspicions why it doesn't happen but more of that anon.

Here are three examples of interviews gone awry. I'm sure every job-seeker in the world has a story or two to tell. Here are mine:

Interview 1
On the day before Thanksgiving, I was to attend an interview. It was a cattle call for about sixty people. Under different circumstances, I probably wouldn't have attended but circumstances alter cases. I was sufficiently desperate to make the effort in spite of my misgivings. We were asked to set aside 3 hours (yes, on the day before Thanksgiving) for the process.

When I got to the venue (a local community center) I found an unmarked door, no one seated at reception and a poorly lit waiting room. Fortunately for me, a gentleman seated just inside the door saw my hesitant approach and asked me whether I was there for the interviews. When I said that I was, he informed me that they had just been advised that the interviews had been rescheduled for 4:00 pm on the day before Thanksgiving. I presume they still wanted us to set aside 3 hours, on the day before Thanksgiving when there was some kind of precipitation in the forecast.

Interview 2
I received a call to attend an interview. We scheduled for two days later. My life, if you've read my other blog, Losing Mummy, Finding Barbara, is not simple, so I need advanced notice if there are to be changes. Of course, as you seek work, you can hardly say, "Look, I've got this situation at home blah, blah, blah" but between the extreme of bending over backwards to accommodate me and treating me as though my universe matters not, a host of options exist.

At any rate, my interviewer was unable to meet with me on the scheduled date and at the scheduled time. Unfortunately, he called two hours before the meeting to advise me that a change needed to be made. The problem with that is that my caregiver was already in place and I was already out of the house. I picked up the voice mail while in the train station, half way to the meeting. I turned around and went back home. I was no closer to a job, but I still had to pay the cost of a day's caregiving.

Interview 3
I gave my resume to a company President who was a social connection. He invited me to interview. We spoke at length, he taking copious notes all the while (always a good sign I thought). He promised to be in touch. He wasn't. I followed up with emails and phone calls. No response. I subsequently saw him in a social situation. He promised to follow up. He never has. I am fortunate that we no longer move in the same social space as it would be difficult for me to continue to smile as though his company's lack of basic respect wasn't a problem.

So here's what I think..........

The economy is a hot mess and that mess has meant that there are many candidates looking for work. This has made it possible for companies to be very discriminating. It has also meant that companies can also be equally dismissive but in this world of social media, ill-treating prospects can have negative reputational impact fairly quickly. This alone should make closing the loop with candidates a requirement. Even a form email is better than nothing at all.

Second, I believe that there are people who simply have no understanding of what it is to be unemployed. This is hard to imagine but, I suspect true. I believe that there are people who, in the absence of that understanding, simply cannot empathize and therefore cannot understand that a simple note that indicates that you are not a fit for an opportunity goes a long way.

Third, I believe that there are organizations that are so disorganized that even basic courtesy is nearly impossible for them to manage. My Thanksgiving Eve interview is a case in point. How difficult would it have been to use their email system to send out a rescheduling notice in the many hours before the noon start of the interviews? It simply didn't occur to anyone as being important. The attitude quite simply was., "If you want this job, you'll come back and stay until 7:00 pm even on the day before Thanksgiving. It's that simple. We have something you want and you'll do just about anything to get it."

Organizations don't seem to realize that when they treat prospective employees poorly those candidates know in their guts that they should not expect anything better once they are on board. If they accept an offer of work, managers should know that these new staff will always have one foot out the door.

At the end of the day, all three of these situations told me one thing: my needs were my business. Companies have no need in this market to take jobseekers' needs into consideration but that lack of consideration sends a very strong message to the discriminating prospect who may be in search of a job but may also put a high value on how an organization treats them. It would behoove employers to treat each prospect as if they were 'the one' until it's proven that they aren't. That means extending a wee bit of courtesy to the candidate because you just never know who your next superstar will be.

Courtesy my friends, it costs you nothing and yet, it can cost you everything in the long run, including a stellar employee who goes elsewhere. Remember, we're not just dogs in shirtsleeves. We're people too.