Do squeaky wheels get the job?
July 26, 2010 7:29 AM Subscribe
Post-interview persistence filter. How do I keep following up with a potential employer without pestering them?
Just over a month ago, I had an interview with a fantastic company that I REALLY, REALLY want to become a part of. What they do is right in line with my goals, the location is perfect, and the people I interviewed with were simply awesome. Even though I stumbled a bit (though I know my stuff, I tend to go blank during the technical part of interviews. Call it stage fright.), the interview still felt good on the whole and I really liked everyone I met with. The HR person said that they would be in touch by the end of the week.
I followed up with emails to everyone that I met with thanking them. The hiring manager and another person responded. One of the developers that I met with asked for some samples of code that I had written, so I sent those as well.
A week passed and I hadn't heard anything, so I sent the hiring manager an email telling him that I'm still interested, etc. He responded saying that they were still in the first round of interviews and would get back to me in a week or so.
10 days pass and I send another followup to the hiring manager telling him that I am still interested and how much I genuinely enjoyed the conversations I had with everyone and how, on a personal level, that was a huge selling point on my end ("Hi! I like your company and I also like you! Let's work together!"). I also sent a followup to the developer asking if he could critique the code I sent him (which he did later that day - it was mostly positive). I received no response from the hiring manager.
Now, 18 days have passed since the last email. The position is still advertised on their website. As I said, I REALLY love everything about this company and I am willing to do much to work for them. Do I send another followup? I've been unemployed for awhile, and there is a tax credit available to companies who hire people who have been unemployed for more than 2 months. Do I use that as a selling point? Am I being too pushy?
Now, while reading comments on a particular non-MeFi website last night, I noticed the name of one of the people that I had interviewed with. I did some quick googling, and sure enough, it was the same person. I thought about dropping the person a message using that site's internal messaging system saying, "oh hai remember me? we read the same site! cool!" or does that come off as creepy as stalkery?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Just over a month ago, I had an interview with a fantastic company that I REALLY, REALLY want to become a part of. What they do is right in line with my goals, the location is perfect, and the people I interviewed with were simply awesome. Even though I stumbled a bit (though I know my stuff, I tend to go blank during the technical part of interviews. Call it stage fright.), the interview still felt good on the whole and I really liked everyone I met with. The HR person said that they would be in touch by the end of the week.
I followed up with emails to everyone that I met with thanking them. The hiring manager and another person responded. One of the developers that I met with asked for some samples of code that I had written, so I sent those as well.
A week passed and I hadn't heard anything, so I sent the hiring manager an email telling him that I'm still interested, etc. He responded saying that they were still in the first round of interviews and would get back to me in a week or so.
10 days pass and I send another followup to the hiring manager telling him that I am still interested and how much I genuinely enjoyed the conversations I had with everyone and how, on a personal level, that was a huge selling point on my end ("Hi! I like your company and I also like you! Let's work together!"). I also sent a followup to the developer asking if he could critique the code I sent him (which he did later that day - it was mostly positive). I received no response from the hiring manager.
Now, 18 days have passed since the last email. The position is still advertised on their website. As I said, I REALLY love everything about this company and I am willing to do much to work for them. Do I send another followup? I've been unemployed for awhile, and there is a tax credit available to companies who hire people who have been unemployed for more than 2 months. Do I use that as a selling point? Am I being too pushy?
Now, while reading comments on a particular non-MeFi website last night, I noticed the name of one of the people that I had interviewed with. I did some quick googling, and sure enough, it was the same person. I thought about dropping the person a message using that site's internal messaging system saying, "oh hai remember me? we read the same site! cool!" or does that come off as creepy as stalkery?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I'm sorry .... keep looking. You've gone one email past what's really proper, so absolutely don't send another. There is something internal that is keeping them from responding to you; either budget, political or they're courting someone they like better.
There is only one email you could send at this point without further contact -- only send it if it is absolutely true -- saying you're considering a position from another company and would they be interested in making an offer before you become absolutely unavailable.
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:35 AM on July 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
There is only one email you could send at this point without further contact -- only send it if it is absolutely true -- saying you're considering a position from another company and would they be interested in making an offer before you become absolutely unavailable.
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:35 AM on July 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
You've made it extremely clear that you are interested in the job. At this point, the ball is entirely in their court. Any further contact may come off more of a nuisance than anything else--remember that their jobs extend beyond interviewing candidates and fielding follow-up notes.
If it's meant to be, they'll call you. In the meantime, work on getting other leads and other interviews for companies about which you may become equally passionate.
posted by litnerd at 7:39 AM on July 26, 2010
If it's meant to be, they'll call you. In the meantime, work on getting other leads and other interviews for companies about which you may become equally passionate.
posted by litnerd at 7:39 AM on July 26, 2010
Response by poster: Just to be clear, my jobhunt hasn't been put on pause for this company; I'm still sending out as many resumes as I possibly can every day (though the interviews are few and far between).
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 7:41 AM on July 26, 2010
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 7:41 AM on July 26, 2010
They already know you really want the job. One more contact isn't going to convince them that you really, really want the job.
posted by Jaltcoh at 7:46 AM on July 26, 2010
posted by Jaltcoh at 7:46 AM on July 26, 2010
Frankly, in this economy, you're likely to be one of several hundred, if not several thousand, people applying for any particular job. Out of those people, at least a dozen are going to be well-qualified. If they're not calling you back, it's because they're not interested. Trust me, I work at a grocery store where we get piles of applications, and then we get the follow-up calls, and I have to tell all these people, "wait a week or two, and if you haven't been called by then, we found someone else for the position." With yours it sounds like they didn't think you were a good fit for the job, since the position is still up, though they may be in the process of hiring someone and may not have taken it down yet. Give it up, and keep looking.
posted by Slinga at 8:14 AM on July 26, 2010
posted by Slinga at 8:14 AM on July 26, 2010
I really empathize. I've been there. Last time I was looking for a job, I got a phone interview with a company I love love love. I kind of blew it but the person I interviewed with made it sound like I redeemed myself towards the end so I was heartbroken when I got the rejection email.
Another story from that time that might be telling in your situation: I had a phone interview with a company and didn't hear after. About a year later, when I had a job I liked, I ran into the woman who had done the phone interview at a work event. She said, "Oh yeah, we're still in the process of hiring for that position!" I knew then and there that I did not want to work there.
Anyway, best wishes.
posted by kat518 at 8:53 AM on July 26, 2010
Another story from that time that might be telling in your situation: I had a phone interview with a company and didn't hear after. About a year later, when I had a job I liked, I ran into the woman who had done the phone interview at a work event. She said, "Oh yeah, we're still in the process of hiring for that position!" I knew then and there that I did not want to work there.
Anyway, best wishes.
posted by kat518 at 8:53 AM on July 26, 2010
I've been in a new job since December of last year and after the second interview it took them three weeks to get back to me, after they promised to be in touch by week's end. The department is quite small, and, as I found out later, the decision-makers wanted to do their due dilligence and interview all the likely candidates, even though they knew all along they would be making the offer to me.
I do pretty specialized work, though, so they only had a handful of candidates to talk to.
In those three weeks they also had to travel abroad on business, so they didn't even notice the time fly, while I was on tenterhooks. By the end of the second week I'd decided they didn't want me after all, and I said to myself I'd view it as a nice surprise if I heard back from them, but otherwise I wasn't going to expect a call.
Good luck!
posted by Dragonness at 8:56 AM on July 26, 2010
I do pretty specialized work, though, so they only had a handful of candidates to talk to.
In those three weeks they also had to travel abroad on business, so they didn't even notice the time fly, while I was on tenterhooks. By the end of the second week I'd decided they didn't want me after all, and I said to myself I'd view it as a nice surprise if I heard back from them, but otherwise I wasn't going to expect a call.
Good luck!
posted by Dragonness at 8:56 AM on July 26, 2010
Most responses seem to indicate that they don't think CatPie will get the job. I happen to agree. What I don't understand then is what CP has to lose by writing another email to the HR person or whomever was coordinating the process and asking what the status is.
"It has been three weeks since I last heard. I know you are busy. I was wondering if I could get an update on my application status at your convenience."
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:07 AM on July 26, 2010
"It has been three weeks since I last heard. I know you are busy. I was wondering if I could get an update on my application status at your convenience."
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:07 AM on July 26, 2010
While I generally advise people that there is no universal blacklist of people who apply for positions they may not be 100% qualified for, and that persistence is good, CatPie has said that they "REALLY, REALLY" want to work for this company in the future. If that is the case, the last thing they should do is position themselves as a PITA.
CatPie, i am sorry, but for whatever reason, you didn't get the job. If you send another email, you will be seen as being a crazy person, and you don't want that. You don't know what happened - they could have hired internally, they could have postponed the hire, they could have discovered an incredibly qualified candidate after they talked to you. You'll never know. I know, the job is still on the web site. I could point to a dozen jobs I have applied for over the past three years that are still posted on their respective company's web site. I don't know why. The fact that the position hasn't been taken down doesn't mean that they haven't filled it or that theyre not going to fill it.
Five years ago, I went on a job interview that went incredibly well. The hiring manager took me around to everyone I would work with and dragged them into the interview, showed me the projects I would have been working on, all things you don't do with a candidate unless you are 100% sure you are going to hire them. He looked at his calendar and told me that I'd be coming back the next Thursday for the final loop with the CEO and the HR person, and we set up a couple of provisional times that were convenient.
I never heard from them again.
I sent the thank yous, I sent the follow up notes, and I even finally called HR and eventually left voicemail because they never picked up, stating that I was eager and interested. To make things worse, i was running out of money and needed to find a job. I wanted to know what the hell had happened, but I got the very good advice that I would never actually find out. Companies don't send out rejection letters any more because then people contact them and say 'but WHY NOT??' and then anything they say more than "it wasn't a good fit" ends up making them potentially liable for discrimination. Plus, people get really nasty back to HR when they try to offer them constructive feedback, so people just stopped (this from a friend who was in HR).
I am sorry. I know what it is like. But you have to let this one go.
posted by micawber at 9:54 AM on July 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
CatPie, i am sorry, but for whatever reason, you didn't get the job. If you send another email, you will be seen as being a crazy person, and you don't want that. You don't know what happened - they could have hired internally, they could have postponed the hire, they could have discovered an incredibly qualified candidate after they talked to you. You'll never know. I know, the job is still on the web site. I could point to a dozen jobs I have applied for over the past three years that are still posted on their respective company's web site. I don't know why. The fact that the position hasn't been taken down doesn't mean that they haven't filled it or that theyre not going to fill it.
Five years ago, I went on a job interview that went incredibly well. The hiring manager took me around to everyone I would work with and dragged them into the interview, showed me the projects I would have been working on, all things you don't do with a candidate unless you are 100% sure you are going to hire them. He looked at his calendar and told me that I'd be coming back the next Thursday for the final loop with the CEO and the HR person, and we set up a couple of provisional times that were convenient.
I never heard from them again.
I sent the thank yous, I sent the follow up notes, and I even finally called HR and eventually left voicemail because they never picked up, stating that I was eager and interested. To make things worse, i was running out of money and needed to find a job. I wanted to know what the hell had happened, but I got the very good advice that I would never actually find out. Companies don't send out rejection letters any more because then people contact them and say 'but WHY NOT??' and then anything they say more than "it wasn't a good fit" ends up making them potentially liable for discrimination. Plus, people get really nasty back to HR when they try to offer them constructive feedback, so people just stopped (this from a friend who was in HR).
I am sorry. I know what it is like. But you have to let this one go.
posted by micawber at 9:54 AM on July 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
micawber: "Companies don't send out rejection letters any more because then people contact them and say 'but WHY NOT??' and then anything they say more than "it wasn't a good fit" ends up making them potentially liable for discrimination. "
This is NOT true in my experience. I have got many (unfortunately) letters and emails from companies to which I applied, saying, basically, we went in another direction on this position, please keep us in mind for future opportunities we may post on our site.
I have also gone to the finalist stage for various positions and gotten NO response when I asked for an update on my candidacy. They had me do multiple phone screens, onsite interviews with eight or nine people, and then let me know through silence I was not being hired. I don't buy that this is just the legally prudent HR course; there's nothing difficult or risky about a quick email saying thanks but no thanks. It's strictly corporate asshattery and it's a great way to learn whether you would been happy there.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 10:41 AM on July 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
This is NOT true in my experience. I have got many (unfortunately) letters and emails from companies to which I applied, saying, basically, we went in another direction on this position, please keep us in mind for future opportunities we may post on our site.
I have also gone to the finalist stage for various positions and gotten NO response when I asked for an update on my candidacy. They had me do multiple phone screens, onsite interviews with eight or nine people, and then let me know through silence I was not being hired. I don't buy that this is just the legally prudent HR course; there's nothing difficult or risky about a quick email saying thanks but no thanks. It's strictly corporate asshattery and it's a great way to learn whether you would been happy there.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 10:41 AM on July 26, 2010 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Don't do this.
If you're interviewing for jobs and you're unemployed don't stake your future on one company. You should be interviewing with any company out there that asks you for an interview. Looking for a job is a numbers game; just because you really want to work at a particular company doesn't mean that company really wants you to work for them.
You should have a lot of irons in the fire, so to speak, and not rely on the good graces of a particular company.
posted by dfriedman at 7:34 AM on July 26, 2010 [1 favorite]