Asked for references, then nothing

LegacyUser

I did an interview with a well-known multinational about a month ago. I didn't think it went that well so I was surprised to be contacted by the HR person the following week for a follow-up telephone interview. This interview was with the same HR person. Nevertheless I did the interview and did my best. I was contacted my the HR person a few days later asking for the names and contact details of two referees which I provided. That was on the 19th of October to be exact.
She said "I will come back to you as soon as possible" but I have heard nothing since. I presume I am not going to be offered the job as that was three weeks ago.
I have no doubt I would have been given very positive references by the two individuals. One of them is my present manager; my contract is finishing soon with no chance of renewal so I asked her a while back could I use her contact info as a referree and she was only too happy to oblige.When I was asked for the references I sent her a mail that she might get a phone call or mail (just out of courtesy so she would be prepared for it).
I am little bit p****d off as it's made me look a bit stupid. It's the first time in ten years of employment that I have been asked for references and then not got a reply. I know it happens all the time after an initial interview, I take no notice of that anymore. Maybe I am naive and it is a common occurence but I feel like voicing my displeasure to this individual. I have nothing to lose if I am not going to get the job.
Maybe I am overreacting?

_Brian

I'd say keep your powder dry.

I'm presuming you have no nasties in the references you gave ??

After that there maybe Two possibilities.

1. Your still no1 choice for the job and there is some delay in the process. It happens all the time. Someone out sick or some urgent business has side tracked things for a bit.

2. You narrowly missed out. Not a crime. They could have asked a few people to have bases covered.

If I were you I'd contact the person looking for an update and if unsuccessful then look for feedback. Maybe ask about further positions showing maturity and interest in their company.


Ringing up moaning and seeming like a spoiled kid isn't going to get you anything other than your cv shredded.

svei

To be honest, in my experience it hasn't been that long since they spoke to you about your references. I've often waited a month or more to hear back about jobs so I wouldn't call it quits just yet. Why don't you ring the HR person you were in contact with and ask her if they have any updates? Don't burn your bridges by getting angry with them either - you don't know what might happen in the future!

Mrs OBumble

How has it made you look stupid?

Make quiet enquiries with your referees whether they've been contacted - possibly they haven't yet. Large companies can be very slow.

LegacyUser

A variety of responses there. I am pretty sure the two referees I gave spoke favourably of me. My current manager is happy with me I am fairly certain and the other person was only too delighted to act as a referee. If they slagged me off they must be the most two-faced people that ever lived. I suppose I will never know anyway.
I am kind of afraid to get in touch and ask anyway. I'd rather not know, I am a bit shy to be honest.
I think it made me look a bit stupid with my boss as I told her that someone would get in touch and they probably haven't. I'd say I just missed out but they took my references just in case the other person didn't take the job or something and they haven't bothered to get back to me.

svei

kevin_73 wrote: »

A variety of responses there. I am pretty sure the two referees I gave spoke favourably of me. My current manager is happy with me I am fairly certain and the other person was only too delighted to act as a referee. If they slagged me off they must be the most two-faced people that ever lived. I suppose I will never know anyway.
I am kind of afraid to get in touch and ask anyway. I'd rather not know, I am a bit shy to be honest.
I think it made me look a bit stupid with my boss as I told her that someone would get in touch and they probably haven't. I'd say I just missed out but they took my references just in case the other person didn't take the job or something and they haven't bothered to get back to me.

I still think you should ring and ask for an update - there's no harm in showing that you're interested. Even if they've given it to somebody else, at least then you know.

JimsAlterEgo

svei wrote: »

I still think you should ring and ask for an update - there's no harm in showing that you're interested. Even if they've given it to somebody else, at least then you know.

play the old "bad post" card

LegacyUser

I couldn't resist the temptation so I sent a sarcastically-tinged email to the HR person telling her thanks for getting back to me and that I really appreciated it. She replied saying how sorry she was and that she could understand my frustration etc. but that the role had been put on hold.
Probably blown my chances of getting the job now but I don't care. On a point of principle I wouldn't take it if it was offered to me anyway. I know I'll have people replying saying I am stupid and pig-headed and principle doesn't pay the rent but it's just the way I feel.
I wouldn't take any notice of not hearing back normally but on this occasion after having two interviews and giving references I thought it was the least one should expect.

December2012

Your choice.

I mean it's completely self sabotaging and destructive but, yknow, you go do you!

loyatemu

How hard is it to write a polite email? Just because their HR person is inept it doesn't mean the entire company is worthless.

LegacyUser

loyatemu wrote: »

How hard is it to write a polite email? Just because their HR person is inept it doesn't mean the entire company is worthless.

I don't believe in being polite when you don't get politeness back. "Give respect, get respect".
It's possible the rest of the company are polite but the HR is the first point of contact so it's very important that that person is courteous and respectful. Plainly this person is not.
I don't expect a HR person to be falling over me after an interview, emailing me back and forth every day. They are busy and I understand that. However having gone so far in the application process I was certain I would get at least a "yay" or "nay". Like I said if it happened after just one interview I wouldn't be so peeved.
I certainly don't regret the email, I could have said a lot more if I wanted.

ponzook

kevin_73 wrote: »

I don't believe in being polite when you don't get politeness back. "Give respect, get respect".
It's possible the rest of the company are polite but the HR is the first point of contact so it's very important that that person is courteous and respectful. Plainly this person is not.
I don't expect a HR person to be falling over me after an interview, emailing me back and forth every day. They are busy and I understand that. However having gone so far in the application process I was certain I would get at least a "yay" or "nay". Like I said if it happened after just one interview I wouldn't be so peeved.
I certainly don't regret the email, I could have said a lot more if I wanted.

Don't understand how you have this attitude. You were the one applying for the role and wanted the job. It's no hair of HRS back or the companies back. You probably jepordized ever working for this company again. You do realize it's close to Christmas and new year? Companies are trying to keep profits in tact and no point hiring someone over the Christmas and the job would probably reviewed in January.

A nice polite email asking if the role had been filled would of been the right way of going about it, now enjoy the dole. Due to the large volume of applicants HR get they are under intense pressure and sometimes things get missed. Have you ever forgot to reply to someone with an email in work OP or if someone doesn't get back to you do you throw a tantrum and send sarcastic emails?

IMO the company are better off without you with that attitude.

LegacyUser

ponzook wrote: »

Don't understand how you have this attitude. You were the one applying for the role and wanted the job. It's no hair of HRS back or the companies back.

Actually that's where you are completely wrong. Companies are always saying how hard it is to get good staff. The fact that they took references off me means they must have valued me to some degree. So if they valued me and the role went on hold they could have informed me of that just to make sure I didn't take another job in the meantime.

ponzook wrote: »

You probably jepordized ever working for this company again.

I can't say I feel too bad about that.

ponzook wrote: »

You do realize it's close to Christmas and new year?

It was the middle of last October when I sent the refernces and she said she would get back to me.

ponzook wrote: »

now enjoy the dole.

I'd rather be on the dole than work for them.

ponzook wrote: »

Due to the large volume of applicants HR get they are under intense pressure and sometimes things get missed. Have you ever forgot to reply to someone with an email in work OP or if someone doesn't get back to you do you throw a tantrum and send sarcastic emails?

Never actually. I have often replied to work emails on weekends or in the evening.

Stheno

Tbh, with an attitude like yours, I wouldn't want you working in my company.

Westernyelp

kevin_73 wrote: »

Actually that's where you are completely wrong. Companies are always saying how hard it is to get good staff. The fact that they took references off me means they must have valued me to some degree. So if they valued me and the role went on hold they could have informed me of that just to make sure I didn't take another job in the meantime.

I can't say I feel too bad about that.

It was the middle of last October when I sent the refernces and she said she would get back to me.

I'd rather be on the dole than work for them.

Never actually. I have often replied to work emails on weekends or in the evening.

Wow. That company dodged a bullet big time.

beauf

kevin_73 wrote: »

...I wouldn't take any notice of not hearing back normally but on this occasion after having two interviews and giving references I thought it was the least one should expect...

Correction. You'd not heard back yet.

HR aren't making the decision. They just double check all the basics. They are most likely waiting for the business to get back to them with a decision.

Lots of place take ages. That's just how it works.

ziedth

Working off the assumption Kevin that '73 is the year you were born I'm actually shocked by sending them a snotty email. You could forgive some naive 19/20 year old but your coming across here like a self entitled princess.

Yes, someone should have got back to you but a simple email of has the position been filled and you were still excited about working for the company and then if she emailed and said you weren't successful then by all means you could have got ratty (I wouldn't advise it as the country is too small) but to just blindly send a sarcastic email is madness.

Yes they made a mistake by not letting you know but you surely can forgive "a well known multinational company" for having more important things on their plate then some guy who is going for a job and letting you know about the delay slipped through the cracks.

The only one here who has lost out is you man. If I got an email like that I can only imagine the reply you would have gotten.

Best of luck in the future and all but to be honest you might need to have a bit of a look at how you acted here.

LegacyUser

I didn't really want the job because I kind of bull######d in the interview and claimed I could do a lot of things in the requirements that I actually couldn't. I swotted up on them for days beforehand so I answered questions on them pretty well.
I wouldn't have sent that email if I wanted the job. If I had been offered it I would have turned it down out of fear of being "found out" during the job. But while I was at it I just said I would get a bit of revenge for the little man. This forum is always full of threads complaining about the ignorance and arrogance of HR people but nobody ever does anything about it. I know that's because they don't want to harm their chances of getting a job off the same company in the future. HR know that too so that's why they don't bother getting back even after it's gone as far down the process as getting references from the person.
Job hunters accept being treated like that even though privately they are mad about it.
Just this once I decided not to get mad but to get even. I probably wouldn't do it again.

loyatemu

kevin_73 wrote: »

I wouldn't have sent that email if I wanted the job. If I had been offered it I would have turned it down out of fear of being "found out" during the job. But while I was at it I just said I would get a bit of revenge for the little man.

well, you certainly showed them!

kevin_73

kevin_73 wrote: »

I didn't really want the job

Ah dont start that old sh1te. You wanted it, didn't get it, blew it with a snotty email, don't start sulking about it now
Just move on and don't be sending emails like that in future

beauf

Complete nonsense thread. He'll post back saying he was offered the job that's all that's missing from this train wreck.

loyatemu

beauf wrote: »

Complete nonsense thread. He'll post back saying he was offered the job that's all that's missing from this train wreck.

because they were so impressed at how he stood up for the little man :pac:

road_high

kevin_73 wrote: »

I couldn't resist the temptation so I sent a sarcastically-tinged email to the HR person telling her thanks for getting back to me and that I really appreciated it. She replied saying how sorry she was and that she could understand my frustration etc. but that the role had been put on hold.
Probably blown my chances of getting the job now but I don't care. On a point of principle I wouldn't take it if it was offered to me anyway. I know I'll have people replying saying I am stupid and pig-headed and principle doesn't pay the rent but it's just the way I feel.
I wouldn't take any notice of not hearing back normally but on this occasion after having two interviews and giving references I thought it was the least one should expect.

It's no skin off their noses and to be fair the delay sounds perfectly reasonable if a little frustrating. Sounds like you'd got the job, it just needed to be sanctioned or whatever- probably pressure with budgets etc. If you'd shown a little patience, there was no probably no reason as to why you mightn't have got in there in the very nesr future.

Kerry_2008

God the op sounds like a right diva. Why did you bother going to the stress of an interview and a phone interview from if from day one you knew you wouldn't take the job?

Sure the requirements must have been in the spec

the_syco

kevin_73 wrote: »

I don't believe in being polite when you don't get politeness back. "Give respect, get respect".

kevin_73 wrote: »

I couldn't resist the temptation so I sent a sarcastically-tinged email to the HR person

Most likely they're interviewing a few other people, but you will never know.

kevin_73 wrote: »

I didn't really want the job

So you went to two interviews for a job you didn't want?

LegacyUser

I had the same kind of experience with one of the biggest Multinationals too. Applied in Feb, interview process dragged on and on and on and on and in the end they rang me. I had set a date in my head that if it went past that date I was drawing a line under it and moving on. On that very day I got the call to say I had the job but part time, I politely declined and said no thanks, it was Full time I applied for, they wanted me so were going back and forth over terms. It was extremely frustrating BUT I'm told a lot of multinationals are like this. Just please don't burn yourself or your bridges again like that, you never know what will come around the corner

cml387

Bear in mind that HR departments are only the front end of the operation. Job requirements are passed to HR to get filled, but the actual department looking for the role to be filled can change their mind, procrastinate, not be able to make a decision or otherwise mess up and it's HR who are left holding the baby so to speak.

(i don't work for HR btw but I have been involved in hiring people).