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Non-hiring Practices
31–40 of 132 posts
Re: Non-hiring Practices
#32Many years ago, I applied for a Google job that I was totally unqualified for. I didn't even get an interview, but they sent me a nice snail mail paper rejection letter anyway. I've heard mixed things about their interview process, but I still get a have a nebulous warm fuzzy feeling when I think about possibly sending a resume in again one day, because of one simple, probably automated, $.29[1] response. Conversely,…
Universities wreck Google's response. Tens of thousands of applications, and every one is read—by machine or computer—and a response practically guaranteed.
Why are American university admissions so much more organized than American business admissions?
Easy answer: Application fees. And those who apply for free or for scholarships are essentially subsidized by someone else.
Hard answer: Universities weren't always organized. They used to be like businesses: highly patronage-driven. And they still are, due to legacy applicants.
But we're operating on a broken premise. Organized and polite recruiting does not correlate with meritocracy. Ask the Soviet Union or universities. Ask the huge megacorps who do reply to every job application.
Elite universities' organized legacy admissions undermine their claim that reading every application and responding to every student makes the process fair. I know corporate admissions worse, but my anecdotal impressions are the same. Patronage rules.
Making HR respond with rejections feels good, but it does not make the process more fair. Only attacking patronage makes recruiting fair. A lofty goal.
Re: Non-hiring Practices
#33I have been instructed by legal affairs that non-contact after rejection is the safest choice for avoiding discrimination lawsuits. whether or not this is true, too much direct disobedience of management and legal usually results in starting ones own job search...
Wow. This makes me sad. Sounds like unreasonable fear of a lawsuit stands in the way of common courtesy and decency here.
The fear is not unreasonable, the lawsuits are. USA is lawyers gone wild.
Re: Non-hiring Practices
#34Such an important issue. A few years ago, I applied to McKinsey & Co as a resident. I had a pleasant time interviewing and got to the final round. I asked many questions as I was a physician and had no prior background in business but I was really interested and thought this was my calling in life. Their average response time via email was 57 minutes during recruitment. I just checked my old emails. After my final ro…
It is a good point to be polite to everyone. It is a Hollywood attitude: the "Hollywood No." Super kind, polite, excited people who figure out the best way to decline you, because nobody knows how big you could get.
On the other hand, your situation might be rare. How often, in the graph of commercial interactions, does the dissatisfied recruit become potential client? Outside the extremely highly compensated (like actors and CEOs), probably very rare.
Re: Non-hiring Practices
#35Such an important issue. A few years ago, I applied to McKinsey & Co as a resident. I had a pleasant time interviewing and got to the final round. I asked many questions as I was a physician and had no prior background in business but I was really interested and thought this was my calling in life. Their average response time via email was 57 minutes during recruitment. I just checked my old emails. After my final ro…
Similar situation, different market. I applied to a BigLaw firm , Firm X, in law school, went through the interview process. Firm X was not the only firm not to extend an offer, but it was the only firm which never contacted me again after the in-office interview round.
Last fall, a foreign middle-market client (between $10m and $500m in assets) needed a US-based law firm for an m&a deal. Not a very large deal (relatively speaking) but it was an 8-figure deal that led to other 8-figure deals, with very good realization. The client was trying to choose between Firm X and several other firms; Firm X was their top choice simply because they'd heard of it. I told the client about my experiences with Firm X and speculated as to the quality of service they would receive as a middle-market client. The client dropped Firm X from their consideration list and went with another firm.
Not sending a free email or $0.35 letter cost Firm X several million in fees.
Re: Non-hiring Practices
#36I interviewed with a very well known company in these circles. I was delighted as they are known for paying attention to the everyday aspects of running a business & being open about it. (It was actually my 2nd time applying & interviewing with them. I didn't hear back that time either, having had a Skype interviewed with the founders).
However, I was more than disappointed that after two interviews with staff members, personality test and contact from the CEO that I was in the final shortlist - a month long process - I never heard back again. The only way I knew I hadn't been hired was once the new hire was announced on the company blog.
Between the creative application they'd asked for, interviews & tests, I'd put in a couple of full days of work. Being rejected would have been fine, understandable, but never letting me know was disrespectful & goes against the culture they project.
A few weeks later, the same company advertised the exact same position again on their blog, as I believe they wanted even more coverage than the first person they hired. I decided not to apply that time.
All in all, a simple 2 line email thanking me for the effort and letting me know would have sufficed. Over a month of waiting for an email to drop was painful.
Re: Non-hiring Practices
#37Such an important issue. A few years ago, I applied to McKinsey & Co as a resident. I had a pleasant time interviewing and got to the final round. I asked many questions as I was a physician and had no prior background in business but I was really interested and thought this was my calling in life. Their average response time via email was 57 minutes during recruitment. I just checked my old emails. After my final ro…
It is a good point to be polite to everyone. It is a Hollywood attitude: the "Hollywood No." Super kind, polite, excited people who figure out the best way to decline you, because nobody knows how big you could get. On the other hand, your situation might be rare. How often, in the graph of commercial interactions, does the dissatisfied recruit become potential client? Outside the extremely highly compensated (like a…
Yes, it's probably rare; but it could also be an example of poor decision-making in general. If I put you in the position of stating yes/no on a multi-million dollar contract - your emotional grudge issues because you were slighted in another life is the last thing I'm asking of your professional judgment.
These comments show that human issues, and perhaps trivial issues at that, are very much at play in the business world.
Re: Non-hiring Practices
#38Many years ago, I applied for a Google job that I was totally unqualified for. I didn't even get an interview, but they sent me a nice snail mail paper rejection letter anyway. I've heard mixed things about their interview process, but I still get a have a nebulous warm fuzzy feeling when I think about possibly sending a resume in again one day, because of one simple, probably automated, $.29[1] response. Conversely,…
While you might disagree, asking to start in two-months is not exactly the same as salary negotiation. Most places have schedules and deadlines and the reason they are hiring is often due to the fact that they have a project that needs to meet some deadline on schedule. Two months in the project lifecycle is a long time for any project. I'm not surprised they gave you the silent treatment. On the other hand, had you…
I'm not sure if that's the case, given the number of times it's taken a month between me applying and the hiring manager actually getting around to reading the application. One time I was the only applicant and it was six weeks between the first and second interview, and they liked me, and I had a friend they valued vouching for me on the inside.
Re: Non-hiring Practices
#39Such an important issue. A few years ago, I applied to McKinsey & Co as a resident. I had a pleasant time interviewing and got to the final round. I asked many questions as I was a physician and had no prior background in business but I was really interested and thought this was my calling in life. Their average response time via email was 57 minutes during recruitment. I just checked my old emails. After my final ro…
It is a good point to be polite to everyone. It is a Hollywood attitude: the "Hollywood No." Super kind, polite, excited people who figure out the best way to decline you, because nobody knows how big you could get. On the other hand, your situation might be rare. How often, in the graph of commercial interactions, does the dissatisfied recruit become potential client? Outside the extremely highly compensated (like a…
Not rare at all. People you decline aren't going to sod off to another industry, they'll generally stay in the same one, but at another company. If they have talent you didn't see or didn't want, they'll rise and be decision makers. It doesn't have to be multimillion-dollar contracts to have an adverse effect.
Plus, when it all comes down to it, it's the ethical thing to do in the first place.
Re: Non-hiring Practices
#40There are many examples here, both positive and negative, but I keep wondering, why people anonymize the unfavourable ones? I'd really love to know which company was that "company X", "company [HNer] won't publicly name", or "well known company in these circles". Those are important data points in order to know whether or not one should get involved with a particular company.