Final interview 10 weeks ago and no word since!

[Jobs4kids]

DS (18) has been applying for apprenticeships which included one for a large, well known company.

He passed several online aptitude tests.
He attended an online assessment centre which comprised of a team exercise, a 10 minute presentation (which he spent many hours preparing and practicing) and an interview.

He was was delighted to be told he had reached the final stages and was invited for a face to face interview and practical exercise. He felt it went well and was hopeful he stood a good chance.

10 weeks have passed and he has heard nothing! 2 weeks ago he sent a polite email asking for an update in case he had missed a communication. They didn't reply.

AIBU to think this is bloody rude and disrespectful? Presumably he hasn't got a place on the scheme but to not even let him know and congratulate him on getting so far in what was a gruelling recruitment process.

DS is very despondent after putting in so much effort, especially as he really wanted this particular job. We have told him we are proud of him and to keep on trying and sooner or later he will be rewarded with a great job.

Is this normal recruitment behaviour? Maybe I'm a bit out of touch!

Sounds dreadful!

No that's realty poor. We run an apprenticeship scheme at my work and we always let candidates know if they're unsuccessful and offer feedback if they want it.

It is very poor, one of my children had a similar experience (looking atyu Screwfix), pretty much offered the job at interview then total radio silence. I think I was the more annoyed one and more so as they'd insisted on having copies of ID documents. What ever happened to them I don't know.

Good luck for the job hunt

It is rude and and bloody lazy.

Depending on the industry, this is common practice. For example, city law firms often just ghost candidates (I'd imagine accountancy and investment banking are the same). I had a law firm completely ghost me after a two year application process. I had another who I applied to in the March, hadn't heard back from by the October but couldn't apply for their next annual intake because I had an "open application" on the system so I contacted them and heard back late-November that they were inviting me to an interview (which didn't take place until March).

Is it a large government organisation with security checks? They may be at a stage in the process where they are waiting on checks to be completed.
I know people who went through similar, but it was explained

Very poor as they could have sent holding replies explaining the delay

Those checks are taking FOREVER at the moment. DH has been waiting almost a year for clearance for his new job and is still on the internal stage. FIL reached the limit to have his renewed (I think it's every 7 years) and they've just postponed it for the last two years because they don't have capacity to vet people who're already vetted and are just assuming they didn't turn terrorist in the last seven years.

Whatever the job, that's an absolutely savage application process

I once had an email about 3 months after an interview informing me that unfortunately I didn't get the job. I'd interviewed, got a job, worked my notice and started at the new place in that time, and wondered why they'd bothered to email at all at that stage.

I’ve had this before actually. For graduate roles.
3 months later got offered the job!
Rejections usually sent out immediately. If you’re on the B-list they keep you until they’re very sure nobody else who accepted will drop out.

I don’t know why they don’t just send updates…

I came on to mention security vetting. My DD has just started a job which required vetting and it took 8 weeks. I’d get your son to call the person(s) who interviewed - he could say that he needs to know so he can pursue other options

FWIW … those long vetting processes, I work for an organisation that requires them, and we DO actually offer people jobs first, not just leave them hanging!

Ironically, they were very efficient with their communication up to this point. He did have to show ID and even had to fill in a form stating when he was available for a medical and his shoe size for the uniform! It's an engineering apprenticeship in the transport sector but not government owned. He also got to the final stages with Network Rail after a similar process and heard a couple of weeks ago he'd made the grade but all vacancies filled atm. At least they told him from the start he wouldn't hear for a couple of months and were true to their word!