to think this is shoddy after a job interview?

[LindorDoubleChoc]

Had job interview early last week, after a preliminary phone interview. I was there being interviewed by two people for nearly 2 hours and had to complete some written tasks (like a simple test).

When I left the woman who interviewed me said they would let people know by the end of the week or possibly Monday. I asked how many they were seeing and she replied "4".

So I haven't heard anything and just feel in my bones that I'm not going to by the end of today. If I don't, AIBU to think this is an absolutely unacceptable way to treat the unsuccessful candidates, given that there were such a small number?

I WAS sad at the thought of not getting the job, now I feel I'd sooner not work for a business that is so ... rude? is that the word?

Yup, they'd know they'd dodged a bullet, wouldn't they! Wow!

I would have no qualms at all about messaging the HR/recruiter and asking for an update. I’ve recruited before and sits total bullshit that you can’t get back to people. Once you’ve chosen your candidate then HR should be notified that they can let the unsuccessful candidates know, it’s standard practice at any decent company. If there isn’t a specific HR manager/department then it comes down to the hiring manager and even then, there’s no excuse for not letting candidates know.

In all of my time interviewing for jobs I’ve only ever been ghosted by one organisation that I had an in person interview for. It’s a legitimate organisation in fancy offices in London and I was completely taken aback that they could so brazenly not have taken the time to send a simple email.

This happened to me last year in very similar circumstances. Small company, interviewing 4 candidates, I was the last. He actually said to me we were all good and it would be a tough decision. Never heard from him again!! I actually really wanted the job but feel I likely dodged a bullet now as it would have taken 2 minutes to write a rejection email. From what I can tell I'm not actually sure they ended up employing anyone.

They will be thinking they dodged a bullet when your email lands.

In this specific case, it doesn’t help to tell OP she is right. They said Friday or Monday and if you are raging about not hearing back on Monday afternoon, that’s a bit inexperienced.it hasn’t been weeks! It helps when you’ve been on the other end. Maybe they let the top candidate know Friday, they wanted to think about it over the weekend. Monday comes around, they hear back in the morning and then send the feedback to HR. HR have 5 jobs on the go so they pass it to candidates on the Tuesday. Ok so they should have been more vague on the timescale but maybe the interviewer is also doing it for the first time. If it gets past the week stage it’s rude but OP is not doing herself any favours taking the angry approach….

Just to add a couple of thoughts. I remember applying for a job some years ago and hadn’t heard back from them when they’d said so called and it turned out I’d got the job. The person I spoke to was clearly annoyed that whoever was supposed to inform me hadn’t. You said it’s a small business so it may people are juggling more than one role. I completely get that you are feeling anxious and annoyed they haven’t followed through with the timeline they advised, but there may be a reason that is other than them being rubbish. Good luck! X

And this is, of course, entirely reasonable. But not what has happened here or what other posters are defending.

Exactly

they will have a chuckle amongst themselves and then delete and block

A few weeks?! Have you ever considered that maybe by that stage they didn’t want the job anymore? I wouldn’t have taken that approach but your approach was worse. You couldn’t have written a 2 min email saying “the recruitment process is delayed” 😳

Just to be clear - weeks are indefensible. OP is complaining about a DAY!

Argh don't do this! You would be surprised at how many businesses know each other and the people within - especially true in some Healthcare sectors. I CONSTANTLY come across people I've worked with in the past, when I go to a new job. Every time. I used to contract, and I can't think of one role where someone from the past DIDN'T pop up.

Even where I work now, been where 5 years, someone's popped up who I worked with 12 years ago.

You will get a reputation as a troublemaker and if it's an industry like mine above, you could find it incredibly hard to ever find work.

I think my personal record is a rejection email 3 years after the interview.

Have you missed all the posts defending employers not contacting potential candidates for weeks, if at all? If you scroll up and read the whole thread you will see there are plenty of them.

It really is a small world. I had a candidate give us a piece of their mind after we took a bit longer than hoped to get back to them, the hiring manager i was supporting was sick and as soon as they came back which would have been when we got our heads together on recruitment we had a major issue with a client. Yea in hindsight I could have sent them a note but dealing with a horrible situation just took our focus.

I moved on to another company and they applied for a role there after a while. No thank you straight in the delete folder you go.

Moved again and was on an interview panel with anonymised applications. I thought i recognised the CV but it had obvs changed so assumed it was coincidence.

Guess who walked in 😂😂 couldn't believe it! Another no thank you 😬

My DS got a call at the end of July last year to confirm they wanted to offer him a job and to discuss start dates. The recruiter lady was quite rude when he said he’d found something else having assumed he hadn’t got the job as he was told he’d hear within a day or two of the interview in early March!

Was it a job for a time travel company?

I think your attitude is a bit sour op tbh but i understand why you’re annoyed.

I once did an interview for an internal role and they took weeks to let me know i had the job, and i was their first choice.

My boss does recruiting but she has a whole other role to do including her actual job and managing 4 people. Things can get busy.

There may also be the situation, also common, where they may have offered the job to someone else first, who then may decline it. So you may be next on the list. This has happened in my team before.

I would email today or tomorrow to ask for an update, but please be polite and professional.

Don’t ever send a company ‘your thoughts’ as it will only impact you negatively. Companies talk to eachother.

This 100%

A lot of it is because HR is a law unto themselves act slowly, don't chase references or let the candidates know what is going on.
The hiring department dare not complain as they know how much power (without responsibility) that HR has.
I have seen this from both sides - family members who are hiring managers getting frustrated as they lose the perfect candidate and those applying for jobs getting verbal offers pending HR doing the written offers.
Message to HR - you are not the most important part of the company so stop thinking you are. Btw I no longer care about this tightrope walking as coming up for retirement.

Do not do this. You'll look unprofessional and burn bridges.

Its only been two days, I also wouldn't email them your opinion either!

Honestly, don’t do this. You never know when you might cross paths with these people (HR and company staff) going for other roles at other companies. You’d be surprised what sticks.

I would simply drop them a line today asking to confirm that you are out of the running for this role so you can close your own file and consider other openings. Keep it neutral and professional.

If it's a really small company it could be as simple as someone is off sick so they can't finalise or are waiting for references for someone before they decide. But I would guess you haven't got it. Why don't you ring up and ask, nicely, was told I would hear by Monday nothing yet...

It used to be normal for companies to let you know you hadn't got the job. In the days before email my dad owned a company where they wrote letters to unsuccessful candidates but now companies can't even be bothered to send a standard email.
It is rude but common. Both me and DH have had periods of being out of work and never hearing back from job interviews. My DD only started working last year and had the same issue. She went for loads of interviews and the only one she heard back from was her current employer.
It is beyond annoying when they say we'll let you know, why not just be honest and say if you don't hear by x date you've been unsuccessful because we're too lazy to spend 3 minutes sending you an email.

Can I ask how old you are? Because I might have felt insulted and written them a letter at 24, but would never, ever do it at 42. You draw a line under it, and then if for some weird cosmically-small-universe reason, you end up having to work with them, it will just be, “Oh yes, I interviewed with them once.” And not: “Oh yes I interviewed with them and then wrote a letter about how rude they are not to send “sorry you weren’t hired” emails, so…. Maybe you should have someone else deal with account.” Unless you’re planning to name change IRL pretty soon, be careful how often you use “the sternly worded letter.” It’s not just some utilitarian tool, like a socket wrench, that you use all the time. It’s a tool of finesse.

And what would you accomplish with such a letter? You want them to feel badly about how they treated you and not do it to anyone else. Ok, neither of those things will happen. So… what’s the point of the letter now? And no, it can’t be, “I’ll feel better if I write it,” unless the plan is to burn it after.