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Original poster

A job i've applied for has contacted my employer BEFORE interview now what do I do?

64 replies

Eddas · 24/11/2011 16:43

I was hauled into my bosses office today because he's received an email re a job I applied for. I hadn't heard from them at all and the interview date is Tues 29th so I presumed I had been unsucessful.

On my application form (inline) there was no where to state do not contact prior to interview so I attached a letter asking them not to.

I rang them and asked if I had been selected for interview and they checked and said yes (to my suprise) Then I asked if it was usual to contact prior to interview and she said yes. I then said that I had asked them not to and I am now in a really ackward position.

The email to my boss also states the interview date, the interview is 9am (can't change, I did ask)

so WTF do I do?

I am so upset.

OP posts:

SardineQueen · 24/11/2011 17:53

I think you should go to the interview now. Unless you have decided that you don't like the way they have handled all of this and might not be very good employers.

SardineQueen · 24/11/2011 17:54

And even then, interview practice is always good

Original poster

Eddas · 24/11/2011 18:14

OK lets have votes to go to interview or not this is assuming I am given the day off (I work 9.30-2.30 so not point asking for a few hours off as she said it'd be 2.5ish!)

DH & sister say go, as does Sardine

all opinions welcomed, my head is too fuzzy to make a decision alone!!

OP posts:

Jamdoughnutfiend · 24/11/2011 18:42

The damage is done now, I say go for it! Hope you get it!

Original poster

Eddas · 24/11/2011 19:56

thanks Jam. The overwhelming concensus in real life is go for it. I applied for the job for a reason. So now I need to ask for the day off, they'll know why, so do I but can't change that. Then I have to do my best to make them like me and hope I get the job. I feel a weekend of prep looming.

what's that saying? in for a penny.....

OP posts:

PattySimcox · 24/11/2011 21:45

Go for it and good luck!

The worst has happened now in that your boss knows you are applying, they may well start thinking "hmmm we really don't want Eddas to go, she is good at her job, how much can we up her pay / negotiate a term time contract etc to keep her?"

Original poster

Eddas · 24/11/2011 22:40

thanks patty (Love the name btw) my sister said that I am acting like I have cheated on a boyfriend and he's found out, which is pretty much how I feel she said that it's because the organisation I work in is so small and most people have been there a thousand years (ok slight exaggeration!) so this doesn't happen very often.

I haven't done anything wrong, and if I don't get this job I will happily stay working there.

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SardineQueen · 25/11/2011 10:41

Good luck for Tuesday!

Please do come back and let us know how the interview goes

posypoo · 25/11/2011 11:33

That's terrible! Just wanted to add my sympathy. I can't believe they would do that, and be so blase about it. Even sending the job spec! Ridiculous.

posypoo · 25/11/2011 11:34

Def go for it though!

Original poster

Eddas · 25/11/2011 16:07

I will come back and let you know what happens

I went into work today and just stayed at my desk I didn't want to bump into the other boss! (There are 3 partners two weren't in the office today)

I'm not so upset today, I just need to ride out the next week now and see where I go from there. I think the job will be given to someone by the end of the week as they want the person to start in Jan so would need to allow for notice periods (another issue for me!)

Wish me luck next week asking the boss for Tuesday off!!

OP posts:

ExitPursuedByaBear · 25/11/2011 16:14

That really sucks.

Good luck with the interview.

PotteringAlong · 25/11/2011 16:15

I am clearly in the minority here but i am surprised you
Didn't go and see your boss as soon as you applied for the other job - I'm a teacher and that's common practice. although they should've looked at the letter you'd attached, whenever I've been involved in interviewing in school we've called references simultaneously with calling for interview.

Good luck for tuesday though - they know why you want the day off now so just be honest with them!

ProfYaffle · 25/11/2011 16:20

ime the culture in public and private sector is very different re looking for jobs. As Pottering has indicated, in the public sector it's usual to be very open about job seeking and those recruiting in the public sector very often don't realise it's not the done thing for private sector employees to be seen applying for other jobs.

I started off in the private sector and then moved to recruitment in the public sector, our admins very often couldn't understand why they had to be discreet re references/calling people at work etc

Original poster

Eddas · 25/11/2011 16:20

pottering it's not a teaching position. It's a finance officer in a school. I currently work in a Chartered Accountants so it's not the done thing to tell your boss!!

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PotteringAlong · 25/11/2011 16:27

Probably not, but the school wouldn't have realised that! I don't think they were being malicious; just 2 very different ways of doing stuff!

Original poster

Eddas · 25/11/2011 16:30

perhaps my letter was the biggest clue!!

But nevermind, it's done now.

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Oblomov · 25/11/2011 18:39

So sorry. same happened to me. I think it may be more common than many people on this thread realise. I did get the new job. It was fab,and at a HUGE pay increase.
But it was done, sooooo badly.
you have our sympathy. But please don't cry. As others have said, there is nothing you can do about this now.
Hope it turns out good, whatever happens.

Oblomov · 25/11/2011 18:41

Potering, why would anyone tell their boss, until they had actually accepted another position? The ruke is, you never tell, until youknow your start date, surely ?

PotteringAlong · 25/11/2011 18:47

I've always worked in education and I've always been to see my headteacher to tell them I was looking for a new job and then emailed the links to the job description as soon as I've applied. I only know one person who didn't, the head found out later and gave them a right bollocking! My DH and friends who are teachers have always done exactly the same. I just assumed that's what everyone does

Original poster

Eddas · 25/11/2011 21:28

pottering, nope it's not usual that I know of, you literally only mention if you get a job. My boss is never gonna trust me again! Good job he's retiring in 18 months See I have a bit of a sense of humor about it now!!

NIce to hear a good story Oblomov, thank you. I am really hoping I get the job now, it is going to be very hard to convince my boss that I want to be there if not. and I know this sounds odd but if I don't get this job then I would want to stay where I am. This was just a job that would be ideal but if I don't get it I don't want to go just anywhere. I tried to convey this to my boss and I think he understood but i'm sure he's not jumping with joy over it.

OP posts:

PotteringAlong · 25/11/2011 22:52

Well you live and learn! I never thought about it before at all ...

I hope your boss is understanding and doesn't hold it against you. I can see nothing would be worse if they wouldn't normally know. Good luck for Tuesday!

lilitaly · 27/11/2011 14:23

i just wanted to point out... you've been with your current employer 14 years?! that's exceptional, amongst my circle - rather than be upset with you, your boss should be thanking his lucky stars that he's managed to keep an employee that long.

you don't owe him any long term loyalty - and to stay with 1 employer for so long these days shows how much you've enjoyed working there. to arrange 1 interview isn't exactly a surprise - the surprising thing is that you've not done it years ago (at least to test the waters, job market wise).

your boss has no right to be miffed with you -at all.

lilitaly · 27/11/2011 14:26

p.s. besides, regarding trusting you in future... the fact is that any employment move is a business decision

if your employer was struggling for cash, they'd not think twice about getting rid of you. and so it should be if you see an opportunity which would suit you.

there's loyalty (which is a good thing) and there's making sure you watch out for YOURSELF first. forgeting that 2nd part is where too many people go wrong, then they end up posting on here saying "i've always got on really well with my boss, we're like best friends, and he's just given my 4 weeks' notice due to sales going down, etc etc"... your boss appears to be confusing professional loyalty and expecting way beyond a normal level of employee retention.

IMHO, that's all.

Original poster

Eddas · 27/11/2011 19:24

thank you lilitaly, you make sense

He understood, I think, that it is a really good job for me, it's less than 1 mile from my house and dc's school. It's virtually term time only (40 weeks a year).

That's what I need to do, take the emotions out of it, having been there such a long time it feels like cheating! But I feel in many ways I am too comfortable where I am and not in a good way. I feel like i'm ready to move on and face a new challenge.

For my employer though it seems like you either stay there forever or aren't there long. The people who come in don't seem to last so I know they rely on us 'lifers' to keep thing going! They do struggle to find new staff. But having said that I have given my opinion to them on the issues re staffing and they ignore it, so i'm not inclined to be too sympathetic! although the issues do tend to leave us in the &*^% and they seem to bury their heads and hope we'll just get stuff done.

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