What do you think? Should I call them back?

[Cougar]

If any of you have read my previous posts you'll know that I'm one of the many geeks that is out of work and is currently on the hunt for employment. Well, I had a phone interview with a company last week and I was told that they would call me back within 2 days. I waited and of course they didn't call so I performed a follow-up call (like I always do). I left a message telling them in no uncertain terms that I wanted them to call me back even if I wasn't qualified for the position. Now here we are a week later and I've heard nothing from them, so do you guys/gals think I should even bother calling them back?

I know that you should follow up any lead with everything you've got, but I've been doing this long enough to know that 9 times out of 10 the only way you'll hear from the company is if they are interested in you, other than that you'll get 100% ignored. I'm really sick and tired of how unprofessional these companies act so that's why I'm debating whether I should waste any time calling these fools.

What do you think?

 

[pulse8]

Forget it and move on. They probably have someone else already.

I also hate how companies don't call people back if they don't hire them, but it happens.

 

[SaltBoy]

I'd say call them back and give 'em a piece of your mind -- seriously. They shouldn't be treating you like this, and they should KNOW that they shouldn't be treating you like this. All you'll have to lose is a couple minutes of your time, and who knows...? Your persistence might get you the job.

Good luck!

 

[wnied]

I agree, they havent called you back for a reason if its been this long.

Just fuhgeddaboutit and move on.
~wnied~

 

[pulse8]

They shouldn't be treating you like this, and they should KNOW that they shouldn't be treating you like this.

Like what? They just didn't return his calls. It's not like they made him wait in a tin shack out in the Arizona desert or anything.

 

[AmigaMan]

I'd keep calling back just to irritate them. Either that or they'll hire you for being persistant...

 

[Cougar]

Originally posted by: pulse8

They shouldn't be treating you like this, and they should KNOW that they shouldn't be treating you like this.

Like what? They just didn't return his calls. It's not like they made him wait in a tin shack out in the Arizona desert or anything.

It's true that they haven't performed any evil acts upon me, but it's still very unprofessional. I could make a list a mile long of companies that have left me high and dry. There are 2 companies in particular that really piss me off:

Company A:

Sent resumes to them for over a year without ever hearing a word from them. One day I get a call from them and they bring me in for an interview about a tech support position for one of their clients. I was told that I would hear back from them within a week, maybe 2. Two weeks go by and I don't hear anything so I call up the guy I interviewed with and left a message. 2 more weeks go by and I leave another message stating very specifically that I'm interested in the position.

The next day I get a call from them asking me if I'm still interested in the position (hello? do you not check your messages?). I say yes and I'm told that I will hear back within a week. A week goes by and I hear nothing so I call them up and actually get the guy on the phone. He tells me that "There was a mixup in paper work so let me call the client and I'll get back to you in 2 days". I wait 2 days and call him back and leave a message telling him to get back to me with an update on the position. It's been a month since I left that message.

Company B:

The lady I spoke with was in a hurry to get this position filled for her client. She rushes me into an interview with her client and insists that she needs a half-dozen references so she can make sure I'm a good person (basically). After the interview I call her up (she's 1000 miles away mind you) and she says "I'll call you back tomorrow no matter what happens with the position". Tomorrow comes and she doesn't call back so I call her and am told "They haven't made a decision yet, but I'll call you within the next 2 days no matter what". 2 days go buy and she doesn't call so again I call her back and am told "They haven't made a decision yet, but I'll call you tomorrow no matter what". Tomorrow comes and again she hasn't called back so I call her up and am told "The position was filled, but they have other positions available. Let me check on them and I'll call you back".

Needless to say, I never called her back.

 

[AU Tiger]

I would call them back one more time. Good luck with the job search.

Seeing all these posts here on ATOT make me see how lucky I was last fall. I was laid off, and had three job offers after three weeks (one being my original company wanting me back). I'll see how my luck is in August when my current project comes to an end.

 

[abc]

hey that's how corporate America is, there are so many unwritten rules, cutthroatness, office politics etc. in it. just learn to play with it.

 

[Cougar]

Originally posted by: abc
hey that's how corporate America is, there are so many unwritten rules, cutthroatness, office politics etc. in it. just learn to play with it.

Oh I've learned to play with it, but it's still downright rude the way some companies act. I mean, where's the common courtesy? The really sad part is that they are in the perfect position and they can do whatever they want (especially in today's market). I may as well bend over and grab my ankles 'cause that's basically the position you're in when you're applying for a job. They've got something you need and you have virtually no bargaining power.

It's gotten to the point where I'm scared to "haggle" over salary because I don't want to give these companies any reason to turn me down. Oh how I miss the days of companies throwing boatloads of money at you just for knowing how to turn on the computer.

I guess I'll give these guys 1 more shot and see if they have the balls to actually call me back.

 

[abc]

I may as well bend over and grab my ankles 'cause that's basically the position you're in when you're applying for a job. They've got something you need and you have virtually no bargaining power.

heh heh, yes it sucks being the beeyatch, definitely. It's like a never ending vicious cycle where whomever has the upper hand at the moment milks it. It can be amazing sometimes how each and every say recruiting agency an HR can be so similar in behavior.

Hang in there Cougar, job search is a frustrating thing, it's never fun if you're out of one and looking for one but stay the course so you can end up adding to the US economy again

 

[StageLeft]

Cougar Sucks doesn't it? I've gone through the same stuff and so have my friends. Recruiters for companies have NO f**king respect for anyone. They'll lead you along and make you think you're about to get a job offer and then you never hear anything back - not even a "go away". In my experience ALL recruiters are scum. I've yet to meet a good one and that's the truth. They lead you along and then drop you cold without even an explanation.

Another thing they LOVE - and I do mean LOVE LOVE LOVE - to do is interview people for positions that don't even exist. Lots of placement agencies have people on salary for recruiting so in these people's spare time they will call up somebody unemployed and call them in and interview them as if there is a position that actually exists, and yet there isn't. These recruiters then throw your resume on file so that they have a million people to call up if a position ever opens up that they need to fill.

I've learned that recruiters can be worth dealing with because it's POSSIBLE you'll get a job out of one (not that I ever have), but don't ever ever think that they are nice people or actually give a sh*t about you because they don't.

 

[Descartes]

Another thing they LOVE - and I do mean LOVE LOVE LOVE - to do is interview people for positions that don't even exist. Lots of placement agencies have people on salary for recruiting so in these people's spare time they will call up somebody unemployed and call them in and interview them as if there is a position that actually exists, and yet there isn't. These recruiters then throw your resume on file so that they have a million people to call up if a position ever opens up that they need to fill.

They do that here too, and I think it should be illegal. Isn't that false advertising? Agencies here post tons of jobs, excellent salaries, but never are these jobs mentioned when you interview with these employment sharks. What's worse, the same job descriptions keep showing up again and again, making it completely obvious what they're doing.

May they burn at the stake for wasting the time of others and providing false hope to those in need of employment.

 

[Carl Uman]

Any company that has a policy like that or allows the employees threat others like that is why we have people that go postal. Lack of respect is what causes so many problems and so few people have that anymore

To answer your question it depends on how you want to handle it.
Option 1) keep calling everyday until they call back
Option 2) forget it and move on (as the first reply said)

If you keep calling maybe they will see how persitent you are and give you the job, continue to ignore your calls, or call you back and yell at you.

If you don't call you'll never know but if it long distance your most likely wasting your money.

Of course if we didn't buy from companies that did us wrong we would all grow our own food, build our own cars, etc (basically take a step back a few hundred years... you get the picture). Very few places care about people these days.

 

[StageLeft]

May they burn at the stake for wasting the time of others and providing false hope to those in need of employment.

Damn right!