Horror stories and the search for employment

We all have had them. The bizarre situations we encounter in the search for our next job. Sometimes it’s just a little thing that makes you shake your head, but other times, it’s much more than that. Those situations stick with you, and while they are disturbing at the time, they turn into funny stories to share down the road.

Let’s go over a few that I’ve heard from clients lately. Of course, all names are fictious to protect the sources.

1. The lunch interview. An international company is setting up an office in a new city. They connect with John and have a phone interview. All goes well, even though there’s some hesitation by John based on a few small oddities. Progress continues with suggestion for an in person interview. John is asked to go to a certain restaurant for lunch to meet. When he arrives, there’s a reservation for 6, much to his surprise. He waits and he waits and waits, well over an hour. No one shows. No one calls. No one emails. He finally connects with someone later in the day. Their plane was delayed apparently. There was no apology and no sense of urgency with the call. It was as if they he no sense of inconveniencing John or that this was a mutually beneficial relationship. This lack of respect was the defining moment for John. If they could not manage the situation appropriately when everyone should’ve still been on their “best behaviour”, how did they manage their business? Or their employees?

2. The two year gap. After 10+ years in a particular career, Jan dives into the world of self-employed and into an entirely different career, trying out a passion area she’s always had. After about two years of building the business and continual learning and growth, she realizes that the self-employed route was much tougher than she’d expected and she’s come to the realization it’s time to walk away from the dream and return to the career she was originally trained in. She’s applying for jobs but not having any luck receiving interviews. This is so new to her, as she had always been a well sought after candidate. After meeting with a recruiter about a prospective role, there is hope, until the recruiter speaks to the hiring manager. He feels that being out of the industry for two years is significant and it’s going to take a year for Jan to get back up to speed, and if that’s the case, the salary expectation will need to be reduced to accommodate this. How could this be? She’s spent two years building a business, not watching Netflix at home. Yet for the employer, she is a high-risk hire. Are we in a society of narrow minded managers that don’t value diversity of experience and knowledge?

3. The offer. Pat meets with the recruiter about a specific job posting of interest. They talk salary expectations and Pat is clear about what he feels the job is worth, based on expectations and responsibilities. The recruiter agrees and the interview process begins. Throughout the process, everything proceeds well with the interview process and the offer arrives from the recruiter. The compensation is well below the expected figure that was talked about. The argument by the recruiter is that the company felt it was a fair compensation based on the qualifications of the individual. Herein lies the gap…one parties expectation based on the responsibilities did not align with the other persons valuation of the skill set presented. Who is at fault? Neither really. One could argue that the recruiter dropped the ball, yet as a middle man, his hands are somewhat tied as well. Everything is up to interpretation. Sometimes negotiation can solve this, but only if both parties are willing to look at things with an open mind. Sometimes the gap is too large. And sometimes emotions or other factors get in the way of making a logical business decision.

4. The panel peer interview. Diane is excited about the opportunity she hears about through her network and eagerly applies. She’s selected for an interview and told it will just be a casual conversation. She arrives to find out that the hiring manager isn’t going to be in the interview, but instead is greeted by three women who currently are in similar roles within the company, interviewing her for the fourth position. Diane is now faced with a barrage of questions over the next hour. Was it a realistic interview of skill set? Or trying to decide if she would “fit” in with the rest of the team?

5. Discounted experience. The company offers a role that Lucy feels she’s qualified for, based on her education and volunteer experiences over a few years. She’s had no paid experiences in a similar role. She gets the interview based on a great resume and it’s going very well. Based on the role description and how Lucy had answered the questions, everything appeared normal. At one point during the interview, it become apparent to the interviewer that the experience is volunteer based, not a paid role. The tables turn. The interviewer has now discounted the experience entirely. Is this fair? Can experiences be significantly different, based on whether you’re paid or not? Would this translate the same if you were in a not-for-profit environment and paid minimum wage, vs someone paid $60/HR? Is money always a defining component of experience level? And if so, why do we encourage people to volunteer when unemployed?

6. Game playing 101. Katrina applies for a position with a large government based organization. She worked hard on her resume and portfolio. She received an interview and prepared some more. Right from the moment the interview started, she knew there was a problem. The two interviewers were laid back, too laid back, joking around for the most part. They were going through the motions. Katrina believes they had already chosen their hire but had to follow company protocol of posting and interviewing others, before making it official. They wasted her time and theirs, as well as taxpayer funds. What’s the purpose of having these company enforced rules, if the hiring managers are going to ignore them? The intent of the rules is to ensure the best candidate is chosen, isn’t it? I guess “best” is determined by the hiring manager… And maybe it should be… So the right fit is beneficial?

7. Once you're in. How many times have you taken a role that sounds great, interview with hiring manager/owner goes well, and then it’s downhill from there… At top speed? Laura had just that experience, with what she calls “the worst company she’s every seen”and that includes her 10 years working in Mexico. As a personal assistant, her first order of business was to track down some designer underwear that the owner had ordered from France. Too personal maybe? She then experienced coworkers who hated their jobs but felt stuck, because of the economy, some even openly drinking wine while on the job, which was not forbidden. The stories go on and on. To top it off, at the end of the 90 day probation period, Laura was faced with a demeaning critique of her work as she sat across from her boss. As he sat at his glass top desk, criticizing her, he was touching himself…. Obviously getting off in more ways than one. At that point, Laura had enough, stood up and quit. Life is too short for BS like that!!

The moral of all these stories?

Other than a bit of entertainment… It’s to let you know that yes, it’s tough going when you’re hunting for work. Not all situations are perfect. And if you have had a “horror story” of your own, you are not alone.

Above all else, please remember that the situations you may be facing, as you go through a job search, are not a reflection of anything that you did wrong. May you simply be true to yourself and trust your intuition. Deep inside you, you know what to do. Have confidence in your abilities and the right choice will always be your choice.