Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

asking to reschedule an interview after you are late....


Recommended Posts

I have an engineer retiring in January and I have been working with my corporate recruiter (works somewhere back east) to find a replacement.  I am getting very few resumes... not sure if that is a lazy recruiter or if there are not many engineers looking for work.  After a few months of this, the last batch of resumes had a few that were marginal, but I figured I better see a few people in person so I had the recruiter schedule 2 that looked like talking with them could clear up the questions that came up after looking at the resumes and the results of the pre-screening interviews.

 

Today I have a guy supposed to be here at 10am.  I am waiting at the front door 5 minutes early to let him in (locked lobby since Covid came to visit).  At 10:07 I get an email from the recruiter to call her.  This guy had called to request a reschedule.  So, I asked why.  Apparently this is a holiday week and he is too busy to come down for an interview.  But, he is the one that accepted the interview during a holiday week...  So my next question is when did he call her.  She said about 9:50.  This guy lives in Pomona, and apparently according to his resume is working from home.  Pomona can be a good 30 minutes away depending on traffic.  At 9:50, I would have already been parked and waiting for an interview to start.  At best, by that time he should have been on the freeway almost here.

The recruiter asked when I wanted to reschedule the interview for.  I told her not to.  He knew before 9:50 that he wasn't going to make it.  I dont need somebody working for me that disrespects my time, and the time of the rest of team.

 

Emergencies happen to everybody, and I dont hold that against anybody.  But "its a holiday week and I am too busy to come in" 10 minutes before the appointment is not an acceptable emergency.  If it had been an hour or two before and it was "a huge project just fell on my desk that needs to get completed this week, can I possibly reschedule for next week" would have been perfectly fine.  Even if he had the decency to lie about it, and do so more than 10 minutes before the meeting, that would have worked.

 

What is wrong with these people?  

 

Sorry guys, just had to vent... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428 said:

I have an engineer retiring in January and I have been working with my corporate recruiter (works somewhere back east) to find a replacement.  I am getting very few resumes... not sure if that is a lazy recruiter or if there are not many engineers looking for work.  After a few months of this, the last batch of resumes had a few that were marginal, but I figured I better see a few people in person so I had the recruiter schedule 2 that looked like talking with them could clear up the questions that came up after looking at the resumes and the results of the pre-screening interviews.

 

Today I have a guy supposed to be here at 10am.  I am waiting at the front door 5 minutes early to let him in (locked lobby since Covid came to visit).  At 10:07 I get an email from the recruiter to call her.  This guy had called to request a reschedule.  So, I asked why.  Apparently this is a holiday week and he is too busy to come down for an interview.  But, he is the one that accepted the interview during a holiday week...  So my next question is when did he call her.  She said about 9:50.  This guy lives in Pomona, and apparently according to his resume is working from home.  Pomona can be a good 30 minutes away depending on traffic.  At 9:50, I would have already been parked and waiting for an interview to start.  At best, by that time he should have been on the freeway almost here.

The recruiter asked when I wanted to reschedule the interview for.  I told her not to.  He knew before 9:50 that he wasn't going to make it.  I dont need somebody working for me that disrespects my time, and the time of the rest of team.

 

Emergencies happen to everybody, and I dont hold that against anybody.  But "its a holiday week and I am too busy to come in" 10 minutes before the appointment is not an acceptable emergency.  If it had been an hour or two before and it was "a huge project just fell on my desk that needs to get completed this week, can I possibly reschedule for next week" would have been perfectly fine.  Even if he had the decency to lie about it, and do so more than 10 minutes before the meeting, that would have worked.

 

What is wrong with these people?  

 

Sorry guys, just had to vent... 

It is a sad state of affairs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a side thought, anybody know an engineer interested in sheet metal enclosures for server/network/broadcast type equipment looking for a job in Anaheim (no, not for the Mouse, but Disneyland isnt that far down Ball Road from here).

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Sixgun Sheridan said:

My ex-wife said there is a new hire at her job who suddenly started saying she needs to go and pick up her 16yo kid from school and take her home every afternoon. Even funnier yet, they live within walking distance of the school.

 

Hmmm.....

 

First thing that came into my mind was a Mom trying to protect her kid from bullies or tormenters....every excuse is not necessarily offered for selfish reasons.

 

LL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"sudden" requests from new hires are always suspect.  If there is a reason (and there are lots of legitimate reasons) that the kid needs to be picked up and driven home, I bet those reasons existed before the lady was hired.  If mentioned during the hiring process, I would bet that provisions would have been made (scheduled her break or lunch period so she could take care of her daughter, etc).  I question the mindset of the people who "keep secrets" and then spring them on you after you hired them.

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel for you.

 

I manage a trucking depot, and I can't tell you the number of people who no-show for interviews.   Or, progressing past the interview, no-show for the road test.   Or, passing the road test, no show for the first day of work.

 

It has gotten discouraging lately.    People are no longer excited about landing a job.   When I interviewed, I was excited about the interview.   I was proud to be the guy who got job.   

 

Times have changed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most likely reason for the resume trickel is that corporate HR is using software to filter resumes. No matter how qualified the person is if they don't hit enough keywords the system will reject their resume.  We had a recent person whose resume the system kicked out that was totally unqualified for the position. They included the correct keywords on their resume so it spit it out. During the phone interview it was obvious the person didn't have the necessary skill set.

 

The whole use this service to find the perfect hire is causing a lot of highly qualified people to never get a chance simply because they don't meet the computers requirements. Dang few people are 100% qualified for a job opening. 99.99% need some OJT. yet hiring managers have swallowed the BS and drank the koolaid that company XYZ can find them the PERFECT hire.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

They included the correct keywords on their resume

I have noticed that, more so this hire than past positions.  Most of the resumes are almost cut and paste versions of the next one.  All claim to be a "lean manufacturing" expert, or have implemented "lean" manufacturing.  I went back and looked at the job description I had put out because I was fairly certain I had not included "lean manufacturing" as a requirement.  In the description above the requirements, I have a line in there "Must be capable and ready to function in a lean, fast paced design environment, both individually and collaboratively".  Apparently they all key off that "lean". 

It was a PIA back in the old days when I would get a hundred resume's on my desk to go thru, but at least I got to sort out the ones I wanted to see.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Whiskey Business said:

Time to find a new recruiter.

Wish I could.  I am not the only one having issues with this recruiter.  But, we are part of a very large corp. and we are stuck in the confines they put us in.  We are working as far outside of the system as we can, and I know there is movement from multiple sites across the country to do something about our "recruiter". 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The company I work for has a cut of in the system at 20 applicants. It doesn't matter how qualified you are as long as you are one of the first 20 applications in. All 20 have to be rejected before they get more. I assume that can be changed but when you have 150,000 employees world-wide and layers of bureaucracy, it's harder than pulling hen's teeth to get anything changed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428 said:

Wish I could.  I am not the only one having issues with this recruiter.  But, we are part of a very large corp. and we are stuck in the confines they put us in.  We are working as far outside of the system as we can, and I know there is movement from multiple sites across the country to do something about our "recruiter". 

 

Walking the corporate tightrope. For me, never again.

Contracts must be honored even in the face of incompetence. Who knows of the Byzantine dealings.

Don't risk your job.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This reminds me of a job interview I was scheduled for back in the Dark Ages,  1978, before cell phones and when pay phones were still available.  I was living in the suburbs of Reading, PA and after 2 1/2 months of job loss I managed to get an interview in March with a company in the western suburbs of Philadelphia.  It was something like a 70 mile drive.  The weather forecast was for snow so I made sure to leave really early.  When I got to the Pa. Turnpike and the Schuylkylll Expressway, it was snowing like mad, but traffic was still moving.  I finally got to my exit ramp and the traffic stopped completely.  So there I sat, with no way to call the company to say that I was stuck in traffic because of the snow and would be late.  I was watching my job opportunity slowly flying away.  Finally I was able to slowly drive up the ramp and got to the interview, 20 minutes late.  As I was stomping the snow off my boots, the manager's executive assistant looked at me and said, "We didn't think you were going to show up."  My thought was,  "Ma'am, I need this job.  I would have come by dogsled if I had to."

 

Because I hate to be late for anything, I apologized profusely to the manager and he said, "I was here anyway."  So I had the interview and went off to the house of some friends in Philly who were expecting me.  And the upshot was, I got the job!

 

Now my experience may be on the somewhat hardnosed side, but in this thread I haven't read any excuse for blowing off a job interview that comes remotely close.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am on the opposite side right now and hunting for a job. My unemployment is running out and I had to wait all summer (waiting to get insurance approval) to get back surgery with a 3 month recovery. I will have a 25lbs lifting limit for the rest of my life and I have been working in industrial maintenance for 40 years and need 2 1/2 years to reach 62 for early retirement.

 

I had a company call me 2 weeks ago and ask me to drive 200 miles round trip for an interview. They had an old resume from a year and half ago for a different opening and ask me to to apply for the current opening they have available.  I went to the interview and they gave me a plant tour and when we got to the managers office, I told them about my limitation due to surgery and I am currently recovering. The person who gave me the tour did not take me thru the entire plant as he noticed I was limping (bad knee) and told me that he had cut the tour short  due to my physical appearance. This is a maintenance management position with some floor time but managing supervisors that manage maintenance techs and I would not be doing their work, just directing and advising.

 

Money is tight right now and I have not gotten any response since the interview. I almost turned the interview down since it would require relocation and when I interviewed their last year, it seemed like a very positive interview and then I never hear from them again. I  met the person that got that job from last year as he was one of the people I interviewed with this time and they gave that job to a young guy( under 30) who was a current employee at that time.

 

I hate when people contact me and waste my time and money I don't have.  That trip used up an entire day and $40.00 in gas.

I can name 3 other recent wasted trips where it was obvious they were just going thru the motions and did not intend to hire me.

(2 maintenance jobs and a teaching job with a college.)

 

I don't blow off job interviews and make a point not to be late,

However if I get a bad feeling after researching the company, I will decline or cancel the job interview days in advance.

 

It is not any easier looking for a job, and I have done enough interviews as a hiring manager to know that there are no good answers.

 

When I first started looking for a job years ago, you always wore a suit and tie. 

My dad said you owned a suit and tie for 3 things in life, weddings, funerals and job interviews and they were all the same thing.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Boy, this brings back a bunch of memories of hiring and firing... including some downright bizarre.

 

One VERY large company (a certain West Coast bank) had a unique "policy and procedure."  A department manager would submit a requisition for a new employee, and a few days later someone would show up with paperwork introducing them as that employee.  No resume's or interviews by the "end user."  I was astonished when my boss requisitioned a new secretary - and the following week the new secretary arrived.  Did not speak a word of English.  The boss took it as a challenge, and literally taught the young woman to not only speak English but to function as a secretary.

 

It was later discovered that an HR person was literally selling jobs - very shortly after this discovery the hiring process became normal again.

 

On firing:  At a banking service organization, I once hired a young man specifically to work a Tuesday through Saturday shift, with Sunday and Monday off.  I was very clear in explaining that the Saturday shift was critical, responsible for distributing forms and reports to about 200 banks who needed the data first thing Monday morning.

 

After his first weekend, the young man advised me that he would no longer be able to work Saturdays, as he had signed up for a Saturday acting class.  Therefor, I had to change his shift to Monday through Friday.

 

Couldn't do it.  We had absolutely no need for a person on Mondays, as the reports and forms for Tuesday were produced overnight on Monday.

 

He just did not show up for work the next three Saturdays, so I replaced him.  He filed for unemployment; I rejected his claim with a clear explanation.

 

He appealed - and won.  The Administrative Law Judge ruled in the former employee's favor, and stated that as the Saturday acting class could lead to future opportunities, we [the employer] were unfairly blocking him from these opportunities.  Pay up!  Sheesh.

 

In another case, a young lady was hired after moving to San Francisco from Oregon.  She worked for two months, got homesick, quit, and moved back home.  And filed for unemployment.

 

We rejected her claim; she appealed and won.  The Administrative Law Judge ruled that she had not been in San Francisco long enough to have established permanent residence; therefor, it was unfair of us to expect her to be able to commute from Oregon.  Pay up!

 

So if you're ever denied unemployment money in California, just appeal - you'll get it.  

  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've done a lot of hiring (and firing) in the last 30 years.  Since the era of mobile phones, anyone who shows up late for their interview without letting me know they'll be late at the earliest reasonable time they'd have known it gets told to get back on the elevator, the interview has been cancelled.  Period.  I don't have time for that nonsense.  The headhunters figure it out pretty quick.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We worried in the 1980s that Japan would replace the USAas the dominate world manufacturer.  That did not happen as subsequent generations of Japanese workers were not their fathers and mothers.

 

Now we have a situation where the affects of wussification of education (loss of industrial arts, electronics, work skills, logic and useful math) and the me-ism of selfies and constantly posting opinions is upon us.

 

I hired an 18-year old around 2013.  He took a non-emergency phone call during the interview but I this was his first non-farm employment opportunity.  He was named employee of the year in 2015 after really growing up and being valuable.  He quit in 2017 as he and our leaving controller broke up her marriage and stole a significant amount of company money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

59 minutes ago, Tom Bullweed said:

We worried in the 1980s that Japan would replace the USAas the dominate world manufacturer.  That did not happen as subsequent generations of Japanese workers were not their fathers and mothers.

 

Now we have a situation where the affects of wussification of education (loss of industrial arts, electronics, work skills, logic and useful math) and the me-ism of selfies and constantly posting opinions is upon us.

 

I hired an 18-year old around 2013.  He took a non-emergency phone call during the interview but I this was his first non-farm employment opportunity.  He was named employee of the year in 2015 after really growing up and being valuable.  He quit in 2017 as he and our leaving controller broke up her marriage and stole a significant amount of company money.

Hopefully they were both prosecuted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had the opposite happen to me.  I arrived at the job interview early, and waited till well past the start time before asking the security guard where my interviewers were.  The security guard was finally able to reach one of them,  only to find out the managers had contacted the recruiter the day before asking them to reschedule the interview.  I had taken a half day off and drove all the way to the interview, only to find out it had been cancelled.  The recruiter was less than apologetic when I asked why they didn't contact me.  I arrived early for the rescheduled interview and was met by one of the managers who apologized profusely for cancelling the last interview.  I was eventually hired for the job.  While talking with other new hires who were also waiting for their paperwork to clear, it turns out a few of us had the same process failure happen.  That point was brought up to the hiring managers.  Apparently, the recruiting firm is no longer employed by our company. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interviewed many engineers over my career. The "best" one was a new grad that stated he "really wanted to work in the automotive industry" but set up an interview with my company because we were near the ocean and he liked to surf!:wacko:

 

Needless to say, he was not hired.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/23/2021 at 11:19 AM, Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428 said:

As a side thought, anybody know an engineer interested in sheet metal enclosures for server/network/broadcast type equipment looking for a job in Anaheim (no, not for the Mouse, but Disneyland isnt that far down Ball Road from here).

 

 

Are you advertising for “Packaging Engineers” specializing in metal enclosures or mechanical engineers? If not, try those buzz words in your description.
 

I have done a lot of hiring and some firing, unfortunately. Anyone that doesn’t seem to care if they make the interview or not doesn’t deserve a second shot. Especially in those conditions you mentioned about this joker. 
 

One another note; one thing I always ask all candidates at the end of an interview is this:

”Are there any special accommodations that you need for your health or family that we should know about should we offer you the position? This question and your answer have no bearing on our decision to hire you, but if you have scheduling needs for appointments or childcare we would like to know up front so we can plan to work with you should you be offered the position.”

 

This helps with those issues that come up after someone is hired should they all of a sudden need to leave early every day for some reason. If I don’t know about it up front, playing games will not go well for them after being hired. 


Before you say “In my state you can’t do this…” please know that I always get the blessing of HR before adding this at the end of an interview. I have never been denied. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

California; One of the worst for people who own businesses and hire people. The few times we need to reduce staff the managers literally sat in a room and discussed who as the least likely to sue Race, gender and age were key. Experience and dedication came secondary.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.