Job Applicants Are Customers Too

I am a Ph.D. psychologist. I recently applied for a Gallup position. After an online questionnaire and a 1-hour phone interview, I NEVER received ANY follow-up. NONE. EVER.
After 4 weeks I left a VM message for Pam in the interview center (she scheduled my interview and told me I would receive a response within one week). No response.
After 5 weeks I left a second message with a receptionist telling me Pam was on vacation.
After 6 weeks I left Pam another VM message.
This week I kept calling until Pam answered. She brushed off the incident and told me she had never gotten any of my messages (I simply do not believe her). She ended our conversation by telling me "you should have gotten an email. I see in your file that you did not. But you're not a good fit. I don't know what happened."
I have respected and spoken highly of Gallup for decades. NEVER AGAIN!!
At least your article is accurate about ruining a relationship.

I don't know if you are suggesting you should have been treated differently b/c you have a Ph.D. or not but I frankly don't care. You're not special. I have never experienced any bad customer service from Gallup and by your comments it is apparent that you were not a "good fit".

For a PhD Psychologist you seem highly emotional and somewhat impulsive. I’d guess an over sensitive amygdala??? Perhaps the one-hour behavioral interview served its purpose.

Easy guys... No need to wage a cynical attack on the person who made the first post, PhD or not... unfortunately, the treatment he describes, shabby and abhorrent as it is, is the unfortunate norm in most organizations today.

...and organizations wonder why employee engagement andloyalty are at an all time low?

The first gentleman's posting simply showed his frustration with how he feels he was handled and I think it speaks to the topic of the article. He serves as a perfect example of the reaction to bad treatment in the job application process. Also, he is like people who are in the workplace in the sense that we need to really make an effort to deeply listen and not be so critical. It saddens me that the anger in the two responses is out there. What has happened to extending a hand?

I do not necessarily see these responses as cynical attacks. With the ease of applying for jobs electronically these days a company will receive far too many applications to respond to, and in my opinion no response beats the generic, “Although you have an impressive background…” So if Gallup (who actually does engage to a degree with an applicant- the gentleman knows Pam’s name which is rare in itself) misses a call I don’t think this is worth ruffling your feathers over. As an applicant we are ultimately trying to serve the company and at the application stage I have come to realize the hiring company owes us very little. Having worked in HR I think sending out “Thank you” notes or a call is pointless, irrespective of ones credentials. It is more an issue of expectation and the entitlement-oriented culture of today’s academically acclaimed job seekers that affects loyalty and moral. The later responses, although useful for critical debate, make me concerned that we are all becoming too soft.

It is hard to imagine how someone could miss the main point of the article any more than Mr. MacDonald has. Apparently having worked in HR has sufficiently removed any concern for customer service and company reputation that might have existed at some point. It is also true that businesses receive far too many applications, resumes, etc., from persons clearly not qualified for the available positions, although I think the ease of application is only a partial explanation. Fundamentally, we have not evolved more sophisticated and transparent methods of communicating with one another just what it is that we're looking for when recruiting and for dealing with the differences in "fit" when the candidate is less than desirable. Finally, I also think that there is a great need for each individual to accept greater responsibility for who they are and what they know, and if their current skills and/or personal characteristics aren't what is needed, we need to have the awareness to discover these things and the strength to do something about them. Of course, doing this is helped by knowing just what needs to be addressed.

The response was to the initial reader comments, not the article. Having worked in HR has only installed a sense of practicality, I am well aware that HR/recruiting is probably still the number one hindrance to talent reaching an organization. I am equally aware that our emotional response to denial is not always rational or constructive. With respect to the remainder of the Rieboldt post, I actually have no practical sense of what you are trying to say, but this my be my jetlag.

I completely agree with this article. Some months ago I applied for a position with a company that has for years been rated one of "top places to work" in the nation. However, had I not had a personal acquaintance in the company, I would never have gotten any response whatsoever regarding the position. There wasn't even an electronic acknowledgment of the receipt of my online application and resume. (And by the way, my current position and duties were an almost identical match to the job title and description in their announcement, so I know I was a fit.) I was told by my acquaintance (who happened to work in HR) that the position had been filled internally; however, the website still listed the position as open with no indication of a closing date.

My biggest frustration with their process was the lack of communication and information available to me. 1) No acknowledgement of receipt; 2) no timeline given as to when the job closed; 3) no salary range; 3) no follow-up telling me that I wasn't being considered even for an interview, let alone that the position had been filled; 4) no timely update of their website indicating the position had been filled.

I followed up personally with my acquaintance via e-mail (desiring to be as uninvasive as possible) to ask for feedback on what they were looking for in the position that I lacked for my own professional development. I was looking forward to sharing with her my recommendations on improving their online application process when she responded, but I never heard back from her. The whole experience really sullied my opinion of this supposedly "great place to work."

I found this article fascinating for several reasons. First is the accuracy of the experience of many professionals seeking employment, including myself. I have learned not to expect feedback for the submission of a resume, not because it should or shouldn't be done, but because that is simply the environment that exists, due to ease and proliferation of email and the fax. If you are applying to a mid-size to large company, you might be lucky to get an automated response as opposed to none if they are not going to call you for an interview. From what I have observed over the past 20 years, that's just life in the age of increasing information overload. Having said that, I agree fully with the authors that not responding to an applicant that has given their time, not to mention travel and preparation, to interview, is just plain bad business etiquette. Even more interesting is the take on the business impact of disrespect towards a potential employee. For over five years I worked in sales in a small city. Most of my clients were people who I met with year after year. Knowing I was going to be calling on them again kept me mindful of my responsibilities and integrity, but also because we lived in the same community. I think that doing business in a certain industry is like doing business in a small town. Treat people, whether they are clients or prospective employees, with respect, because you never know when you might run into them at the grocery store, or across a negotiation table in the future.

i would just say that yes this behaviour of company potrays a negative image..

To limit applicants a company should job shadow a postion with camcorder then post it along with the request for employment adding that only those who felt they could excel in a such an enviroment should apply. After this a questionaire with lots of add comments dialog boxes, then a decent phone interview from two people in the respective work group and then an on-site visit.