Canceling an interview?

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Having recently been through the job search process, I can tell you that it can be one of the most soul-crushing experiences a person can go through.  Since the perception is that it's a buyer's market, all of the civility has gone out of the process on the employers' side.  I remember my dad going through a job search in the early '70's, and even when he sent an unsolicited resume to a company, he would receive, at the minimum, a letter acknowledging that they received it and would keep it on file (and those were the days where each one of those had to be individually written on a typewriter). Even after an interview, I got used to not hearing from an employer at all unless they were interested in continuing the process.

Heck, this was still going on in early 90's.  I recall job searching in 1991 (in the middle of that recession) straight out of Marquette and I was mailing my resume everywhere.  I recall an HVAC company (I sent them a resume & cover letter because I thought they were a manufacturing company based on company description) called me not so much for an interview but more because he kind of understood my situation and just wanted to talk.

[keefe]

Maybe I am being to sensitive but I am pretty insulted, here is what happened today. I had a 3pm interview scheduled and I rolled in at 2:53, wasn't greeted by anybody but after a couple of minutes was shown to a conference room where I waited until just after 3. At this point an executive assistant comes in and tells me that the person I was to meet with is in a meeting and can't get out and has to cancel. I was dumbfounded. Anybody ever had an experience like this? All I could think was that this was I credibly unprofessional. As of 8 hours later no email of apology. 

I flew from Hong Kong to Dallas for an interview. Through the fog of jet lag I showed up at the appointed time in Plano and waited in the business owner's outer office. She had worried people coming and going then the company CFO went into her office. After another 15 minutes the CFO left and she asked if we could reschedule. No hello or salutation.

I asked if she meant that day or the next and she said the following week. It was actually so odd that I laughed and said it would be alright. I ended up tying in a future planned trip to NY so it wasn't wasted effort. When I went back to Plano she explained that Frito was battling Eagle Brand salty snacks and there had been the usual PepsiCo crisis that costs people their jobs.

I ended up getting the job and participated in a Frito Lay global buying binge that was some of the most interesting work I ever did. I learned a lot, got to work with some great people, and participated in some exciting projects.  

What was funny about it was that months later the business owner told me she knew she wanted me for the role (I was an internal) but I still had to do the loop at Plano or it could have legal implications.

My advice is never burn bridges and don't read anything into what transpired that day. I flew 18 hours for an interview and was sitting in her outer office when she cancelled on me. It turned into one of my better experiences. Stuff happens so don't judge a book by its cover. And remember: It is NEVER personal.

[warriorchick]

And remember: It is NEVER personal.

That's the problem.  At some level, it should be.

[4everwarriors]

Y'all should walk a mile in my shoes. I interview roughly 2000+ times a year. Sometimes my boss loves me, sometimes it's just the opposite. Sometimes the boss doesn't show up or even have the decency to call; just fookin' forgot. It don't matter to them if it costs me $ for the no show or another boss coulda taken their place.
As long as ya keep interviewin', it's all good, ai na?

[Jay Bee]

That's the problem.  At some level, it should be.

chick-ish thing to say

I think every situation is different. Do we even know what type of job the OP was going to interview for?

[keefe]

That's the problem.  At some level, it should be.

Well, the traditional social contract around employment went out the window in the '80's. One can find personal fulfillment in work but one should never ascribe feelings or sentiment to the company itself because the company doesn't know you and therefore doesn't give a sh1t.

A very senior executive's day blows up and she needs to reschedule a meeting with me? I understand. I don't have to like it but then I never took it as a personal affront. As I got to know her through working together I found her to be brilliant, witty, discerning, and compassionate. My first encounter with her was sub-optimal as it occurred at the merge of several significant factors well beyond her control.

I believe one should never burn bridges. Getting pissed off about a cancelled interview is akin to burning the bridge before you cross.

[keefe]

After 7-8 years of recession

It's all the fault of that one sonuvabitch!!

[4everwarriors]

Maybe I am being to sensitive but I am pretty insulted, here is what happened today. I had a 3pm interview scheduled and I rolled in at 2:53, wasn't greeted by anybody but after a couple of minutes was shown to a conference room where I waited until just after 3. At this point an executive assistant comes in and tells me that the person I was to meet with is in a meeting and can't get out and has to cancel. I was dumbfounded. Anybody ever had an experience like this? All I could think was that this was I credibly unprofessional. As of 8 hours later no email of apology. 

Maybe the executive assistant didn't dig your heine and subsequently made an executive decision, hey!

[keefe]

I finished grad school in the summer of 2008, right before the economy crashed. Took me a year to get a good job, and I ended up getting a job in the middle of nowhere. Want to move back to Milwaukee now. I preface with that to say that I've been through a lot of interviews since college...

My guess is the most likely scenario is that HR f'ed up. The person who referenced HR is dead on. I don't want to paint a universal picture here, but most HR people are terrible, have zero technical skills, and do not understand the job or the department you are interviewing for.

I've had mishap upon mishap happen with HR. In your situation, most likely a) The job was already filled, b) They asked you to come in as a mistake and you weren't on the short list, c) They didn't check the hiring manager's schedule beforehand or put something on Outlook. And then they made up some bullcrap excuse when you were sitting there in the conference room.

I work at a very large Fortune 500 company. 100% of the scheduling and initial interview people are outsourced. They don't have an incentive to get this stuff right. Even if they screw up 20% of their contacts, there is an endless stream of candidates available for interviews and hiring.

I've had in-person interviews at several MKE-CHI area Fortune 500 companies where I didn't even get an automated rejection letter from their system. It's such a "buyer's market" that basic decorum is simply gone.

I know that people love to take the piss out of HR people but in large, professional organizations the HR people must have deep, acute technical skills that are crucial for a performing and rewarding enterprise. My wife ended up doing Organizational Design and Development for a large, industry-leading enterprise. This role required a keen grasp of the enterprise's strategic vision, the range of skills needed to execute that vision, the company's core values, and a financially viable structure that achieved objectives while improving return.

HR may have been a generalist role in the past but truly successful organizations understand the inherent value of HR and make the necessary investment.

[warriorchick]

Well, the traditional social contract around employment went out the window in the '80's. One can find personal fulfillment in work but one should never ascribe feelings or sentiment to the company itself because the company doesn't know you and therefore doesn't give a sh1t.

A very senior executive's day blows up and she needs to reschedule a meeting with me? I understand. I don't have to like it but then I never took it as a personal affront. As I got to know her through working together I found her to be brilliant, witty, discerning, and compassionate. My first encounter with her was sub-optimal as it occurred at the merge of several significant factors well beyond her control.

I believe one should never burn bridges. Getting pissed off about a cancelled interview is akin to burning the bridge before you cross.

But no one should handle the selection of a new employee the same way you decide whether you are going to buy your office supplies from Office Max or Staples.  For some strange reason most people feel the need to be treated with respect. A ream of paper doesn't care.

[MerrittsMustache]

When looking for a job, networking is the most important factor. If you have a connection at the company 1) you'll be more likely to be brought on-site for an interview and 2) you'll have a resource to discuss the culture and, best-case, the actual department.

I got my first job out of college because the hiring manager was a fellow Marquette alum. After 5 years there, I was able to move to a bigger role with a significantly larger company because a former co-worker brought me over to join his dept. My wife basically got her current job by small-talking with a woman during a flight home from NYC. Prior to that, a company sought her out because a former boss, whom she wasn't very fond of, recommended her for a position (not working for the former boss), which goes along with keefe's point of never burning bridges).

The canceling of the interview and lack of follow-up may be completely out of character or it could be that the hiring manager is a scatterbrained loon. If you have a connection, you'd be much more likely to know.

[StillAWarrior]

A very senior executive's day blows up and she needs to reschedule a meeting with me? I understand. I don't have to like it but then I never took it as a personal affront. As I got to know her through working together I found her to be brilliant, witty, discerning, and compassionate. My first encounter with her was sub-optimal as it occurred at the merge of several significant factors well beyond her control.

I believe one should never burn bridges. Getting pissed off about a cancelled interview is akin to burning the bridge before you cross.

I agree with this.  Cancelling the interview almost certainly was not a personal affront.  Failure to follow-up in a professional manner also might not be a personal affront.  But, it certainly does give you some insight into the type of person you're dealing with.  In your experience, the person was courteous enough to ask you to reschedule.  The inconvenience was unfortunate, but she did have the presence of mind to let you know that she still wanted to meet with you.  I suspect that if she'd sent someone out to simply say, "we have to cancel" and had never followed up, you might have formed a different opinion of her.

That said, I'd never burn a bridge over something like this.

[Ellenson Guerrero]

I know that people love to take the piss out of HR people but in large, professional organizations the HR people must have deep, acute technical skills that are crucial for a performing and rewarding enterprise. My wife ended up doing Organizational Design and Development for a large, industry-leading enterprise. This role required a keen grasp of the enterprise's strategic vision, the range of skills needed to execute that vision, the company's core values, and a financially viable structure that achieved objectives while improving return.

HR may have been a generalist role in the past but truly successful organizations understand the inherent value of HR and make the necessary investment.

No offense to your wife, but from my experience in a large professional services company, the people best equipped to structure how the company does work are those who actually do the work.  At some level, someone who solely does HR is just going to miss key elements of the equation.

[MerrittsMustache]

No offense to your wife, but from my experience in a large professional services company, the people best equipped to structure how the company does work are those who actually do the work.  At some level, someone who solely does HR is just going to miss key elements of the equation.

Not if they're good at their job.

[StillAWarrior]

I know that people love to take the piss out of HR people but in large, professional organizations the HR people must have deep, acute technical skills that are crucial for a performing and rewarding enterprise. My wife ended up doing Organizational Design and Development for a large, industry-leading enterprise. This role required a keen grasp of the enterprise's strategic vision, the range of skills needed to execute that vision, the company's core values, and a financially viable structure that achieved objectives while improving return.

HR may have been a generalist role in the past but truly successful organizations understand the inherent value of HR and make the necessary investment.

In my job, I work very closely with HR professionals at many companies.  Some are incredible and are invaluable to their companies.  Some are terrible and cost their companies a fortune.  I work closely with the good ones, and often clean up messes made by the bad ones.

[keefe]

No offense to your wife, but from my experience in a large professional services company, the people best equipped to structure how the company does work are those who actually do the work.  At some level, someone who solely does HR is just going to miss key elements of the equation.

What is interesting is that my wife did not come up through the HR ranks but Corporate Development. She was given a stretch assignment to look at the Organizational Design and Development needs of the enterprise to execute the company's vision. This was never an area she ever envisioned but she actually enjoyed it. When her mentor was tapped to run the Gates Foundation he took her along with him as part of his team to fix that mess.

As part of her training in ODD she ended up getting the SPHR cert which she felt was a demanding curriculum. I think the days of HR being a dumping ground for incompetent nephews and underrepresented categories are over. Good HR people are worth their weight in gold; bad ones can cost you a fortune.

[Benny B]

Not if they're good at their job.

HR generalists can earn well over six-figures because there are so few good HR generalists out there.

[manny31]

So still no phone call or email. Not insulted anymore, more thankful than anything. The position was to manage a portfolio for a prop trading firm. In this business a couple of indispensable personal characteristicsa are reliability and a sense of accountability. I know where this company stands on both those issues as I was to interview with the managing partner. It took a mere 8 minutes, not too bad. I have been interviewed a handful of times and done a lot of interviewing of potential candidates and I could not imagine pulling what they pulled. I mean really what are valid excuses? Family emergency, I say yes. If your business is literally blowing up, that's ok too but everything else in my opinion is crap. I have had some bad days and still conducted interviews. Anyway, feeling less incredulous about this experience and thank you all for your input.

[keefe]

So still no phone call or email.

If you give the men of Scoop this guy's email address and cell number I am sure we can get some payback for you...

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/_h4DZeBleLs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/_h4DZeBleLs</a>

[JustinLewisFanClubPres]

In my job, I work very closely with HR professionals at many companies.  Some are incredible and are invaluable to their companies.  Some are terrible and cost their companies a fortune.  I work closely with the good ones, and often clean up messes made by the bad ones.

lawyer or retirement plan administrator?