Job searching can be frustrating and stressful – not to mention anxiety-driven – but also sometimes filled with hope and excitement for a new opportunity on the horizon. Most people aren’t huge fans of multiple interviews, constantly selling themselves, or the uncertainty of when an exciting offer will come their way. Here are some considerations to try to put it in to a healthy perspective.
Yes, you will feel stressed and anxious. If you can, allow yourself to accept these feelings as part of your journey in life. Take note of what can you do to move forward, and hopefully it will propel your energy into time and space that is well spent.
Just know that you are not alone on a myriad of questions that no one has really answered for you. That is mostly due to the other side of the table which usually includes Human Resources and a Hiring Manager.
Question: What is the status of my application?
Answer: It really depends. Did you apply online? Is it sitting in an ATS (Applicant Tracking System = software to track job applicants and open job requisitions)? Has anyone looked at it? Have you gone through a recruiter and are waiting to hear back? Have you sent it to a friend or former colleague who works at that institution? Do we know if this position is still open?
Ideas to move forward: If there is anyone you can get in touch with about your application, do it. Send a polite email to them asking if there’s any chance if the position is still open and/or if your application has been reviewed. If there is no one to get in touch with, keep moving forward in your job searching. ATS’s are GREAT for the employer. They help track applicants and scan for keywords. The challenge is they may not be great for the job seeker and might be sitting in a black hole. Consider that 300 job searching applications are sitting there with yours.
It’s not that you are not good enough. And it’s not that you don’t have what it takes. It’s that your resume is combined with a lot of other information and may not even have been reviewed. They may have also filled the position and didn’t take the posting down.
OR, clients change their minds all the time – maybe they are going in a new direction with this role. See if you can find out the status first. And if you can’t, move on. You can learn more about ATS here from Jobscan.
Question: May I have feedback from my interview(s)?
Answer: Most likely, no. They may give you some simple answer “You didn’t quite have the experience they were looking for” or “We’ve hired an internal applicant.” Without getting into too many details and legal guidelines (that I’m not even sure I’m aware of), company representatives often cannot give too much feedback to an interview for fear of being sued. They don’t want to be sued for ageism, sexism, etc. so it’s easier to not give any feedback.
Please excuse the gross oversimplification here, but also think about the company. They may be trying to recruit new employees for 100s of positions. If they interview even 3-5 people per position, they just don’t have the time to give detailed feedback to every interview. Try to think back to a time that maybe you had a crush on someone and or were dating and it just didn’t fit or feel right. Did you want to have to give a detailed explanation or did you just hope you (and they) could move on? Move on if it’s not a right fit. NEXT.
Question: If not a fit for this role, am I fit for other roles within the organization?
Answer: You can certainly ask this if you are given a rejection (and not ghosted). The truth is, the team (or people) you were interviewing with are most likely not concerned with too many other roles in the organization. They may not have been briefed on what others are looking for nor care – going back to the time thing, they just don’t have a lot of it.
However, it could be worth asking on the off-chance that Jim from another department did mention to them he was looking for someone like you. However, if you don’t hear back on that, definitely do not take it personally. They likely have no clue and it may take you applying to another position or another person in your network helping you to identify this other role during the job searching process.
Question: Why did the recruiter ghost me?
Answer: Honestly, I’m sorry that they did. It’s crappy and doesn’t feel good. It’s disrespectful and really doesn’t leave a good impression. I don’t have an excuse for them other than to say that they’re busy working to fill roles. It’s unlikely that they are on a 100% commission basis but if they are, think about how they need to move on to the next thing to keep food on their table. And even though most get paid a decent base salary, each role does lead to commission for them. It is part of their job responsibilities to find and hire the right talent. Recruiters have a lot of metrics they need to hit and they only have so much time in the day like everyone else. They may not have the luxury of time to follow up with every person that is not the right fit.
I still believe they should let you know, but chalk it up as something out of control, do your best to move on.
Request to HR/Recruiters
If there is any way at all that you can make sure you keep in touch with your job searching candidates (even if it’s to say you don’t have new updates), you will really help their anxiety and help them balance timelines and possibly other interviews and offers.
As this article from Evil HR lady shares, if you are unable to give them feedback regarding their rejection for a position, consider offering a couple things you feel they could approve upon. Your advice may not even be job specific but here are some ideas to consider that may be helpful to the job seeker:
- Make sure you answer the phone with enthusiasm and not sound like I interrupted you or you just woke up.
- Be sure to do company and role research for every single interview.
- Dress to impress – even if it’s a virtual interview (and don’t forget to test your camera and audio before).
- Turn off your phone and IM notifications when interviewing to minimize distractions.
- Thank you emails or snail mail are still more than welcome and a nice gesture.
- Google yourself and do a quick look at what a recruiter might see if they Google you – are impressive and professional details coming up? If not, you may want to work on pushing out some thoughtful content.
- Tread lightly with insincere LinkedIn connection requests.
You cannot control the process so you must hold onto your hope and continue to make efforts. Hopefully this help shares some insights and helps to normalize this process.
BawldGuy
June 24, 2011 at 2:00 am
Lani — It doesn't much matter who's the economist on stage for NAR. Mr. Yun was the exception to the rule, but in my opinion was made to look even more conservative than he actually was by virtue of who came before him, and now, apparently, who followed. They're mouthpieces for a group who prospers when times are good, or when recessions are morphing into 'recoveries'. If the facts don't fit their agenda, guess which one gets a makeover?
This reminds me, (and gives me the creeps a bit) of both 1984, and Atlas Shrugged. Plain talk is the first casualty of duplicity. Words don't have meaning. This is how an economist can, with a straight face, say that we're in a recovery when the unemployment just rose — again — while housing values across the board were simultaneously falling — still.
The fact that anyone pays attention to anything NAR says/writes about the economy is an indictment on learning curves everywhere. Either that, or, when Russell Shaw said, "There are some things so simple even a Realtor could do it", he was stretching the concept of 'giving the benefit of the doubt' to the breaking point.
Sig Buster, III
June 24, 2011 at 7:05 am
I agree with the 9 reasons you listed for saying "We are not in a recovery period". I also agree that these are only some of the reasons we are not in a recovery. A recovery may appear to be happening in some areas, but certainly not overall, and clearly there is no real momentum.
I listen to "economist" with some amusement because they all have the same statistics, yet most of them have different conclusions and opinions of what the statistics mean. None of the "economist" are making a living on the street selling real estate. Therefore, I don't think they have a clue as to what is really happening on the street. Every Realtor I talk to tells me the same thing when I ask them "how's business"? "It sucks"! is the answer most given, and the most polite answer I receive.
So what is the root cause of these problems? I think the answer is GOVERNMENT. They have finally regulated us out of business. They have hurt us directly with the evil DOJ but by taking over the banks they have about finished us off. Or so it seems by reading your list. This has happened in spite of the false spin NAR has fed us over the years about how they have acted in our favor. NAR has lost many fights and won only a few in Washington. They are anemic at best. I have earned the right to say this because I've been there and watched them operate.
There seems to be a direct disconnect between "The Powers that Be" within NAR and the Realtors on the street. When NAR decides to listen and actually act on what the members are telling them, then and only then will we Realtors, As a group, be able to change things in Washington. Only then will we be able to throw off the yoke of GOVERNMENT and get this country moving again.
Sadly, this seems a long way off. "The Powers That Be" within NAR have signaled to us and rammed down our throats that raising dues for political purposes and thereby throwing more money at the problem will surely deliver us from the strangle hold of GOVERNMENT.
Yeah! Now why didn't I think of that?
Joe Loomer
June 24, 2011 at 9:46 am
I'm disgusted that an organization that just hiked my dues in order to push for more stimulus in the housing market will flat out lie to the American people. Even the best selling county in my area has seen significant losses in value – and we never had the hyper-inflation in home prices experienced elsewhere. May sales were the lowest in MLS records for that month.
Navy Chief, Navy Pride
Benn Rosales
June 24, 2011 at 9:54 am
The word recovery is subjective for the most part however, if translated to human condition one could argue housing is stabilized. If nothing good and or really bad is happening then one could say it's resting comfortably with a good prognosis with plenty of rest and by meeting certain conditions over time. I understand (I think) what NAR is saying and could be chalked up to a democratic (wishful thinking) talking point.
It's a talking because if the budget isn't cut capped and controlled housing will flatline – end of story. That doesn't spell reelection for any of NAR's friends in DC or around the country.
Mark Brian
June 24, 2011 at 12:59 pm
I guess it all depends on how you define "recovery". I am not seeing a recovery right now or feeling it. Sure, for some the opportunities are out there in the real estate market. But for most Americans, times are still tough and they are worried.
Michael Hon
June 24, 2011 at 3:45 pm
You are right on the money! The word recovery is subjective for the most part however, if translated to human condition one could argue housing is stabilized. If nothing good and or really bad is happening then one could say it’s resting comfortably with a good prognosis with plenty of rest and by meeting certain conditions over time.
John Slocum
June 25, 2011 at 8:59 am
In our local Vancouver WA market, the level of Demand dropped 20% a year ago with the expiry of the Tax Credit program, and showed relative support at the newer, lower level. From a "technical market" perspective, the 3-month rolling average for Demand finally turned north two months ago, piercing the longer-term 12-month rolling average for Demand. This up-tick in demand has also been sufficient enough to cause the 12-month trend line to point in a positive direction. In my opinion, if the politicians will keep their feet off both the brakes and the gas pedal, this local market my go from the verge-of-recovery on to Recovery.
sfvrealestate
June 27, 2011 at 6:19 pm
Did Yun quote any statistics? I'm curious.