Never heard back from an interview

iammumtoone

I am used to never hearing back after applying for jobs but I actually had an interview the week before last and have never heard back from them!

Normally I would have rang to ask them about the position but in the mean time I was offered a job elsewhere so had no need to.

I do think it is bad manners as people would maybe have taken holiday from their current job to attend the interview and to then not even have the grace to send a thanks but no thanks letter or phone call is in my opinion not a good advertisement for that company.

Is it normal not to hear back whether you have got the job or not after an interview if you don't chase them?

agrinnall

I agree that it's bad manners, and I'd like to hope that it's unusual (but sadly these days that may be a forlorn hope).

Denning.

Completely. Not replying to an application is rude, but somewhat understandable. Not giving feedback about interview is totally unacceptable. A large bank has left me hanging twice, 3 years apart, they have a large inhouse HR department, they are just terrible to the point I don't wish to work there nor bank with them.

Getting contact details is near impossible with some places.

furthest

I had an interview with the NHS a few years back. Never heard back from then. I didn't bother calling them.

iSlideOnItConstance

Agreed, bad manners indeed ^_^ I refuse to chase up employers that fail to update on interview outcomes. If they want to employ me, they will call, simple.

CCFC_80

Also agree on bad manners. Probably would take 10 seconds for a standard thanks but no thanks cut and paste email reply.

Now, if the boots on the other foot, when the candidate fails to turn up for an interview, You will get the hypocritical employers coming onto this forum spitting out their dummies stating that the unemployed are discourteous and don't want to work.

Denning.

CCFC_80 wrote: »

Also agree on bad manners. Probably would take 10 seconds for a standard thanks but no thanks cut and paste email reply.

Now, if the boots on the other foot, when the candidate fails to turn up for an interview, You will get the hypocritical employers coming onto this forum spitting out their dummies stating that the unemployed are discourteous and don't want to work.

Not even that. The big boys who use taleo and the like have the inbuilt feature of sending 'You've been unsuccessful, please contact us if you would like feedback.'

The smaller companies can easily set up a excel/outlook system which would near-automate the response.

It's a complete failure to comprehend the customer journey, and it does put people of applying and even using that company in the future.

melysion

I have had experience of this just after Christmas. Bloody annoying. And, at the moment, I'm doing writing tests for jobs after initial cv application (trying to break into medical writing) - which take quite some time to do - and in one recent case never did get any feedback. My career adviser admitted that it's just how it is now. Once the employer has decided against you, they don't care and just leave you hanging

t0rt0ise

I have had some very mixed responses from the NHS. Once turned up for interview to be told that the interviewer hadn't turned up, they said they'd be in touch with a future date and would pay wasted travel costs, they did neither.

Another called me for interview for a certain department, told me then that that department was no longer available so gave me an interview with another department. Then called me afterwards to say I hadn't got the job because that department wasn't my first choice. I was gobsmacked. What a waste of time.

Another said they'd let me know either way shortly and never did. These are all different hospitals in London. At least I've now got a job in a different hospital.

WolfSong2000

I was asked to come to an interview for a charity at short notice (2 days). Managed to make it, inteview went well and was told I would receive feedback...never did, despite chasing up the charity 3/4 times. Same deal for another interview a few months later...interview went fine, was told I would receive feedback the following week, then nothing, even after I chased it up.

The only feedback I've gotten from an interview was from an NHS interview - I didn't get the position, but the feedback I got was excellent. Very useful and obviously carefully thought out and appropriate. NHS is a bit of a mixed bag, though, as it's not one singular organisation so I guess it's a case of pot luck.

J_i_m

I've gone for several interviews with the NHS in the last year, and despite most of them being advertised and applied for through the NHS jobs website it's clear that different trusts, services, teams etc have different ways of administering recruitment. There's no unified system for anything within the NHS it seems.

For most of my applications, once I've hit the submit button, I'm finding that's my last contact aside from the automated acknowledgment and most advertisers don't bother to inform candidates that they haven't been short listed.

Of the vacancies I have been short listed for, my interview invitations have been delivered to me in various formats, either by email, text message or via the jobs site notifications.

The quality of interviewers varies a lot, but so far most of mine (with a couple of exceptions) have at least had the courtesy to give me a follow up call to inform me of their decision.

But most of them aren't good at giving feedback if you're not successful and I usually receive the clich!d standard quote "you did well, but some else raised the bar and leapt over it" either that or I've received conflicting or contradictory feedback.

Only a couple of times have I actually been given genuinely constructive feedback with which I could then apply to future interviews.

But in the job hunting arena, it is inferred that the candidate should do all the leg work, because it shows commitment, initiative and enthusiasm. So if you want to know more but haven't heard, then you have to initiate the contact whether you feel you should have to or not.