Genuinely contented with your post. It is a thing that I'd been searching for.

I had a great first and a second interview.The hiring manager told me they had already contacted all of my references and they were waiting for their replies.I am very confident that my references would have given me an excellent recommendation. The hiring manager told me to call her back on Sept 30th and when i did...no response what so ever.I emailed her and called her office and cell phone.As she had given me the cell number in case i wouldn't be able to reach her on the land-line.It's been a week now and needless to say i am shocked at her behavior.The organization i applied to is a top notch organization in the U.S.A.
I mean come on people i get it that the times are hard but common courtesy demands it that if you told some one to call you please respond.I was so stressed out for the two days while i was waiting for her to respond.Needless to say she never did and i just moved on.

I see that this discussion dates back a few weeks, so I don't know whether anyone is sitll following it, but I simply have to add my own comment:

I too have been out of work for more than a year, having been laid off last May. I too have more than 30 years of exceptional experience with terrific accomplishments. I too have applied for literally hundreds of jobs. I too have experienced the frustration of not just the resume black hole but the post-interview black hole as well. And I too have felt myself beginning to doubt myself ...

BUT ...

that is the absolute worst thing we can do! As women we are conditioned to always assume blame when anything goes wrong. If we weren't contacted, then clearly we were not selected forthe position, but this by no means suggests that there is anything at all wrong with us or that we should even consider changing in any way.

The very fact that the original post compared post-interview silence as similar to dating situations shows how backwards this kind of thinking is. If they haven't contacted you -- whether "they" is a company or a date -- there is something wrong with THEM, not with YOU!

In this horrific job market, we simply must keep our attitude positive, because it shows on our faces, in our voices and in our body language every time we interact with someone, including that interviewer across the table.

I recently interviewed with a CEO who mentioned that, while her organization normally receives some 10-20 resumes for any job posting, she had received more than 300 for this job, due to the current job market.

Buck up, women! You're not "broken"!

I had this happen recently. I had my first interview, it went well until they asked how much I currently earn and how much I wanted to earn. I'm convinced I heard them choke before asking, "is that straight pay, without bonus?" When I confirmed, I was convinced I would not hear from them again. A week later they called me back for a second interview. The interviewer kept telling me how facinated he was with my experience and answers. I sent a very nice thank you note to each of them and never heard from them again. I guess they found someone else more facinating, but it would have been nice to get some kind of response.

On another note, I applied for a job with one of the big alcohol companies. I received a letter telling me how nice it was to meet me and how great my interview was, but they have chosen another candidate. Ummmmmm, I never interviewed with them, only applied. I'm thinking they are using too much of their own product.

I also had a face-to-face interview with an Office Manager. She thought I was very qualified for the position and wanted to hire me, however, I needed to meet with her Manager. She went to his office to notify him I was ready to speak with him but he wasn't available. I left the office and immediately sent my thank you note to her indicating I was very interested in meeting her Manager. I followed up with telephone calls and emails and never received a reply. I think common courtesy has "gone done the drain" and both sides (employer and job seeker) should remember this.

Pat the HR Mgr said "I have encountered candidates who did not return phone calls in a timely manner...did not show up for interviews on time....went through the entire interview process all the way to where a job offer was accepted, and even who accepted the offer, and then declined."

So does this make it ok for HR's rudeness and lack of common courtesy? I think what I'm hearing there is "So HR is bad but (some) candidates are worse."

C'mon! The key thing here is the sheer frustration felt by job seekers, who are up against a wall in terms of real opportunities and their inability to get past the HR gatekeepers. It is unacceptable for any company represantative to treat a candidate in this manner, let alone HR.

The resume black hole is deep enough -- throw away the shovel and treat every candidate with decency and respect. Companies need to take recruiting & interviewing out of the hands of HR and give it to the hiring manager. Compliance, federal/state reporting, training, and record-keeping belong in HR.

These are horrible instances, and I can recall the hurt I felt after multiple, in-person interviews that went smooth as butter but, no follow-up. As one of the many seeking a job, I am actually grateful to receive that server-generated rejection letter because so many companies are not even confirming that they've received your resume. Let's stay resilient and optimistic.

I had this big interview with a fortune 200 company. The first step was passing a phone screen conducted from the out of state headquarters. Next we sent three days of emails preparing for the interview, this time in person. I made contact with the local recruiter and followed all the normal protocol. Day of the interview I had car trouble and called a cab to get me to the interview location. Despite bad winter weather I made the interview on time. After announcing my arrival, the local recruiter stated she was not informed of any interviews scheduled for that day. She then asked me if I was a temporary hire. When I produced a copy of our email conversations over the last three days, she "remembered" and then gave me a rushed, poor interview. I left and was glad I never heard from this group again.

Now I am being ignored by THIS SITE -- Twice I have taken quite a bit of time to write something, only to be blown off! What's up?

I have worked for over 25 years in HR and would never purposely leave a candidate 'hanging.' I read everyone's comments and share their frustration.

Two years ago I was asked to give a presentation on Recruiting and Employment Etiquette -- and in my presentation I stressed the importance of 'image' and 'courtesy' as qualities that can set an organization apart from others.

Many organizations don't understand the role HR plays in helping to market an organization. How well candidates are treated during the hiring process can strongly influence their impression of the organization and their service or product buying decisions.

I stress to my clients that anyone who has contact with a candidate (and I mean anyone - receptionist, cleaning staff, cafeteria staff, employees, managers, etc.) must present the organization as professionally as possible. This is especially critical if the organization wants to hire people who are the best fit with the job and the organization's culture.

On the other side, I have encountered candidates who did not return phone calls in a timely manner or at all, did not show up for interviews on time or at all and did not call, who went through the entire interview process all the way to where a job offer was accepted, and even who accepted the offer, and then declined.

Some advice to those of you who made it to the in person interview:
*At the end of the interview be prepared with intelligent questions to ask the organization. These questions should help you evaluate how well the job and the culture fit you and your needs.
*Make sure you truly understand the job -- the job requirements, the upside and downside of the job, where it fits in the organization, why it is open, why the last person left the position, etc.
*Do a recap of your strengths and accomplishments and clearly link them to the requirements of the job.
*Sell yourself!
*Ask for the job! At the end of the interview you could say something like: "I believe that I am the best candidate for this job. Now that you have a good understanding of my skills, abilities, and experience, please tell me the concerns that you have about hiring me for this position. I'd like to be able to address them before I leave today."
*Always send a thank you. Don't lower your standards even if the organization has not been professional.

Lastly, understand that the organization has only one open position and may have 2 or 3 good candidates. A decision must be made - and hopefully it is the right decision for everyone. I recall times when the candidate selected did not really work out as well as hoped and therefore either resigned or was asked to leave in 2, 4, or even 6 months. An organization with a strong hiring process will usually go back to the other finalists at that time to see if they are still available and interested. This is another reason for organizations to treat candidates well, and also for candidates to keep a high standard of professionalism even after the interview process.

This has happened to me serveral times. One of the things it makes me wonder, si if this is how they treat potential employees and potential customers would I really want to work there. It can be very taxing. I was recently hired and kept contact with the external recruiter and internal recruiter. While following up on the position it would be days before I heard fro the external, if at all. But you know once I got the position the recruiter was in constant contact.

I have recently interviewed with many others for a job. The liar said she would "get back to me in a week" I went to their website and it said the job was no longer open. It is business for me to not patronize this establishment. All they need to do is program a server to send a one sentence email thanking the applicants "but you were not selected." What jerks

Well, sometimes not hearing is best......after 2 very lengthy interviews with the hiring manager of a financial management company, two interviews that went very well, I received a letter that stated the following: "Thank you for interviewing with our company. After interviewing several qualified candidates, lucky for us, we hired one of them."

Short and simple...but a slap in the face...I never received a letter like that before or since, but I think I would have rather not heard.

I know how that feels. I have been on tons of interview and never get a response. I always think that its something I did wrong. I never know what the outcome is.

Unless I missed something in the last 35+ years of my employment life, rude is still rude no matter how you slice it. I don't care if they have 10,000 applicants for each job, the hiring manager owes the person they interviewed at least a form letter or phone call. They do not interview the many people who apply, so the ones they do deserve the respect of a rejection at least. Those of you who think otherwise, shame on you. If that is where the world is headed, no wonder we are in the shape we are in! I am appalled that anyone thinks people should just "get over it and move on" without at least venting frustration about this subject! What is wrong with being upset about being ignored after spending the time to interview, follow up and write a thank you?

I think the business world needs to really take a look at how cruel they have become. People are really trusting that they will do the right thing but obviously, this is not the case. How sad and how frightening!

Okay, I can relate to everything being said and many of you ladies. I feel like a used car by the recruiters.

YES! All of the above HR/Recruiter situations have happened to me as well over the last 6 months. I have even gotten to the point of filling out info for background checks after the potential employer says they love me and then the word either comes (sorry we went with someone else that was a better fit) or does not come at all. When it does not come - I am left thinking - did I do something wrong or did my reference say something bad about me? So that is my question to anyone - how does one know if the reference said something not so flattering perhaps even "off the record" to a potential employer? What are my options or rights? Any ideas?

It's really frustrating and depressing out here. I was beginning to think I was doing something wrong. In the past 17-1/2 mos, I have applied for 350 jobs, been on fewer then 20 interviews, done maybe 4 phone interviews & can count on one hand the number of letters I have received in the mail stating someone else was picked for the job. I was getting so upset that I told someone that I was going to email everyone that had not responded to me and tell them just exactly how I felt, once I finally did get a job. It's not that I am not qualified, in many cases, I am over qualified. I have over 30 years experience in one field and over 9 in a second. If I had my choice, I would rather stay home and make scrapbooks or make my jewelry, but that is not something that will support my son & I and will not pay for his remaining 2 years of college. I've been to 16 weeks of networking workshops put on by a local community college, attended almost every job fair there has been in my area, including the GMA job fair sponcered by Woman for Hire a few months ago. My family and friends have been supportave, but the frustration level continues to raise. Most employment agencies make you feel like a piece of crap, not worthy of any job so the real search is up to you.
Good luck everyone.

1. It would be not dumb but stupid to call and give someone a piece of your mind, when you don't get the job, and don't hear back. Maybe you projected that kind of poor judgment in interview ... ? Here's an idea: How about asking for tips on your interviewing techniques, after the job is filled, and the hiring manager has enough help to talk to you about it? How about then asking for any referrals to other positions s/he may know about, and which are not being advertised?
2. If you think there are "10 applicants" for each job, you've obviously never been on the hiring side of the desk. Try 100-500 (100 in a good economy, 500 today.)
3. What a sweet idea, i.e., try hiring someone to get back to everyone. News flash: Support staff, i.e., staff who do not bill for their time and make money for the company, are the last hired, first to go, and always in short supply in all but the largest companies. That's why you're not hearing back if you don't get hired: Nobody has the staff to get back to all those applying, and people are already working long hours without the added job of screening applicants and interviewing, etc.

It is demoralizing, but I'm going to say that it may be unavoidable for the people at the other end. Support staff is often skimpy in all but the large corporations, and in medium/small ones there is often not an HR person, or if there is, that person wears a lot of hats, is his/her own support staff, and the same can be said of the dept. heads who do the interviewing. Everybody's overloaded, screening resumes & interviewing is hugely time consuming on top of that, and the person is probably already working overtime just to do their normal full-time job. So, if you don't hear, just assume you didn't get the job. Move on, and don't take it as a deeply personal gesture of disapproval. I'm sure it's not.

I have interviewed, hired and fired people, as well as having been on the receiving end. So, ladies, here's what I think..get over it! It's not a date , not your rejecting husband/boyfriend, mother/father...it's business, and some do it well, and some don't. Also- please don't assume it was you who did something wrong. You need to separate out your feelings, assumptions and "poor me" default positions from your goals and keep moving. And you have no idea what the bosses decide from one minute to the next about their bottom line, number of positions they can afford, etc.
Lastly, if they do business that way, maybe you don't want to work for them anyway.
Keep visioning the perfect place for you!!

Here is also another thought. I often wanted to call these people back and give them a piece of my mind since it is obvious that I did not get the position. Has anyone ever wanted to do the same thing? would I be wrong for that?

I think we have all had some of the same experiences. I have had several just like this. It is hurtful to receive a thanks you are good, but not good enough letter or e-mail (it's what I call them)and not know what is meant by that. It is even worse when you never hear back and you have tried to follow-up. I have overcome the good enough syndrome, but it is hard to forgive the rude. I know that for every one job posting there are about 10 applicants and it may be a big job to reach out to every one who does not get the position. Here is an idea, hire someone to reach out to the others. That would be a creative way to hire someone. In these times we have to keep our heads up. It is a great time to start your own. Take a look at what you do best and maybe hire yourself out to companies as a contractor to do some of the work that you are applying for. Network, network, network. Everybody knows someone else. Tell friends, family, former co-workers what you are looking for and ask them to keep their eyes and ears open for some opportunities.

I've just put the finishing touches on Resume/Cover Letter #125.

Since being laid-off at the end of January this year (2009), I've had plenty of time to think about who I am, what I can do and where I want to go in the next level of my career. While working full-time, I also went back to school, and am just finishing up a long overdue degree in Corporate Communications. As a result, I was poised to transition into a new role with my (then) employers when the economy went elsewhere...and so did my job.

I've had two face-to-face interviews and one hopeful telephone interview with both the department hiring manager and the HR recruiter for one of the companies I'd REALLY like to work with. Although, the interviews appeared to go well and I was poised to go to the next level of the interview, I never heard back from any of them. I followed up with a "thank you" note/call/email, however, any subsequent attempts on my part to reach out were ignored. Although, I'm not an HR Professional, I know there are many of us qualified folks out of work and seeking re-employment, but I wonder, along with the "new economy",is this now the "new etiquette"?

I've had a successful, nearly 20 year career in IT, including most recently managing information systems for my aforementioned former employers. As a wearer-of-many hats, I've always sought opportunities to learn and grow in any position I've held within a firm - I'm the "go to gal", the "how does that work?" question-asker. Consequently, I've held jobs with escalating responsibilities - and compensation increases to match. Apparently, that seems to be the issue.

Finding myself in a(n) unique opportunity to finally realize my dream job and to transition out of IT and into a likely Corporate Communications position, it seems this "new economy" also includes new math. The equation being that what I made on my last job is directly related to my skill set in the job I'm applying for...hmmmm...had I known about this early on in my job search, maybe my response to the "what did you make on your last job" question would have been less direct. I'm not saying to be dishonest, but should my skill set and what I bring to the table in a new position have a direct correlation to the compensation on my last job? So, how to get around that tricky question?

One possible answer is, "This opportunity isn't exactly like my last job, so would you be willing to talk about what my responsibilities would be here and then let's discuss a fair salary for this job?" Of course, there are other likely answers - and questions - about the $$ issue, like, "what are your salary expectations, etc.?"

So, what about my job application #125? Well, in my book, all those "no's" are just getting me closer to the yes! Optimism - and determination - two of my key identifiers...I'll find my dream job...networking, asking questions, attending job fairs - and staying connected (including posting comments...like this!) will get me there. I know there's an HR person out there, ready to pick up the phone to call me now!

However, I'm not waiting for that call or the other shoe to drop in the employment department, I've created my own presence: 4Paradigms. Interested in other ways to broach that salary question? Feel free to stop by my website, see what I'm doing and send me an email. I'd be glad to help in anyway.

This one I HAD to respond to! If I didn't know better I would swear that it was written by my roommate...or even by me! We have both had the same experience and share the frustration. And its not only the result of a great face to face interview, but great phone INTERVIEWS as well. Especially in todays market when its so hard to even get your resume seen, to finally be acknowledged by a recruiter or hiring manager can really lift your spirits. But then to be completely ignored AFTER you've had the initial conversation/interview is like pouring salt in the wound. When I myself was a recruiter for a major fortune 150 company, I knew the challenges of having hundreds of people apply to one position. There is NO WAY that every applicant can receive a personal call. However, I built my reputation on delivering great customer service, and that included a personal follow up with every person that I contacted for a phone screen and /or interview. Once you (the recruiter) makes contact, the "applicant" becomes a real person! Being a job hunter is stressful enough, but being made to feel so bluntly "unwanted" and wondering what happened is simply cruel. These recruiters that reach out to people and then don't have the simple respect for people to say "you are not the right fit for this particular opportunity" are not seeing the big picture. First of all, you are kicking someone when he/she is already down. Second, you are offending a potential customer of your company or client. And third, you are showing potential future clients how you treat people...think about it. Those of us who care about the impression we leave with prospective candidates, etc will NOT be calling you when we're back in a position to decide which headhunters/agencies we'll partner with.

I had a phone screen followed by two additional interviews with the hiring manager. Then advised I was moving to the next level (meeting his team). A month of calls and messages to the assistant went by with every excuse in the book. Vacations, meetings, travel, food poisoning, I was amazed that she had all these excuses and her job was just to set an appointment. Then I cc'd the HR manager who left this to her, and voila, I got final 2 interviews within 48 hours!

Its not always bad!

Yes, it is "Sweet Justice" that those recruiters who ignored job seekers in the past are getting a dose of their own medicine.
It's simply common courtesy to return a phone call to anyone who has invested their time with you regardless if it's a phone interview or an in person interview. No one and I mean no one should be in Human Resources if they can not be respectful of people and their time. It only takes a couple of minutes to make a phone call or at the very least fill out a form letter thanking the candidate for their time and letting them know that "a better candidate has been chosen". In my previous life as an HR Specialist, I became very aware of how an organization treated me when I went for an interview. There were numerous times when I wouldn't have even accepted a position if it had been offered because of the attitude of the people who had interviewed me. There are so many people who should NOT be interviewing potential employees. I tell my friends who are seeking to make a career change, you must approach interviewing with the attitude that you are interviewing the employer. You don't need to be arrogant but know that you only want to work with a company that will value you as a person and respect the time that you have given to them to learn more about how you might be able to help their company. It's so very hard not to take it personally but you simply can't let it. I know far too many totally competent and capable people who have yet to secure a position with the "right organization". It's not their fault...it's the "ding dongs" they have doing the hiring!

This has been an issue since I graduated from college many years ago and started interviewing. I continue to hear the same lament from jobseekers--even those who eventually do find employment--to this day. Unfortunately, I believe this will continue to be the case. So long as companies have the hiring advantage, we are at their mercy.

That's not to say that companies and recruiters go out of their way to be like this; there are several factors at play, including, as noted in this piece, the volume of applications a company can get for just one position.

Also, I really think that some recruiters have problems conveying bad news, so they ignore all the phone calls, emails, etc., from applicants and hope that the applicant will go away. Which, eventually, an applicant most likely will.

Having been in the same position myself (interviewed for a job; told I was a "perfect fit"; returned for subsequent interviews; etc.), I know the situation all too well. The thing is to not take it personally. Instead, try to turn it to a positive: you got this far with a company, so you must be brilliant! Like a person who won't return your call after a date, think of it as "hey, it's your loss, buddy."

This has happened to me twice but there were no recruiters involved. The first time I had 3 interviews. The last one ended with him saying, "You haven't accepted any other offers yet, have you? OK, here's what I'm going to do: call your references tomorrow morning and call you in the afternoon." He never called my references and never called me back! I sent him a follow-up e-mail, then waited a few days and left a voice mail, and he completely blew me off. I also compared it to dating. What did I do wrong? It made me want to stalk him and hang out by the door to his office to make him tell me what happened. I sure didn't want it to happen again ... and it may have. I had another great interview 2 weeks ago, sent a thank you note the next day, waited a week and sent a follow-up e-mail, waited another week and called, and was put in voice mail. That was last week and he hasn't had the courtesy to reply even if just to say he's not done interviewing!. I don't know how much more of this I can take.