The Waiting

The waiting is the hardest part

Every day get one more yard

You can take it on faith 

Or take it to the heart

But the waiting is the hardest part.

- Tom Petty

Everybody who has ever interviewed for a position knows that feeling of dread that accompanies the inevitable anticipation afterward.  You spend any number of weeks preparing for the interview, take your best shot, and then play the waiting game for days or weeks.

And sometimes you even play it for months. 

Case in point:  I interviewed back in November and December with three different organizations - one prominent bank, one consulting firm, and a local college.  I understood at the time that the holiday season was likely to throw some delays into the process, but I accepted that as a simple but inevitable fact of life. 

Want to know which organization got back to me the quickest?  The college.  

You read that right.  The education institution - hardly a profession ordinarily known for expedience when it comes to decision-making - was the one that got back to me the quickest with its decision (which was negative, although I was apparently one of the top three finalists).  In other words, an international consulting organization and Fortune 500 bank could not move faster than a local college in terms of follow-up and next steps.  

But here's where it gets worse:  The consulting firm followed up last week and asked me for a third interview (which I've accepted because, hey, let's face it, I'm still unemployed), but the bank has to date said absolutely nothing to me as far as any updates or decision announcements.  Being the good job seeker, I've naturally done the obligatory polite follow-ups - thank-you e-mails, follow-up expressions of interest, an even a voice-mail - but as of this writing, I've heard only crickets.  

Which brings me to the point of this posting:  Just how difficult is it for companies that interview candidates several times to update them on their situation or status?  Granted, nobody likes getting bad news, but to refuse to even reply to courtesy messages or provide any follow-up input whatsoever only makes the company look bad.  (It also raises questions in the candidate's mind about the level - or lack - of professionalism at the organization; but then again, one must always remember that the unemployed job seeker is much like the proverbial beggar in that, well, he can't really be a chooser...) 

But seriously, one would think that an organization that truly prides itself on professional behavior and codes of conduct and ethics (or at least claims to) should at the very least be able to update serious candidates with at least a courtesy reply as to his or her status in a job search.  Hitting the "reply" key and acknowledging a message with something as simple as "We'll be in touch" or "We're still evaluating" at least tells the person on the other end something vs. leaving him hanging.  

And there's more:  It also helps lay some promising foundation for good communication going forward even if the candidate in question is not the one ultimately selected for the position.  Think about how many times someone chosen for a job either does not work out or leaves the position shortly after accepting to take a better offer elsewhere.  The company then has to restart the search process all over again when it might save itself a good deal of time and effort by at least staying on good terms with interested parties since some may be happy to take a job even if they know they were not necessarily the first choice.  (Besides, the company might not have been the candidate's first choice, either.)  

But giving serious candidates the silent treatment only conveys disinterest at best or mismanagement at worst - and neither serves a company's interests in the long term.