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When an Employer Takes Forever to Make an
Offer
By JOANN
S. LUBLIN
Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
From
The Wall
Street Journal Online
Don Masura began interviewing for a job as a career coach for a
human-resources consultancy late last year. He endured four rounds of
face-to-face talks, then stayed in touch with interested executives.
One year later, they still say they can't offer him a position until
they reassess staffing early next year. "They are very slow to make
personnel decisions," complains Mr. Masura, a staff-development
specialist from Bermuda Run, N.C., who supports himself by framing
pictures. The wait "is frustrating."
Many companies drag out their selection process, leaving applicants
in anxious limbo for months. "People are scared to death about making
bad hiring decisions," says William C. Heyman, head of Heyman
Associates, a New York search firm. Delays seem particularly common in
the professional services, technology and pharmaceutical industries.
Such a protracted effort can take its toll on your current job -- not
to mention your sanity. You soon exhaust excuses for repeated absences
from your office. "Almost everyone finds a long, drawn-out interviewing
process unsettling and intrusive," says Dory Hollander, an executive
coach in Arlington, Va. "Your job is to remain friendly and enthusiastic
while setting clear boundaries."
To stay upbeat, you should find out from outside recruiters, inside
acquaintances and hiring managers how long the potential employer
typically takes to fill a desired spot. They can also describe the usual
steps involved.
Bill Guerin, a market-research executive who wants to be a recruiter,
raised the timetable issue after his third interview at a major search
firm. One official explained in early November -- nearly three months
after Mr. Guerin had applied -- that the firm might not hire him for as
long as another six months because various leaders had to agree on a
decision. Six months "is probably beyond my time horizon," the suburban
Philadelphia resident initially responded.
Mr. Guerin, nevertheless, decided to return for two more sets of
interviews. He says he remains open to further chats as long as the
process is moving forward and "broadens my exposure to employees within
the firm."
The marketing man can afford time off for interviews because his boss
knows he intends to leave. Most working people, however, must conceal
their job hunt. When would-be employers insist on lengthy series of
interviews, scheduling them on evenings or weekends can help to
alleviate suspicion.
You should prepare thoroughly for all follow-up interviews. Recruiter
David Martin often coaches candidates so they'll sound fresh and
consistent during so many sessions with clients. "Bring solutions and
concrete ideas about how you might approach your first six and 12 months
on the job," proposes Mr. Martin, managing partner of Sterling Martin
Associates in Washington, D.C. But "you don't have to reinvent yourself
every time."
Once each of the interviews conclude, politely request a prompt
status report. You might say, "If I don't hear from you by Thursday, is
it OK if I call you?" suggests Roy J. Blitzer, a Palo Alto, Calif.,
executive coach and author of "Hire Me, Inc."
In contacting these sluggish companies for updates, you have to walk
a fine line between peskiness and persistence. Daily calls or uninvited
appearances at headquarters will knock you out of the running. On the
other hand, you create a sense of urgency when you alert the hiring
manager that a competitor is wooing you. You become "more desirable and
the time line can be reduced," observes Jeff Kaye, CEO of recruiters
Kaye/Bassman International in Plano, Texas. "I have seen that happen
often."
Keeping other irons hot keeps your spirits from flagging, too. Three
law firms strung along a prospective chief marketing officer for several
months before turning him down. Rather than replicate the waiting game
at a fourth law firm, he shifted career goals and broadened his
networking efforts. Friends introduced him to a major
scientific-research institution, which in September picked him to be a
fund-raising officer.
Although you might be tempted, it's not easy to ignore a belated
offer. An unemployed marketing manager joined a big high-tech concern,
even though its five-month selection process troubled him. Once hired,
he spent eight months updating a lengthy marketing plan that was never
used. They believed "the outcome of [any] process was not as important
as the process itself," he recollects. Lacking options, he toiled there
unhappily for nearly four years.
An indecisive employer soured a New Yorker who completed an M.B.A.
degree earlier this year. She went through five rounds of interviews at
a New York marketing-consulting agency over a three-month period. Its HR
director ignored her subsequent voicemails.
"In the third message, I told her that I was under consideration for
a PR consulting position," the candidate remembers. "She never called me
back."
The young woman later found out that the agency was a highly
disorganized workplace. "I am so glad that I'm not working there," she
says.
Email your comments to
joann.lublin@wsj.com.
--December 06, 2006 |
