Hi everyone!

33 Comments

1. AnonymousSeptember 13,2023 at 5:24PM UTC

   How did you find out this was the case?

   Explain how updating your application was supposed to help? What specifically was the recruiter (not necessarily HR, but the recruiter) supposed to do?

   With those questions out of the way, I suggest the following, keep an eye out for future opportunities and apply accordingly or reach out, "thank you for the opportunity to ...apply? Interview? (where did the process end for you?) While I am disappointed to not move on in this role or for this role, I am sincerely interested in future opportunities to work for this company." Do some LinkedIn research, try to connect with different individuals in the organization (in the same field as you, perhaps) and not with canned messages either but with a brief introduction, that sort of thing. Do you know anyone who works there?

2. SofiaSeptember 14,2023 at 3:39PM UTC

   I found out after emailing the first person who interviewed me - she would have been my boss.

   If HR had submitted my documents in time = to update my application, I would be in a different place today. There was no recruiter here.

   That's super helpful thank you! A message like that was what I was thinking about – thanks for your help!

3. AnonymousSeptember 14,2023 at 4:01PM UTC

   Was also helpful to see in your update above that you are in a different country.

4. AnonymousSeptember 13,2023 at 8:19PM UTC

   I'm with the other person who commented. I've never applied to a job where HR had to update my application. Applications can be updated online, so how was this HR's fault?

5. SofiaSeptember 14,2023 at 3:36PM UTC

   Lucky you! With this company I had to rely on HR... and then wait for further instructions.

6. AnonymousSeptember 13,2023 at 8:49PM UTC

   What exactly do you mean by updating your resume?

7. SofiaSeptember 14,2023 at 3:35PM UTC

   updating my application status *

8. Cheryl-AnneSeptember 14,2023 at 2:51PM UTC

   Something similar happened to me recently.

   4 weeks ago, I applied to a position that I really wanted and had all the necessary skills and qualifications for. So

   a week after I applied ,I decided to reach out to a few recruiters at the company to obtain any feedback about my application and to ask what it would be like to work at the company.

   I got absolutely no response but could see on Linkedin that they read my message. The 2nd week , I tried a few other recruiters from the same company. Same outcome, no response but they read my message. Its now the 4th week , i even asked if the position has been filled, but its just as though they don't care to answer basic questions.

   I am not sure if I should actually reach out to someone else at the company in a similar role to the one I applied for because the 8-9 recruiters I did reach out too just never responded?

9. SofiaSeptember 14,2023 at 3:40PM UTC

   Totally understand you – it is really frustrating when they don't answer! Sorry you went through this!

10. SofiaSeptember 14,2023 at 3:35PM UTC

    Explaining over here the whole "HR never updated my application" – I was asked to submit my equivalent to SSN and another document with my RFC (this is my taxpayer number – I'm based in Mexico City) after she got all my documents, she was supposed to upload them to whatever platform they use. I found out via the girl who would have been my boss that my application was updated too late and the process with the other candidates was simply too far ahead. I reached out to the other person after not hearing back from HR for several days... my first-round interview was with her.

11. AnonymousSeptember 16,2023 at 12:46PM UTC

    As a former recruiter for over 30 years, I personally made an effort to get back to everyone that I had spoke to or who had interviewed. Unfortunately, that’s not the case these days it’s considered old school. I consider it rude and as an applicant myself I am ghosted very often. I will offer this explanation from my experience; many applicants want an explanation of why they weren’t hired, in most cases I don’t know why, and to engage in a conversation with an applicant can be very challenging, and also considered a liability to the company. Right or wrong I think it’s company policy to only say, they’ve moved on to another candidate is acceptable in many many many cases. The recruiter does not get feedback as to why this particular candidate is not being considered. Recruiters are not as well informed as All would think, even though they are the point of contact because managers can avoid confrontation with candidates. I was tasked with generating a ratings form on each candidate and it was sent to all interviewers and I had to beg to have it filled out and returned to me for every interview, guess what
    hiring managers just did not do it and my manager didn’t enforce it!! Extremely frustrating for me! I don’t say this easily, but it’s one of the reasons I’m pretty disappointed with Recruiting in general and have retired from it. Good luck to all your job hunters.

12. AnonymousSeptember 16,2023 at 12:48PM UTC

    Let it go.

13. Katherine Metres Akbar, Interview Coach & Resume ExpertSeptember 16,2023 at 1:37PM UTC

    I would reach out to the hiring manager directly, not HR. The hiring manager is typically the supervisor for the position. To find out who that is, check the job description for any clues. Look on the website and call and ask if you have to. I'll tell you a story. I recently hired contractors for two positions. My intention was to hire extra people on a trial basis and then let the extras go once I saw who performed best, and all parties agreed to this. (None of them had to resign from another job.) But I only found two candidates (I'll call them A and B) with the right profile in whom I was confident, so I hired them on a Wednesday to start on Friday. On Thursday, I was contacted by a candidate (I'll call her C) I'd reached out to who said that my initial email had gone to her Promotions folder. She was really polite and asked if she had missed the opportunity, in which she was really interested. She did the personality and cognitive assessment and looked ideal. I decided to interview her the next day. Her interview was strong, so I hired her to start the next day. After four working days, B resigned at the same time that I decided to let him go, because he could see that A and C were much stronger. C is actually the best of the three, so I'm delighted I was flexible with my process. And most hiring processes are nowhere near that fast, so go for it!

14. AnonymousSeptember 16,2023 at 2:35PM UTC

    I got stuck on “personality and cognitive assessment.”

15. Katherine Metres Akbar, Interview Coach & Resume ExpertSeptember 17,2023 at 2:29PM UTC

    I'm sorry you are stuck. Many employers use such assessments. If you don't accept to do them, you don't have to.

16. Amanda HaasSeptember 17,2023 at 4:17PM UTC

    What is the overall success rate of those tests?

17. Katherine Metres Akbar, Interview Coach & Resume ExpertSeptember 17,2023 at 7:09PM UTC

    Here's a study. https://www.predictiveindex.com/news-press/news/companies-that-align-talent-with-business-strategy-outperform-others-by-16-retain-30-more-top-performers-and-see-34-higher-employee-performance-according-to-the-state-of-talent-optimization-report/

    Let me know if you are interested in chatting about using these tests for your team.

18. AnonymousSeptember 16,2023 at 2:29PM UTC

    I wouldn't worry about it, be thankful that you didn't get hired by company.

19. AnonymousSeptember 16,2023 at 5:06PM UTC

    If they had many many applications often once the get down to a core group your application will sit dormant until they get an offer accepted and then have the final folks in a group to reject. Keep applying and remember only one person can fit a role and a company will have many other opportunities to consider. It just wasn't your time this time. Keep going!

20. AnonymousSeptember 16,2023 at 8:44PM UTC

    I just had an experience like that. A recruiter submitted an application for me to a job where I had what seemed to be an excellent interview. The recruiter told me that the two people I interviewed with thought I had all the qualifications and answered all the interview questions right. Several weeks went by.

    Then, according to the interviewer, "I don't know."

    They hired someone else.

    After too many experiences like that I came to realize that when you apply for a job, you should do your professional best, but not make any assumptions or get emotionally invested, and just be ready to move on after each interview. Nine times out of ten (probably more frequently than that), the interview process doesn't result in an offer and you'll never know why. You're lucky even to get feedback.

21. Lorraine HerreraSeptember 17,2023 at 1:12PM UTC

    I would just answer the rejection e-mail (if that is what you received) with a “Thank you for letting me know” or some other cordial message and let it go. I had a similar situation, a job I definitely though was mine a year and half ago, in my mind I though I got rejected because I was honest in my last written interview and I really wanted that company. To my surprise, my interviewer sent me a message this passed week that has the perfect position for me and she always though about me, the company just decided to go with an entry level at the moment. Sometimes the reason is not even what we believe when the rejection hurts and we are in need of a job. Therefore, if you want to leave the opportunity open, just send a polite thanks and process this pain in private to the best of you ability.

    By the way, I had to tell her no, at least at the moment, because I love the company I’m working with now and the projects I’m doing. I didn’t like the job I found in that moment, but kept moving and looking for and it happened, I got a job I enjoy. So, please, don’t allow this to discourage you and minimize your value. Update your resume with the information you feel they needed to see, if necessary, and keep searching. I know is exhausting these times and a long process, but know your worth.

22. SofiaSeptember 18,2023 at 4:03PM UTC

    Thanks Lorraine!

23. Katherine Metres Akbar, Interview Coach & Resume ExpertSeptember 17,2023 at 2:24PM UTC

    Of course most resumes are rejected by applicant tracking systems (ATS) for not being a close match for the position.

    No, I do not believe that white font on a resume helps a job seeker.

    Many people are hired on the hidden job market, meaning they are referred for the position through networking. If you are not aware of this, you are missing out, and many people know this.

    Putting hostile messages on this site only discourages people from trying to help others, as I was.

24. Katherine Metres Akbar, Interview Coach & Resume ExpertSeptember 17,2023 at 2:26PM UTC

    No. As I said, everyone was up for it, and in fact, they were surprised that I was going to pay them even if they didn't make it past training. Apparently in the Phillipines, compensation during trials is not common.

25. Katherine Metres Akbar, Interview Coach & Resume ExpertSeptember 17,2023 at 2:28PM UTC

    No one scrapped or kicked. They just had a trial employment period during which one person had a harder time than the others in getting the training.

26. AnonymousSeptember 17,2023 at 2:58PM UTC

    nothing you can do about an inept HR department. But....should you ever apply again to that company, perhaps consider reaching out WHEN YOU SUBMIT to HR...and make sure they update your app immediately. So sorry; but trusting that this wasn't meant to be or a reason... Good Luck to you.

27. SofiaSeptember 18,2023 at 4:02PM UTC

    Thank you! Really appreciate it!

28. AnonymousSeptember 18,2023 at 11:35PM UTC

    You're welcome. Hang in there!!

29. AnonymousSeptember 17,2023 at 3:02PM UTC

    Don't sweat over it. These days applicants have very less say. Competition is fierce and jobs are few. The right job is going to come to you.

30. AnonymousSeptember 17,2023 at 3:41PM UTC

    I had the grade level changed on me last minute for my exemplar lesson once. It was other worldly. Later, I found out that their email had been sent to the wrong spelling of my name. Idk. I taught kindergartners with fourth grade slides. It was a little wonky. But I did adjust and we discussed it after. I’d suggest reaching out.

31. Terrie McWhorterSeptember 18,2023 at 3:42PM UTC

    Sofia, reach out to HR!!! This just recently happened to me. I was actually doing the tasks of a position (all other duties as assigned) but HR didn't qualify me for the position because they didn't like how I had written it in my resume'!! I was so mad. But I am of the mind that there are reasons.....still I called them and asked them why I wasn't on the cert and then they told me exactly what they would be looking for on the resume.

32. SofiaSeptember 18,2023 at 4:01PM UTC

    Thanks Terrie!

33. Farah BajwaSeptember 20,2023 at 4:52PM UTC

    Yes, call. get the hiring manager if you can. but be mindful of how you word it and ask if this omission allows for you to be reconsidered.