Don't waste my time, Mr. possible employer

First of all, I will try my very best not to use profane language but I apologize if I can't control myself and offend anyone.
Apology posted. Check.
Here we go. Are all the potential employers out there freaking ****, or they just like ***** with people for the fun of it?

I interviewed with this clown a couple months ago. He and his partner own a pretty large electronics distributor in the area, dedicated to commerce within the Latin American region. I was recommended to him by a pretty good recruiter friends of his, which interviewed me for another position but felt my qualifications were the perfect match for these guys.

The interview went pretty well. His personality seems to be of him being a man of few words and straight shooter, which I personally like. After about 25 minutes of talking, he tells me that he likes me and that I am the guy they are looking for, but at this time they don't have any available space in their current location and they are building a brand new, top notch building with a super showroom paid by a manufacturer and blah, blah, blah but it won't be ready until August or September. Regardless, he wants to explore the possibility of perhaps having me working from home (I live literally 2 minutes away from his offices) until the new building gets done, but he wants to speak with his partner so they can "bring me on board" as he said.
He mentions he was going to be out of his office the following week (this was on a Friday) but to call him the following one to work out the details. I did so, and he told me that he hadn't had the chance to speak with his partner since they are so extremely busy and short on people for the volume of business they are handling. I reminded him of how much I could help him with his problem if he was to bring me on board right away, and he said "yes, yes... I know. That's why I got to speak with George about it. Give me a few more days to do it" and I told him I would call him the following week to give him plenty of time.
When I call the following week, I learn that George is now out of the country for about a week, but he again asks me to follow up with him in a few days.

Long story short. After almost two months, he tells me "I'm so sorry but I think it will be better if we wait for the new building to be completed to bring you in".


So why the ****2 are you interviewing (and offering) jobs to people if you don't have the room to hire them?

Want to hear another one? Here we go.

I submit my resume for a position I found online of a cellular phone distributor here in my area. Needless to say this one fits like a globe. 20 years of experience and all the contacts in the world. about 10 minutes after I press "send" I get a phone call. Its them. They say "how soon can you come for an interview?" and about an hour later we're face to face.
The guy interviewing me starts right away saying how impressed he was with my resume and that as soon as he saw it and the companies I've worked for he knew I was the right match. We speak about several people in the industry we commonly know, and he mentions a guy in particular that is a friend of his and I worked with in two different companies for several years. He tells me if I could wait a few minutes because he would like to introduce me to the company's owner. A few minutes later, he comes and we spoke for about 5 minutes or so and he excuses himself by saying "Well, so and so here will handle the details and hurry up and come. I have a warehouse full of stuff for you to sell".
We handle details, agree on salary and other stuff, fill up my paperwork and sign the paperwork for background release and such. The guy tells me that as soon as the background stuff comes back they are ready to tell me when I start. I asked him if it would take probably a few days and he replies "it should be sooner than that".
Well, I said to my wife "I got a job, baby". I haven't heard from them in two days, so I call to find out what's the delay. I know my background check is perfect, because I've never been arrested and I've passed a really detailed one a few months earlier when Comcast offered me a position as one of their subcontractors. Gosh, I even have a concealed weapon permit.
The guy tells me he hasn't heard back from it, but he's going to check and call me back. When he does, he asks me for my wife's name, which I gave him. About two hours later he calls me back telling me about the result being ok, but he mentions I had a foreclosure and a previous bankruptcy. I say to him that it is correct, as I am an unfortunate victim of the economy like many other millions of Americans, and he agrees with me on it. In fact, he mentions a condo in Jacksonville, Fl he is ready to let go back to the bank. I ask him if he foresees this being an issue for the hire, and he says that he don’t expect it to be and will call me back. Two or three days go by without a call, so I email him and call him in the next day. He is out of the office for a week. When he comes back he emails me back apologizing for the delay but he had to go out of town. He says he’ll call me before the end of that week. No call.
The following Monday, I email him again asking him for an answer because he told me almost 3 weeks ago that I was hired and I was eager to start right away. His response about two hours later said that “The owner had decided to go with someone without experience in the market” but he mentions that he would be happy to sell me products so I can sell to my customers and wishes me luck.

You know that feeling when you know you’re **Moderated**?

But wait, I have one more for you.

After applying to an ad on the internet that was looking for a savvy guy with experience in the Caribbean / Latin American market and has real experience and qualifications, I get a phone call for an interview. The guy I interview with and the company shares the same name, so I know I’m talking to the right guy. He’s my age, gives me a brief history on him and the business and we proceed to talk about me, my experience and qualifications, and what it would take for me “to come on board” financially speaking. After a little bit of hassle from both parts we come to an agreement. He says he will talk to his brother, but it is a formality because he is the one running the business. We also talked about family, personal stuff and a few light jokes. He even shares with me the following day he’s going to have a vasectomy done because the wife doesn’t want any more “oops” so he’ll be out that day and perhaps even the following one as well, so he’ll talk to me on the following Monday.
I didn’t hear from him so I called him Tuesday and he apologized for not calling me back. We briefly spoke about his weekend, and he said to me “I will call you tomorrow”. He doesn’t call and I give him two days, then I call. After he answers, I point blank ask him if he’s ready to move forward because after our conversation I decided to jump on board and therefore stop looking for other jobs… I mean I’m very politely asking him if he’s ready to crap or get out of the pot because this is bullshit.
His answer at this point is pretty original: He says there are three positions he’s got to take care of, and he has some serious problems with his warehouse, so he’s got to a) fire the guy at the warehouse, b) shuffle some things around and c) fire a guy in the sales floor BUT do it in a way he will then take the vacant warehouse job… in order to bring me on board. He stresses how touchy the situation is and he is trying to figure out how to “handle it”, it will take a while. No commitment on time. Sounds like it could be a week, a month or a year.

Can someone tell me what the hell is going on? Does the phrase bring you on board means something different these days, kind of like "aha you been punk'd" stuff?

Marc, I hate this term but What the ***??? Arrogance, wasting of other's time, complete and utter lack of consideration. Oh having your credit score held against you-in THIS economy? It sounds like you have been the victims of some big talkers, full of **** ****. I am truly sorry and if you haven't cursed someone by now-you really are a person I wish I could hire.

Wow Marc. That is some pretty unbelievable stuff. I've had similar issues but not to that extent. It's a cruel cruel world we live in and people have forgotten how to treat others with respect.

This situation sucks for everyone.

In the second situation it sounds like they decided not to hire you because of the bankruptcy despite what they told you. They could also have went with some with "less experience" so they could pay less than they were going to pay you. They probably offered you the position then found someone to work for less.

The last situation should have been pretty easy to take care of.

All he has to do is fire the warehouse manager and then tell the sales guy he has an option, be fired or transfer to the warehouse.

i have no idea what is going on with employers these days.

Jobless_in_Ma wrote:Wow Marc. That is some pretty unbelievable stuff. I've had similar issues but not to that extent. It's a cruel cruel world we live in and people have forgotten how to treat others with respect.

Believe me... If these actually didn't happen to me, I would yell bullshit. The amount of frustration after there episodes is unbearable. The last episode actually happened yesterday.

I couldn't afford to go get drunk, but I couldn't afford not to.

lendmeflight2 wrote:This situation sucks for everyone.

In the second situation it sounds like they decided not to hire you because of the bankruptcy despite what they told you. They could also have went with some with "less experience" so they could pay less than they were going to pay you. They probably offered you the position then found someone to work for less.

The last situation should have been pretty easy to take care of.

All he has to do is fire the warehouse manager and then tell the sales guy he has an option, be fired or transfer to the warehouse.

i have no idea what is going on with employers these days.

You are right. Apparently employers haven't figured out when you make 250K per year and have the lifestyle that comes with it, and then you make zero for two years... your life goes to crap, and so does your credit. It is not because you are an irresponsible individual, but you are just out of cash.

On the last one, yes that is exactly how I would handle it myself, but how long does that takes? I mean I could have everything done by lunchtime and that is if I start working at 10am. This dude not committing to any length of time tells me something else.

Don't give up hope though, it's only been a day. Maybe he talked to the sales guy and told him he would give him a day or two to think about it.

I would wonder why he has to fire so many people but a job is a job when you have nothing. Hold out hope, you might still get this.

lendmeflight2 wrote:Don't give up hope though, it's only been a day. Maybe he talked to the sales guy and told him he would give him a day or two to think about it.

I would wonder why he has to fire so many people but a job is a job when you have nothing. Hold out hope, you might still get this.

Well, we talked about it and he said the guy now in sales has been with them for many years, just about since they started the business. he went thru the growth so he knows exactly how it operates. The owner moved him from the warehouse to the sales floor to because he thought he deserved the chance, but the guy doesn't have "it" and after almost a year it won't learn "it". He doesn't want to lose him. i mean, I get it and hopefully something will come out of it, but it's just like it has been so rough and I've been so disappointed that I rather just put it aside and avoid getting frustrated again.

Who knows?

Marc - I AGREED that potential employers are completely disrespectful of job applicants these days. I have never experienced so much indecision in my life. I guess they are just too overwhelmed by the #'s of people available...

I've been to group interviews that were a HUGE waste of time and no one including the employer gained any insight into the applicants? I've also been lectured on being unwilling to consider other position than what I applied for (it was filled??) Just unbelievable!! Don't take it PERSONALLY and don't lose our sense of HUMOR is all I can say!

Hey Suri,

Sense of humor is the only thing that keeps me going at this point. I don't do the group interviews anymore as I found them to be a waste of time in 100% of the cases. I don't do commission jobs either. If an employer is not willing to invest a minimum amount of money on gaining my many years of experience, I don't think they are serious enough.

I mean, I can go and get a used car salesman job if I'm going to work on commission only jobs, but I don't really want to. I know I have an incredible amount to give to a company... I just got to find the energy and will to keep going and brush rejection off.

I've got a slightly different story about my son. He's worked in the warehouse of an HVAC distributor for the past 6 years. He was laid-off a couple of years ago, but they and their customers liked him so much, that as soon as there was an opening, they brought him back.

Fast-forward to three months ago: One of the counter salesmen put in his two-week notice, the job was posted and my son applied for it. His immediate manager thought it should be a slam-dunk. The customers love him, he knows the stock, and most of the contractors in the region. No one else applied for the job, but because my son had ever actually installed HVAC, the higher-ups didn't want to hire him. In the meantime, they were so desperate for someone to fill the job, they had my son come in and work the counter, AND work in the warehouse as well. For the same wage they were paying him to just work in the warehouse. Of course, by now my son is getting tired, and would probably quit if jobs weren't so scarce where he's at.

He's evidently doing a good job, making sales, helping the customers, and all for barely above minimum wage, while the other guys doing the same job are getting at least $7 more an hour, plus bonuses, etc. I think his employers are pretty happy - they're saving a lot of money by not hiring someone for the job. But it's making my son pretty mad. It's an employers' market right now - and they know it.

I think the second one has to do with your creidt, which isn't fair. 1 and 3 to me just sound like circumstances at the moment which could change.

I'm actually interviewing for jobs not open until the fall so that is going on.

Marc, you must be thinking it's your karma or something. Man, what are the odds? My experience has always been that the sales group is our number one department, and that whatever it takes and whatever they need come first. So, I'm with you on this, especially with all your experience (they need all of it to sell, sell, sell). I'm thinking it was the salary and bonus thing, maybe hoping you'll actually tell them, "Oh, I'll take less if you give me a chance, see how I do with moving the product, etc." If you can afford to Marc, hang on for what you want. No one has a job if these companies don't push the product out the door, this includes good relations with your contacts, sounds like you have that going for you as well. Take Care

I believe that employer’s are disrespectful of applicant’s time these days as well. The eternal procrastinating and just plain not calling back an applicant (especially after a second interview) is very unprofessional. It reminds me of little kids who get frustrated when they have too many choices. These employers have so many good applicants to choose from that they get stupid when it’s time to make a decision! It’s hard not to take it personally but with so many applicants they can afford to be very choosy.

Also, I think the credit issue should be taken off the table completely. Who doesn’t have a credit issue in this economy? I think a criminal background check should be more serious a consideration that how or when you paid (or did not pay) your bills. I’m sure that my credit issues have impacted my being considered and/or chosen for positions. So basically if you’re a multiple convicted felon, untreated psychotic/schizophrenic/bipolar personality, drug addict you can still get the job because you have good credit? Where is the logic in that?

Employers know they can get away with anything and it stinks. I mentioned this in another thread, but months ago I went on an interview where they wanted my medical records. Yep it's gotten to that which is scary.

Medical records????? Wow, I jokenly told my husband that DNA requests would be next. lol Asking for medical records is the same thing in my book. Do they even care if you can perform the duties of the job anymore?lol

Probably not as long as you are perfect in every way. Iwas stunned they wanted my medical records.

Wow that is way too much. I am waiting on a phone call or something for an interview from last Monday. I also applied for a waitress job. I was the first applicant and the lady says oh yeah well thanks. She says she'll be doing interviews. All that for a waitress job-I am qualified she needs a waitress, what the heck is the problem???? I think the employers are enjoying feeling like bigshots and treating people like dirt.

americatheneedy wrote:All that for a waitress job-I am qualified she needs a waitress, what the heck is the problem???? I think the employers are enjoying feeling like bigshots and treating people like dirt.

I agree!!!! Its insensitive and cruel. We are not statistics, we're people with families and bills that need to be paid. We've been bandied about like a soccer ball and I resent it down to my bone marrow.

We're not liars, cheaters or criminals but we are treated like we are. Unlike the 1990s, employers know the numbers are on their side and they are abusing that power. I feel the same way. I've applied for jobs that I am qualified and overqualified for yet I don't get hired. WHY????????????

You need a responsible, competent employee and I need a job!

Yeah the waitress thing really ticked me off. She acted like queen of the world. I cursed all the way home. Then, I get to come home to a husband that says I'm not looking hard enough. You know I'm not the same person anymore and I never will be again. The way people seem to actually ENJOY humiliating people. It's hard enough to put yourself in the way of rejection without having people act like snobs or like you smell or something. Rejection, humiliation, day in, day out. How much can someone take??

I have been weighed and found wanting.

I have this constant aching anger inside me and I fight it everyday but it just seems to be getting harder.

I hear you about the waitress thing. I walked into Applebees and they said my experience was "outdated". What? you write down orders then deliver them to the table. I think they also do computer orders (I know they do phone orders)so you get those ready too. Simple. I was a waitress 10 years or so how could my experience be outdated because I haven't waitressed in 10 years.

Wow these restaurant managers really think a lot of themselves. Waitressing is like bike riding. Once you know it, you don't forget it. What they really want is some sweet young think they can oogle in the break room and to make them feel like they have a little harem.

Yep, that's exactly it. I know in the past I often got hired because I was a hot thing. Now that I am older (though still hot)things have changed.

It does get very discouraging. Its not much, but I have 10+ yrs experience as a waitress that includes banquet waitress and restaurant, and running a local donut shop franchise. I put in countless hours and performed a wide spectrum of duties.

It was pre kids. After I had my kids I decided to be a stay at home mom. It was possible for quite some time (until hubby got laid off 2.5 yrs ago) It had been about 10 yrs. since I worked. I have applied to every donut shop, restaurant, fast food place and the like around and not had one interview or call from any of them!!

It is very discouraging and I feel worthless. I apply for all kinds of jobs. I consider myself well spoken and semi intelligent. Most jobs I apply for does not take rocket science to do. I dont understand what I am doing wrong, except that maybe my looks are fading and I am not as easy on the eyes anymore.

Unfortunately, I used to be considered somewhat good looking and finding employment was never an issue. I went to modeling school and dabbled in that profession for a brief moment. Now I am worn and weathered and feel my looks are not what they once were and it seems like that is playing a part in it. It could just be my self esteem? Looking this way coupled with the current unemployment situation is making it extremely hard to land a job!!! It may sound ridiculous to some but I do feel it is a factor in some cases, especially working with the public. Just something else to add to the miserable list.