Job Discussion Forums

[nomadder]

has any sense of professionalism fallen through the cracks?

Twice I was interviewed and not even told the results. Once from abroad(they paid for the phonecall) and once in my own country. I'm not saying that I necessarily even wanted the jobs but I thought they at least owed me an answer. The interview is a chance for both sides to decide whether they think it's a match but if they offered me a job I would certainly let them know my decision and if I give up my time(and sometimes money) to be interviewed I expect to hear whether I got the job.

In the case of the foreign job I emailed them saying it was unprofessional not to tell me something. They at least got back to me. In fact they were up for a debate. In the case of the in country job(which I travelled many miles to interview for at my expense) they didn't even respond to my email request as to whether they had made a decision. How rude and unprofessional is that? When I queried another similar organization as to whether they had made a decision they at least had the decency to tell me they were looking for higher qualified people for their part time/temporary position in the middle of nowhere and they said I could ask more questions if I liked.

In other fields I've actually had people phone me telling me their decision-much harder than an email. Isn't it respectful and professional to at least say something? Is something wrong with the work world these days or is it just distance that allows people to think these things are OK?

[canuck]

[Chris Westergaard]

Just my two bits, but I do a lot of hiring and might be able to shed some light as to why this happened.

The main issue is that any school in TEFL does a lot of hiring. TEFL is not a like a normal job where people stay in the same company/school for years. Many teachers only stay 6 months. This being said, the school is always hiring people. Now for the job you applied for, they might have looked at dozens of CV's and conducted an equal amount of interviews. Sometimes, it is just simply hard to get back to everyone with the results.

So, sure it can be annoying, but this type of situation is very common in TEFL in general. The school also probably thought you that it was clear that if they didn't write to you, that you would get the hint.

I try to write back to everyone that applied/interviewed for positions at my school, but sometimes it can be hard.

[dmb]

[Gregor]

I agree with dmb, but to a point.
I worked for a school that routinely recieved HUNDREDS of applications. Responding to them all would have taken forever, even with a form letter. They SHOULD have a noted policy of "if you don't hear from us, you don't get the job."
On the other hand, that sort of goes without saying, doesn't it?

[SueH]

Both Gregor and dmb have good points, but the OP did talk about being interviewed, so I'm with dmb on this one. Email has made it a lot easier for a simple reply.

As to asking why there hadn't been a reply, I think there are ways of asking for feedback which can avoid accusations or seeming unprofessional yourself.

[dmb]

Does anyone remember the days when you looked forward to buying the Guardian on a Tuesday then applying for jobs via slowmail? The guy at the post office was my best friend for brief periods.

[nomadder]

dmb: I think you're right that it is a simple, common courtesy. Couldn't be easier. What is the world coming to? For one thing the interviewee could be waiting around for the result of the interview and putting off other decisions and plans. They at least feel they are owed a reply. If the interviewer only put themselves in the other person's shoes they might behave differently.

I should have known they'd both pull something like that as they'd both previously wanted quick interviews another time and when I quickly responded to their requests, they dropped out of sight(their problems had been solved in other ways). Again rude to keep people hanging.

I certainly don't mind complaining about rude treatment especially if it can possibly help others- though I said nothing to the second interviewer. If you create a bad work environment with your behavior then like they say-what goes around, comes around.

[Teacher in Rome]

[Will.]

Reading the Guardian and then typing a CV on a typewriter and going to the library to photocopy the new letter of application and paying to fax it, and all before lunch.

The internet has done a lot to ease my Tuesday mornings.

[Stephen Jones]

Often they don't reply because they haven't decided yet; they're keeping you in reserve.