[Anonymous]

For the past 3-6 weeks, I have been DILIGENTLY looking for a job (just like a couple of million of Americans). I applied to AT LEAST 25 jobs and have gotten to rejections and just had 2 interviews. There is one in particular that I REALLY REALLY want because I get to do payroll *HUGE “Grinch” Smile* lol

I was the 2nd of 8 candidates that would be considered. Besides me choking during 2 interview questions (Im human, despite practicing EVERYTHING I wanted to say I flipping choked like a moron), I felt the HR manager was very nice and understanding though. But thats the thing, I m not sure if she was just being “nice” or she realizes that Im not an alien.

I had an interview that went on for an hour and my last one (the job I REALLY WANT) went on for an hour plus!!! Now I am not sure if this is standard practice(well at least not from MY own experience). To me if they like you, they “seem” interested and talk alot and those who are not interested seem to rush you out of the office.

So I am super confused!

I feel like HR managers are like justices, or better yet the gods for Greek/Roman mythology just screwing with us mere mortals. Its like they KNOW how badly people want jobs and they can just mindfuck them (sorry for my frankness).

For example, I HONESTLY felt the interview went well…she was even using “informal” dialogue with me, I kept it professional though because I was not sure if she was trying to catch me off guard. I mean I honestly felt like I had the job in the bag but then she did the infamous,what ALL hiring managers do. She said, “Well, I enjoyed your questions but I wanted to let you know that I will be interviewing 6 more candidates up until next week”. WHY?! WHY?! Why do they do this? Why cant they just say, there’s a definite possibility we will hire you or we don’t want you.

I HATE being strung along like cattle and then left to be fed to the wolves.

Its like I “CANT” be unprofessional, why can they? I mean if youre NOT going to hire me,dont make me wait 2-4 weeks or a month,just tell me.

Do they not realize that people put A LOT into their interviews, from dressing nice(suits cost effing money,HELLO) , arranging transportation (not everyone has a car, unfortunately and the metro in FL sucks balls), taking the time to write those cover letters AND thank you notes. I will go up and beyond for a job BUT I expect to be met halfway in return AT LEAST.

Anyone on her knows why HR managers like to screw with you?

Any experiences with this?

Ive been going nuts! I feel like a school girl that went on a date and wondering if the guy still likes me afterwards. Lol

Sorry for my rants! I actually want to be a productive member of society BADLY!

Being a stay at home mom does not work for me, I like to work, I like to do it all, have the family and the career and I dedicate my time very generously to both! 🙂

ALL feedback welcomed! And thank you all for reading my EXTREMELY LONG posts! As you can tell, I like to talk A LOT! xD

[mla1169]

Just remember the HR people are not the decision makers, they are only screening you to get you to the decision makers.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[KEMcpa]

The interview with you is only one source of information in the hiring process. They are likely being very truthful that they have other people they are interviewing. They likely have not made a decision on the best person for the open position. You may end up being that person, but they don't know that until they have interviewed the other possible candidates. Don't give up!

Licensed Texas CPA!

[Mr. Mini]

The HR manager did nothing wrong and certainly was not unprofessional based solely on what you have described. You seem to have a poor attitude about the process. Perhaps this came across in your interview.

[Anonymous]

@Mr Mini This post was based upon numerous of interviews I have had and from what other talk about in other “job” forums. My concerns seems to bother a TON of other aspiring workers.

I rather for an interviewer to genuinely show interest or just send me out in 15 mins. I have experienced that long interview does NOT mean you got the job. So with that being said why make an interview go on for an hour IF you do not plan on hiring that person.

I am more direct. When I start my own small firm one day, I will definitely not waste people's time because I do not like my time wasted. I am the type of person that will just tell you something, No sugar coating.I guess this can be both good and bad.

I also posted this because some articles said I should know if I got the job or not by the end of the interview…this does not seem to be “entirely” true. So Id rather ask people to share REAL experiences of their interviews then try to read it from an article of what “may” or may not happen.

I was positive, but positivity alone does not land you a job

[mla1169]

Acctnewbiemom I think you've got to put yourself in their shoes. They get upwards of 30 applications and have to select a handful of people to talk to. They have to consider not only qualifications but personalities of who will “mesh” best with the people they'll be working with. There's no way to know who's the best fit without talking to all of the potential candidates first. Imagine how disappointed you'd be if they told you that you were great for the job but then thought another candidate was a better fit? You'd be livid because you felt promised the position. On the other hand what if initially they didn't think you'd fit in well and said no thanks, but then couldn't find what they thought they could and you actually were the best candidate of those they selected? You'd be too angry with them after they had already shot you down.

Don't project your impatience as a character flaw of someone else. Every single person they talk to wants the job as badly as you do. Their obligation is to find the best person for the job, period. That means candidate #8 deserves the same careful unbiased opinion as candidate #2.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

Thank you mla1169! You give me such great advice! You're on of my fav posters! I guess I get so depressed. The economy is sooooo shotty, I feel we are going backwards to 3rd world economies.

I get so upset when I read articles like this, I feel like young professionals are expected to work for less and produce MORE and that older people who were making double or triple for the same amount of production are getting screwed because employers assume that those older professionals that they won't bite the bullet.

The economy is bad BUT employers are definitely taking advantage of it.

I NEED to like not read any newspapers until after I get licensed! lol Some reads Below:

https://jobsearch.about.com/u/sty/firedtermination/getting-fired-stories/Companies-Take-Advantage-of-the-Bad-Economy.htm

https://www.sodahead.com/united-states/are-employers-taking-advantage-of-their-existing-workers-they-now-have-because-of-the-bad-economy/question-2241985/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/outsourcings-net-effect-on-us-jobs-still-an-open-ended-question/2012/07/01/gJQAs1szGW_story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/a-look-at-how-the-feds-views-on-the-us-economy-employment-and-its-next-steps-have-changed/2012/08/01/gJQAqNDhPX_story.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/financialfinesse/2012/03/08/why-most-employees-make-up-to-30-less-than-they-should-is-it-happening-to-you/

i HAVE THIS WRITTEN IN MY Accounting folder! 🙂

“If I can do this, YOU can do this! Hang in there :)”

---

Mla1169

I think about your story you posted and it shows me that IF you work hard you can achieve!

[Anonymous]

I believe the HR person was very open with you.

My last interview was 5 hours long and I didn't get hired. A complete waste of time for all parties involved.

Some employers are returning jobs previously outsourced and are definitely looking to hire people for less money. On top of that they expect you to be exceptionally productive because they can hire three people like you, on your salary, in India for instance. It's called global economy.

[Anonymous]

Your concerns make very little sense. So, you're saying you wanted them to boot you out the door after 10 minutes instead of having a full 1 hour interview because you don't want them to waste your time? What do you have to do that those 50 minutes are so precious that you don't want to sit through a full interview? If in fact they did boot you out the door after 10 minutes I'm sure you would be complaining, and validly so, that they didn't give you a fair shot at the job. Of course, I'm sure you're just negative because you haven't gotten the job yet which is natural, but the complaints you have presented really don't make much sense.

[jenuno01]

@AccNewbieMom – your experience made me think of the CPA exam, here's why: it seems like you're a smart woman and I'm sure you have a good resume, that being said, a lot of the times it comes down to how well you perform during an interview. You mentioned you choked, this may have caused you the job. You see, when there are multiple candidates interviewed for a job and all are similarly qualified, it comes down to the interview…nothing else matters.

A similar thing happens with the CPA exam, it doesn't matter if you've spent the last 6 months preparing for a section, if you're not able to sit down on test day and demonstrate your knowledge during those 3-4 hours… you won't pass.

Class of 2012

[Anonymous]

@AccNewbieMom

The song in your signature is by Rev Theory – Hell Yeah

Oh, and hang in there. Your perseverance will pay off.

[Anonymous]

@75 Exactly! I know this but I am not sure a lot of people do. I hate it,it is unfair. No me bitching about prob won't change much of anything(hopefully my votes will). I just get mad b/c I HATE settling for less. I am not wasting my time,getting in more debt to be paid less b/c employers want to be cheapskates!

@cardinalhoya Yes, I am being negative but my complaints make sense. You just like me and many others on here are at the whims of your employers. You worry about making your “employer” happy b/c the economy is so bad if they think you don't like your job, that's fine,there are hundreds if not thousands vying for your job. Its the same thing when interviewing for a job…there are thousands of applicants, like crabs in a barrel. Only one will get to the top…12-15 years ago, you could quit a job and start a new one just like that. You didnt have to take one employers mediocre wages,you could just apply for another job.

Now the tables have turned, employers have the leverage and can place high demands and it is up to us to fit “their” demands even if they are downright ridiculous.

@Jen Very true! I agree,its just you have to bust balls just to get a job now EVEN with a degree! This is crazy! Its like we are supposed to go backwards in pay here…we are supposed to get BETTER with time and I feel like the older members in my family had it good.

How can we honestly convince students to pursue higher learning when they cant get a job after getting it. If I could rewind back to HS, I would have went to a tech school lol They are making $25+ and they do not have a degree, hell they are making more than those with one.

@Cashmoney10 Thank you for the advice! I just hate when I hear claims about unemployed people are not looking for jobs…yes there are some lazy dorks out there that would not work if the economy was good or bad, but i sure as hell want to work! 🙂

And Rev Theory>>>downloading this to the itouch now! lol

@mr mini liking every comment that may possibly be “negative” towards me is kinda 3rd grade no i cant say that b/c 3rd graders are a bit more mature.

[Mr. Mini]

Sorry, I just hi-ya the posts that make sense. It must be a coincidence that none of them are yours.

[mla1169]

There's no reason to be unemployed if you want to work. When my husband was laid off he got up at 6am every single day, left the house @ 8am every single day, and made a full time job out of finding a job. He's not a college graduate, in fact he has very few marketable skills but what he does have is drive. He took a job making 30% less than the one he was laid off from but he TOOK it because everyone knows a person with a consecutive work history is more employable than people with gaps in employment. He was out of work a grand total of 3 weeks. He continued to seek other opportunities and within 3 months found a better paying job

His cut in pay put some home improvements on hold but because we live WELL below our means, it didn't affect our lifestyle at all. We continue to save over 50% on our groceries with some mad couponing skills, and our kids know the meaning of the word “no”. We've each worked 2 jobs when necessary, and I've been a cashier @ Kohls with a bachelors degree.

Bottom line is that it's easy to accept a situation and justify it by blaming the economy and the meeeeeen employers who want to make a profit. It's not until you make a conscious effort to beat the “system” by being a problem solver that you get ahead.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[mla1169]

Wanted to add, as for me, I was at a job where I felt grossly underpaid. I had a “wish list” of what I wanted to do, where and for how much. I interviewed for 3 YEARS to find “the job” but got a 35% pay increase when I found it. I will be there for 3 years to gain the experience needed for my next “wish list” that will also be a 35% pay increase from what I make now.

‘I did it by working full time,. going to school full time and raising 2 kids (now 19 and almost 13). I paid my dues to get where I am now, and will continue to pay my dues to get to the next chapter.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

I just assumed employers always basically controlled the job market… So, in that regard, I don't really understand your huge complaint about employers being able to make the final decision. Just accept that employers can make any decision they want. That's how the world works!

And, I agree with jenuno. It's really up to how you perform in interviews that determines how the employers perceive you and whether you'll get the job or not. There are great jobs out there. You just have to find them and perform well enough to earn those jobs.

[Author]

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