Don’t Burn Bridges in Your Job Search
When in need of something to blog about, turn to Twitter. There is so much being Tweeted, ReTweeted and linked to, it’s sort of fascinating…
Anyway, while sifting through Tweets this afternoon, I came across a link to a great blog posted on BrightMove, a provider of Software-as-a-Service applicant tracking and talent management solutions.
Nanci Lamborn, the blog’s author, wrote about an applicant who effectively ruined his chances of getting hired, despite his impressive qualifications. It touched on some things we’ve talked about recently, like employers getting back to you, the “resume black hole” and the things employers consider before deciding to go forward with an interview.
Lamborn talks about how she was sorting through hundreds of applications and sending out a quick reply that basically said, “We got your resume; don’t call us, we’ll call you.” (Much more professionally, obviously.) She assumed this was better than hearing nothing at all, but it seemed that one applicant did not agree.
The subject line of his e-mail was one word, which I can’t republish in its entirety, but I’ll give you hint: “BS!” Lamborn paraphrases his e-mail nicely:
“Please allow me to paraphrase the flipper’s dissertation (my editorial commentary in italics for your amusement): I know your position isn’t real (then why did you email me?). You posted it to cover your arse. And schmucks like me trying to support a family waste allllll this time and energy responding to the job, only to get a BS reply like this (so writing this reply isn’t wasteful?). Why don’t you have the decency to call and tell me if I’m seriously a candidate or not? (Maybe since I’m not Superman I cannot effectively screen 528 resumes in 36 hours?) I am sorry for being so unprofessional (Oh, um, thanks?), but I am perfect for this job (Sure you are! Why ever did I not see it before?). I keep getting responses like this, and you high and mighty HR jerk offs deserve a piece of my mind. (…crickets… I got nothin’…). You better hope this Karma doesn’t catch up with you (Why, did he apply too?). Best Regards, Mr. Nicely Wonderful, Managing Partner. (Managing Partner of what, Psychotic Inc?). There was more, quite a bit of it. But his point is made.”
The worst part is, Lamborn notes that this person was actually pretty qualified for the position, but due to his less-than-appropriate bedside manner, she decided against moving forward with his candidacy.
The way some people behave in their job search never ceases to amaze me. Read Lamborn’s full blog here to learn a few lessons and see how she responded to the situation.
What would you have done?
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Source: http://www.theworkbuzz.com/interviews/burning-bridges/