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Recap of New Jersey to Florida visit, forum members very helpful in planning trip, job interviewing process did not go as planned, flight difficulty and cancelation
Asked if I could come in late afternoon Friday. (Does this guy ever pick up the phone and just talk live?) He also said he would be out of town all "next" week - so I am not sure if he is talking about this Friday or the next.
I did reply and took some of your advice. Yes, I can be there, but am also looking for some answers regarding the position such as: When are you looking to get this position up and running? Do you want to contact my references? What is the status of my candidacy relative to our candidates?
Geez. Just basic stuff after "talking" to them now for over a month.
And - the topic of salary has never come up once.
I am of the school that you NEVER ask, but in this case, do you think I should?
You have a great attitude! I would see red flags all over this company. And, yes, I think I would inquire about the salary range. But that's what I would do and you seem to have a good instinct for what you should do.
I may have missed this in your previous posts, but, what type of work do you do? And is this company paying your travel expenses to come down to interview?
You sound as though you would love Florida. Any way to set up other inteviews when you are down?
I have a weird way of looking at things. I have gotten jobs before that were never posted just by deciding where I wanted to work and sending them a cover letter and resume and following up with a phone call. I guess the initiative made them at least curious enough to interview me and then it just worked for both the company and me.
If you picked about three other similar companies and put together a cover letter, then fax the cover and resume to their HR department, you could follow up a day or two later with a phone call and let them know that you care coming down for an interview and were wondering if you could set up an appointment to meet with them to discuss any potential openings.
I've also found positions posted on the websites of companies that I was interested in that were not in the paper or Monster, etc.
I say, decide where you want to work and make the first move. Couldn't hurt and may give you some leverage with the company that you are interested in now. You know what they say, when it rains, it pours!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy Lynne
Asked if I could come in late afternoon Friday. (Does this guy ever pick up the phone and just talk live?) He also said he would be out of town all "next" week - so I am not sure if he is talking about this Friday or the next.
I did reply and took some of your advice. Yes, I can be there, but am also looking for some answers regarding the position such as: When are you looking to get this position up and running? Do you want to contact my references? What is the status of my candidacy relative to our candidates?
Geez. Just basic stuff after "talking" to them now for over a month.
And - the topic of salary has never come up once.
I am of the school that you NEVER ask, but in this case, do you think I should?
Location: Finally made it to Florida and lovin' every minute!
22,677 posts, read 19,258,704 times
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I was taught that they bring up salary, also. But things may have changed. Who's picking up the tab on all this travel? Are they kicking in for any of it? IMHO, it would be their responsibility. Just throwing it out there for what it's worth.
LOL..I typed this at the same time HIF did! Sorry, I didn't mean to step on your toes. ;-)
Nancy, I'm not sure that they were trying to say anything to you. A large of majority of people in this area just go with the flow and just do whatever they please, without conscience, and without regard for anyone else's needs as though there is no tomorrow. Seriously, if you were to complain to them, they wouldn't know what you were talking about. This is no joke. And as far as turning the situation over and over again in your mind, trying to make sense of it all . . . you just described the last nearly four years of my life down here. It is natural to want to understand WHY because it is so NON-SENSICAL, some of the behaviors here. But living this way can be miserable because no matter how often it happens, one still continues to try to make sense of the non-sensical.
And yes, Hiknapster, good point . . . who could actually believe that any of this goes on in one place and on a regular basis? ! And it doesn't matter how often it happens, one never gets used to it. We who are sensible, rational, and responsible can't help but ask "Why?" not to mention that it is so ridiculous - what goes on here - that not even we can always believe it.
ONE MORE THING . . .
If you are going to continue to pursue employment with this company - and of course, you know that I don't think that you should (and that is only because you are moving across country to work for this flaky employer) - then in your next telephone conversation with them, just simply state that while you always prefer to discuss salary, benefits, etc., in person, due to the fact that you will be investing more of yourself in this interview process as a candidate who is out of state, what exactly is the salary range for this position, and what is the time frame for filling same? If you are insistent on having a job prior to moving, please do yourself a favor and inquire about these things over the phone from now on. You do not have to say what you are looking for in pay (what if by some act of God your salary expectations are lower than they are offering?), but by asking what the salary RANGE is, you will know if you should even continue the telephone conversation. I have actually spent just as much time with employers - 1st interview, 2nd interview and with extensive testing, and a phone call back weeks later for a THIRD INTERVIEW (are you kidding me?), and then only to be told that "The starting pay rate for this position will be $9.00 per hour, and at this time, we cannot offer any benefits, etc., . . ." ) Always, always, always ask. It isn't the way northerners do it, but this is not the north. Locals ask about pay on the phone, as you should also. Good luck.
I would ask also. And my experience working for companies in Fort Myers is that they will do anything to skip you over at raise time. Somehow the companies are growing and hiring but every year at evaluation time they tell you, "There is no money in the budget for raises again this year". LOL!! When they hire you they tell you how raises are given at evaluation but it never happens. They don't bother to mention that the past 5 years nobody under management has gotton raise. It makes me sick but it's true. I saw my last company grow and hire lots of new people..the bosses all started dressing nicer and driving luxury vehicles while the ones actually doing the work were told to hang in there..maybe next year the budget would allow for raises.
Since my potential "manager" and I seem to only communicate via email....
He did respond to my email saying that I would be able to come on Friday. Remember in my response I also asked when he was looking to have the position up and running? Did he want to contact my references? And (just thought I would put this in there to see the response)..Did he want me to forward the research work I had done on the company to him (I knew he would grab at this...but just wanted to see).
Anyhow, he responded in his typical brief way..."Friday the 23rd and it would be premature to do anything until I interview you. Yes, send the research work you did."
I don't know...his response annoyed me.
And no, they haven't offered to pay for the second trip. They did for the first one, but I ended up making the reservation myself, and no one has asked me about it. COME TO THINK OF IT.....I have yet to speak to or even hear of their HR department! Now, what's up with that? In all of my previous employment experiences, HR is always (sometimes way too much), but always involved front and center, and provide a central contact point between the company and the applicant. Do you know what I mean?
Grrrrrrrrrrrr.
In reference to what I do: Marketing, PR & Communications within the high technology sector.
Since my potential "manager" and I seem to only communicate via email....
He did respond to my email saying that I would be able to come on Friday. Remember in my response I also asked when he was looking to have the position up and running? Did he want to contact my references? And (just thought I would put this in there to see the response)..Did he want me to forward the research work I had done on the company to him (I knew he would grab at this...but just wanted to see).
Anyhow, he responded in his typical brief way..."Friday the 23rd and it would be premature to do anything until I interview you. Yes, send the research work you did."
I don't know...his response annoyed me.
And no, they haven't offered to pay for the second trip. They did for the first one, but I ended up making the reservation myself, and no one has asked me about it. COME TO THINK OF IT.....I have yet to speak to or even hear of their HR department! Now, what's up with that? In all of my previous employment experiences, HR is always (sometimes way too much), but always involved front and center, and provide a central contact point between the company and the applicant. Do you know what I mean?
Grrrrrrrrrrrr.
In reference to what I do: Marketing, PR & Communications within the high technology sector.
Now what guys?
One of the first things that I would do is call the HR department and ask them if they would take care of making (and paying for) the flight & lodging arrangements for you.
If you haven't done so, tonight you can check the company out with the Department of State, Division of Corporations. http://www.sunbiz.org/corpweb/inquiry/search.html (broken link) How long they been in business? Have they been late filing annual reports? I would also do a name search on the head of the company on the same site and then Google the names of other companies he/she may have been involved with to check for any issues that may have made the headlines.
They are probably quite legit and could just be in a growth spurt, so the chaos. But it doesn't cost anything to check them out as best you can.
Nancy, honey . . . I think you already have the answer to your question here. If you are already annoyed, and since they have already given you the runaround, and refuse to answer your questions - especially since you are from out of town - why should you be put out any further? Seriously. You know how it is. They are not showing any consideration or respect for you and your situation. When you ask a question, it isn't "premature" of them to answer it. You are coming a long way, are being unecessarily inconvenienced, and you deserve answers to your questions PRIOR TO putting yourself out any further. You have an awful lot riding on this, and you know that, too. This portion of the process is kind of like dating . . . they should be or are putting their best foot forward at this stage of things. If this is the best that they can do, what will it be like once they have you there, and they know that you are now tied to a lease and a single parent who knows no one and has no other employment options? I'm sorry, but this is not and will not be an isolated incident, and you have your sanity and a child to consider. Do you really want every day to be just like the past several? Please Nancy, follow your gut because you know it is speaking to you. You just don't like the answer because you want to get out of the situation you are in and had - and possibly still have - some very high hopes and expectations of landing this job, coming down here, and having it turn your life around in a positive way, and living happily ever after. However, you know that this company and those people in management there are not part of the recipe for your success. You know that. Please trust yourself. (And before everyone starts attacking my post, think about it for a bit: If she has to ask us what to do, if she doesn't already definitely feel that it is a "go" and is already annoyed with the prospective employer because yes, they have jacked her around unnecessarily, and still continue to have no regard for her position in all of this - will not answer her questions concerning the job - then the answer is "no", and she just needs some encouragement, support, and validation. That's all.)
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OK, Now I'm annoyed
