No Reply?

Hello Everyone,
Many of you have heard me harp about the “slow” or “no” responses from employers within the tire business. I have been very curious as to if it is unique within our industry or more of an overall trend. I came upon this article by Karla L. Miller in the Washington Post Magazine last week. Karla responds to reader’s questions about workplace issues. I think you will find it to be very interesting and informative. It appears we are not in this alone. I would like to mention that I do have many employer clients that do a terrific job with communications.
Enjoy!

@Work Advice: What’s worse than rejection? No reply at all.

By Karla L. Miller, Published: January 24

Reader 1: I feel like my job applications — both online jobs portal and direct e-mail submissions — are falling into a black hole. Only one organization let me know my application had been reviewed. Is this the way it works? How should I follow up?

Reader 2: I have interviewed for senior-level communications jobs — making multiple visits, giving formal presentations, and taking writing and personality tests. Many of these organizations turn down top candidates with a short, form-letter e-mail from a low-level HR person. Or, worse, they don’t communicate their decision at all. This inattention to basic courtesy is appalling and damages the organization’s image. What gives?

Read on…..it’s informative and will give you some guidelines.

Reader 3: I interviewed with a tech startup, and, after two great conversations and a job offer that I accepted, communication ceased. The promised formal offer letter never came, and the co-founder who offered me the job failed to reply to four e-mails I sent in three weeks. I’ve been advised to just consider myself lucky not to have been hired by a company with bad business practices. Should I send all the founders a polite e-mail about their
co-founder’s unprofessionalism? I don’t want to burn bridges, but I feel hoodwinked.

Karla: I’ve been hearing from enough jilted job-seekers to start a Miss Lonelyhires column. Being turned down is hard enough; can we at least establish a baseline of common courtesy?
As with dating, a clear “no, thanks” generally beats dead silence, and the nature of a rejection should mirror the nature of the relationship. At a minimum, mass applicants are due an auto-reply confirming receipt and another when the position is filled. Candidates who have been through interviews are entitled to a personal call or e-mail from the interviewer, expressing thanks for their time and regret that things didn’t work out.
Job-seekers, like suitors, must remember their manners, no matter how discouraged they feel. If a few follow-up inquiries reiterating your interest — over days or weeks, not hours — go unanswered, assume the answer is “no.” If that “no” is confirmed, leave a good impression with the aforementioned thanks + regret formula; demanding an explanation simply confirms that “no, thanks” was and is the correct reply. If you’ve quit your old job or declined another offer because you relied on a bad promise, you might have legal recourse. Otherwise, write it off and be grateful you learned about your would-be employer’s lack of character before entering a dysfunctional commitment. (Bonus: No blood test required.)And if someday you’re on the other side of the table, make an effort to afford others the respect you desired.
Thanks to Sharon Snyder
of Ober | Kaler.
Karla L. Miller is ready to hear your work dramas and traumas. Send your questions towpmagazine@washpost.com. You can also find her on Twitter, @KarlaAtWork, orFacebook.