Pet Peeves: Unprofessionalism; Time Wasters; Backward People

Before I go into detail about just how badly my day was ruined early on this afternoon, let me give you some insight as to my current situation:

I have been jobless since June of 2008. I have sent my resume to countless places, and I have not even received a call back from one damned office to at least acknowledge that they received my paperwork. Our financial situation is dismal and we are growing pretty desperate.

Last December, I got word from an uncle of mine that his company was looking to hire two people for customer service. I immediately e-mailed them a copy of my resume, along with a cover letter. A week later, a woman from their offices called me to set up a phone interview a few days later.

I did the phone interview. It was the most awkward interview I'd ever experienced, since I'd never before done one over the phone, and I couldn't accurately gauge the reactions to my responses of the woman interviewing me. She always sounded like she was trying not to laugh at me, as if my answers were amusing somehow.

Anyway, I honestly didn't expect to hear back from them, but a couple of weeks later, once again, I get a call from their offices, to set up an interview with the company's big boss. I scheduled it immediately. The prospect of actually having impressed them enough over the phone to warrant a face-to-face meeting seemed promising.

The interview with the big boss went very well. He was a nice man and he seemed to like me. Lo and behold, he did! My uncle said that he spoke highly of me after I left.

They were supposedly interviewing several people, and were looking to make a decision by mid-January of this year. The big boss also told me that I might have a third and final interview with the company's customer service manager, once they decided on the finalists for the positions.

A few weeks ago, I got a call again! I was so excited, I nearly jumped for joy. I set up my final interview with the customer service manager for the very next day. I was nervous, yet confident. I was literally chomping at the bit for the goddamned position.

The interview with the customer service manager was the best interview I have ever had to date. She was super nice and laid back. She made me feel as if I'd known her my whole life- like an old friend. She told me that she had heard a lot of great things about me from my uncle and the big boss himself and that I was one of their TOP choices! When she said that, I nearly kissed her. She also told me that I beat out over 90 other applicants in the running thus far.

You would think that after all that buttering up, I was a shoe in for the job... right?

Ha ha ha ha ho ho hee hee ha hu hee ho hu...and other laughing sounds.

I was told at the last interview that I would have to have patience to hear the decision, because they were still interviewing several people. Ok, no sweat. I can wait.

And wait I did. The middle of January roared past like a tornado. No call back. I asked my uncle if he knew anything, but he said he was being kept out of the loop on this one.

Early this afternoon, I decided to call and find out for myself.

Would you like to know what response I was met with after I inquired as to the status of the customer service positions?

The woman who answered was the same one who had conducted the initial awkward phone interview- the one who sounded as if I made her sides hurt with my super hysterical funny powers. Let's say her name is Karen.

This is how the conversation went:

Me: Hi, Karen. It's Silly Cake. I had an interview a couple of weeks ago and I'm just calling to inquire if a decision has been made regarding the customer service positions.
Karen: Oh, um, actually, I'm glad you (muffled nervous chuckle) called. I've been meaning to give you a call... as a matter of fact, I have to call everyone back. Yeah, we've decided that we won't be hiring anyone new, afterall. Our initial problem was that one of our staff just up and left, and we worried we couldn't handle the extra work, but as it turns out, things have been so slow lately, that we've managed just fine. We recently re-evaluated our work load and decided that if we do hire anyone, it won't be for another four to six months.
Me: Oh....OK. [At this point, I was literally choking back angry bile. I wanted to scream loud and long into the receiver and rupture the bitch's eardrums. I mean, COME ON! Why in the world would they waste so many peoples' time like that? Why accept any resumes or applications at all, if you haven't first evaluated where your company stands in our present economy? Why boast that they were looking to hire not ONE, but TWO new customer service associates, if they weren't even sure of the work load? Why in the blue hell did they butter me up so much by telling me that the big boss liked me a lot and that I was one of their top choices? Why did they ply me with false hope when they knew I so desperately wanted/needed the job?]

Karen: Sorry, I know you need something now, but we really can't afford to take on any new hires right now, after all. Maybe in four to six months, if you're still available, and we offer you the job then, hopefully you'll take it! (fake laugh)
Me: Ok. Well...thanks anyway! (click)

So yeah, WTF?! Talk about a waste of my time. I know one should never put all of their eggs into one basket, but they made me feel so confident that I would get it, that I slowed my job search to a screeching halt, all to wait for their damned response- which, by the way, seemed as if they weren't even making a priority, since "Karen" mentioned that she had been "meaning to call me back." So what does that mean? That she was supposed to have called everyone days ago, or maybe over a wekk ago and drop the bomb, but she put it on the back burner because people desperately seeking employment aren't important enough to tend to right away? She left everyone hanging because...what? Perhaps she thought we would forget about the three fucking interviews we had to sit through, all the while harboring high hopes that we were all finalists that perhaps had the job, because what the hell, it was only THREE interviews of no real importance?

This has to be one of the most unprofessional companies I have ever dealt with. They stringed several people, including myself, along for no reason.

The first thing they should have done before announcing job openings, was to have evaluated their work load and if any changes needed to be made. Not lie to over one hundred applicants for over a month, and then at the end decide they weren't really in need of new hires.

UGH! I needed to get that off of my chest. I feel better now, even though I am back at unemployed square one again.