A Tale of 'Merica and Milk - I just walked out and abandoned a job interview. FML.

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I love that you just assume the owner was being a dick and delaying the interview on purpose. You have no idea what was going on in his office and what does sending a letter to the owner accomplish? Absolutely nothing except he could've spent that time waiting for the interview instead of writing a pointless letter

I didn't say it was intentional, only that it seemed like it. It takes seconds to introduce yourself and apologize for the delay, any employer that doesn't think that someone deserves at least that isn't worth working for.

A director in my company just gave a seminar to my management group in which he said one of the biggest measures of a person is how they treat people they don't have to treat well. Take that and apply it to this situation and that owner comes up desperately short.
 
It all depends on if it's in the right circles. Gonna ask on Facebook and see, but some of the BNR guys probably know someone who knows someone who has heard this story today.
 
xxxxxx,

With all due respect I arrived at 2:45pm and walked out at 3:47pm. I filled out your application, took your test and was completed by 3:00. Your previous candidate that you were interviewing walked out around 3:05 and I waited an extra 40+ minutes for my interview that you scheduled at 3.. While I understand things come up, and business must keep going, I am also very professional in how I handle myself and any business relationships. To be made to wait, with not so much as you coming out to shake my hand, introducing yourself and letting me know you were running behind I feel was extremely unprofessional. While I respect your accomplishments and your business, I have no desire to pursue any sort of working relationship with your company.

Thanks,
xxxxxxx


edited: fixed some grammatical mistakes from editing out names

Even if you really wanted to leave, there was really no need to completely squander the opportunity. All you had to do was:

xxxxxxxxxxx,

I understand that you ran behind schedule, but I had another appointment I couldn't miss at 4:30PM and couldn't wait any longer. Perhaps we could reschedule the interview for day X at time Y?

Thanks,

xxxxxxx

That's it. You get to leave, still look professional and get another chance at an interview where he'll likely try to make it up by being on time. No need to be a condescending asshole to a potential employer.
 
I love how OP was like: "45 minutes wait? I ain't got time for that!"

You're fucking unemployed what the hell you hurrying home for? To post on NeoGAF?

o rite...
 
Man, what. I'd wait all day to squeeze in an interview at a small company. Best job I ever had was at a small medical company with 8-10 people on-site at any given time. Things can get hairy in small companies where everybody wears multiple hats. Gotta roll with it.
 
I didn't say it was intentional, only that it seemed like it. It takes seconds to introduce yourself and apologize for the delay, any employer that doesn't think that someone deserves at least that isn't worth working for.

A director in my company just gave a seminar to my management group in which he said one of the biggest measures of a person is how they treat people they don't have to treat well. Take that and apply it to this situation and that owner comes up desperately short.

You can't live life like you live in an ideal world though. The world is shitty and sometimes you're gonna have to eat shit to get anywhere. Hell sometimes you gotta ask for seconds.
 
I said it before but I would never leave a potential employee sitting on his hands waiting on me without so much as an introduction. It's grossly disrespectful and nobody should stand for it.
I agree that it's somewhat disrespectful, but shit happens. Something might have blown up, and since they're 2 techs down, the owner was scrambling around trying to get it sorted. I still don't understand why he didn't just ask the secretary when he was going to be interviewed. It makes it seem like Thacker's ego is more important than paying his bills.
 
Just how difficult is it to ask the receptionist if the boss knows you're there?

Not very. Especially considering they were having small talk throughout. Why not ask? Time can simply get away and things get unexpectedly busy.

I haven't seen a blown opportunity this bad since Game of Thrones the other night.

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Time for Thacker to get his tag, mods.
 
Honestly... I felt as if the receptionist was sending me signals the entire time I was there.

When she handed me this huge packet to fill out I made a comment like along the lines of "just like a doctors office..."

She laughed. Said "Probably a lot more painful...."


Also during our small talk I said she seemed very busy and her reply was "yea... I do HR.. billing, receivables, shipping, HR, payroll, dispatch and customer service... I don't usually have a lot of time to think about here."

Also of note was how she told me about the two techs leaving. She said they left unannounced and she felt extremely sorry for the techs still there because of how they were already busy, but now they were "unreasonably" busy.

You're simply trying to rationalize it in your mind now. Think about the last thing the receptionist said to you logically. If you work at a small company and suddenly two tech guys leave it's obvious the toll it would have on the other employees there. That is a nothing comment, and simply stating the glaringly obvious. All that just sounds like small talk from practically any receptionist.
 
if an hour late on an interview was enough to send the OP into twitching anger, he'd last a grand total of 10 minutes at my firm. Or in any IT job, really.
 
Same here, but I don't want to go all detective and shame this guy any further.

Yeah, I probably won't report back to GAF if I find out where it was. I might just tell whoever mentions they heard it that the story is, in fact, real and that the guy made a thread about it.
 
I didn't say it was intentional, only that it seemed like it. It takes seconds to introduce yourself and apologize for the delay, any employer that doesn't think that someone deserves at least that isn't worth working for.

A director in my company just gave a seminar to my management group in which he said one of the biggest measures of a person is how they treat people they don't have to treat well. Take that and apply it to this situation and that owner comes up desperately short.

I will agree that if I was the owner that I would've gone in and introduced myself to him at least during that time. I just think it's hard to judge this owner on how he handled the situation when we have no idea what he was dealing with. An 8 person company and just losing 2 IT guys is probably a complete nightmare for him right now
 
xxxxxx,

With all due respect I arrived at 2:45pm and walked out at 3:47pm. I filled out your application, took your test and was completed by 3:00. Your previous candidate that you were interviewing walked out around 3:05 and I waited an extra 40+ minutes for my interview that you scheduled at 3.. While I understand things come up, and business must keep going, I am also very professional in how I handle myself and any business relationships. To be made to wait, with not so much as you coming out to shake my hand, introducing yourself and letting me know you were running behind I feel was extremely unprofessional. While I respect your accomplishments and your business, I have no desire to pursue any sort of working relationship with your company.

Thanks,
xxxxxxx


edited: fixed some grammatical mistakes from editing out names
Suddenly everything makes sense. I wonder if you're afraid of being successful.
 
Honestly... I felt as if the receptionist was sending me signals the entire time I was there.

When she handed me this huge packet to fill out I made a comment like along the lines of "just like a doctors office..."

She laughed. Said "Probably a lot more painful...."


Also during our small talk I said she seemed very busy and her reply was "yea... I do HR.. billing, receivables, shipping, HR, payroll, dispatch and customer service... I don't usually have a lot of time to think about here."

Also of note was how she told me about the two techs leaving. She said they left unannounced and she felt extremely sorry for the techs still there because of how they were already busy, but now they were "unreasonably" busy.


So what exactly do you want to do? I don't get it, the job was basically yours for the taking ... If you're sitting jobless 6 months from now, then you're going to be seriously regretting this ...
 
I didn't say it was intentional, only that it seemed like it. It takes seconds to introduce yourself and apologize for the delay, any employer that doesn't think that someone deserves at least that isn't worth working for.

But again, how do you know the owner doesn't think someone deserves that?

Maybe he became distracted and forgot.. maybe it was just a mistake, out of character/etc.?

I've been rude to people before, doesn't mean I "don't think people deserve better".. I definitely do, and if I'm made to realize I was being rude I apologize profusely. OP has no way of knowing the actual attitude of the owner, he didn't bother to verify.

OP's other posts are also loaded with assumptions garnered from very little information. Receptionist was sending him signals telling a joke about paperwork being painful?
 
This is golden,

It sucks that you are unemployed but it is hard to feel sorry for you after reading the OP and that Email. While it's true that not even going out and greeting you was unprofessional, you were not gonna lose anything by waiting for the interview a little more and THEN after that making your decision.

There are a lot of ways this could have been handled better, even more for someone in your position.
 
You can't live life like you live in an ideal world though. The world is shitty and sometimes you're gonna have to eat shit to get anywhere. Hell sometimes you gotta ask for seconds.

Maybe you're okay with that, but I'm pretty interested in not eating shit. I've had plenty of opportunities to eat shit and smile about it but instead of that I've always come back and said "This is shit and I'm not eating it." Know what it's gotten me so far?

Raises and career growth.
 
Damn, you guys are going in on poor OP. And now you want to make him even more unemployable by sharing his story with all of the software companies in his city?

You're going to turn him into Jean Valjean.
 
Whelp next time you make a thread complaining about not being able to get a job and other woe is me shenanigans, I'll link to this thread and not care about your plight.
 
Man, what. I'd wait all day to squeeze in an interview at a small company. Best job I ever had was at a small medical company with 8-10 people on-site at any given time. Things can get hairy in small companies where everybody wears multiple hats. Gotta roll with it.

This is the exact opposite feeling I have at the moment. I've worked with small companies in the past... and I am wanting to move to a larger corporate IT structure.
 
Yes, please ruin any and all chances for me in the future. Please do.

I mean, I'm not going to publicly shame you.

I won't, anyway. You did a pretty good job of doing that yourself if you honestly thought everyone here doesn't talk to each other. If the boss you e-mailed tells anyone, and he definitely will, you're already well known.
 
Honestly... I felt as if the receptionist was sending me signals the entire time I was there.

When she handed me this huge packet to fill out I made a comment like along the lines of "just like a doctors office..."

She laughed. Said "Probably a lot more painful...."


Also during our small talk I said she seemed very busy and her reply was "yea... I do HR.. billing, receivables, shipping, HR, payroll, dispatch and customer service... I don't usually have a lot of time to think about here."

Also of note was how she told me about the two techs leaving. She said they left unannounced and she felt extremely sorry for the techs still there because of how they were already busy, but now they were "unreasonably" busy.

Maybe you are just shaping this around to make you feel better? Maybe her joke about the paperwork being painful is that there's a lot of shit you have to fill in. I know I've had to do that recently, and that process took around a solid hour.

I didn't let paperwork and the woman I was supposed to see being occupied for an hour after I finished the paperwork give me the audacity to say "fuck it", get up, and leave. In fact, when she told me why she was gone so long - she was talking to someone in hospice care, which is what I am applying my time towards - I had no sincere reason to be bothered, because I know things come up. And that, to me, is an absolutely valid reason for someone to be kept with something...just like a phone call. I also knew she was going to be occupied for some time, which like your case, you were able to literally hear the person you were meeting and knew he was occupied.

Then again, I have very simple expectations. You, however, seem to have very specific expectations that may crumble your entire process, especially if your encounter is now being passed around to other places..
 
Yeah, this. Don't let people treat you like shit. That is why the whole system is rigged. Way too many people just accept being treated like that.

Except no one has any idea why the guy didn't conduct the interview at 3. He could've gotten the times mixed up and thought that it was at 4. Either way, it made absolutely no sense to leave, especially when this guy claims to be desperately looking for a job.
 
xxxxxx,

With all due respect I arrived at 2:45pm and walked out at 3:47pm. I filled out your application, took your test and was completed by 3:00. Your previous candidate that you were interviewing walked out around 3:05 and I waited an extra 40+ minutes for my interview that you scheduled at 3.. While I understand things come up, and business must keep going, I am also very professional in how I handle myself and any business relationships. To be made to wait, with not so much as you coming out to shake my hand, introducing yourself and letting me know you were running behind I feel was extremely unprofessional. While I respect your accomplishments and your business, I have no desire to pursue any sort of working relationship with your company.

Thanks,
xxxxxxx


edited: fixed some grammatical mistakes from editing out names

Haha, spectacular. "Without so much as a handshake"! So self-important lol
 
This is the exact opposite feeling I have at the moment. I've worked with small companies in the past... and I am wanting to move to a larger corporate IT structure.

Then why even apply to this job? You NEED a job you said.
 
Those of you measuring self respect on how many times you didn't let someone make you wait an hour need to aim a little higher. The only reason to fight such a small battle is if you lose the bigger ones. Let it go.
 
Yes, please ruin any and all chances for me in the future. Please do.

I'm sure it seems like a lot of us are jumping down your throat but all you can do is move on and make it a learning experience. Sometimes we have to suck it up when it comes to interviewing for a job we want and if that includes waiting longer than originally scheduled, you deal with it because the job is worth it.
 
Also of note was how she told me about the two techs leaving. She said they left unannounced and she felt extremely sorry for the techs still there because of how they were already busy, but now they were "unreasonably" busy.

So you're telling me that when the two tech guys left, somehow the workload for the remaining tech guys went up? Is that not why they are actively looking to hire multiple people and normalize the work load?? Holy Lord.
 
Damn, you guys are going in on poor OP. And now you want to make him even more unemployable by sharing his story with all of the software companies in his city?

You're going to turn him into Jean Valjean.

This is what get's me. It's like part of GAF is proud of laying down and being a doormat. I've dealt with extreme shit the past 8 years of my life due to the misdemeanor that was on my record. (It was my fault, I did it... I deserved to be punished but it was extremely overboard the money and damage to my career it caused)

However... I am also a very loyal, dedicated and hard working individual. I do not wish to eat shit. I feel as if I can have a good, mutually beneficial relationship with an employer. One that doesn't start with huge red flags regarding my employment there.
 
Yeah, I probably won't report back to GAF if I find out where it was. I might just tell whoever mentions they heard it that the story is, in fact, real and that the guy made a thread about it.

I'm sorry, but this simply is not an option.

You don't have a choice to be a hero - being a hero is your only choice.


Yes, please ruin any and all chances for me in the future. Please do.

You say that like you didn't do that yourself already.

It's just a matter of GAF getting to share in this.
 
Yeah, that email is blowing what happened out of proportion. Next time, just expect a wait period when you go in for an interview.
 
This is what get's me. It's like part of GAF is proud of laying down and being a doormat. I've dealt with extreme shit the past 8 years of my life due to the misdemeanor that was on my record. (It was my fault, I did it... I deserved to be punished but it was extremely overboard the money and damage to my career it caused)

However... I am also a very loyal, dedicated and hard working individual. I do not wish to eat shit. I feel as if I can have a good, mutually beneficial relationship with an employer. One that doesn't start with huge red flags regarding my employment there.

Waiting an hour for an interview does not equal "eating shit"
 
This is what get's me. It's like part of GAF is proud of laying down and being a doormat. I've dealt with extreme shit the past 8 years of my life due to the misdemeanor that was on my record. (It was my fault, I did it... I deserved to be punished but it was extremely overboard the money and damage to my career it caused)

However... I am also a very loyal, dedicated and hard working individual. I do not wish to eat shit. I feel as if I can have a good, mutually beneficial relationship with an employer. One that doesn't start with huge red flags regarding my employment there.

IT WAS LESS THAN AN HOUR OF WAITING TIME.

If all you're taking away from this is 'oh man we're just piling on OP because The Internet', you're not getting the right message here at all.

You made a mistake by leaving, then you (proudly?!) destroyed any opportunity you had by sending off a garbage email. And this isn't over a retail job or anything, this is over, from what you seem to describe, a pretty damn decent opportunity.

Cut this shit out.
 
I'm trying to think of this from the manager's perspective. When a company of eight people is short staffed, do you really think they have the time to do interviews? You said he just talked to a candidate right before you got there. He was on the phone the whole 45 minutes you were waiting. Don't you think that the interview might have slowed down the normal day-to-day business that he would have to attend to?

Do you think he intended to slight you by making you wait 45 minutes?

You, sir, made a dumb move.
 
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