No Call Back After a Great Interview

@penny. A good clue to the fact that you are being invited to a sales program, rather than a real job, is when there are prearranged "interview" times which you must select from. That is a sign that regularly scheduled sales pitches are being held, not job interviews. A legitimate employer will arrange a mutually available time. Nor does a legitimate employer want to interview 100, or even 20, people for a position. If they are not willing to find a time that works for you, you probably shouldn't find a time for them. There are, of course, exceptions. But, find out why.

@Saundra thanks for your comments. Oh man - people will try anyway to complete their scams. We have many articles here at Beyond that deal with scams. Type in scams and click the down arrow to News&Advice and you will see some of the articles. For instance: http://www.beyond.com/articles/preying-on-the-desperate-work-from-home-scams-18495-article.html and http://www.beyond.com/articles/job-scams-to-watch-out-for-18493-article.html. Hope those help. So glad you didn't get scammed and that the only thing you lost was some time out of your day.

Please Nancy give me some other scam examples I guess when your day is just focusing on job searches and doing follow ups it's very easy to get blindsided by a scammer!!

Nancy thank you for the info on the scams I recently had my first experience with one. You had mentioned Skype well mine was on the Google hangouts app. Weird right ? But I thought oh maybe this is how they do the interview with video. Hmmmmm they had me create an account with Google which I already had the person supposedly doing the interview did it messaging me thru hangouts! Something just didn't seem right with this person when I started asking questions about the position and giving me some kind of example his toned changed and all of sudden the conversation just ended and I could not contact him!! Jerk ! It affected me all day how I was up early and ready by 8am to sign in!!!

@Penny it certainly is a tough ride. There are predators everywhere. You are not the only one who got scammed into some of these things like going to what you thought was an interview only to be pitched a product. They have no idea what we go through for interviews - from what to wear to what to say. Yes, absolutely - Google these folks. Check them out on LinkedIn also. Always remember that an interview goes both ways. They checked up on you before they extended the "invitation". You should always do the same. Thanks for the reminder @Penny. Best of luck to you.

Being unemployment is a horrible situation. The job hunt is equally as stressful when you add in the "splashes" of false postings, recruiters inviting you to a job interview ONLY to show up and found you've joined not a "Job interview" but rather a room full of other applicants and in the midst of a Sales pitch. Sadly, I've learned the hard way...google any name of any employer and check for "recruiter or other applicants complaints" I'm blown away by how difficult and how others "prey upon the unemployed". Trust me....once employed...I'll write a book about all these experiences. For now, I'll keep my head up to the sky and keep reaching for the stars!! I'll keep humor in my life. But....have enjoyed the articles--thank you!

You give the best advice for everyone who is unemployed I look forward to your emails thank you

Thanks for the great comments. @Madeline maybe @Eliot is right in that they are told that the only response they can give is that another candidate was a better fit. It's really a shame that they put you through the hoops with multiple interviews - getting your hopes up and then dashing them. @Sharon is right in that it's an employer market and they know that if they don't pick you that they have hundreds of others to choose from. @Richard sorry that you feel that way about Beyond. I think that the articles that we post are timely and relevant. Most people don't understand job boards which is why they get frustrated. Beyond is not an agency nor are we recruiters. We post jobs for you to submit your application but we don't place you into jobs. That is for you to do. We wish you all the best on your endeavors.

Really, if you're relying on Beyond for good advice or job assistance, your completely out of touch with what's going on in the workforce today. If you don't get a callback, suck it up and move on. Its not easy but its best than wasting time reviewing that which is unknowable.

Madeline, the main reason you will not be given a real reason why you weren't selected, if you hear at all, is because the lawyers tell them that's the safest thing to do. In order to sustain a discrimination action, you have to present evidence that you weren't selected for discriminatory reasons. If they say anything of substance, they might provide that evidence.

Unfortunately, this is not an employee market and there are no soft rules for employers on responding to prospective employees. I have been as frustrated as Madeline.

We professionals wouldn't have this problem if the idiots and morons were not still in charge!!!

Comment on #1 - I have followed up many time and asked their feedback. I've been on the final round many times (2nd, 3rd and 4th.. you can count). I don't get an extended offer. I asked them why. Most of time - nothing (being ignored - very rude). Once or twice, they said other candidates fit better. What does that means? That means nothing. When I hang up the phone and leave the office with the hiring manager, they said that was a good call or good meeting, that doesn't mean that I'm getting an offer. Very, very frustrating. NO one ever give a feedback so you never know why you didn't get an offer.

Thanks for the comments. @David unfortunately that does happen. It's up to the poster to take care of removing the post when the job is filled. Sometimes they are a bit lax on doing that. But there are tons of other positions that are still open and still need to be filled. @Peter I hear your pain. Cover letters, or pain letters as they are being called, are tough to write. But, if you don't include one, you could be rejected even before the system has time to check your resume. Always err on the side of caution and include a cover letter UNLESS the posting clearly indicates resume only. So true that many employers do not read the cover letter until they are on the phone or across the table from you. But again - it's always best to include it. Just make sure that the cover letter is about the company - why hiring you would benefit them and not all about you. @Brian we hear this all the time from job seekers that they have this great interview and then... nothing. It truly is unprofessional and we wish we could do something about it. From your perspective, make sure that you are doing everything right. After the interview send in a thank you note. Sure most people just jot a quick email and send it off so that they can check that box. Personally I think that a hand-written thank you note, sent by regular mail, is the best way to do it. It shows that you appreciate the time that they took and that you really want the job. Example: I was competing against six other candidates for a position as a business analyst. The interview went very well and afterwards, I went out to my car and immediately wrote out a thank you note. I addressed it and put it in the mailbox. I was called two days later with a job offer. I asked why they chose me and they said - you were the only one who cared enough to send a thank you note. So try it and see. You have nothing to lose but the amount of the thank you note and postage.

No one calls back un professional

Excellent. I do the same thing.

Under point # 3 "Stay Focused" , it mentions writing cover letters. I have done this for many years, and have changed or modified styles along the way. However, increasingly when I get a screen phone call to arrange the interview or get called directly from the hiring mgr., the questions asked are as if they have not even bothered reading the cover letters anymore. I tend to put some easy to read highlights and accomplishments down and for what?? It's still all about the "where, when & what" that's on your resume. PERIOD

I've noticed that beyond has had positions that were either filled but yet still come up on the job alert feed. Why is that?

Thanks for the comments. @Varkey I find it odd that all of your interviews are through Skype. I can see one of them on Skype but not all. I would question if the position is legit or not. In addition, that "recruiter" does not get paid for the number of interviews - only for placements. Not sure why they are choosing another candidate if your skills are impeccable as well as your interviewing skills. We all get those thanks for your interest but we are pursuing other candidates.. blah, blah, blah. I would try to push a little bit harder to see if you can get them to tell you the real reason. If you had a good rapport with the interviewer, you just might get a real answer. But, again, I question the Skype interviews. In my entire career I have only had one Skype interview. All of my other interviews have been in person or on the phone. I would try doing an in-person interview or even one on the phone and see if it changes anything.

I hope I don't have to go through hell. Having passed the interviews and never return back the called is just sad. Anyway, it is not the end of the world.

I agree with Daniel Daly. I had lots of great interviews and they all are happy about my performance in interview (all of them through Skype), very much impressed with my Résumé and my cover letter. After waiting for three weeks and follow up for the status, they give the same stupid answer like "We are pursuing other candidates that better suite our needs". When I ask where I am lacking in my knowledge, skills, experience that do not meet your requirements and my performance in interview, they just keep quite and no answers to that. So I think the Interview process and all those stupid things you are writing here is just useless and non-sense. I think the interview process is just to mock at others and thereby justify one's salary and commision.

regarding number 2, calling employer hr's they will not tell you specifically why, all they'll do is say although your qulifications are impeccable we are pursuing other candidates that better suite our needs, i have a pile of those

Wonderful I'm all above

@Sarah it's tough when you get blindsided like that. It has happened to me also. But honestly, if you are searching for a job and have submitted your resume, you need to be expecting calls like this. There is nothing wrong with stopping the conversation and saying something like - please give me your name and your company again - sorry I was in the middle of doing laundry or washing dishes, etc. and was distracted. Then you can give your full attention to the person on the other end of the phone. It will also give you a second to grab a piece of paper and a pen and start writing down some information. You could also say something like - I apologize but I don't have the job posting in front of me; could you remind me about the position. Again, gives you time to pull your mind away from what you were doing and be able to concentrate on the person on the phone and be ready to answer questions regarding the position. What I do, when I can, is to print out a copy of the job posting so that I can grab it and have it in front of me. Then, at the end of the conversation, I will ask if they could please send me an email with their contact information as well as a copy of the job posting. Hope this helps. Best of luck!

What I hate is when you have applied online, you get a call back, but they do not identify themselves! They just start a normal conversation with you & I'm sitting there thinking, who is this. Then I totally botch the interview because I wasn't in the correct mind set. That should NOT be allowed! Though, I know it is partly my fault for not asking who it was that I was speaking to. Is there anyway to fix this? He was asking personal questions, but did not say he was a recruiter for this company I'd applied to. I have caller ID, but that doesn't always tell what I needed to know.