why did a company say they’d call when they didn’t?

by Alison Green on January 8, 2008

A reader writes:

I recently had two phone interviews with a company, which went well from what I could tell. There was lots of talk about my experience and how I could apply that to the position. The hiring manager told me that the Department Manager would call me to set up the next steps and the company seemed interested in what I had to offer. Then almost an hour later a recruiter called and said they were passing on me.

So what I am trying to figure out now, is why end a call with false information regarding the next steps?

I wouldn’t assume anyone deliberately gave you false information. The company could have decided to pursue other candidates after internal discussion, either about you or about other candidates.

On the other hand, sometimes an interviewer will end an interview with that sort of statement, because it’s the “I’ll call you” of the interviewing world. In other words, it’s a way of avoiding direct face-to-face rejection — which can be awkward not only for the interviewer but also for the person being rejected. I agree with you that it’s nicer to get an answer up front if one is known, but I think this is a pretty understandable course to take, especially since they did get back to you with a clear answer.

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  1. Wally Bock*

    AAM is right on. Here’s another point. The person who interviewed you probably wasn’t the person who was making the decision on whether to go farther with you. He probably thought you looked good. He may have recommended you for the next steps and been overruled.

    That leads to another thought. Not everything that doesn’t come out your way or the way you expected happens because people are deceitful or even sloppy. Sometimes it’s just the way things work. It might not be your fault, just your turn.

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