And then HR screws it up....

From the reader who sent the previous query:

Unfortunately, the company has offered someone from my hometown before I could negotiate with them and convey my decision!

Situation: When they had offered me, I’d mentioned that I would need a couple of days to decide on the offer. And exactly on the third day when I contacted them, I was astonished to hear that they had offered someone else and the position was closed! They had found someone who could accept the offer (without negotiating) and join immediately. However, nowhere in my interview had they mentioned about immediate joining. As per policy in most companies an employee needs to serve out a notice period. During my interview I’d clearly mentioned my notice period and also willingness to join the company as per their requirement by negotiating with my current employer on the release date.

This is something strange to experience. Especially since this tells me about the HR's behavior & attitude towards candidates. It’s absolute unprofessionalism. I decided of not pursuing the offer with them. I can't imagine working with such an organization.

Thanks again for your time in replying to my mail.

I’m sorry the offer didn’t work out. Understandably, it sucks to be in such a situation. While it might seem strange for a person experiencing this for the first time, such senseless practices do exist. Even extreme cases such as revoking an offer, changing components of the offer after the candidate has joined, are among other senseless practices that are prevailing in the market. Is it unprofessional? Off course it is. But it is unavoidable? Sadly, the answer is, No. The current job market isn’t helping either. There are far more number of highly qualified candidates, than the number of the jobs available.

Well, you at least have a couple of positive things going for you: a) you haven’t resigned upon receiving the offer; (b) you got away from working for such an employer. That tells me that you did give it sufficient thought before taking the next step. Excellent approach!

You also can take away some learning from this experience. You’ll know exactly what to ask in your future interviews. Maybe even spend more time in finding out details about the prospective employer (not that you already aren’t doing that) before you take up interviews with them.

Hope you land with a job that meets your criteria.

Good luck!