Sunday, January 18, 1998

Unresponsive companies frustrate job seeker

By MARVIN WALBERG / Scripps Howard News Service

Dear Mr. Walberg: My question has to do with the unresponsive attitude of employers, before and after the interview process.

I have been on numerous interviews and have sent out more resumes that I can recall. So many companies fail to acknowledge the receipt of your resume when a simple post card would be so helpful.

Even worse are those companies that ignore your follow-up correspondence and phone calls after the interview. Many times, weeks have passed after an interview and I decide to call the interviewer, who, in turn, never returns my call.

These company tactics leave a very bitter taste in my mouth, and I wonder how they treat customers if this is how they treat potential employees. Is there anything that can be done to combat this?

S.C., Wilmington, Del.

Dear S.C., I'm sure that employers are fully aware that job applicants want to know where they stand in relation to job openings, and I'm also sure that employers care about good will.

I know many employers make a good effort to communicate with every job seeker who contacts them. But many don't, and I understand your frustration.

Try to understand the volume of response that most employers receive from advertised job openings. One ad can result in hundreds of letters and resumes.

The bottom line is that it is more your job to root out information from companies than it is the employers' job to keep you informed.

And, I will tell you that if I were the employer and you decided, weeks after an interview, to call and check up on the job opening, I probably wouldn't return your call either! You waited too long to follow through, demonstrating a potentially weak work ethic.

Here's what you should do:

-- Add URGENCY to your search.

-- Follow up on every mailed resume, 2-4 days after the mailing.

-- Mail or deliver a thank-you note within 24-hours of every interview, then make timely follow-up calls.

-- Treat your job search as a real job and demonstrate to employers that you have the work ethic to get the job done, quickly and efficiently.

(Marvin Walberg is a Birmingham job search consultant and the author of a book, "About Getting Hired: the Job Search." Readers with questions for Getting Hired may send them to P.O. Box 130757, Birmingham, Ala.)