Seeking Professional Courage

Author's Note: As 2023 begins drawing to an end, I wanted to take time to reflect on a year that has seen job loss, job hunting, contract work, re-employment, and other challenges in my professional life. Here are some of the lessons I have learned from my navigation. I hope they provide some insight to my LinkedIn community.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Part of my severance package was six months with an outsourcing firm. I dove into their offerings, taking classes, participating in chats, connecting with members, watching videos, and reading articles. By far the most common piece of advice was to work my network. It was also the most practical piece of advice given to me.

When a few new positions arose in a department in my former workplace, I made some calls. I knew the department, had worked with them on projects, knew the leadership, and knew their customer base well.

For the first of the jobs, the hiring manager and I spoke outside the interview process but at length about the position. He indicated I would be a great fit for the job. The client base knew and liked me, I knew the material, and I had a good reputation. I ended that phone call with high spirits and high hopes that my unemployment was finally ending.

Those spirits tumbled and the high hopes became new lows when two days later I received a notice from HR that I would not be considered for first round interviews.

Puzzled, I contacted the hiring manager. You know, the one who said I would be a great fit for the job? I heard nothing back from him. I waited a few days and called. I heard nothing back from him. I waited a few days and called one more time. This time he answered the phone and explained that he had forgotten one critical component of the position that I did not have the qualifications for, so he had to reject my application.

I kept the audible conversation professional and thanked him. The inaudible conversation was screaming why didn't he mention this vital qualification during our initial conversation or have the courtesy to return my earlier phone call or email explaining this?

I turned my attention to another opportunity in the same group with another manager. As that manager was out, I spoke with her supervisor who offered to contact the manager and let her know I was interested. She also indicated that she would give me her recommendation. The manager contacted me after her vacation and set up a time to talk.

Once again, the conversation seemed to go well, with many points of agreement and ideas for how to move the department towards its goals. When I asked the question about next steps, I was told I would go in front of a panel for some further Q&A and see if the panel would like me to progress further.

Two days later I received a notice that I would not be progressing further in the process. This time I didn't bother to call the manager.

The third opportunity that I applied for in the department ended differently. The hiring manager didn't even bother to tell HR to send me a rejection notice. I was ghosted by an organization that prided itself on its professionalism.

At the top of this article, I mentioned the most common piece of advice I received. The second most common piece of advice is that I better get used to a good deal of rejection. The letters ATS will become a four-letter word. My ego will take a beating by the repeated words, "While your skills are impressive...". It is part of the 'joys' of job hunting.

While candidates may have to endure this string of rejections, they should not have to be subjected to a hiring manager who simply lacks the professional courage to let the candidate know up front they are not qualified for the position. Giving the candidate false hope and raising their expectations only to have those hopes come crashing down when the impersonal rejection notice comes in is not only unprofessional, but cruel.

Yes, it's difficult to relate unwelcome news. That does not excuse a hiring manager from having to relate that unwelcome news. Will the candidate be upset? Absolutely. Might it be a difficult conversation? It could be. It's part of being a leader and something each manager who is responsible for guiding and directing employees should learn. You don't hide behind an ATS. You don't raise false hopes. It's simple respect.

There were other opportunities with that department after those initial three. I applied for none of them. If this is how they treat a well-qualified candidate, I was fairly sure how they would treat an employee.