Why Did They Say 'You're Hired' And Then Go Silent?

Dear Liz,

I'm so frustrated! I had a great job interview -- two of them in fact — and on the second interview, the hiring manager "Craig" said "Good news, Elijah — you're hired!" We shook hands.

We talked about my start date. I asked him what the next step would be. He said "We're going to get you an offer letter."

I asked him "Should I look for that letter in my email?" and he said "I'm not sure" which was a weird thing to say. He works for the company. I would expect him to know how they deliver offer letters.

I had a strange feeling about that meeting. Craig literally said "You're hired!" but then he just walked me to the lobby. He didn't introduce me to anyone. I went home, and I haven't heard from him since.

I've left voice mail and email messages. It's been three and a half weeks since my second interview with Craig. Should I assume he's  hired someone else, and move on?

Thanks Liz -

Yours,

Elijah

Dear Elijah,

Craig might have hired someone else. He might have hired a temp or a contractor to solve his problem. The job opening might have been  put on hold. He might be pushing your job offer through his company's bureaucracy right now.

It could show up in your inbox tonight — but would you really feel confident accepting the offer if it did?

People show you who they are. A guy like Craig who can say "You're hired!" and confirm a start date and then let you sit in silence for three and a half weeks is not somebody you want to work for. He doesn't have his act together. He's rude and unprofessional, for one thing.

Craig or somebody else from his company should have contacted you with a few days of your last meeting. Move on! If you get the offer now, you can suggest to Craig that maybe you could help him more effectively as a consultant, with a legal consulting agreement.

That way Craig won't be able to jerk you around as easily as he could if you were a regular full-time employee.

A rule of thumb is that when a company treats you shabbily during the recruiting process, things will not get better once you start the job. They may get worse. If they don't show you the love when they're trying to recruit you, they never will!

All the best,

Liz