Man Is Excited To Land An Interview After A Long Job Search, Until The Company Cancels — 'We're Sorry But We Scheduled Your Meeting By Mistake'
A job search can be long and hard, but this is downright cruel.
Tuiphotoengineer / CanvaPro According to Top Resume, in 2022 the average job search lasted between five and six months. Yikes! That's enough time to exhaust your entire emergency savings fund and end up facing serious debt.
That's why after a lengthy job search, one man was elated to get a request to interview for a job he had applied for. But the following day, he got an unexpected and disappointing follow up email.
After a long job search, one man's hopes for an upcoming interview were quickly dashed by a company's computer error.
Posting to the r/jobs subreddit, a man shared his frustrations after receiving the long-awaited news that he'd finally be interviewed for a position as a Diversity and Inclusion Specialist.
Unbelievably, he woke up the next morning to an email stating that the interview request had been sent out by the company's automated system in error. He was told to disregard the previous email and with that, his hopes were temporarily dashed.
According to the most recent employment stats for 2023, it's no wonder he was disappointed — only about 2% of job applicants actually get to the interview stage. That means a measly one interview for about 50 candidates. Those numbers are daunting.
Thankfully, the man was still in the running for the open role.
The company let him know that although he was not being interviewed due to the error, their committee was still looking at candidates and he could potentially be selected to move forward in the process, hopefully legitimately this time.
Photo: Reddit
Despite the bad news, the company thanked him for even considering them as a potential place to work and invited him to continue to apply for any jobs that might match his qualifications. The situation obviously left him deflated.
A generic form letter likely didn't help either. The whole job hiring process has become very clinical, especially when you consider that recruiters only look at an applicant's resume for between six and eight seconds before rejecting. And that's if they actually look — most resumes are put through AI software designed to search for specific keywords.
It's important to keep a positive attitude when job hunting.
Securing your dream job is a marathon, not a sprint. You have to remember that there are going to be roadblocks and rejections, and they should be taken in stride. Just because one opportunity did not go the way you anticipated, doesn't mean there aren't others right around the corner.
Take the negative with a grain of salt and stay motivated until you find the perfect position for you. Remember that rejection might be redirection. Perhaps the company wasn't a good match for you and not the other way around.
If you are becoming disheartened with your current job search, there are a few thing to remember:
- Keep a good attitude by taking care of yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually.
- Do things to occupy your time like volunteer, go to networking events, or work on building a new skill.
- Consider part-time, temporary, or freelance work to bring in money while you look for something stable.
- Keep track of your job search, always follow up, and make sure your goals are focused.
They say that when one door closes, another one opens. Missing out on an opportunity that you have really set your sights on can be very disappointing, but you have to keep the momentum going.
If one application doesn't culminate in a job offer, move on to the next... and the next... and the next. But never give up.
NyRee Ausler, SHRM-SCP, SPHR is a writer and author from Seattle, Washington. She covers workplace issues using the experience garnered over two decades of working in Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.