You Keep me Hangin’ On

Contrary to what you might believe, when Kim Wilde wrote this song I am convinced she was talking about the job hunting process. She had to be because hanging on and waiting is the name of the game. You apply. You wait. You interview. You wait. You want an offer, you wait. In this economy, we are hanging on for dear life in hopes that a decent job offer and salary is coming our way. I wonder if employers realize how bad this constant waiting game is for applicants. Applying for a job can be time-consuming process. When conducting a focused and professional job search you become a little invested in every company that you apply to. By focused and professional, I mean not simply emailing your basic resume to every position that is posted within a 100-mile radius. I'm talking about actually reading the job descriptions, analyzing them in reference to your experience, and then preparing a tailored resume and cover letter to submit to that company. The process takes time, effort, and skill for which 90% of the time, you won't even be acknowledged.

If you are lucky enough to receive an interview, you should feel proud because you are doing better than a large portion of job applicants. However, that proud feeling is short-lived because that's when the waiting game truly begins. If you are interviewing well then you should be developing a rapport with every manager, director, or HR rep that you meet throughout the screening process. The interview should be an easy, two-sided conversation in which information is exchanged about you, as well as, the company and the job. Make no mistake, by rapport I do not mean over sharing, unprofessionalism, or saying too much. I am a strong advocate of only providing what is asked during the job search and in the workplace. To quote Jay-Z, "our time together is our time together and our time apart is our time apart." An interview is not the time to gush about your kids, family, husband, or whatever. No one in the professional world cares about your family, but I digress.

After speaking with these people for hours at a time, sometimes on multiple occasions, you expect a certain degree of loyalty and professional courtesy. What you don't expect, is to be kept hanging on with no response after the interview. In this case, no news is definitely not good news. I prefer to be informed even if I didn't get the job. That allows me to cross that position off my list and continue tracking my search efforts. What I don't want to do, is be left hanging on…and on….and on…in hopes of one day getting a response. I can handle no. No is not a bad word. There is nothing wrong with a simple, "Thank you for your interest but we have decided to pursue other candidates at this time." Good. At least you know…. And as they say on the BET public service announcements, knowing is beautiful right?