Job Hunting and the Interview Process in NYC

     You've decided to find a new job.  Maybe to grow your career.  Or to avoid a "going down the drain".  Perhaps to improve your income (hopefully to grow assets and minimize liabilities/debt).  You apply through a company's website.  Before you even submit your resume or begin the application, you might have to sign/acknowledge a waiver.  Like this…

"If I become employed, unless I am employed under a specific written contract or collective bargaining agreement, I agree to waive my right to a trial by jury in any action or proceeding involving any claim, whether statutory or at common law, related to or arising out of my employment or the termination of employment, including claims of discrimination.  I understand that I am waiving my rights voluntarily and knowingly and free from duress or coercion."

     Just to apply!  What a greeting!  If you hadn't read the "fine print" before checking that box, you could be fired for discriminatory reasons and have lost your rights.  Other company websites ask you to waive your rights so that they can use your contact information for "third-party" marketing and business purposes.  Other companies want to install cookies on your computer to track your internet activity.  All that… and you might not even be hired.  In fact, most people don't realize that Linkedin asks if it can monitor all the other websites that you use… unless you tell it not to, during your sign-up.  Such great greetings and "first impressions".  It gets better.  

*See my recent "What Job Ads Really Mean":
http://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2014/09/help-wanted.html

     The actual "Hiring Process" in this city amazes me.  It isn't unique to the rest of the world, but it continues to astound and frustrate many people.
...after my 25 years as an employee of varied levels of six (global, national & local) organizations,
...after networking with many many many corporate-based employees,
...after befriending countless people of all job strata in all walks of life (and hearing their stories),
...after getting to know several Human Resources folks,
...after my own interviews--both applying for jobs and trying to hire people…
     I can safely say, without fear of contradiction, that many Human Resources employees/directors aren't "people persons" and oughtn't be working in HR.  Many of them approach interviews with layers of pre-conceived notions and judgements, which taint their opinions.  (I've always felt it unwise to approach opportunities with an unclear mind or preconceived perception).  Their preconceived notions are opposed to the notion of "innocent until proven" (for the candidate's sake).  Maybe they think that they're psychic?  Many folks in "hiring positions" seem hapless and helpless; they fail to communicate, and they're insouciant to the needs of the business.  Oh, they certainly do seem "tuned in" to keeping down costs for organizations (offering you as little pay as possible) and garnering favors with senior executives.  Sadly, that means that a perfectly-suited candidate will be denied, in favor of an inadequate one who is willing to work for less money.  Thus, HR folks are not interested in hiring quality people who'd benefit their organizations.  For the sake of nepotism and cost-cutting, they're not interested in removing employees that are harming their organizations.  They themselves merely want to hold onto their cushy swivel-chair jobs and corporate-level coffee breaks.
     To be fair, in some cases, the organization is too cheap to pay for talented HR staff, so young "temp assistants" are stuck doing most of the senior-level work.  Along that vein, senior-level politics, whims and favoritism all challenge HR Departments to act fairly or effectively.  (My previous unscrupulous company went through a new HR Director each year!  The first one to go--who hired me--complained about how helpless she felt.  She worked hard to recruit and retain good talent, but the company's irreverent internal practices repelled good employees.  The next two HR Directors were superficial idiots who could not have run a hot dog stand.)
     Amazingly-successful Manhattan restauranteur, Danny Meyer, said that the way HR communicates with job applicants should be the cordial "window" to what the rest of the organization is like.  Just as receptionists must make guests feel comfortable and must indicate the environment of the organization behind them.  Agree?  It's all about "first impressions".  It doesn't cost anything.  Don't they teach that to HR people??!

     Why am I ranting?  During this summer, I've had the misfortune to go through the convoluted, mismanaged, poorly communicated Hiring Processes for several large firms and a few smaller entities.  They have so many opportunities to improve.

     First off, I've heard the term "overqualified".  I replied to one interviewer that the entry-level young person they do hire instead of me won't guarantee any more longevity in the organization than I would've.  However, it would be a great bargain for them to get someone talented/experienced like myself to work for them, at the compensation level that they offered!
     [Along those lines... when I was hiring my staff at a previous job, I told my superior that I had two final candidates.  One candidate told me upfront that he could only work for 6 months, but he had an excellent resume/work ethic.  The other claimed to want long-term growth in the company, but she had meager talents.  I wanted to hire the short-term guy because even though it was half a year, I knew he'd work hard during that time.  And it'd give me time to find a replacement.  My superior overruled me and hired the girl… who had lied to us and quit 2 months later.]
     Sometimes, companies are soley interested in getting federal "Work Opportunity Tax Credits", which are given to employers who hire/retain individuals from certain "target groups": veterans, food stamp recipients, ex-felons, summer youth employees, or Supplemental Security Income recipients.  Instead of qualified candidates.  If that person works 120 hours, the employer can claim a tax credit equal to 25% of the employee's wages; 400 hours = 40%.  Companies claim over $1 billion in such credits, annually.
     Then there are the purely dishonest "companies" or online "job-search boards" that collect/rip-off candidates' contact information to sell to marketing companies.  Think about it, in a city like NYC, they collect thousands of addresses, phone #s, email addresses per week!  And they make pure profit off it, just as dishonest apartment buildings continually accept applications and charge $120 "application fees", when they have no intention of giving an apartment.  It's just year-round profit for them.
     Some companies (especially retail job offers) make you sign away your rights to letting them share your personal information with "third party affiliates" or for "marketing purposes"… just to have the privilege of applying for any kind of job via their Careers Website!  If you don't agree to that, you can't submit your resume for consideration.  Some companies are bold enough to ask that you waive your rights to allow them to put "cookies" on your computer (beyond the firewall), so they can track your online movements, see what you view, and observe your online patterns.  That's like getting marketing research from you without paying you for it.  An invasion of privacy.  Just to apply for a job that you're not guaranteed to get!
     Maybe such companies feel entitled to steal your information and elicit your unknowing permission to spy on you.  Just like Pandora's mobile app on Android devices requests permission for your identity, contacts, calendar, photos, media, files, and even call information!  (So, when you "allow" to the app's request for "permission to operate", you inadvertently agree to give away all your privacy, too.  At no charge to Pandora).
     Finally, there's New York's "at will" employment condition, so that an employer can terminate your employment whenever they want, without reason.  (Another winning aspect of life in NY).
     So, after facing all that, I was ready for my first "interview".

     *Here's a tip!  While studying at Alfred University, I had the foresight to approach the Director of the Career Development Center to get coached on interviews.  It went so well, that I spoke to the Dean of Students and the Dean of my business college and put together an event where the CDC coached a group of graduating students.  No, the CDC Director had never thought of that before.  Maybe I should've gotten a tuition discount for all my on-campus/volunteerism improvements I made?  (I made sure that the American Marketing Association, which I was president of, got credit for it).  That event went so well that they officially made it a campus-wide event, adding a luncheon that taught "table manners".  Overall, I learned that the most important question that impresses hiring folks is when you ask THEM a final question.  Such as...
- How would you describe the culture of the company?
- What do people like most about working here?
- What are your core values?
- What is the average tenure of employees?
- What is the strategic direction of the organization?
- How will my performance be measured?
- What is the managerial style of my supervisor?
- What are your objectives for this position?  
- What is one thing I can accomplish that will tell you that I have done a good job?
     It makes you stand out memorably against those people who often say "I don't have any further questions."*

     My first interview was with British luxury retail company.  The Store Director with the most clout in America (who helped "start up" almost every store) interviewed me.  Not just a typical session, she liked me enough that we had a 2 hour in-depth session!  She "grilled me" from all angles, questioned me repeatedly and seemed to savor all my answers.  She even turned away store-level issues at the time because she was enjoying our conversation so much.  Next, she said my application needed to be approved by the folks in England.  But I should expect to hear back "very soon".  The next day, I sent a hand-written Thank You note (as is my custom).  After two weeks, I sent a polite follow-up email, which was unanswered.  A week later, I left a voicemail, which was unanswered.  Two weeks later, I sent one last email.  No response.
     (I told my boyfriend, Lewis, that my opinion was… if you claim to be "customer service oriented" and expect ME to deliver excellence to YOUR organization, then you ought to show consideration and courtesy to ME during the hiring process.  Just as you'd do for customers and vendors.  If organizations expect candidates to fill out their long online applications, submit resumes and cover letters and essay samples, go through computer-generated tests, and show up punctually for a series of interviews... then at least have the decency to reply to applicants and keep them informed of statuses.  Lewis agreed.  In fact, everyone I talk to agrees.  Not the hiring people, apparently).
     A month later, I got a brisk email from her saying that they were going to move ahead with another candidate.  By then, I had completed 3 interviews with a famous jewelry chain.  I aced each of 3 interviews (for a corporate job at their office... which is in the undesirable town of Elmhurst, but which they lie about by pretending that it's in fashionable Astoria).  After a month went by, the young HR director responded to me, saying that one of the people I interviewed with had been terminated.  They were "currently reassessing the needs of the business".  30 more days after that, she informed me that they weren't going to fill the position that I had applied for and were simply going to disperse the work amongst existing staff.  Why hire/interview for a job that you're going to kill?  "The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing."
     A professional friend of mine set me up to interview for a Store Director job at a midtown luxury menswear boutique.  They were intent on expanding across the country (and their future seemed so bright that you needed sunglass to look at it).  The Regional VP of North America interviewed me, liked me, and told me that I'd soon meet with the VP of Stores (flying in from Europe).  He left me a voicemail with the meeting place and time… but without the VP's contact information, or the guy's last name, or what he looked like!!  My call back to find out that information went unanswered.  The meeting place was the lobby of the Roosevelt Hotel, near Grand Central Terminal.  But where was I supposed to meet the man, in the vast lobby?  So, I sat in the lobby's café and looked for a man dressed as if he had stepped out of a catalog.  Sure enough, I spotted the VP of Stores as he arrived, and I politely approached him.  After seemingly impressing him (and giving him free advice on ways to improve their convoluted website, and ways to draw more business to their single NYC store), he invited me to walk with him, as he visited the store.  I appreciated the continued dialogue.  The interview ended, I sent a Thank You email… and I waited a month without reply from either gentleman.  Then, Europe sent me an email saying that they'd decided not to expand "at this time."
     By then, I was heading to my second Store Director interview with an espresso company.  The middle-age HR Director loved me and enthusiastically told me how the company wanted to build new stores in the city and across America.  (I was applying for an existing store's vacancy in management).  A former supervisor of mine knew the VP of Stores (whom I met at my second interview) and put in a good word for me.  The VP also seemed to adore me, joking alongside me, wowed by my perceptive answers, insight, and observations.  Hours flew by, while she interviewed me!  Then, to Lewis and my astonishment, two months passed without either of them answering my occasional follow-up emails.  Finally, I got a short message indicating that their company was going through a "hiring freeze".
     Why would all these large (where I expect inter-connected organization to exist) companies post job offerings, in the first place?  If they weren't ready to hire?
     I also tried networking via a well-known Recruitment Firm.  I arrived promptly to see a room full of 20-something girls, dabbling on social media, carrying shopping bags (as they returned from lunch) and gossiping together.  THEY were the recruiters/job-connectors!  My interviewer finally arrived and ushered me into a small room for our quick chat.  I wasn't impressed or hopeful--having seen their "cheap help".  In fact, they treated me the way a money-hungry realtor treats clients: they spent 2 days pushing me towards whatever jobs came across their desks, then soon forgot about me… as more candidates came through their doors.  They truly didn't care about helping people.
     Keeping upbeat, I was encouraged by 2 friends (both are retail managers) to apply for the Corporate Trainer (of USA stores) job at their global luxury retail company.  I was familiar with their VP of Stores, who basically ran the American stores (under the figurehead President).  In fact, when one of my friends told the VP that I was interested in applying, the VP replied, "Oh great, that's perfect.  Tell Ken to send his paperwork."  But when I showed up--well-suited for the interview, that VP awkwardly said that he wouldn't be interviewing me that day: it'd be HR.  However, the HR Director--and then the President--met with me but seemed to think that the VP of Stores had already interviewed me!  Unsure of what to do, I played along.  The HR Director joked that she wasn't even sure what my responsibilities would be!  !!!  A few days later, I heard that the VP had given the Trainer job to a friend of his.  Perhaps I was only asked to show up so there'd be "another candidate" in the mix--so it wouldn't look like pure favoritism.  (Incidentally, two months later, both of my friends quit from that company for their own reasons.  The company then spiraled down, losing store managers & top salespeople, ending with a new President who abruptly fired that VP).
     This blog entry doesn't even comment on my hundreds of online applications and online exams that went unanswered.  Only a few formally declined me, months later, via automatic message.
     A nation-wide company actually had such an antiquated hiring system that I got this message: "**Please note, applying using a Safari browser on a Mac device is not currently compatible with our current application system."!!  
     I "bucked up" and spent 2 hours applying online for a Client/Member Services corporate job at a well-established company of good standing and reputation: AESC.  The operational job belonged to its BlueSteps division.
     (It'd be nice if online applications had the decency to tell applicants how long/how many pages their process is going to be.  There's nothing like registering online and then starting an online application process [which sometimes idiotically makes you retype things from your already-uploaded resume] only to discover that it's 15 pages long, or involves a timed exam, or that the application takes 40 minutes!)
     AESC also required a "research paper" submitted to them (they randomly gave me the topic), as well as a sample "personal essay".  I must've done well, because it began a series of "unsigned/anonymous" emails from their Corporate Office.  (Anonymous???)  Upon "graduating" to the first phone interview with their Operations Manager (who was the hiring manager for the job), I knew he was impressed with me.  Later that week, the second interview had a snafu when the Vice President of Operations didn't show up for work.  But, he interviewed me for 30 minutes on the phone.  Having succeeded, or so it seemed, I awaited the next step--which was supposed to occur in a week.  After two weeks, my follow-up email got a response that they still had a few more candidates to check.  Meanwhile, my job references queried me because they hadn't been called yet.  A week later, my email got a reply, "Rest assured, we'll be moving onto the next step in a week's time."  Two weeks later, my next email got a response that the company had decided not to fill the job after all.  Why the *F* did I have to keep chasing after these "professionals"?  Didn't it occur to them to let me know what was happening?  Or do they all think that human applicants are as expendable as harvest workers or Kleenex tissues?
     A friend tipped me that a company was actively hiring.  It touted itself as an upscale business, full of ethics and courtesy.  I applied online (although I've since learned that many companies don't notice their online applications, and pay more attention to walk-ins and phone-ins).  After a week with no acknowledgement, I researched and found out who the hiring person was at HR.  I called and spoke with him.  He actually gave a short laugh into the phone, as if to say, "Oh my God, you're actually calling about the job?"  Maintaining my professionalism and my politeness, I indicated that I was following up on my application.  He asked if I'd gone through the online process.  I affirmed it and offered to email my resume to him... but he said, "No don't email it; that's how things get lost around here."  (Are you serious???)  Then he concluded the call with, "If we like your resume, we'll reach out to you."  He apparently didn't care who I was or that I was trying to work for his company.  It was dismissive.  It was nothing like the company's (false) public image.
     Next, I got a ridiculous offer from a mid-priced/upscale mens clothing chain.  I was applying for a Store Manager job and had progressed to my second interview.  (Some companies like to play the game of requesting your "salary requirement" or "salary history" before they announce how much they'll pay you.  Of course, that is done so they can "low-ball" you with the lowest possible amount.  Not exactly the way to lure great talent.  I also find it offensive when they ask how much you want to earn, but when you ask them how much the job pays, they don't tell you).  Anyway, we'd finally gotten through the "game", and I finally found out what my compensation would be.  Hmmm, the employers wanted me to increase sales by $2 million… but at no expense to them… and they weren't even going to pay me more than the previous "mediocre" manager.  Why should I make you more money, if I don't get any?  Why should I (who am much better) only get paid as much as the previous person (who was so ineffective)?  And how do you expect to make more income without you investing in fixing the problems?
     Above all of them, Ralph's interview process was the most shallow.  They require a video interview (so they can see you, but you don't see them) as the first stage… and ask that you write an allowance for them to have access to your cellphone or computer to do it!  Discrimination based on physical qualities?
     I enthusiastically applied at a food company that touts itself as having "the least amount of bureaucracy".  After passing 3 separate interviews--each was weeks apart--I met with the corporate hiring manager, whom I never heard from again.  
     An HR executive for Apple reached out to me.  "Work Where Extraordinary Happens!"  Apple publicly states that it hires people without computer knowledge, just to have positive-minded staff who are "trainable".  Our Monday morning phone interview went very well.  She complimented, "Your good energy comes through to me over the phone, and I'm very impressed with your resume, demeanor and customer service aptitude."  (I love their philosophy and using their products)!  She said that I'd hear from her NYC hiring team by the end of the next week.  Days after that deadline (14 days after our phone chat), I politely emailed her.  Two days later, she replied that the NYC team was "preoccupied".  An invitation to meet with them arrived at the end of the following week.  I joined a large group of applicants for a half-day of interpersonal workshops / personality tests.  Apple staff singled me out, loving my effusive enthusiasm and abilities.  Even other applicants in my "group" had to admit that I was exceptional.  Apple repeated that computer know-how wasn't as important as aura.  Weeks later, they randomly picked a store manager (from all their stores across the city) to interview me.  Sadly, I met with the one who had the worst online reviews.  I expertly answered all his questions and asked him good ones, too.  But, he seem flummoxed that I didn't know about his store's in-store cinema.  While I was experienced with iPods, iMacs, iPads & iPhones, I only had (detailed) knowledge of the new iWatch... yet hadn't tried one on yet (which I did immediately after our chat).  Apple pursued another candidate, instead.  Maybe one negative (and unchecked) comment from him outweighed the positive praise of 5 others?
     I also spoke with an acquaintance of mine, a NYC retail Store Director seeking an Assistant Manager.  Abruptly, he asked for my salary history and salary requirement.  I told him.  Then, he told me that the company wouldn't pay that much.  I nicely protested, stating that I'd already researched his company on glassdoor.com and knew what they were paying AMs.  He merely smiled and said I was clever.  I earnestly asked what his budget was?  He told me, but also said that his boss had "instructed" him to hire someone well beneath the budgeted amount: "find someone as cheap as possible to 'profit' from our desperate job climate".  
     Incidentally, that American company still supports a bloated corporate hierarchy with a plethora of corporate titles: 
Fabric Operations Manager - Denim
Fabric Operations Assistant Manager - Denim
Director of Denim
Associate Production Manager - Sweaters
Senior Designer - Sweaters
Tech Designer - Knits
Senior Manager of Fabric Research - Childswear
Computer Artist - Childswear
Senior Technical Designer - Bags
Associate Planner - Home
Manager of Acquisition Marketing
Manager of Talent Management
Junior Manager of Pre-Production Footwear
Director of Operations - Footwear
Director of Creative Presentation
Director of Global Procurement Operations
Director of Social Strategy
Decorative Coordinator for Rollout
… all for merchandise made in Asia!  How about investing in your "customer interface" staff?

     Currently, I'm applying to another company.  Today was my third separate interview (with the fourth person) and I was told to expect a call "very soon".  I've been prompt to all their interviews (which meant rescheduling my work duties), fielded their questions, considerately asked them some, been told that "we don't discuss salary/money yet", and explained how I'll bring my expertise to their business model.  I sent customized Thank You's to each interviewer.  No word yet, but I'm hopeful as always.
     I've also given up on hearing back from TD Bank.  After passing the screening interview and the HR interview, I got an appointment with the hiring manager.  He was so impressed with me that he turned to his computer to see if there were higher-level jobs available in his department for me.  There weren't.  Nonetheless, I expressed my enthusiasm for the job that I was interviewing for.  He shook my hand, looked me in the eye and told me that I'd hear from him in five business days.  More than a week later, I sent him an email that didn't get a reply.  Two days later, I left a voicemail that didn't get a reply.  Finally, I got him on the phone, and he apologized for the delay, saying that HR had just given him another candidate to interview for that position... and I would hear from him soon.  I never heard from him... which is irresponsible and inconsiderate.  If you're so impressed with an applicant, then hire them... without waiting to see if someone better comes along.  Such professionalism.  (On the TV show "Shark Tank", the investors don't like it when candidates stall on their offers to see if something better comes along).  I have no clue what went wrong, but they are still my bank because of their greatness.
      Simultaneously, I passed the screening interview for another mid-priced/upscale menswear company (which is going from "clicks to bricks").  Next, I met with the VP of Stores in America.  He absolutely adored me and explicitly said that he wanted me to be the Assistant Manager at their new NYC flagship store in the Flatiron district.  He had just hired the Store Manager; my 3rd interview was with them together.  I aced all her interview questions.  A week later, the new manager emailed me to say that she had her own candidate in mind for the Assistant Manager job, but offered me a part-time sales job.  (maybe just to appease the VP?)  I emailed back, cc the VP, to say that all along, my interviews had been for an AM role, which everyone seemed to think I was perfect for.  An offer of a part-time job (not even the Sales Lead or Keyholder jobs) seemed insulting.  She replied that after consultation with the VP, she'd offer me a full-time sales job... and if I proved myself, I might be considered for Sales Lead or Keyholder.  "Proved myself"?  My resume and references offered plenty of proof.  I declined her offer.  What a weak VP!
      Next, Lewis' friend, Christine, suggested me for an operations job at a richly famous financial services company.  Her boss told her that it was mostly up to her to find a candidate, and she'd train the candidate.  I aced the HR screening phone call.  Then, I aced the interview with Human Resources.  Christine interviewed me and gave glowing reviews.  Next, I needed 3 interviews with 3 different people, including Christine's boss.  Weeks later, HR was still having trouble scheduling my interview with Christine's boss: he cancelled twice.  Finally, HR set a date--with confirmation from all 3 people.  Last minute, Christine's boss cancelled again... but agreed to a phone interview with me the following day.  I aced both in-person interviews, back-to-back.  I was happy to see both their faces "light up" at my answers to their questions.  Christine had told me what the compensation was, so I asked for a bit more--leaving room for a counter-offer (which never happened).  Both interviews lasted longer than expected--always a good sign--and both told Christine how impressed they were with me (one woman was a supervisor with 15 years there).  Finally, my phone interview with Christine's boss happened: a brief 20 minutes.  I gave him the SAME answers as I'd given previously.  A week later, Christine sadly told me that her boss felt that I had "avoided" his questions. !!??  Suddenly, a job that had seemed "a sure thing" was pulled from Christine's hands.  She texted me, "He told me in the beginning that as long as you weren't a total numb-nuts and if I agreed to train you, he'd hire you since we have an existing relationship."  She discovered that a "minority woman" had NOT vacated the role, so the job had been withheld from me... even though the woman routinely broke down crying at her desk, unable to cope with the stress... and consistently earned poor performance reviews.  Christine and I were disgusted.  Yet, I followed up with the 15-year veteran, hoping for an opening on her team (that I learned about), since she was impressed with me.  If I get a reply from her, I'll post it here.

     All along, my friends bolster and encourage me.  They point me to openings that they see.  My job references (an impressive bunch, I must admit, including a series of fond ex-colleagues and high-ranking personal references) are always prepared to help me.  (Sadly, they can't get me jobs at their companies… sigh).  
     Words of a distant friend echo, "You're job will come.  It's not in vain that you have this desire in your heart.  Keep doing what you know, always looking, and one day you will find it!"

     A month after posting this, a dear friend emailed me to agree, "My supervisor and I worked on my resume for hours to apply for a position.  I worked hard, meeting each required qualification.  Due to upper-level favoritism, they claimed that I didn't meet the minimum requirements!  Then, there were 2 other jobs I applied for, but the jobs got cancelled.  It's so frustrating to be in this mirage--a glimmer of possible hope--for nothing."


     Maybe companies have forsaken plain little ordinary courtesy.  That's pretty important.  Caring for our "fellow man" is only the blood, bone and sinew of democracy.  I pray for good news soon; it'd be nice to add future blog entries about a delightful work environment (for a change), and about a place where folks contribute to growing success (for themselves, clients, stakeholders and the organization).  It'd be nice to deal with other humans who treat you like a part of the respect-worthy human race.  No man was born to be a failure.

Relatedly, please click on these links for other insights:

https://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2015/08/priorities-exterior-or-interior.html

https://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2015/08/speaking-of-inexperienced-hired-help.html

https://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2015/11/problem-with-american-retail-why-work.html