Frustration!

[haltny]

Previously I have traveled from London to a city far north of London to attend Interview and assessment, costing me a hefty train fare and an overnight stay in a hotel.

More recently I had to attend another interview and assessment for the same company. They gave me less than a week's notice of the assessment, and the person listed as the contact was 'unhelpfully' on annual leave, so no way of postponing. This was a nuisance as I was out of the UK. Not wanting to miss my chance of a job, I bought a last minute plane ticket to come back to the UK to attend.

That was a month of many sleepless nights ago.

Since then I have heard nothing. I have chased them up twice. Nothing.

This also happened before. Same company, chased and chased and chased and found out from another source they have cancelled their recruitment due to redundancies. Not even an email to tell me.

My frustration is I have spent hundreds attending two assessments and two interviews with this company and they don't even have the decency to drop you an email and tell you 'Sorry you have been unsuccessful'. I mean, seriously, how hard is it to send someone an email?

I think this is both a disgusting way to treat anyone who has spent time, effort and in my case a lot of money to attend, and also an awful way to run a business. Personally I feel that the HR Manager in charge needs a kick up the ****

I'm sure there are many just like me, but it's so frustrating! Why do they do it, do they not realise they are messing with people's lives!

:mad:

 

[red2005]

The mistake you've made is thinking that anything related to railway recruitment happens at a rate of knots...... it doesn't.

Very often the only contact you wil have will be by email.... simply forget phone numbers as most Tocs have them there as merely a token gesture.

My advice to you is to show a little patience and remember that depending on the job/company you could be one of hundreds/thousands applying. With all due respect having a social media rant probably isn't going to do you any favours whatsoever...... remember, loose lips sink ships.

 

[greatkingrat]

But he isn't just an applicant, he has already been shortlisted and invited to an interview. While I can understand they may not contact everyone who has applied, once you have reached the assessment stage it is simply rude to not make any contact, even if it just a holding email saying they are not yet able to confirm what is happening.

 

[haltny]

The mistake you've made is thinking that anything related to railway recruitment happens at a rate of knots...... it doesn't.

Very often the only contact you wil have will be by email.... simply forget phone numbers as most Tocs have them there as merely a token gesture.

My advice to you is to show a little patience and remember that depending on the job/company you could be one of hundreds/thousands applying. With all due respect having a social media rant probably isn't going to do you any favours whatsoever...... remember, loose lips sink ships.

I appreciate a rant is not the best but I am so frustrated. I was told at interview they would let people know within a couple of weeks. The positions were going to start this month. I was told the medical would probably be the week after the interview, so I changed all my arrangements just so I could attend if contacted. If I hadn't got the job why could HR just tell me when I called. It could well be that there has been a delay in the start dates, and the job has been postponed, but then tell me that so I can get on with my life and not live on tender hooks. My point is it takes minutes to compose and send an email to hundreds of people. It's the very least they could do.

 

[haltny]

But he isn't just an applicant, he has already been shortlisted and invited to an interview. While I can understand they may not contact everyone who has applied, once you have reached the assessment stage it is simply rude to not make any contact, even if it just a holding email saying they are not yet able to confirm what is happening.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[otomous]

Previously I have traveled from London to a city far north of London to attend Interview and assessment, costing me a hefty train fare and an overnight stay in a hotel.

More recently I had to attend another interview and assessment for the same company. They gave me less than a week's notice of the assessment, and the person listed as the contact was 'unhelpfully' on annual leave, so no way of postponing. This was a nuisance as I was out of the UK. Not wanting to miss my chance of a job, I bought a last minute plane ticket to come back to the UK to attend.

That was a month of many sleepless nights ago.

Since then I have heard nothing. I have chased them up twice. Nothing.

This also happened before. Same company, chased and chased and chased and found out from another source they have cancelled their recruitment due to redundancies. Not even an email to tell me.

My frustration is I have spent hundreds attending two assessments and two interviews with this company and they don't even have the decency to drop you an email and tell you 'Sorry you have been unsuccessful'. I mean, seriously, how hard is it to send someone an email?

I think this is both a disgusting way to treat anyone who has spent time, effort and in my case a lot of money to attend, and also an awful way to run a business. Personally I feel that the HR Manager in charge needs a kick up the ****

I'm sure there are many just like me, but it's so frustrating! Why do they do it, do they not realise they are messing with people's lives!

:mad:

You are right to feel aggrieved. Sadly market forces dictate they can behave like this - sheer numbers of applicants mean they more or less hold all the cards. Believe me, treatment isn't a lot better once you're in!

 

[linnet_ranger]

Haltny - you've got to breathe mate. I also am waiting for the outcome on two roles that I have applied for, but worrying about them or allowing myself to become wound up about it won't help me or make the decisions come any quicker. In the meantime, I am thankful I have a job somewhere else doing something I'd rather not do.

Yes you have been treated shoddily, but coming on here and having a rant will only attract attention and who knows, someone might see it. If this is the second time you have applied to the same company and the treatment you have received is the same, perhaps take the view that this is simply how the company works cos you had it happen to you last time. Once you are in, make a point of giving them feedback about what it is like being recruited and how simple it would be to avoid putting candidates through it.

If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. Best of luck to you bud.

 

[LWB]

The mistake you've made is thinking that anything related to railway recruitment happens at a rate of knots...... it doesn't.
.

err... well yes and no!

Agree with much of what you've said but there's the matter of vacancies being posted late (very late) Fridays and shut Monday mornings. Or there again there's vacancies advertised " must be able to start....(two weeks time). These happen fairly often with driver (even trainee) vacancies on Northern.

 

[JN114]

Vast majority of roles on the railway require a great deal of patience. If the recruitment process is frustrating you so much perhaps it isn't the industry for you?

 

[theking]

You will get people on here saying you need patience or the railway is slow at doing things but that's not the point ignore that.

The problem is they have so many applicants they don't need to care about the individual.

Thats why even after saying they'll get back to you in two weeks they haven't even got the decency to tell you.

If there's been a delay or somethings come up it isn't hard for them to write a few lines on email and send it too all the applicants it's just rudeness on their part.

 

[ComUtoR]

Why is it 'rude' or they 'haven't got the decency' or 'disgusting'

I suggest the applicant is impatient, ungrateful, self-centred and ignorant. I would also suggest that if this is already your opinion of the company then maybe apply elsewhere. Why work for a company you clearly have no respect for.

 

[otomous]

Why is it 'rude' or they 'haven't got the decency' or 'disgusting'

I suggest the applicant is impatient, ungrateful, self-centred and ignorant. I would also suggest that if this is already your opinion of the company then maybe apply elsewhere. Why work for a company you clearly have no respect for.

Now come on ComUtor - because they pay us well!

 

[ComUtoR]

Too many applicants see it as '4 day week and lots of cash' :/ We both know the role is much more than that. Patience is a quality they look for.....

NTS skills too. Leaving the country whilst waiting for a interview reply... LOL !

 

[NickR]

Talk about patience in a process you know can take ages then laugh at him for getting on with his life and not being available at short notice?

Ok.

 

[ComUtoR]

Talk about patience in a process you know can take ages then laugh at him for getting on with his life and not being available at short notice?

Ok.

The problem is that yes, get on with your life but then what ? Is it really the TOC's fault you left the country ? They then had the audacity to blame someone else for being unavailable due to leave. WTF is that about. If you missed an opportunity because YOU were unavailable then that is wholly your fault. The risk is yours and yours alone.

As to the patience element. Consider that both aren't mutually exclusive. This is a long process and as in ANY recruitment, when they send out interview dates etc etc they can be at the drop of a hat. You wait 2 weeks then you get a short notice date and then complain about how long it takes and both how quick your given a date. Give me a break. Its just the ungrateful and selfish attitude or people today that everyone should bend to them and everything is someone else's fault.

Companies will recruit in their own way and how, when and if they reply is down to them and not the applicant. This is not just a railway thing. Its a symptom of recruitment in general. The phrase don't call us, we'll call you is decades old. There are even some that say a non reply means you aint getting the job.

With numerous applicants nowadays for every job and role going, How do you propose they reply to hundreds of people and in what order ? This is well known and just shows ignorance and patience when you get an angry rant. To me that also shows the quality of the applicant.

Just read through the epic GTR thread. SOme of those have been waiting and waiting and rarely an angry rant between them. Frustration for sure. Even worse when they find out what is happening to the current influx of Trainees and that tbvfh would really shock you but the attitude and professionalism some of those have shown is to be commended.

The OP left the country then complained, it's their fault.

 

[Bromley boy]

Now come on ComUtor - because they pay us well!

It's not that well paid considering the shifts and the enormous responsibility. 100+ opportunities per shift to wind up in prison.

Not many jobs have that.

 

[theking]

Why is it 'rude' or they 'haven't got the decency' or 'disgusting'

Because they have said they will let him know within two week's and clearly haven't in my book that's just rudeness.

If they wont know within two week's or can't be bothered to let the applicant know within the timescale they themselves have said they shouldn't have mentioned it in the first place.

 

[fowler9]

Previously I have traveled from London to a city far north of London to attend Interview and assessment, costing me a hefty train fare and an overnight stay in a hotel.

More recently I had to attend another interview and assessment for the same company. They gave me less than a week's notice of the assessment, and the person listed as the contact was 'unhelpfully' on annual leave, so no way of postponing. This was a nuisance as I was out of the UK. Not wanting to miss my chance of a job, I bought a last minute plane ticket to come back to the UK to attend.

That was a month of many sleepless nights ago.

Since then I have heard nothing. I have chased them up twice. Nothing.

This also happened before. Same company, chased and chased and chased and found out from another source they have cancelled their recruitment due to redundancies. Not even an email to tell me.

My frustration is I have spent hundreds attending two assessments and two interviews with this company and they don't even have the decency to drop you an email and tell you 'Sorry you have been unsuccessful'. I mean, seriously, how hard is it to send someone an email?

I think this is both a disgusting way to treat anyone who has spent time, effort and in my case a lot of money to attend, and also an awful way to run a business. Personally I feel that the HR Manager in charge needs a kick up the ****

I'm sure there are many just like me, but it's so frustrating! Why do they do it, do they not realise they are messing with people's lives!

:mad:

Get used to it mate. Many companies treat their customers worse. Nothing you have said is in the least bit surprising. Can I ask if you are young? I don't mean that as an insult. You may assume that because what appears to you to be a big company they will have everything working like clockwork, this isn't the case. You are a little wheel in a big machine and your wasted day is collateral damage. You mean precisely nothing to them. If it makes you feel better you mean nothing to them until they are making money off your work and it wasn't personal. Think about it next time you vote.

 

[fowler9]

Because they have said they will let him know within two week's and clearly haven't in my book that's just rudeness.

If they wont know within two week's or can't be bothered to let the applicant know within the timescale they themselves have said they shouldn't have mentioned it in the first place.

If you don't like it stop voting in a way that keeps Neo Liberal politicians in power. If you voted Tory and think Jeremy Corbyn is a horrible communist then expect more of the same.

 

[fowler9]

It's not that well paid considering the shifts and the enormous responsibility. 100+ opportunities per shift to wind up in prison.

Not many jobs have that.

I earn £18000 a year for a job that if I get wrong can get me a jail term. It is also shift work. How much do you earn?

 

[Bromley boy]

I earn £18000 a year for a job that if I get wrong can get me a jail term. It is also shift work. How much do you earn?

Well, perhaps you're underpaid then!

With respect you've previously stated your job is office/call-centre based. Unless you're committing deliberate fraud on your employer, it's difficult to see how could wind up facing criminal sanctions in that kind of role.

(I worked in professional office-based roles for almost 10 years before joining the railway. These were responsible roles in their own right, but there really is no comparison with 100 stops a day using crap DOO monitors!)

 

[bILLOO]

EDIT: Answered my own question.

 

[haltny]

I want to thank everyone has took the time to read and reply to this thread, both with positive and negative views.

I would like to clarify a few points:

I really am not ungrateful. I am massively grateful for getting through to Assessment and Interview twice for two different positions. Many never get that far so I realise how incredibly fortunate I am for being given that opportunity.

Some have mentioned my audacity and ‘quality’ as an applicant. I respect your view, but this is your own opinion. I think you are reading far too much into what I wrote and letting your own irate perspective cloud your judgement.

Nobody should be commenting about my personal situation of being outside of the UK. Everybody has their own personal situation and I don’t believe it right anyone on here comment on mine. The interviewing company were aware of my situation prior to inviting me to assessment and interview, and they didn’t believe it to be an issue, otherwise they wouldn’t have invited me. Therefore, I do not understand why anyone on here feels they can comment on it?

I accept I had a mild keyboard rant, with the benefit of hindsight perhaps not the best thing to have done. Although I feel that some of the people commenting seem to be having a far bigger rant?

With regards patience. I am a patient person, and if you knew me you wouldn't say that I wasn’t. My point wasn't about patience. If I was told that there could be a long wait to find out, I would happily accept that and wait. I am very aware that some applications can take a year or more to process. My situation was different. I was told at Interview stage that I would be hearing from them within two weeks, and despite following this up with HR, I have been given ZERO information. If I hadn't got the position I would appreciate just being told 'You haven't got the position'. That is fair enough.

I accept wholeheartedly that TOCs/FOCs can treat people how they like, I accept the market is very much in their favour. I accept that on certain applications, due to the sheer amount of people applying they cannot reply to everyone, given their limited resources. However, when that process is whittled down to a very small number of final candidates, I do not believe that it is entirely unreasonable to send a small number of emails/letters, or just tell candidates the truth when they call HR.

I apologise if I upset anyone with my post.

 

[haltny]

Get used to it mate. Many companies treat their customers worse. Nothing you have said is in the least bit surprising. Can I ask if you are young? I don't mean that as an insult. You may assume that because what appears to you to be a big company they will have everything working like clockwork, this isn't the case. You are a little wheel in a big machine and your wasted day is collateral damage. You mean precisely nothing to them. If it makes you feel better you mean nothing to them until they are making money off your work and it wasn't personal. Think about it next time you vote.

I am middle aged. I am doing as many do at middle age and looking for a change of career, and want to work within the rail industry. I guess I am old fashioned and not used to the new way of working. When I was younger it was unheard of to simply 'not reply' or have 'zero' communication to applicants. I still feel personally this is unacceptable and no way for any company to behave, but I guess I need to get with the times and accept that is how the rail industry works.

 

[red2005]

But he isn't just an applicant, he has already been shortlisted and invited to an interview. While I can understand they may not contact everyone who has applied, once you have reached the assessment stage it is simply rude to not make any contact, even if it just a holding email saying they are not yet able to confirm what is happening.

Something that is also rude is going on a social media rant regarding politeness and rudeness without knowing the facts!...... oh so when you've been shortlisted and invited to interview you're no longer an applicant then!? The job is yours and everything is a formality!?........ and here was me worrying at assessment centre that I was still an applicant and could still very much fail.....how very silly of me!

 

[red2005]

The problem is that yes, get on with your life but then what ? Is it really the TOC's fault you left the country ? They then had the audacity to blame someone else for being unavailable due to leave. WTF is that about. If you missed an opportunity because YOU were unavailable then that is wholly your fault. The risk is yours and yours alone.

As to the patience element. Consider that both aren't mutually exclusive. This is a long process and as in ANY recruitment, when they send out interview dates etc etc they can be at the drop of a hat. You wait 2 weeks then you get a short notice date and then complain about how long it takes and both how quick your given a date. Give me a break. Its just the ungrateful and selfish attitude or people today that everyone should bend to them and everything is someone else's fault.

Companies will recruit in their own way and how, when and if they reply is down to them and not the applicant. This is not just a railway thing. Its a symptom of recruitment in general. The phrase don't call us, we'll call you is decades old. There are even some that say a non reply means you aint getting the job.

With numerous applicants nowadays for every job and role going, How do you propose they reply to hundreds of people and in what order ? This is well known and just shows ignorance and patience when you get an angry rant. To me that also shows the quality of the applicant.

Just read through the epic GTR thread. SOme of those have been waiting and waiting and rarely an angry rant between them. Frustration for sure. Even worse when they find out what is happening to the current influx of Trainees and that tbvfh would really shock you but the attitude and professionalism some of those have shown is to be commended.

The OP left the country then complained, it's their fault.

Absolutely spot on!

 

[red2005]

err... well yes and no!

Agree with much of what you've said but there's the matter of vacancies being posted late (very late) Fridays and shut Monday mornings. Or there again there's vacancies advertised " must be able to start....(two weeks time). These happen fairly often with driver (even trainee) vacancies on Northern.

Very much an exception to the rule rather than a regular occurrence! Most people who are asked to start sharpish (phone call Friday asking to start Monday) have generally been sat in talent pools for months and months anyway!...... I've never EVER in 10 years on the railway seen safety critical type roles advertised..... sifted...... assessed...... offered and started within a two week period!....... plenty who've been sat in talent pools for months already assessed etc offered starts at short notice..... but not right from the beginning of applications to a start within 2 weeks! That's just ludicrous!

 

[Llanigraham]

I am middle aged. I am doing as many do at middle age and looking for a change of career, and want to work within the rail industry. I guess I am old fashioned and not used to the new way of working. When I was younger it was unheard of to simply 'not reply' or have 'zero' communication to applicants. I still feel personally this is unacceptable and no way for any company to behave, but I guess I need to get with the times and accept that is how the rail industry works.

Sorry, but get used to it, because that is the way of the world is now, and not just on the railway.

 

[red2005]

Sorry, but get used to it, because that is the way of the world is now, and not just on the railway.

Exactly!...... in most industries now it's dog eat dog let alone the railway where hundreds if not thousands go for a small number of positions!. Sorry but in this industry whilst you are scratching around with your conscience and morals, somebody else is taking the position you want.

What's morally correct etc within the recruiting process is frankly irrelevant. They can pick and choose who they want when they want. And let's be honest until you're through the door why should they give a rats behind about you? For all they know at this stage you could be the total polar opposite to what they're looking for as an employee!

You have to remember with the salaries and working conditions on offer so many people apply for the positions with just the money in mind and not give a hoop about the role or the actual responsibility involved...... they have to be harsh within the recruitment process or you could have any loon in safety critical roles.

And that harshness is the thing that weeds out the money grabbers and unfortunately in this case the people that go on social media rants if things aren't going the way they want.

I don't think this person realised that a rant like this whilst employed on the railway is actually gross misconduct! I understand the guys frustration but what he's done on here could of actually been the start of disciplinary procedures on the job!..... you never know who's watching.

 

[RBSN]

OP,

You should be thankful you've been given the opportunity to interview, many don't. It will take time to process all the applicants all at different stages. Getting back to you in x weeks is what they would like to do, but simply don't have the capability.

Get on with life until you hear otherwise. No point working yourself up. That attitude will only work against you in this industry.