This might just be the most frustrating part of job search.
It was for me back in 2007.
Everything’s going great and then. Inexplicably. It isn’t.
How about a quick story to illustrate?
You are riding a big stallion across a beautiful meadow heading for the stable. The wind is in your hair and you are starving after a long day out in the back forty. As you arrive at the ranch and start into the stable. Someone shuts the gate on you.
Except you never see the gate and don’t really know why why you can’t get in. To your water and feed your horse. So you just keep bumping the horse’s head on the stable fence. Or so you think.
Because prior to arriving at the ranch your journey was full of joy and anticipation. And why shouldn’t it be?
But if you look really closely. Inside the window of the big barn. There is someone looking a lot like the guy portrayed above.
You can see it in the face. That incredibly pained expression. And the sound of breaking teeth. Put a button down and sport coat on him and he could be the one you are waiting on.
And you say to yourself. Really? I ride all this way and your best answer for me is: “not sure”?
Now it’s true that both sides of the hiring process screw this up. There are plenty of job seekers who will take an interview process to the end without ever seriously thinking about accepting a possible offer.
But it is most commonly an ailment of the hiring company. Budgets get pulled. Decisions don’t get made. Delays happen.
But it is still incredibly frustrating if you are on the wrong end of it.
A few thoughts on handling a company that’s indecisive:
1. Don’t chase. Desperate job seeker does not look good on you
2. Let it linger. One strong follow-up followed by silence on your part is a sign of strength
3. Distract yourself with other options (other job leads, new events, new contacts)
4. If there’s a recruiter involved, follow-up every few weeks if it is truly active. Know a person inside? Absolutely see what they know.
5. And at some point, you simply need to forget about them. And move on.
So if you are riding the big stallion now. Know that it could happen to you. And if that gate closes, remember there’s another ranch right on the other side of the gulch.
What are your ways to handle an indecisive company? What was your experience? Tell me all about it in the comments below.
Oh, and you may have missed my radio interview on Career Radio. Really fun to join a global round table to talk about staying positive in your job search. Also, you don’t want to miss my guest post on a great new blog called MENG Blend: 5 Ways To Avoid Networking From The Shadows.