When they promise a decision and never call again...

I saw a post on a bulletin board today in which the writer complained about companies that interview her, promise a decision within a certain timeframe, never contact her again, and refuse to answer her calls or e-mails to follow up.

This is a common refrain I hear out there in the job market. I posted a response to her lament that I'd like to share with you:

Francine, I understand your frustration with people who are afraid of interaction. I have prospective clients who meet with me and promise a 'yay' or 'nay' answer in a given time frame, never to be heard from again. It could actually become quite frustrating.

I don't stew over it, however. I can't control their behavior and being resentful would be like taking 2 spoons of poison a day and waiting for them to get sick. And truth be told, I still wish them the best. Why not? Such thoughts make me happier than the negative ones.

The most constructive approach I've seen is to get out there, meet people face-to-face (maybe in an informational interview), and build a solid network. I've been doing that with my business and it's been paying off. Not necessarily 5 minutes, 5 days, or even 5 weeks after the first meeting. Sometimes it can be months later and often is a function of my following up and staying in touch by forwarding an interesting article, letting the person know about an event that they might be interested in, sending my e-zine (with permission) etc.

And as for those companies that don't follow through - don't write them off either. In any company, it only takes one or two malfeasant people for you to not get a response. In a big company - say - the other 49,998 may be just divine. Just because one doesn't call you back, there could be other people worth building relationships with - relationships that down the road might result in a connection between you and a job.