Should I say something?

[jafoca]

I am a junior in college and I have been looking for an internship for this coming summer.

A bit over a month ago I had an interview with a local engineering business for a position they had advertised on my college's internship web page. The job was for a summer process improvement intern (I am a management student).

Well, I went to the interview and it turns out they were actually looking for this intern last year, but the posting was never removed. Also, I had an error on my resume that said I was graduating this year instead of next (oops...) but surprisingly they did not seem to care too much about it as they were lighthearted and had their own mistake in the whole process.

Anyway, they said that there was no reason why they would not hire another intern this summer, so they would get back to me. I figured I was SOL based on the two above mistakes, so I wasn't really expecting to hear back from them.

Last week Thursday one of the pair I interviewed with sent me a message asking if I was able to come in for a second interview this week. I had gotten busy with school and all, so hadn't really applied anywhere else so I was definitely happy to go in.

After telling them my availability, got a message back yesterday setting up a time for tomorrow, (wednesday) at 10am.

So i went home, which is where the job is 45 minutes away from my school, this afternoon in anticipation of going to the meeting in the morning. Right after I get home I check my email and have the following message:

"I am sorry for the last minute nature of this message, but as it turns out, we are no longer searching for an intern this summer. I hope something comes through for you in the end. I'm sorry it won't work out here"

I am pretty upset about this now. I feel like they have treated me rudely and wasted my time. As nice as the message may sound, the act of scheduling a meeting one day and canceling it the next and saying "good luck" seems to be quite rude in my opinion.

The question now is - how should I respond? Should I say anything or nothing at all?

 

[Kigs!]

Bah... sorry to hear that man. I know how PITA it is to look for internships. However, I don' think you can say much to them... it probably won't change things. Just ignore them and look for other opportunities.

 

[reefboy]

i would be the bigger person in this case dont want to burn bridges yet its funny how little things can come back on you later in life.

 

[Zoanuts]

Nick, I would be diplomatic about the situation. You never know if they may be your future employer. Sorry for the bad luck and the lack of communication. They usually have some lower level type up the rejection letter which is lacking in etiquette.

 

[surfn]

i remember those days......i would question as to why the last minute change...but be nice about it.

could be that they didnt have the necessary funds to hire, and the person just found out about this (this happens ALOT in the "real" world). OR...they found someone else better who they wanted really badly (most likely a son/daughter of someone who works there...lol)

 

[gflat65]

I would likely just drop it. You never know when you might run into these guys again. It's a small world and one of my previous engr managers held strong grudges on those who burned bridges (or second guessed him for that matter-of course, his ego was off the charts, so...).

 

[surfn]

I would likely just drop it. You never know when you might run into these guys again. It's a small world and one of my previous engr managers held strong grudges on those who burned bridges (or second guessed him for that matter-of course, his ego was off the charts, so...).

completely agree....


when i came into work tonight, a bunch of collegues were trying to interview for several chem. engineering positions that opened up. they were holding interviews today and tomorrow.

they told one of my collegues today (off the record), that they currently didnt have any openings for the position available (even though they advertised they were looking for 4-5 positions), but they wanted to interview anyways to see what potential candidates were out there in case the position was ever open sometime in the future....in which case they would be required to take applications and interview all over again....

.....i dont understand what the point is in waisting people's time like this...but i know its QUITE common thinking in my company....lol

 

[gooch Verified Sponsor]

Politely thank them for the time they put into considering you for employment. Next week something may open up there and your courtesy could be just enough for them to remember you. Probably not but like stated above build a bridge.....don't burn it. I am seriously contemplating searching for new employment. I havn't filled out a job application in over ten years. I am finding out how woefully unqualified I am for things. But I would rather work at Home Depot than where I work now.

Another thing....don't be afraid to call them every couple of weeks asking them if something has opened up. Persistence is a good thing.

Gooch

 

[jafoca]

well I did a "thank you for your time blah blah ....." message

I know its the proper thing to do, I just feel incredibly jerked around by them.

My last job ended with some lame stuff like this too. Basically they allowed me to take a leave of absence to study in Australia for a semester. They assured me I would have my job on my return. Well half way through my time away they gave me a choice - go full time or have no job. They must have known I had no choice but to leave, being a college student and all...

 

[gflat65]

I've been on the hiring side a number of times and it is crazy how long things get drawn out. On at least three occasions, we interviewed 3-5 people, but something like a company buyout, or complete HP companywide change in expected production projections shut us down every time. Some of those peopel drove 4 hours one way to interview, then drove back that afternoon. I felt really bad, but when corporate world owns your soul...