Interviewer Calls Back 4 Months Later

[thegardener]

Hello all,

I interviewed for an office manager job four months ago. I hadn't really been looking for a new job, but this position would be right down the street from my house, less than a quarter of a mile away and the position sounded interesting, so I sent in a resume. They called me in for an interview and I went in. The first half of the interview went really well. The lady conducting the interview (one of the two owners) seemed to really like me and my experience and seemed excited about the possibility of me working there. The second half of the interview didn't go as well. The other owner, a guy, conducted that portion and accused me of being a child and asked me several times whether or not I planned to have children (I'm female). I gave some non-specific answers. After he completed his section of the interview, the lady came back and said she would contact me soon. She then walked me out through their manufacturing floor. Not a single person on the manufacturing floor was wearing ear protection, safety glasses, or steel toed shoes and some of them were wearing shorts. There were also massive piles of product blocking walkways, doors, and access to machines. I don't know a lot about manufacturing because it isn't my background, but I'm pretty sure all of those things violate safety laws. I walked outside and went home. I kept expecting to hear from the interviewer, but she never called back and I didn't have any contact information for her or anyone at the company, so I put it out of my mind. Today, four months later, I got a voicemail from her asking if I was still available and to please call her back. This whole situation seems entirely weird to me and I'm not sure what to think. I've never had an interviewer not contact me after the interview process and especially not four months later. Has this happened to anyone else?

[jwright]

My guess is that they hired someone else who didn't work out and are now going back to the well of interviewees.

Doesn't sound like a place you'd want to work, but maybe you can negotiate a nice salary since you have the upper hand.

[thegardener]

If they hired someone else, they never showed up to work. It's a small company and no new cars have been in the parking lot in the last four months. I pass their parking lot every day.

[Pigeon]

I think there are lots of red flags here, and it doesn't sound like a good place to work.

However, I have had many interviewers never call back. I don't think that's uncommon at all. While they should, in theory, send you a "thanks but no thanks" note, often they don't.

I can see many possibilities for why they called you back 4 months later.  Maybe they had somebody who didn't work out.  Maybe they had someone who was supposed to start but changed their minds at the last minute.  I work in a very bureaucratic place and it can take that long for paperwork to make its way through the process.  It's frustrating because we lose good candidates.  People who might need to approve the hire go on vacations.  Maybe they weren't 100% sure they wanted to fill the position and it took some time to resolve.

The delay wouldn't be the issue for me, but the illegal questions, the blocked exits and lack of safety would.

[omachi]

My guess is that they hired someone else who didn't work out and are now going back to the well of interviewees.

Doesn't sound like a place you'd want to work, but maybe you can negotiate a nice salary since you have the upper hand.

Probably this, and given the other things you've said, the new hire probably left with good reason. Unless you want to be in that position soon as well, I'd pass.

You don't owe them a response, particularly since they never bothered to inform you of anything after explicitly telling you they'd be in contact soon. That's a bit different than not stating whether you'd hear anything. It could be fun to call them up and ask if they think four months is "soon", but it won't get you anything other than a chuckle.

As for no new cars in the parking lot, sounds like you wouldn't have added a car to their parking lot if you were hired, either. As for legality of questions, you just can't make a hiring decision based on the answer. So it isn't technically illegal to ask, but opens you up to all sorts of discrimination lawsuits if you do.

[thegardener]

I'm pretty sure that it's illegal to ask someone if they are planning to have children, and the lack of safety is consistent with that lack of professionalism.  If you would need to interact with this person I'd run from this job.

In my experience it's more often that I don't hear from them again if I don't get a job.  The reason they don't give a definite yes or no is that if it's a big place something new can open up at any time and they would then be able to make you an offer.  Other reasons are to avoid lawsuits - if they tell you why you don't get a job.

I asked someone about the questions they asked in the interview and he told me it's not illegal if it's a small company and the company is definitely small. They have like 5 employees. I'm obviously not very educated on this because I've never worked for such a small company, but is that true or is it illegal no matter what the company size is?

[Spork]

I'm pretty sure that it's illegal to ask someone if they are planning to have children, and the lack of safety is consistent with that lack of professionalism.  If you would need to interact with this person I'd run from this job.

In my experience it's more often that I don't hear from them again if I don't get a job.  The reason they don't give a definite yes or no is that if it's a big place something new can open up at any time and they would then be able to make you an offer.  Other reasons are to avoid lawsuits - if they tell you why you don't get a job.

Yes, this.  There are gray questions where you can effectively get the answer and not violate the law, but "are you starting a brood" isn't one of them.

It sounds a little red-flaggy... but if you're interested, it's a job, not a servitude.  You could give it a month and see if they're assholes or good folks that are inexperienced in the ways of the law.


FWIW, I have been called back months after an interview.  It was one I thought went REALLY well.  When I went back, I found out the guy I interviewed with quit without making a selection and they had to start all over with the pile of resumes.  The re-do interview didn't go as well as the original.  I didn't get that job. 

[Spork]

I'm pretty sure that it's illegal to ask someone if they are planning to have children, and the lack of safety is consistent with that lack of professionalism.  If you would need to interact with this person I'd run from this job.

In my experience it's more often that I don't hear from them again if I don't get a job.  The reason they don't give a definite yes or no is that if it's a big place something new can open up at any time and they would then be able to make you an offer.  Other reasons are to avoid lawsuits - if they tell you why you don't get a job.

I asked someone about the questions they asked in the interview and he told me it's not illegal if it's a small company and the company is definitely small. They have like 5 employees. I'm obviously not very educated on this because I've never worked for such a small company, but is that true or is it illegal no matter what the company size is?

I'm surprised.  I googled this and... you're right.  Here's the EEOC breakdown by size:

https://www.eeoc.gov/employers/smallbusiness/requirements.cfm

[omachi]

I'm pretty sure that it's illegal to ask someone if they are planning to have children, and the lack of safety is consistent with that lack of professionalism.  If you would need to interact with this person I'd run from this job.

In my experience it's more often that I don't hear from them again if I don't get a job.  The reason they don't give a definite yes or no is that if it's a big place something new can open up at any time and they would then be able to make you an offer.  Other reasons are to avoid lawsuits - if they tell you why you don't get a job.

I asked someone about the questions they asked in the interview and he told me it's not illegal if it's a small company and the company is definitely small. They have like 5 employees. I'm obviously not very educated on this because I've never worked for such a small company, but is that true or is it illegal no matter what the company size is?

I've always heard that asking questions isn't illegal, making decisions based on the answers is. The reason no sensible company asks these things is because they have nothing to gain from knowing the answer and everything to lose in the form of a discrimination lawsuit. If you don't ask somebody if they're going to have kids, they can't sue you for not giving them the job because they are going to have kids. If you do ask, then hire somebody who isn't going to have kids, you have a pile of liability on your hands.

[thegardener]

I'm pretty sure that it's illegal to ask someone if they are planning to have children, and the lack of safety is consistent with that lack of professionalism.  If you would need to interact with this person I'd run from this job.

In my experience it's more often that I don't hear from them again if I don't get a job.  The reason they don't give a definite yes or no is that if it's a big place something new can open up at any time and they would then be able to make you an offer.  Other reasons are to avoid lawsuits - if they tell you why you don't get a job.

I asked someone about the questions they asked in the interview and he told me it's not illegal if it's a small company and the company is definitely small. They have like 5 employees. I'm obviously not very educated on this because I've never worked for such a small company, but is that true or is it illegal no matter what the company size is?

I'm surprised.  I googled this and... you're right.  Here's the EEOC breakdown by size:

https://www.eeoc.gov/employers/smallbusiness/requirements.cfm

This is the info I needed but somehow had trouble finding through Google. I'm going to pass. I know they don't have 15 employees.

[Laura33]

There is basically no good outcome here, especially given the interview red flags.  Option 1 is they hired someone else who didn't work out, which indicates (a) they are massively rude/disorganized for not telling you no, and (b) there is something wrong with the job that led someone else to leave so quickly.  Option 2 is that they have just gotten around to getting back to you, which tells you they are sloppy and disorganized as hell and/or the two owners have very different opinions/approaches and you will constantly be stuck in the middle. 

The one thing all of these options have in common is "you don't want this job."

[By the River]

I'm surprised.  I googled this and... you're right.  Here's the EEOC breakdown by size:

https://www.eeoc.gov/employers/smallbusiness/requirements.cfm

Looks like you would need to have at least 2 employees before you could violate this: "If you have at least one employee: You are covered by the law that requires employers to provide equal pay for equal work to male and female employees."

[Lady SA]

After having that owner call you a child (!! seriously? how insulting) and aggressively interrogate you about your family plans, not to mention all the huge safety red flags, who cares about the reason behind them calling you now?

Like Laura said, there are a multitude of potential reasons that you are being contacted now and all point to the company being a terrible place to work. But you already knew that from what you saw and how you were treated during the interview.

Pass.

[Smokystache]

The fact that you posted about it suggests you're mildly interested. I look at this from a different perspective.... go back and give them a chance to impress the heck out of you knowing that youre not likely to take the job....but, who knows. The rude dude could have quit, or maybe they pay 150% more than your minimum, etc.

But only go back if you take the perspective that they need to impress you, you aren't working directly for the rude guy, and you're in the drivers seat in terms of negotiating. Cost might be a few hours of your time and the upside (admittedly unlikely) is that it's a good job really close to you.

I might even go so far as to politely tell the female owner what happened in the previous interview and that you almost didn't come back, except that you connected with her. That sends the immediate message that "I'm not working for him" and " I don't need this job". Again, politely but assertively.

[mm1970]

The fact that you posted about it suggests you're mildly interested. I look at this from a different perspective.... go back and give them a chance to impress the heck out of you knowing that youre not likely to take the job....but, who knows. The rude dude could have quit, or maybe they pay 150% more than your minimum, etc.

But only go back if you take the perspective that they need to impress you, you aren't working directly for the rude guy, and you're in the drivers seat in terms of negotiating. Cost might be a few hours of your time and the upside (admittedly unlikely) is that it's a good job really close to you.

I might even go so far as to politely tell the female owner what happened in the previous interview and that you almost didn't come back, except that you connected with her. That sends the immediate message that "I'm not working for him" and " I don't need this job". Again, politely but assertively.

Decent advice.

I'd like to add...I work for companies that are VERY slow to hire, because they hate firing people.  It may take us months.

Also, if they are that small of a company, this might be a new position.  So maybe the owners are doing the work and finally are deciding it's too much.