by Ashley
When you’re on the job market, does it look bad if you don’t reply to emails instantly??? (ugh, groan!) : /
After dropping the girls at preschool this morning, I did my usual routine – I hit the gym, and settled in to do some work. I opened up one of my emails (I have one email account with each school I work for plus a personal gmail account, for a total of 3 accounts), and saw an email about a position I recently applied for (this is the position that recently asked me to submit additional information).
They want to schedule a phone interview. (Yay!)
They wanted to do it an hour ago, Monday at 9am (No!!!!)
I check the time stamp and realize the email had been sent on Saturday morning, about 10am. I feel like an idiot because (1) I think it makes me look flaky that I didn’t respond for 3 days, and (2) I completely missed the time slot during which they wanted to talk to me! Ugh!!!
So, of course, I quickly composed an email response and I’ve got my fingers crossed that we’ll be able to do the phone interview later this week.
Back to my question……how bad does this look???
Normally I vigilantly check my email(s) multiple times a day. I really don’t know how this email slipped through the cracks! Does it make it any better that this was Thanksgiving weekend? Like, maybe I get a “pass” on not having been to-the-second current on my emails???
Blah! I’m really disappointed in myself for missing this, but I’m hopeful that this is a good sign that they are interested in me. Fingers crossed that they will overlook this timing issue and still allow me to interview this week! : /
Hi, I’m Ashley! Arizonan on paper, Texan at heart. Lover of running, blogging, and all things cheeeeese. Freshly 40, married mother of two, working in academia. Trying to finally (finally!) pay off that ridiculous 6-digit student loan debt!
you should be fine.
that’s really what they get for sending an email on the weekend about a 9am interview on a monday. You very well could have traveled out of town (it WAS a travel wknd).
Not everyone is glued to their email over the weekend and i think they can understand that.
That was very tacky and unprofessional on their part. If it is an higher education institution most are closed beginning Tuesday evening if not closed for the week. It sounds like someone dropped the ball on their end.
In addition, rarely would you get a request for an interview on Monday the Saturday prior.
I don’t think it sounds bad, I think it’s poor timing overall.
I am so confused why any place would send an email about an interview on a Saturday. I would almost be okay with calling, leaving a voicemail, but an email is unprofessional.
Shame on them! I would respond, if asked why you missed the interview, that you were spending time with family over the holiday weekend and didn’t check your email. If that response kicks you out of the running – good riddance to that employer! Any employer that expects 24/7 response is not family friendly!
Agree with everyone else. Don’t sweat it.
For the love of God, who the hell is sending emails (1) on the Saturday after Thanksgiving asking for (2) a 9 am phone interview on Monday? Are you *sure* you want to work with these people? (I know, I know, money.)
Write them back, say it was Thanksgiving and you were away from your email, and you’d love to schedule for later in the week. If they won’t, then they care so little about people that you really *don’t* want to work for them. Seriously.
Amen.
In the future though I would be sure to check your emails every day while you are in job search mode. I think you easily have a reason for this past weekend, but yes most companies/employers expect that you will check your emails on weekends.
could not disagree more. I refuse to check my email on the weekends. Unless I am a Dr. but then in that case – call me
It was a holiday weekend, wonder if someone forgot to send the e-mail sooner and just sent it when they remembered. Cheryl
Check your email once a day on holidays/weekends. They may have had an unexpected opportunity to interview (aligning people’s schedules is always tough) and they offered it to you. I doubt it takes you out of the running – but just something to consider doing going forward. I’m surprised everyone is so offended though – depending on your profession this is not only common but expected. Work is often not 9 to 5 anymore.
I also am surprised people are offended. In the corporate and federal govt worlds this is expected.
Exactly!
I agree with everyone else…. Don’t worry, this was an error in judgement from the potential employer. If they were desperate to interview you, they should have called you.
In response to Christopher’s comment about calling, our company does ALL recruiting correspondence via email – including setting up interviews. We are hiring at least 120 people/month right now – there’s no time to call all of those people!
That being said, I agree with the majority of the other commenters – potential employers should not expect you to be checking your email over a holiday weekend. Once you are an employee, it could be a different story, though.
If it’s meant to be, it will work out. If they don’t want to reschedule, then they’re not the employer you want to work for, and it’s time to move on.
I would be hesitant to work for a company that thinks it’s perfectly normal to expect people to be in work mode on a Saturday after a major holiday 😛 The only place I can think of that would have that attitude is an investment bank which works their employees hard, and I don’t want to work for them 😛
Having said that, *I* wouldn’t hold it against you, but then again *I* wouldn’t have been sending that type of e-mail out on a weekend unless a sudden opening popped up, and then I’d make it clear I understood it was last minute. If you get a negative vibe from them about missing the e-mail then that will tell you a lot about the corporate culture and help you decide if working there is worth it.
Sorry but there is NO way this is your fault. Sending an email on the WEEKEND for a early morning interview? No way. Very unprofessional, and I can’t believe they’d expect you to see and respond in time to prepare and be ready for the appointment.
I know how disappointed you must be to have missed the email, but they don’t sound that great to me. I hope it works out well!