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HR of company applied for called current job, grrr!!!
Hi there,
I'm a chronic lurker but this happened yesterday and I just wanted to get others opinions and see if anyone else has had this happen. I applied for a job and had a couple of phone interviews and an in person interview last week. The next step in the process would be flying to CA for another interview. I was waiting patiently to hear back and yesterday my current boss walks into my office and tells me he just gave a good recommendation for me to x from x company! I was so shocked, I had specifically put no you cannot contact my current employer on the application and provided other references. Turns out my boss knows this guy from working with him in the past and it was sort of a "boy's club" call.
I am so annoyed! Why would anyone want their current employer to know they are actively seeking a new position? Apparently they are going to move forward with me (according to what my boss told his assistant) but I have not yet heard back. I could have been fired because of this if my boss wasn't the type of guy he is and if our company wasn't in such a bad position with a skeleton crew.
Some background: Current company is strapped for cash, we often don't get paid on pay day but more likely a week late while the boss gets cash from somewhere. Our health insurance has been threatened to be canceled more than once. There is no surprise that many of us are looking for new jobs and he knows that.
Would you say something if you got to the next phase and interviewed with the guy who called about how unprofessional it was?
Re: HR of company applied for called current job, grrr!!!
Our little Irish rose came to us on March 5, 2010
Don't drink the water.
Disclaimer: I am not an MD. Please don't PM me with pregnancy-related questions. Ask your doctor.
I would not say anything at all. Where I live, you cannot do certain things when calling for a reference about a prospective employee. My old boss told my new boss to be things about me (that were not true). I only found out because they hired someone before me and it didn't work out and they were up front about that and what was said. They offered to "give me a shot to see how it worked out" I turned out to be their best and longest running employee and was given two promotions before leaving.
You might burn more than one bridge by complaining that it was not professional.
I have a few comments on this.
First, I am sure you were really caught off guard!
IT is possible that they are really interested and because the person knew your boss, he called 'on the side', and didn't realize either, that your boss would say something.
Does your boss like you? He sounds like he does, and maybe he wants the best for you, so he let you know that he gave good feedback.
Do you Want the job you applied for? Is it a good company? Have you researched their financials and history? If you are confident in your move, and you know your boss knew that people were most likely looking for stability, then just consider being honest with him from this point on.
If you knew that your boss was aware, then maybe you could have just talked to him if you were worried about him finding out.
If you weren't, then water under the bridge. Don't worry about it.
jmho (just my humble opinion )
Thanks for the responses. I do like the company I applied with and the job would be much more stable and stress-free so yes I would take it if offered. I didn't know my boss was aware of my looking, but figured how could he not expect at least the majority of us to be when we don't even know where the money for our next paycheck will come from.
I'm looking forward to hearing back from the company and moving on with the process. Now that I know they plan on it, I'm eager to get it going!
Definitely remember this. If they'd go against your wishes during the interview process like this, then what else would they do?
I had a similar thing where a potential company did some questionable things during the interview process, but I needed a job so badly because I was moving to live with DH (then FI). I should've listened to my gut because that was the worst career move I made. The questionable interviewing practices were just the tip of the iceberg. It was so bad that I quit after 6 months without anything lined up. That bad!