Q. How many interviews is too many? I just had nine! I didn’t even get the job. Now I need to use even more personal time to continue interviewing!
A. Nine is excessive, she types with double exclamation points for emphasis!! That’s not respectful of your time and of everyone else’s time, including their employees. Sorry to hear that.
This lands in the category of employers behaving badly. And especially since you may be interviewing with multiple companies, that’s an unreasonable amount of time you need to take off from your job.
If it’s any solace, and this doesn’t make it right, but you’re not alone. I’m hearing about multiple rounds of interviews only to hear the job has been put on hold or they’ve gone in another direction.
The silver lining, because yes, there is one, is that if a company doesn’t proceed swiftly and efficiently from the interviewing process, it means they probably don’t move swiftly and efficiently with so many other matters once you’re inside.
Their inability to make a decision without multiple layers is a red flag. They’re fearful, hesitant, they’re not cognizant of everyone’s time and more. Plus, there may be too many cooks in the kitchen making it even harder to reach a consensus internally about a decision.
Ultimately, rejection is the universe’s protection.
Back to your question: Three or four interviews is typically the sweet spot. One phone screen with someone on the recruiting team, then an interview with the hiring manager and someone on the team, and then with the head of the group. I’m generalizing here since typically there may be more interviews at the executive level and fewer ones at the entry-level, part-time or seasonal roles. It depends on the job, but nine is excessive.
Q. I want to make my company a dog-friendly workplace. Before the pandemic, on Fridays, people brought in their dogs and I want to bring that back. I’m an executive with decision-making powers, but the one person above me, the CEO, shot it down. Can I bring it up again toward the summer?
A. I would take the CEO’s word as the final decision. Something you may want to think about though is Take Your Dog to Work Day, which is coming up in June. Ask if it can be a one-time special thing.
Another option is to see if a department or two can work remotely, perhaps one day a week, at a local dog-friendly coworking space so you are all together and with your dogs, but not on company premises. You may want to consider seeking and getting permission for anything you want to pursue instead of just doing it.
Also, keep in mind that your boss has their reasons — it could be insurance concerns, it could be that not everyone is on board to embrace a furry four-legged Fido. Others may feel very distracted while some may have allergies, to name a few reasons.
Although you and your team may be pro-dog workplace, since your CEO isn’t, I would respect and abide by their decision.
Vicki Salemi is a career expert, former corporate recruiter, author, consultant, speaker, and career coach. Send your questions to hello@vickisalemi.com. /Tribune News Service