The Interview that disappeared.....

[nicktinknick]

Evening,

Just curious if my experience is par for the course......sorry you may get bored reading halfway through.

I applied for a job on the RM website, completed the tests and then heard nothing. Assumed I'd failed the online test and so applied for another postie job at a different delivery office. Again I completed the online test.

Sometime later I was in fact asked to book an interview date for the original job I applied for. Happy days as it's not far from where I live. I went along - taking all the personal documentation I was asked to bring. The interview went well (I assume) as the manager I spoke to said, 'Good answer', quite a few times and ticked all the right boxes....he even pointed out the shopsteward to me! I don't have any delivery experience - which he highlighted - and so knew that getting the job wasn't a given. He told me he had interviewed 10 people that week and was interviewing another 10 all the following week. Apparently I'd be notified in a couple of weeks if I was successful and at the very least would get feedback on the interview if I wasn't.

The following week - Tuesday - I logged on the website more out of curiosity than anything and saw that my application was shown as being withdrawn! I had no idea why. I emailed the HR contact that was shown on my emails........no reply. I then saw that the exact same job was back on the website - even though I was told that interviews were continuing all that week.

To top it all, a few days later I was asked to pick an interview date for the second site I had applied for! I emailed the HR contact for this job explaining what had happened saying I had no idea what had happended to my first application. Given my experience so far, I was surprised to get a prompt reply expaining that she would look into it and get back to me. She did so. Saying that the application was withdrawn as I didn't turn up for the interview! I explained I did and if there was no record of it, then what happened to the photocopies of my passport, driving licence, utility bill etc????? The 2nd HR rep then emailed the first (who still hadn't responded to my original email). He replied to her saying he'd find out.

The following day he phoned me. Apparently it was all a dreadful mistake. My application was shown as withdrawn in error, but apparently I hadn't been succesful anyway. To he honest I couldn't be bothered to question him about the timeline as I didn't think I'd get a straight answer - but asked for feedback for my interview. He blustered a bit and I asked how I was supposed to improve my chances next time if I didn't get any feedback. His reply, 'Well you know what the questions are so can give better answers'. Later on I received a generic email saying I wasn't succsessful. So nothing in writing confirming what he had told me over the phone.

Given the above, I'm not sure I'm going to be applying again in six months time and don't see the point of complaining - even if I could find out who to complain to.

[POSTMAN]

Sorry for your problems, but they are really bad at doing anything, the fact you got emails answered and a call back is quite unheard of.
Just keep trying, you never know.

[Cazlew]

I've heard there is a freeze on recruitment. So managers are saying. So probably just unlucky with the timing of it all. I reckon they are holding out until these pay talk are done with so they can start recruiting new people with lesser pay and benefits.

[nicktinknick]

Thanks. Not sure I'm going to re-apply to be honest. I'm not certain that what I was told was true and if they treat prospective employees like this, I dread to think how they treat their workforce.......

[Anderson21]

Mate I did all them steps like you.. got the job! Waiting on start date... waiting.. waiting.. look on the site, says unsuccessful, I contacted recruitment, and was told the vacancy has been taken away lmao.. I turned down 2x interviews elsewhere thinking I'd got myself a job.. joke.

[Anderson21]

I've heard there is a freeze on recruitment. So managers are saying. So probably just unlucky with the timing of it all. I reckon they are holding out until these pay talk are done with so they can start recruiting new people with lesser pay and benefits.

This makes sense, because I got the job, awaiting start date, then got an email saying I was unsuccessful lol...do you think the job i got, will be advertised again soon?

[CillitBang]

Anderson I'd go looking for something else honestly. Royal Mail is not a good company to work for. Good luck in your search!

[Darwin]

I went for an interview on the 7th April. Got a call from the DOM who interviewed me a few days later saying he has another role I may be interested in and he would give me the choice of the original job I applied for or the 2nd one. The 2nd jobs hours suited me better so we agreed I would take that and he would give someone else the original job I applied for. About 10 days later I got an email saying I was unsuccessfull and I was on a waiting list for 3 months. Spoke to the DOM again who said not to panic and he would sort it all out. Recruitment called me a few days ago with an offer so I thought great here we go but they offered me a completely different delivery office about 11 miles away from me. I spoke to the DOM again to ask what was happening with what we agreed and he said Recruitment have put a freeze on things at the moment and he doesn't know how long he would leave me dangling for. I have since decided to take Recruitment's offer up in the new delivery office so pending security checks I will start soon. Gutted not to be working closer to home, guess I should have accepted the original job I applied for to avoid all this nonsense.

[stompstreets]

I think the ones experiencing issues now should take it as a sign/omen and run in the other direction as it doesn't get easier and RM seems to be in a right state ATM...

I quit last week after 4 weeks in the job. I enjoyed the job itself and the people I met were great but I'd had enough of all the lies, false promises and general fobbing off hoping I'd just go away. Too much to write in one post but the mind boggles at the pure incompetence of the people running the DOs as well as those creating the job adverts, payroll and giving advice in HR.

They owe me a lot of money still so I'm guessing they're hoping I forget about it etc but that ain't happening...