Need advice on how to respond to a manager after interview

[Nadz02RN]

Hello fellow RN's I am in need of advice on how to respond to a Nurse Manager which I had an interview with.

Here is the story,

The interview was in early December. When I arrived there was no room avail for the interview, the manager and i wonder around until we were place in a conference room. Soon after the interview started we were interrupted a total of 5 times by staff members. One interruption was to placed another interviewee in the same room to wait to be interviewed so she was listening to our meeting. Another interruption was to place another manager with her interviewee in the same room to have their interview. So now we have two interviews in the same room and one interviewee waiting to be interviewed.

At the end of our conversation I reiterated my interest in the position and hopes to hear from the manager soon. This was the manager's response "Ohh you will hear from us"!

This is the bottom line: I have not heard from anyone since then as of today. I sent the manager a well written thank you letter and did not received a response.

I have called more than you can imagine to check if the position has been filled this is what I have gotten so far:

1. I couldn't get a hold of the manager and couldn't even leave a msg on her voicemail. So i called the receptionist and was told by the receptionist that the position was probably filled.

2. When I finally got in touch with the manager she said, "didn't you called yesterday" i said "yes"

she didn't even allowed me to tell her my name and explain that i called but was not able to talk to her. Anyways she responded with " I though I told you it would be 3 weeks" with an arrogant demeanor.

3. I continue to call and was told by receptionist that a letter was sent out to all interviewees. But i have not received one.

4. I called back the manager and this was her response " HR should be sending you guys a letter this week" what does that suppose to mean?

5. I still haven't gotten an acknowledgment by mail that the position has been filled or not even a word by mouth of the manager.

At this point i know that the position has been filled off course.

But I am somewhat disappointed that the manager didn't even give me a feedback on how to improved my candidacy in the future. Also, at some point I felt that she gave me and enthusiastic false reassurance at the end of our interview. By the way, she did not acknowledge my thank you letter which is a bummer!

Should i be given an apology for the lack of organization and interruptions during our interview? I didnt get one.

The truth is i presented my self with maturity and professionalism although I looked very young and I am a graduate nurse I hope this was not taking into consideration for the fact that I was not giving the dignity to at least be informed by mail with a "thanks for your interest but..." letter .

I am thinking of sending this manager a detail letter about my impressions and was wondering if anyone has any feedback. should i even bother sending her a letter?

[JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP]

I agree that no manager owes you an explanation for why you didn't get hired or an analysis of what you might do to improve your chances in the future. But absolutely they owe you the courtesy of a return phone call to let you know their decision. I don't care how tight the job market is or how many nurses they have banging down their door demanding positions. They still have an obligation to be professional and courteous. Leaving interviewees hanging for weeks or months with no response is just rude.

[smily nurse, BSN, RN]

You probably will. Soon!

Back in my day (I am 48) you cold actually expect at least a letter from HR acknowledging your application and then a letter letting you know if you did not get the job.

Ah, the good old days!

Unfortunatly this is the situation these days. :redpinkhe

[IfICanYouCanToo]

This is an unfortunate situation, and I'm sorry this happened to you. However, you should not expect any feedback from this nurse manager. You get feedback from a mock interview with your friends or career development office. I have found that people generally do not acknowledge the receipt of a thank you. If the nurse manager responded, you may have been falsely reassured that you were still being considered for the position. Or you may have felt that the door of communication was still open when it wasn't. It is rare for a new grad to get "false reassurance" like you did. Most people are getting negative feedback like head shaking and facial grimacing. While there is alot to be upset about from the situation, be thankful that you had the opportunity to interview. Do some introspection and ask yourself what could you have said or done differently. Write down any interview questions that you remember and practice the responses in front of a mirror or with a friend. This experience has better prepared you for the next.

[Nadz02RN]

Thanks everyone for your advice! I truly appreciate all of your feedback. I actually got a per diem job with a home care agency as a field nurse. I would be doing complete and thorough pts assessments and coordination of pt care rather than direct pt care. I expect to learn from this new nursing setting until my ideal nursing job opportunity arises. I the meantime I have an interview this coming week so wish me luck. Additionally, I am awaiting a response from an online BSN program that I applied to a few months ago. Lastly I would be taking a EKG- phlebotomy course this coming month to freshen up my skills.

Luckily, I have been blessed with a wonderful family and I know that I would be blessed with a full time position nursing job soon.

Thanks again everyone for your feedback and i wish all employed and unemployed RN's good luck in their career endeavors.

[upstatenygirl, LPN]

crunch is right, they give people false reassurances all of the time. i guess it eliminates an awkward moment of saying "thanks for this interview but i'm not sure about you as a candidate". it's much easier to say "we'll keep in touch". you are expecting too much from these recruiters and managers who are probably overwhelmed with applicants and interviewing candidates. it would be irrational to expect them to respond to every single person who did not get the position & tell them why they didn't get it. i have been on interviews and have not heard anything back either. you just have to assume you didn't get the job. if they want you, you'll know. good luck on your search and don't expect too much from these recruiters and managers, you will set yourself up for disappointment.

i've only had one interview at a hospital (for 4 different clerical positions!!) and the director who interviewed me also gave me the impression that i would be hired. i blabbed to everyone about it and then had to tell them all that i didn't get any of the positions . i sent the thank-you letter and actually after 3 weeks i did get a letter stating that another candidate was more qualified. i was glad for the letter.