Need some closure - What went wrong?

Question

I am so utterly confused. Besides that, I'm also terribly upset. Approximately 3 weeks ago, I began interviewing with a company for an engineering position. I spoke with 3 team members - my soon to be senior developer, his manager, and the technical lead. All three really liked me a lot. 1 week after interviewing, they offered me a position. I happily went back and forth within a days time on two occasions so they could speed up the paperwork. Everything was... gold. I was to start last Monday.

Then... they tell me that they need to take a background check. OK. That's fine. I've got nothing to hide. Well, it turns out I had a traffic ticket which I paid for, got refunded to an account I never used, and basically was left on my record. Furthermore, for some odd reason, AZ charged it as a criminal offense ( 90 in a 75 ). On Friday ( Yes, this last Friday - No more than 4 days ago ).... I was told that because of this offense, I could not work for this company. A traffic ticket, which I had paid, and somehow with my mistake, ended up being the reason which precluded me from a position? Are you kidding me? I responded on Friday that I would be straightening this out over the weekend.

Over the weekend, I managed to not only get it reversed, but also have the judge verbally do this on an express notice. They even faxed me the dismissal documents.

Monday, I let them know of the dismissal. Today, I sent the dismissal paperwork which the judge faxed over to the company...

20 minutes ago, I receive a call that they already filled the position and he's already started. I recognize that the whole issue was not glamorous, but

a.) It was a traffic ticket.
b.) I had it rectified within a weekend's notice.
c.) As far as I knew, which I definitely knew, they all really liked me alot.

I'm sitting here at my computer, and am just in awe now as to what to do. How can they acquire someone over a day's notice? It took me nearly 2 weeks with paperwork and background check.

How should I feel? How do I move on from this ?

Answer 1

I think there are a couple of issues here.



First of all, as you correctly state, there is no way that they could have found someone else and performed a background check on that person within a weekend, and plus that person should really have worked a notice period at their old job. So clearly they had this person lined up all along, meaning that it's likely that he was a friend or acquaintance of someone within the company, or was someone who had worked closely with them perhaps as an employee of a partner firm, or maybe he was an internal candidate or else a former employee of Lexis Nexis. If that is the case, then there is nothing you could have done. People who are already known to those doing the hiring usually have a significant advantage and you couldn't have beaten them. What you can learn from this, though, is that networking is important - if you look to find your next job through someone you already know, then you're going to be the one known to the people doing the hiring this time.



I think also, when you say that they really liked you, there are a couple of things that you may not have considered. First of all, they may like you a lot, but they may like someone else even more. Secondly, potential employers who are good at recruiting top staff will make it seem like they really like you. It's called keeping you "warm" - i.e. keeping you interested in them and the position. If you're actively looking for work and it's getting to a point where you've been through several interviews and you're considering which job you'll take should you be offered more than one, then you're going to go with the one where the people really like you. You'll be thinking that that's the one that you've got the best shot of getting anyway. And you'll feel more comfortable starting there as a new employee. So don't read too much into the fact that they appeared to really like you.



Basically, there's nothing you can do about this situation now. You're understandably disappointed, but all you can do is move on. You did very, very well to get the traffic ticket rectified in a weekend and at least you know that when you apply to future companies you won't have this problem again.

Answer 2

My first thought on reading your story was 'american company - gotta be'.

Not to be offensive to any Statesiders reading tis, but it seems to me that US companies are much more concerned with what an employee gets up to away from the office than a Brit company would ever be.

This can often lead to extreme culture shock!



Of course, I may be wide of the mark with the above.



My second thought is that after you went through the application process someone else turned up - someone better qualified; more closely related to someone in the company (call me a cynic....) cheaper or who they just preferred to you for some reason - and your traffic ticket was their easy get out clause? Maybe the offer would have been withdrawn without it.



I certainly know of several people who've been through quite onerous interview/assessment processes which cost them a lot of time and money and who had either been offered jobs or clearly had a realistuc expectation that they were about to be made an offer only for the company to go quiet on them or withdraw the offer at the last moment.

I even know one person who relocated to the other end of the country, their partner giving up their own promising position, only to be dismissed at the end of their first week as the boss 'hadn't read their CV properly' and decided they didn't have appropriate experience after all!



I relate that tale just to let you know that you're not alone in this unpleasant experience and that, small comfort that it is, it could have been worse.



You won't ever know exactly what happened, and the unknowable is balways the hardest to move on from/get closure with.



How do you move on? Just know this stuff happens sometimes and a company that has so little regard for people is one that you can regard as having had a narrow escape from!

Answer 3

They were without a doubt interviewing more people than just you. Unfortunate that the company took such a position considering it was a traffic offense, but it is a situation over which you have no control. If they were willing to not hire you over such a petty thing then they do not deserve to have you as an employee.



I always believe that things happen for a reason. How to get over it, find a better position. There is one out there for you.

Answer 4

How do you know that you were the only person to be interviewed for this post?? They were probably interviewing at least three or four other people at the same time and you were their favourite candidate until your "indiscretion" showed up so they immediately went to the second choice candidate and employed that person. Get over it, if you are good enough to get this job there will be other employers out there who will require your services



Regards Rick

Answer 5

One way is to think that you were destined to not get this job. It just wasn't going to happen. Even with a helpful judge and all your hard work. Maybe you will read in 2 weeks that this company has closed and won't reopen. It is so frustrating when it is happening to you..

Answer 6

Seems like a good excuse from these people.Its better for you that you did not get involved with them, if that is the sort of trick they can pull. Obviously they find it easy to kid you along and drop you when it suits them.

This is not just done in a day, they had other people in line and they probably found it easy to dupe them with the same kidology. Good luck in finding someone who recognises your talents.

Answer 7

i hope you don't live in a tall building........



keep the faith, something better is in store for you.........