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Had interview, now what?Submitted by Sarah123 on July 19, 2006 - 10:53am.
Hello there I'm looking for some advice regarding the recruitment of aid workers. IIf anyone can help, i'd be really grateful. I have applied and interviewed for a administrator position with a very well known humanitarian NGO. The interview was back in May and I've not had a definitive answer about whether I am being employed (well, its more a volunteer position with stipend). One person on the phone told me I have been placed in their pool of volunteers, but another (I think the person in charge of my 'matching' to an available position) has told me they can't give a definitive answer yet and will get back to me. I've been emailing and leaving voicemails over the last couple of months but am becoming increasingly frustrated about the lack of a proper response, let alone anything in writing. I am very new to the NGO style of working, and really want to work for this organisation, but I am not sure how often to contact them, or whether this is just an odd way of telling me that my interview was unsucessful. A little voice at the back of my head is saying 'do you really want to work for an organisation that can't even return your calls?'. So, my questions are, is this normal? How hard should I push? Is this some kind of persistence test?! Thanks very much for any insight you can give me, Sarah Slightly off topic there, "Guest", but try reading this page: http://www.aidworkers.net/?q=advice/first_time_aid_workers Remember, there's no magic bullet for getting recruited. It is difficult to comment fully without all detail, but don't be discouraged. Recruiting aid workers can be a lengthy process due to constraints such as decision-making individuals being on leave or travelling. You may have been interviewed for a register/database and when a suitable vacancy arises you will be called upon to fill it. It is normal practice to advise candidates if they're unsuccessful unless you were told at the outset you'd not be contacted. Pursue with contact, but be mindful of the difficulties that the organisation themselves may be experiencing. Finally whether or not you choose to continue is a decision only you can make! Hope you succeed. The old Aid Workers Network forum has a long-running thread about a UN recruitment process that was leaving many of its applicants without information about their progress, so I guess you're not alone in this. I think that their behaviour is bizarre, particularly as they thought that you were a strong enough candidate to interview in the first place and have therefore invested some time in learning more about you. At the bare minimum, it's poor volunteer management. At this point, I would continue politely chipping away with the phone calls until they start expecting you to call! Consider writing a letter to the senior manager in their HR department outlining your concern about the lack of information. Best of luck with it, and let us know how it goes. Finally I heard from the organisation and I am being put in their pool of vounteers. Great to know after all this time (3 months after the interview!) and lucky, too, as I had meanwhile turned down another job at home just in case it worked out. Thanks for your answers above. Mostly the situation took so long due to communications with a 3rd party, I think, and the HR people being very busy and not returning calls. Annoying, yet understandable but par for the course as far as I can see. It will be interesting to transition from the private sector and see how this develops. Meanwhile, I will start another thread to ask for reading recommendations. I am having the same issue at the moment and yes, it's frustrating. As someone who has done some hiring, I can say that this can be the result of several things: However, I would say that a volunteer administrator position is not your dream job nor is it your own job prospect. You owe it to yourself to act professionally (tell them that you enjoyed the interview and will forward to speaking with them in the future) and then you have to move on. Keep up your job search and look elsewhere. This may be a sign that they are not an efficient or professional organization, so this could be a clue for you! Glad to see this thread revived. Aid worker recruitment is just crazy sometimes -- on my last long-term gig with UNDP, it was five months between the time I applied (August 2006) and the time I was holding a printed out contract in my hand (January 2007), and within that time frame, I applied, was interviewed and was offered a job in *three weeks* with another organization working in Iraq. UNDP loses so many great candidates because of their snail-paced recruitment process. I wonder what would happen if processing time for new recruits because a part of the performance review of HR and other hiring staff... <><><><> |
Hey i was wondering if you could provide some advice for me, i am looking to get back into this enviroment in Canada i have no recents contacts and no idea where to start? Any help would be great.