Will I get it or wont I get it - temping limbo!

[freakygal78]

OK well apart from my tumultuous personal problems atm which I have posted elsewhere, I am in the situation currently where I have been temping in a PA position for over a month. I was covering for 2 PA's jobs actually - one who was on leave for a month and one who had resigned. Since the lady on leave returned, I continued covering for the lady who left until they found a replacement or decided to have me stay on.

 

From the outset, I was encouraged to apply for the vacant position which I did gladly as I enjoy working there and get along with the people quite well. I went thru the initial interview stage and then it was down to two candidates - myself and an external person. I thought I had a rather good chance having my foot in the door and I believe I have done a quality job whilst there. What upset me slightly was that despite the shortlist being culled down to 2 ppl, I found out my boss, the manager I would be reporting to directly, had meanwhile been scouting for additional candidates which I didn't think very fair so then a third person was brought in for the 2nd interview round. I know all 3 of us were interviewed in one day and I know that the 3rd person has 25 years of experience vs my 11 in the field but I just think if they could see I was performing well, what deficiency do I have that he was still seeking further candidates? What is even worse is that another PA in the company recommended this woman to him. It has been two days since the 2nd interviews and I am still working in the position and still no word!

 

As you can understand I am in a particularly tense state while waiting to find out my fate. To make matters worse I have had to pass up two plum assignments in the interim through my various agencies as they would have liked me to start immediately. I am torn between appearing loyal and ethical by waiting patiently to hear the outcome and wanting to plan for the near future because for all I know, I may be jobless within the next week. I just really have no idea what's going on and I am thinking that if I were successful, I would have heard by now. Surely they wouldn't want me to go through the torture of not knowing indefinitely if I was to be their new permanent employee?

 

I would not be so obsessed but the salary is very generous and it would be a good opportunity for me to progress in my career. Should I broach the subject with HR tomorrow and make push come to shove or patiently wait it out while I down nearly a bottle of wine every night in my angst? It's a catch 22 really. Both my manager and HR have been rather cool towards me for the past two days although I don't see how this is warranted. Your suggestions please? I would hate to think I had missed out on other gainful employment whilst chasing rainbows here....so very unfair! And meanwhile my workmates are asking me daily - do you know if you've got it yet? Aaaargh!

 

Another thought occurred to me since I wrote this - maybe they not saying much for the meantime as they are waiting till the successful candidate gives notice in her old job and are happy stringing me along as a substitute in the interim?

[freakygal78]

Well even tho this post was long and convoluted I would have appreciated a one sentence response at least! Either way I have made push come to shove today by asking HR the outcome for the position and I found out I was unsuccessful. Seems I did not show enough 'confidence' in the second interview - a little hard to when you know a third person was brought in at the last minute. I was right in my deduction about them wanting to string me along till the successful incumbent gives notice and starts in mid-March. Now I have the option of having a comfortable buffer zone of having work till I find something suitable or just acting on pride and leaving before I have to handover to my successor - I just feel like utter sh*t tonight and rather rejected. It was pre-empted at the least. Maybe I should have acted on my gut instinct. Either way thanks for anyone who might have even read this thread.

[uplooker80]

Sorry for not getting a chance to respond in a timely manner.

 

At least forcing HR to give you an answer gave you some closure.

 

Unfortunately, I think any loyalty or integrity from employers is a thing of the past.

 

I recommend you hang in there and don't let your pride determine how you act. Remain employed there as long as you can until you secure something else.

 

Continue to use your current position to built on your experience. Don't ever give in to pride when at work....your employer, and for that matter almost all employers, are not worthy of your loyalty. Just use them the same way that they use all of us. Don't waste your emotions on them. (I know that this is way easier said than done)

 

I wouldn't have minded a sip of that wine to drown our collective sorrows;) .

 

Take care of yourself, you'll come out great!

[monkey00]

that's what happens when you temp on a job, you never really know what the company has in store for you.

 

Some companies and employers are always on the lookout to get the best bang for their buck - in this case the person with more experience. It's understandable that you temped, you did your best on the job without complications...At the very least in the end you had a chance to show them what you're made of.

 

job interviews are rather subjective. Sometimes years of experience matter, sometimes it doesnt - maybe variation of experience/knowledge. In the end job interviews are just a way of marketing yourself with the help of your resume. And in some cases, such as this one, you were expendable...not to make you feel worse, but you could have done excellent on the job interview and the same result would happen because that guy had more years of experience.

 

I've been on temp jobs for as little as 1 day or half a week in different companies. Did i have high hopes it would go temp to perm? yea i did at times. But in those cases i knew i was there because they had tight deadlines to roll out and people were out sick.

But regardless I still did my best at the job, you never know when karma comes knocking. Even throughout i never stopped job hunting.

 

You did your best, all you can do is move on.