Is there anything a candidate should do or can do when a personnel manager calls the candidate the evening before and cancels thefollowing day's interview appointment with the excuse that the company has filled the position?

What should a candidate do when a personnel manager has gone home for the day and has forgotten an early-evening interviewappointment that had been scheduled with the candidate?

Do you think personnel managers realize that professionals give up vacation days for these interview appointments and that these dayscannot be rescheduled?

Do you think they know that candidates spend time researching the company and preparing for the interview?

Not only does this cause stress for the candidate, it also projects a bad image for the company.

It's easier for me to excuse this misconduct by personnel people of small companies, but it is very difficult for me to justify this badbehavior by managers of large companies.

Answer:
As with any other profession, there are good and bad people behind the titles. The thing to keep in mind is that they are theshoppers-you are the merchandise. Day after day, year after year, they flip through the racks looking for just the right fit. After awhile,some of them forget that the merchandise is alive and breathing.

Although it may not seem fair to you that your interview was cancelled because of the 'excuse' that the position was filled, theinterviewer may actually have been trying to spare you a vacation day. He or she may have felt that the correct match had been foundand wanted to be fair to you rather than to lead you on.

The personnel manager who forgot your early-evening interview can make no excuses. This blunder is unprofessional and careless, and Iwould hope he or she will make it up to you by giving you extra interview time and by buying you lunch.

The personal sacrifices you make when looking for a job are all a part of the price you pay to be considered for a better opportunity. Ithelps to think of it as an investment in your future. Like the stock market, winning big means risking something on the front end.

Many personnel managers read this column, so your message has been delivered where it can do the most good-right between the eyes.