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Vacancy Withdrawn* (*may not be)

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185

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Does anyone know the legality of this. A train company advertises an (external) post. Hundreds apply, only to be told the vacancy is withdrawn, due to a change in business requirements.

But then, with our railway being as close-knit as it is, you hear a rumour from within the company management their HR has invited some (external) candidates to interview. Indeed, curious to confirm this rumour you even see the assessment and interviews taking place.

Then when challenged the company's HR denies there were ever any interviews.

Other than being just downright dishonest, have they broken any employment laws here?

I won't name the company but I reckon many will know who it is from the thread title alone.
 
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reapz

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Does anyone know the legality of this. A train company advertises an (external) post. Hundreds apply, only to be told the vacancy is withdrawn, due to a change in business requirements.

But then, with our railway being as close-knit as it is, you hear a rumour from within the company management their HR has invited some (external) candidates to interview. Indeed, curious to confirm this rumour you even see the assessment and interviews taking place.

Then when challenged the company's HR denies there were ever any interviews.

Other than being just downright dishonest, have they broken any employment laws here?

I won't name the company but I reckon many will know who it is from the thread title alone.

Its there company they can employ who they like , they have broken no laws
 

185

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Its there company they can employ who they like , they have broken no laws

Whilst they can, and always do employ who they like (as all companies do), they have committed themself to a fair recruitment statement on their website, I wonder could it be considered misleading.
 

W230

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Misleading or not, it's still their choice. If you'd accepted a job and signed a contract then been told that, then it might be different...
 

Greenback

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There are many scenarios that may be involved here. In my own organisation, I have known posts be withdrawn the day before interviews were due to be held. No laws have been broken, and it's quit epossible that some people who could not be reahce din time turned up for the interviews.

Obviously, I don't know what has happened in this case, I'm just pointing out that it may not be as sinister as it might appear. It is, where I work, more usually a case of miscommunication and a lack of strategic vision or proper planning that is to blame.
 

island

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Poor form perhaps, but nothing illegal until an offer has been made and accepted.
 

Sleepy

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:roll: Is it just me or are all "railway" HR depts P*ss poor at organising anything ? They seem to mess people around quite a bit - and that is before they offer any employment ??!!
 

GadgetMan

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:roll: Is it just me or are all "railway" HR depts P*ss poor at organising anything ? They seem to mess people around quite a bit - and that is before they offer any employment ??!!

I think you can apply that to almost all railways departments.
 

Nym

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:roll: Is it just me or are all "railway" HR depts P*ss poor at organising anything ? They seem to mess people around quite a bit - and that is before they offer any employment ??!!

Hey, TfL's Recruitment processes seem to be quite smooth (and fair) from what I've experienced of them...
 

millemille

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It's happened to me twice in the last 6 months. I had interviews both times and either got an offer or told that I was the ideal candidate and should come back to meet the board as it was a DR role.

To then get told that either the vacancy had been withdrawn to an internal restructuring or because I'd been used as a stalking horse to compare with a less than ideal internal candidate.

Both positions were via different agencies and both said it's happening increasingly often in the rail industry.
 

red_star

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I have been looking for work with TOCs and have experienced 4 of their HR depts and assessment centres. Each with a greatly differing approach to recruitment and selection.

Sure, the actual assessments are the same (as these are borrowed/stolen/hired from Recruitment firms) but the level of professionalism from one to another is amazing.

One for example, didn't actually say 'start the assessment', it wasn't until we, the candidates, were looking at each other we decided the silence meant we could start.

Another has left me hanging around for 5 weeks after promising an interview after completing the assessments successfully.

Another just got back to me, 4 months after submitting application.

As an active 'jobseeker' being unemployed is stressful enough, without false promise and ghost jobs. Either there is a job going or not, and this false hope is probably down to government policy with large organisations, TOCs or not, exploiting loop holes in that policy.
 

185

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Quite different DaveNewcastle; in the past that company withdrew vacancies left right and centre. Although annoying, it is sadly quite commonplace and to a degree, expected nowadays.

Recently though, a company claimed a vacancy was withdrawn, but then went ahead and interviewed some candidates for it.

Stating the vacancy wasn't proceeding when it infact clearly was, in my opinion, crossed the line from being a disorganised, poorly planned business to being a business which made an untrue statement to candidates despite claiming in it's 'mission statement spiel' to recruit fairly.
 

Beveridges

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I applied for a driving position with ATW in December 2009, passed the Interview/Medical in February 2010. Was promised a Driving position. 30 months, or 125 weeks later, I'm still waiting. Yes, on hold for 125 weeks!!! The job is subject to government funding and they have never given a yes or a no in all this time. A high level of professionalism displayed by ATW? I think not!!! During the first 40 weeks I cancelled all plans for holidays until I realised this was going nowhere.
 

Failed Unit

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Happens all the time I am afraid, I have had it after an interview. Worse i have known was after someone had accepted the job, luckily they had not resigned from thier old job.
 

BestWestern

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Happens all the time I am afraid, I have had it after an interview. Worse i have known was after someone had accepted the job, luckily they had not resigned from thier old job.

Surely there would be a path open for legal action there, assuming contracts has been paperwork signed?
 

whhistle

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I won't name the company but I reckon many will know who it is from the thread title alone.
And it's this kind of cowardliness that allows companies to operate "under the radar". While I appreciate you can't go round accusing companies of this or that, simply putting "suspected" or "alleged" in your sentence will equate you from anything law wise as you are simply suspecting... not accusing. *think Cluedo :P


One for example, didn't actually say 'start the assessment', it wasn't until we, the candidates, were looking at each other we decided the silence meant we could start.
Maybe that is part of the assessment... to see who would take the lead.
 

185

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And it's this kind of cowardliness that allows companies to operate "under the radar". While I appreciate you can't go round accusing companies of this or that, simply putting "suspected" or "alleged" in your sentence will equate you from anything law wise as you are simply suspecting... not accusing. *think Cluedo :P

Not at all, I've stood up to a train company in the past and certainly not afraid to go head to head with liars and cowards in senior jobs. Bearing in mind many of the train companies sniff round this forum like flies around dog-do, it would be career suicide for a rail worker like me to name them when they already know of the situation being complained about, and ultimately, know who the candidate was who exposed it.

Whole point of this thread seems missed by some, that a company lied and claimed an external vacancy was withdrawn when it's proven it wasn't ...totally at odds with it's 'mission statement' junk about recruiting fairly. ;)
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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I applied for a driving position with ATW in December 2009, passed the Interview/Medical in February 2010. Was promised a Driving position. 30 months, or 125 weeks later, I'm still waiting. Yes, on hold for 125 weeks!!! The job is subject to government funding and they have never given a yes or a no in all this time. A high level of professionalism displayed by ATW? I think not!!! During the first 40 weeks I cancelled all plans for holidays until I realised this was going nowhere.

Would the matter that you state, that the job is subject to Government funding, a proviso that ATW should have clearly shown in their associated papers submitted with the application document. Are you saying that this proviso was not stated anywhere in the documents sent out by ATW?
 
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Would the matter that you state, that the job is subject to Government funding, a proviso that ATW should have clearly shown in their associated papers submitted with the application document. Are you saying that this proviso was not stated anywhere in the documents sent out by ATW?

I've been waiting since August 2008 after ATW told me I'd be driving 'very soon'...
 

Mattmatt

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From a semi-outsiders point of view, I will say from outset that i'm not in that position, where ive been through the process & the post has been withdrawn etc. But, I am in a situation where I have passed the assessments for conductor; but was not given a place on the course. This is also a place where rail companies let themselves down; they say you'll be placed on a waiting list and will be called upon 'should' a new post come up. This of course has a 'sell by' date, which is 6 months from the time when you've passed the assessment & after that time you will then have to re-apply and go through the whole process again. Fair enough, but I think that companies should in a way, be VERY brutally honest with the people whom apply, none of this pussy footing around, of we'll let you know etc etc, and keep you hanging on in the thought that you 'may' have a job!

To be honest; with my score on the assessment I think, that many others had a higher score, so the rail company took them first. I thought that this would also give me a foot in other companies doors when applying for other jobs; sadly no, two companies of late have rejected my application (this could also be down to other factors too) But again I think that; with such a massive interest in the few jobs that come up; the rail companies need to think about those that meet the criteria, but then don't get picked for training due to others having a higher score and other factors, and telling them in an up front way (we might not like it, but at least we know where we stand!) that sadly we don't forsee any further jobs coming up in the next few months, whilst encouraging them to apply for other jobs and not waiting for the one company to get back to them; also, with the state of a job being withdrawn; i think it's hard luck; Private companies have no comeback unless you've signed a contract - it's unfortunate and at the same time massively frustrating for those who it has happened to.

Most businesses these days plan so far ahead, that the need for jobs is a know commodity and planed. Sometimes i think it's about the lack of communication from within the companies themselves, where one dept doesn't talk to higher management and vice versa. I don't think it will end soon either. Many more will be disappointed.....:(
 

jadam35

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I applied for a driving position with ATW in December 2009, passed the Interview/Medical in February 2010. Was promised a Driving position. 30 months, or 125 weeks later, I'm still waiting. Yes, on hold for 125 weeks!!! The job is subject to government funding and they have never given a yes or a no in all this time. A high level of professionalism displayed by ATW? I think not!!! During the first 40 weeks I cancelled all plans for holidays until I realised this was going nowhere.

There really is no other industry like it. I applied for a Conductor role a few months back. Passed the application stage, went for the interview and was invited for assessments in York. Arranged for time off work, booked into a hotel so I would be there nice and early and attented on time.
I was contacted to be told congratulations I had passed.
However there are no vacancies available at this time.
Do I apply again? I dont know.......
 

millemille

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I've been waiting since August 2008 after ATW told me I'd be driving 'very soon'...

I did a presentation at a TOC corporate induction a few months ago and there were trainee drivers just starting who'd been waiting nearly 5 years from passing their assessments to starting.

My wife had to wait 18 months, back in the late 90's, from passing her assessments to starting training and the only reason it was that "quick" was because I'd been able to exert some influence on the route director due to having photographs of him drunk on a stag do we'd both been on......
 
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