I applied for a job with Monash University, and I've never experienced an interview where I was treated so poorly as I was with them. In hindsight I can only assume the position was earmarked for someone in particular, and they were just going through the motions of advertising and conducting interviews with no intention of offering the job to any of the other applicants.
The position description identified Gerard Toohey (Manager, Student Administration) as Unit Head, and Peter Yates (Director, Services & Systems) as Divisional Director.
Gerard Toohey seemed to be the chair but his heart wasn't in the process. He looked bored throughout. It wasn't so much his posture of leaning on the table while resting his head on his hand that disturbed me, though it set a poor impression of the organisation. It was the fact that during the progress of the interview the meeting was interrupted by someone entering the room. This messenger whispered something to Toohey resulting in him leaving the room part way through the interview. It's difficult to assess a candidate’s performance at an interview if you excuse yourself from the process. The most interesting thing about this experience was that I received a rejection letter the day after the interview.
It doesn't take long to prepare a letter, but it does take some hours to get it through an organisation’s internal mail system, and you have to be very lucky for Australia Post to get a standard letter delivered by the next day unless it's sent by a priority paid service. It takes a while to reach the letter writing stage. Normally the interview panel would meet to decide on a candidate, and while this could be done quickly forwarding a recommendation to the HR section does take time. HR would want the successful candidate to accept the position which is usually done in writing, before doing anything else. Only after this has been completed will the other candidates be advised. There is only one conclusion I can deduce: my letter of rejection was in the post while I was being interviewed.
I have no qualms in identifying Gerard Toohey and describing his shoddy behaviour in the hope that my experience might serve as a warning to other job seekers.
Postscript:
Refer comment posted by Anonymous:
Dear Anonymous,
You wouldn’t know me from a bar of soap and couldn’t possibly have any idea of my background in HR or otherwise. Please don’t make unsubstantiated statements. You seem very sensitive to this item. Could it be that your name is Gerard Toohey. Though, I can confirm I’ve been involved in hiring enough people in my time to know the limitations of the process. Not from the HR side I might add, but from the business side of things. That’s what counts. I know how the process is conducted and how long it takes. Despite your rage I stand by my comments, and yes the interview was indeed rubbish. It was one of the more unprofessional experiences I have encountered. If the cap fits Gerard wear it. And yes, I felt extremely sour after the experience; you have no idea.
2 comments:
oh Gerard Google-searches himself. hopefully not on Monash Uni time. Those rejection letters were printed off the list of job applicants and posted by COB on the day of your interview because that job went in house, no doubt about it. bravo AusPost for overnight delivery too.
And Gerard, if you are HR Manager and begin and end a public statement with a facile insult, you are taking your salary under false pretences, as so many in uni admin do. Probably got your dopey Degree In Business Administration from the inept Ballarat Uni aka Federation Of Dunces Uni. They have a business Marketing lecturer there who has not even heard of Calvin Klein or Tiffany's 117 stores worldwide. The Marketing tutor had not heard of The Simpsons - I know you cannot believe that. John Guyas from London got the job via the internet and insisted he had not heard of them. I quit in disgust. Third year students in my class could not understand my disgust and merely said "nobody watches them anymore anyhow". Those kids have jobs like your now Gerard. Did you get your P in 16 units from guys like them? Jackass.
Hi there,
I came across this blog post VIA google because I'd decided to dig around for info on Gerard Toohey since he has decided to make my life absolute hell in my last semester at Monash. He's the "manager of student services" at Monash and has done everything in his power to make sure that I don't get my units changed from DAY units into NIGHT units. I've had to change my units last minute because I'd been offered a full time position, and was unable to do day units. Long story short, I managed to get two of those units changed through another campus and he was beside himself. I have one last unit that I have every right to have changed, and noone else can help me but him. I feel like he's an extremely unreasonable person, that unknowingly power trips on his managerial position which in result RUINS career prospects for graduates and simply makes life hard for students.
So yes, I totally agree with your post with the things you've said about them. I can clearly see how they would be valid through personal experience. They need to find someone better (with a HEART) to be in charge of admin and hiring- I'm concerned that such a person holds "so" much administrative power.
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