<p>Hey all, </p>
<p>I'm currently a sophomore finance/accounting major at the University of Pittsburgh. Nearly two months ago, I applied for a job with Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh. On March 16th, I recieved a phone call about scheduling an interview for an internship position, to which I called back (and left a message) indicating my interest. Well, after 12...yes 12...days of hearing nothing at all, I recieved a call back today. Though I don't quite understand the logic of it all, apparently the job they wanted me to interview for was filled, and they didn't "want me to interview for a job that was already taken". I understand this, but the time they had me waiting, completely uninformed of what was going on was in my opinion, unprofessional and rude. Upon recieving this call back they mentioned that two more positions are available (and I am currently reapplying for both), and the recruiter claims she is going to try to get me an interview for one of them...though considering my experience with Mellon thus far, I am not expecting much. Anyway, does anyone else have any bad internship experiences such as this? I could use some cheering up, being that two weeks ago I had an interview and just needed to concentrate on doing well during it, whereas now, I am left hoping that i can simply get an interview, in addition to getting a job.</p>
<p>Get used to it--this happened to my mother who's been working as an engineer for decades--and it was an upper-level position, too.</p>
<p>well, at least i'm not alone here...</p>
<p>I don't see the problem here with the company?</p>
<p>I don't think you should have "left a message"...I think you should have kept calling back until you talked to someone in person - leaving voicemails doesn't really cut it. You have to take more initiative and not wait around for a call back.</p>
<p>if the company wants you, they are going to show it. They probably had you as a backup. The 12 day waiting period was probably them waiting to hear back from someone they had offered the spot to. Remember that companies interview way more people than they will actually give offers to. Mellon isn't the only company to operate like that. That's life.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this is very common in the real world. My daughter has been "on hold" for a job in her intended field for 3 months pending the hospital getting enough people together to plan an orientation. They keep putting her off, week by week. She has finally taken another job, because she's just sick of waiting. She gets mail from the hospital as "dear employee" so she's in their system, but so far no paycheck. What a ridiculous way to run a business. My sister, who is a nurse, has gotten the same type of run-around many times. Places very commonly say they will call, and will not for weeks or months. Then they will expect you to be waiting!</p>
<p>Granted - I agree. I called back hoping to actually speak with someone no less than 45 times. I am willing to bet the reason I finally got a call back was because I had, after becoming tired of receiving the voice mail message, began contacting the front desk and asking them everything possible to gain insight on what the situation was. </p>
<p>My argument is this. I understand that I was not the only person applying for this job, and that chances are, I was a backup plan at best. Where I feel the company was wrong was by not contacting me after my first message or my second one to just let me know what was going on. When I received a call back eventually, the lady admitted to handling the situation the wrong way.</p>
<p>Hey Dilo,</p>
<p>I'm not suprised at the way Mellon treated you. While gonsenheim claims that "everyone" employs the same tactics, in my opinion, I've had particularly dissapointing experiences with Mellon in Boston. Mellon initially contacted me via my school's career center about a potential internship for last year's winter. They first interviewed me along with this other gal from my school and then took them 3 weeks to reach a decision...(Mind you I wasn't doing something like asset management or private wealth management it was some tax work in their finance department). Ironically, the company had decided to rehire "a part-time employee that was looking for work." I kind of thought to myself..."why did you waste my time?" as I could have looked for other opportunities in the interim...Sorry for the rant folks...But Mellon is horrible in their hiring process....</p>
<p>My daughter interviewed for an internship in December that was to begin after the first of the year. The company manager called her again the second week of January and had her come back for a second interview to met with the two other people she would work under. She was told the number of hours she would work and that this would be a paid internship instead of a nonpaid as she was originally told. My daughter was told she would hear back from them in a week. Four weeks when by before they had her come in again to meet with four other people. This was a Thursday and she was told she would be contacted the next. It took a week before she was contacted again to be told the company's needs had changed and they wouldn't need her anymore. They jerked her around for 2 1/2 months with promises of starting, only to tell her she wasn't wanted. The is a huge company and they knew if they could use her or not. There was some concern at the beginning as she was only a sophomore and they usually take grad students, but I am sure it didn't take 10 weeks to figure out if they could offer her the position or not. </p>
<p>While my daughter was bitter at first, she found another internship with a non profit organization that is thrilled to have her and she is happy to be helping them out. "When one door closes, and is opened." My daughter said if they would have told her at the get go that they didn't want her she would have been fine with it. Instead they kept calling her in for meetings and telling her what she would be doing at work and let this go on for 10 weeks!!</p>