Application Discarded/Ignored!?!?

[FF_Medic_1980]

I need some advice. I applied for a FF/Paramedic position at a smaller department in October. The application stated that it must be dropped off at the station in person. I live over 250 miles from the department, so I called to inquire if they would make an exception because of the distance. I expected they would say no, but I figured "you don't know, if you don't ask". I was clear that I would take the necessary time off from work to drive it to them if they preferred. Surprisingly, the Chief advised he was OK with me mailing it since I was out of town. I sent the application via Express Mail and I confirmed arrived 3 days before the deadline.

I called the day of the deadline to confirm my application was accepted, but was told to leave a message for the Chief's secretary. She never called back. I didn't want to be a bother, so I waited a few weeks before calling back. Same thing...no reply. When I called a third time, the secretary advised she couldn't tell me anything and someone else would have to call me. The next day, the DC called and said my application was not accepted because I mailed it in. I explained my situation and he advised he was not informed that I was given permission from the Chief to mail it. He said that, had he known this information, I would have been eligible for an interview. However, he said they had already completed interviews and it was too late to be considered in this process.

Do I have any recourse? Should I contact the Township Board? Do I just ignore what happened?

[Jonnee]

No you don't. You didn't follow the stated rules.

If the Chief of Department, who you said you talked, told you this, you should have attached noted this on the application by a memo saying that "As per Chief Nozzle, he told me on December 1, 2010 at 0930 hours, that since I live 300 miles from this city I could mail it in".

[ffbam24]

Recourse?
Nope. Sorry.
Even though you had the conversation; without the chief's corraboration or notification to his staff of said conversation, your application is gone with yesterday's trash. This just shows how far removed the chief may be from the hiring process of their own department.

Do not try to make waves on this.
Chalk it up as a learning experience this time and next time, when in doubt, hand deliver it and follow all the directions.

Hopefully there's more than one department out there for you.

Good luck.
Hang tough.
bam

[FF_Medic_1980]

I figured I would just have to deal with it, but I am so frustrated! You can say I didn't follow the directions, but the Chief allowed an exception for me and I followed his directions explicitly. Nobody there is even disputing that I was given permission to mail it...they just say it's too late to correct THEIR mistake. They didn't hire anyone yet, why can't they just give me an interview?

[Jonnee]

I figured I would just have to deal with it, but I am so frustrated! You can say I didn't follow the directions, but the Chief allowed an exception for me and I followed his directions explicitly. Nobody there is even disputing that I was given permission to mail it...they just say it's too late to correct THEIR mistake. They didn't hire anyone yet, why can't they just give me an interview?

The department does not have an application from you.

It's not their mistake, it was yours. You didn't follow their rules and procedures.

You can't always trust the person who you converse on the telephone.

[FF_Medic_1980]

The department does not have an application from you.

Actually, they did. 100% complete with all required attachments. The office secretary reviewed it with me over the telephone on the due date and the DC reviewed it when interviews were scheduled a few weeks later.

It's not their mistake, it was yours. You didn't follow their rules and procedures.

How is explicitly following the directions of the Fire Chief my mistake?

You can't always trust the person who you converse on the telephone.

You can't trust the Fire Chief? C'mon!

[nmfire]

Well for starters you just did a complete 180 on your entire story.

I called the day of the deadline to confirm my application was accepted, but was told to leave a message for the Chief's secretary. She never called back. I didn't want to be a bother, so I waited a few weeks before calling back. Same thing...no reply.

The office secretary reviewed it with me over the telephone on the due date and the DC reviewed it when interviews were scheduled a few weeks later.

[fire49]

Possibly they did not consider you for an interview, not that the applicationwas or was not mailed

[FF_Medic_1980]

Well for starters you just did a complete 180 on your entire story.

There is a Chief's secretary and an office (front desk) secretary, two different people.

[FF_Medic_1980]

Possibly they did not consider you for an interview, not that the applicationwas or was not mailed

I would feel better if that were the case, but the DC confirmed he disregarded my application because nobody told him I was given permission to mail it.

The reason I am so upset is this is a good department that has very high standards for application. They require a pre-application exam score (I scored 100%), FF I/II, Medic, and an minimum of an A.A.S. Fire Science degree just to apply. They only get about 20 qualified applicants each time around, so I would have had a really good shot. Oh well...

[PaulC.]

Chalk this one up to experience FF Medic...

Even if they did let you into the process, they'll be more likely to see you as a "red flag" candidate because you had to go after them.

I disagree with others. I don't think it was your fault for asking and doing what you were told here. You just ended up on the wrong end of the outcome.

I also don't think it'll do you any good to go after it. Channel the energy into other potential departments.

Best,

PaulC

[yjbrody]

They didn't hire anyone yet, why can't they just give me an interview?

Even if they did, how do you see this interview going after all the phone calls/emails from you?

Is it unfair, bad luck, or possibly their fault? Absolutely, but like a lot of others have said, take it as a learning experience and move on.

Good luck going forward.

"The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something."
— Randy Pausch

[FF_Medic_1980]

Thanks for letting me vent, guys. I think I just needed to get that off my chest so I didn't do anything that would earn me a "red flag". Stay safe.