Everyone who has spent any time in the personnel services industry has met lots of them. Generally they're dreamers, and we all know dreamers never let the facts get in the way of a good dream.
Here's what happens with these people. They go through the interview process in search of a job and things are going well. In fact, the interviewer, who will be their direct supervisor, says something like, "I really would like to have you in this job. So far, of everyone I've seen, you impress me the most."
Every job seeker would love to hear that. The difference is that most job seekers will take it for exactly what it is: a positive comment about their chances without a job offer's having been made.
The dreamer doesn't see it that way. The dreamer floats out of the office, announces to friends and family that the job has been offered or says something like "It's in the bag," and then proceeds to quit his or her current job or, if out of work, stops looking any further.
Then comes the call: "Sorry, but we've decided someone else."
That represents big trouble for the dreamer.
The dreamer may have received a legitimate offer, but with the provision that his or her reference proved satisfactory. Perhaps a physical is involved before the final offer can be made, or other administrative tails must be worked out to the employer's satisfaction.
Again, those potential stumbling blocks are ignored and the dreamer plays out the same scenario of announcing a new job and quitting the existing one, or hold back on pursuing other leads. Then a reference does check out, or someone else in the company has a reason for not hiring this individual, or a decision is made to not fill the opening at all.
Sometimes a dreamer projects rather than deal with the reality of the moment. In this case, the interviewer indicates that there is the potential of advancing a vice-presidency one day. The dreamer knows vice-presidents in that company are never paid less than $100,000 year. So the dreamer takes the job and thinks only of the VP title and the $100,000. The dreamer tells her husband, "They said I'd be vice-president in six months." Of course that was never said, but the dreamer is carried away with wishful thinking. Six months go by and the dreamer gets angry. "They lied to me," she tells her husband, when, in fact, no one lied to anyone.
My advice has always been that until a firm job offer has been made and a starting date has been established, keep your mouth shut, continue to look for a new job with the same enthusiasm and energy as before, and, if you are employed, keep working very hard at your present job.
Finally, on this subject, listen carefully to what a prospective employer says, and don't embellish it with your own wishful thinking.
