Work stuff - would this annoy you?

[BillBlank]

Yesterday I interviewed for an internal vacancy that was also externally advertised. The post is a step up in responsibility and pay. The responsibilities of the role were agreed before hand verbally and in interview to my satisfaction and my employers, otherwise I would not have applied for the post. I walk into work this morning to be greeted and congratulated by a senior manager who runs another part of the organisation that I have no real interest in working in. He tells me how pleased he is that I'll be working with him as a blah blah. The role of blah blah is not something that appeals and most definitely not what I applied for. I am capable of it but it involves working hours that I don't want to in an area that is not of immediate interest.

Through the day people from his team have come to me to welcome me and start discussing my new role and they've had knowledge of what it entails and were baffled that I knew nothing of what they were talking about. Apparently this has been discussed and debated for some time how to best make use of my talents.

I have sent a very polite and pleasant email to the person who interviewed me requesting clarification of the job description. I await a reply.

I am annoyed that it seems I am the last to know and feel like I've been sold a pig in a poke. I have not formally accepted the job yet and should it prove to be the job that I knew nothing of I am unsure how to proceed. I feel rather let down to be honest.

Does this happen all the time? Am I being silly to feel annoyed?

Your's, a somewhat vexed,

Bill

[Sponge]

I've no idea if this happens all the time, but I would be very annoyed too, so don't feel silly. It sounds like you've taken steps towards clarifing what exactly the job is and I'd think if it varies greatly to what you were told during the application/interview process then you've been misled and have grounds to change your mind. I hope it gets sorted.

Edited October 22, 2008 by Sponge

[Waylander]

It does happen. It is in your favour if the job description was explicitly discussed at interview [and in the ad?]

Seems some negotiation is in order+++

[Mook]

Don't send any more mails to whoever the manager is. As to meet them and discuss it face to face and tell them that you applied for a different position.

[craigyb]

It happened to me on a contract with a well known Japanese investment bank.

I interviewed with several managers for a specific roll out project and accepted the contract.

I arrived on the Monday morning to be told I was too expensive to use on that project and they swapped me with a permie and placed me on the trading floor with no assistance, just me!

Needless to say I lasted the morning before I walked out. But I did protest to the managers what had happened and they all said I had agreed to do this role. If I had agreed, why was I walking?

[BillBlank]

Thanks for the replies, nice to be reassured and advised. I just needed to vent a little.

Lesson learned here, only listen to the most senior person you're dealing with. What minions say may differ somewhat from reality due to mis-communication. I'm now the happy holder of a written job description and I get to work for the line manager I like. Yes I did just say that I actually like my boss.

Bill