Application & Initial Rounds:I applied for the Gift Processing Specialist role in the Office of University Advancement. The timeline moved quickly at first. I had a 30-minute introductory Zoom call with the Assistant Director of Advancement Talent, which led to an invitation for an onsite interview with a three-person panel (Assistant Director, Director, and Associate Director).
The Onsite & Misleading Red Flags:Because I am an out-of-state applicant, traveling to campus required significant personal time and financial resources. Boston College did not offer to cover any travel expenses or mileage, nor did they offer a virtual panel option via Zoom, despite using it for the first round.More critically, right before I walked into the interview room, the recruiter explicitly told me face-to-face that if I were to move forward, the next step would be a combined background and reference check, which he stated would be a definitive sign of an upcoming offer.
Rejection & Lack of Accountability:A few days after the interview, the job posting was quietly taken down. After I followed up professionally, I received a completely generic, copy-paste rejection email citing a "competitive applicant pool." Using candidate-facing metrics and verbal promises of an offer just to keep applicants warm is highly deceptive. Forcing out-of-state applicants to finance their own travel for a non-finalist round shows a complete lack of basic consideration for a job seeker's time and financial resources. I expected far more competence, respect, and ethical standards from an institution like Boston College.Advice to ManagementDo not force out-of-state candidates to pay out of pocket for interviews if they are not final-round preferred candidates. Train your recruitment staff to stop making verbal promises regarding background checks and offers if the hiring managers have not made a final decision.