Is there any negative consequences for deleting a job application? I am talking about when you apply for a shop and it has not been assigned yet. Is it held against you in some way if you delete the application if it has not been assigned.

Thanks!

No, you're under no obligation until it has been assigned to you.

Just remember to check up on them often, and cancel after awhile of no response. You don't want to forget about the app, schedule a full day for yourself, and then, bam, it's assigned to you on the day before your requested shop date.

Thanks BBird0701. I wasn't certain. I know someone posted something in a thread about how it reflected poorly, or something like that. So I wasn't certain.

As always, I appreciate your wisdom.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2014 06:08AM by jatufu1.

No, it reflects poorly if you cancel a shop after it is assigned to you. If you change your mind and delete the application before an assignment is made, it isn't a bad thing.

I don't think there is, but who knows how a deletion might be received. A scheduler might have been waiting on a favorite shopper to apply while keeping your application pending. Then, when it is time to assign the shop, the favorite is unavailable and your application disappeared. Who knows, but the scheduler might be unhappy if there are no other applications.

What I sometimes do is add an expiration date and time to the application. I do this when I need to do it by a certain date that is before the shop window closes. If I forget to delete it, it expires on it's own. Then, if the scheduler does assign me after it expires, then I can say it is their problem, not mine.

vlade5394 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't think there is, but who knows how a
> deletion might be received. A scheduler might
> have been waiting on a favorite shopper to apply
> while keeping your application pending. Then,
> when it is time to assign the shop, the favorite
> is unavailable and your application disappeared.
> Who knows, but the scheduler might be unhappy if
> there are no other applications.
>
> What I sometimes do is add an expiration date and
> time to the application. I do this when I need to
> do it by a certain date that is before the shop
> window closes. If I forget to delete it, it
> expires on it's own. Then, if the scheduler does
> assign me after it expires, then I can say it is
> their problem, not mine.


Smart move on your end. I never thought about an "expiration date" with any of my applications. I usually mark anything I apply to on my calendar, even when not accepted. For the pending applications, I simply list it as "PENDING" until it has been approved / rejected.

So far, all the applications I have submitted have an expiration date as far as I know. I have to put the day I will complete the assignment on the application. But I have even deleted applications before that date because something else came up. Or sometimes if the job has not been assigned to me by the time I go to bed night prior to the date I submitted I would do it, I will delete the application.

As I am new, I am not quite brave enough to tell a scheduler something is their problem; not mine. And that is a bit rough when the application has you select a date to perform the shop, but the scheduler schedules you for a different day.

I did have a situation where I applied for two different scenarios at the same location on the same day. It was for a shipping service. The guidelines allow for that, as long as there is at least two hours between them and they are in a different time band. But now I see they started putting in the emails you get after they accept your application that you have to have three hours between two shops at the same location and that you cannot do a certain scenario the same day.

I had actually done two scenarios at the same location the same day before; including the "certain" scenario. But this time when I applied to do both shops the same day, the scheduler assigned me both shops, but on different days. So then I was in a dilemma because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to do the shop the day I had put on my application (which is the day they say you are supposed to do the shop) or the day the scheduler assigned it. I didn't have much time to figure it out. But I figured I was supposed to do the shop the day the scheduler assigned it. I emailed the scheduler to confirm and I was correct. So I went ahead and did one shop one day and the other shop the next day because I didn't want to flake or cancel an assignment. But it threw me for a loop getting assigned to a shop a different day than I had applied for it. And since I made a special trip for just that one shop, I didn't really make much money on it.

Keep in mind, since you are not an employee it is not up to the scheduler to arbitrarily assign a shop on any day other than what you requested. That behavior could eventually get the company in a bit of hot water if any ICs decide to contest their status.

LisaSTL,

I understand that. If I actually could not do the shop that day I would have had to contact the scheduler and told her I could not do the shop that day, and point out that I had not asked to be assigned to the shop that day. But since I am new, and trying to build a reputation, I just went ahead and did the shop.

I think what aggravated me the most is the amount of time I stressed trying to decide if I should do the shop on the day I requested it (i.e. the day the directions say you are supposed to complete the shop), or on the day the scheduler scheduled it.

Again, I am new, but have read quite a few horror stories. So I was worried if I did the shop on the day my Shop Log said it was assigned, that it could be rejected because I didn't do it on the day I requested it (as per the directions).

Thanks again LisaSTL,

I have tried to put some shops together, but gave up sometimes because it would have had me doing two scenarios in one location the same day - which the guidelines say is okay, but the one email I received said wasn't. I have been hesitant to apply for two shops at the same location on the same day, as I didn't want to risk getting scheduled for them on a different day than I applied.

I now see that the scheduler who scheduled me on a different day than I applied wasn't the same scheduler who generally schedules the shops in this area. It looks like there was one week in July when the scheduler worked this area.

That explains why I was able to do two scenarios at the same location on the same day prior to that. It looks like the scheduler might have been filling in in this area, and decided I couldn't do that, and scheduled me a different day.

So I have been making subsequent decisions about what shops to apply for and not apply for based on potential misinformation.

jatufu1 Wrote:

> As I am new, I am not quite brave enough to tell a
> scheduler something is their problem; not mine.
> And that is a bit rough when the application has
> you select a date to perform the shop, but the
> scheduler schedules you for a different day.
>

I smiled a bit at how you said this. Yes, I have definitely been there myself and made extra trips to accommodate errors (both mine and theirs) to try to build a relationship with companies.

However, in your case there seems to be a middle ground. You might ask a simple question something like this.

"I was intending to do these two shops on the same date as stated in my applications. Could
you please tell me why they were assigned on different days?"

I think even a beginner should be able to ask this. Additionally, this kind of legitimate question can help to build the relationship with the company.

vlade5394,

Thanks! I wasn't sure if I could do that, since most of my shops are scheduled a day or two before they are due. And honestly, before I found this forum, I didn't realize you could ask the scheduler many questions. I did send a contact us - but it was to clarify which day I was supposed to do the shop. I indicated that I was assuming that I was supposed to do the shop on the day they scheduled it instead of the day I applied for it. The scheduler responded and said that was correct.

I am learning quite a bit from this forum - which will help me immensely in situations like this. Additionally, when I have emailed the scheduler a couple times because I wasn't sure if the shop would count - the scheduler has been pretty nice in responding. So I am not quite a hesitant as I was before.

But before I found this forum, I was pretty much guided by blogs that told you not to contact the scheduler unless it was extremely important. So it has been interesting reading about people contacting the scheduler about things such as clarifying instructions.

I am learning.

Legitimate questions are always appropriate. Some are below.

Those include clarifications about instructions. Sometimes the shop specific instructions will contradict the general instructions - the shopper needs to know which to follow.

Scheduling is always an issue. Schedulers know how shoppers work. We schedule routes. We add on one or two more shops to where we are already going. They are sensitive to that. So asking about a scheduled date different from what you requested is always legitimate.

Fee issues. When you respond to an email for a shop that is offered at say, $20 - $10 normal fee plus a $10 bonus and get awarded the shop. Then the website says your fee is $10 without any bonus. In that instance you need to inquire before doing the shop.

You might ask about future shops. If a certain client is still doing them, when they will be released, what frequency they are offered, etc..

It seems you are in this profession for the long haul. Experience will teach you much. The forum will assist you in many ways that will be beyond your personal experience. I find it a great help for me and at times steered me clear of situations I didn't want to experience for myself. Keep going and good luck.