Job Interview Ethics

[Deactivated] on 26/03/2018 - 15:20
Last edited 26/03/2018 - 15:23

I have been applying for new jobs and been having a god awful time at it. Companies treat prospective employees like trash and I would like to know your opinion on this and maybe share your personal experiences. This is my most recent one.

start_rant

Applied to a medium sized company : I gave an online test, progressed to the next stage and had an HR interview. After clearing that HR scheduled time for technical interview on Skype. On the day of the interview the guy never showed up and I sat there in front of the screen for half an hour just waiting. HR apologized and rescheduled. I was then scheduled for a final interview 1.5 weeks in advance. This was in a different city than the one I reside in so on the day of the interview I took a day off work, got up at 5:30 am, purchased bus tickets and traveled 4 hours to the destination. I made it clear to them that I was traveling solely for the interview. I got there and received an email that the interview was cancelled on an hours notice. I called them up and was told that no one would be able to see me in the office and basically the best option was for me to go home. Traveled another 4 hours and reached home. They did not offer to reimburse my travel and did not even send any formal apology. I am just astonished at how these people think they can treat others like trash and take their time for granted.

end_rant

Education & Work

Comments

        • Donaldhump on 28/03/2018 - 02:46
          +1

          I’d be filling in every employer survey on them possible

          They are not nice people

      • scrone on 27/03/2018 - 13:19

        Actually I guarantee you this exact this exact thing would happen and employers would be happy to pay (if it was less than the cost of the flight).

  • Ocker on 26/03/2018 - 18:19
    +10

    Send a letter to the CEO pointing out your disappointment at the shortcomings of his HR Dept, politely pointing out that with the benefit of hindsight you feel that you are better off not working for a company that has such low ethical standards.

    • original15 on 26/03/2018 - 18:39

      ..or her

      • peterpeterpumpkin on 26/03/2018 - 18:52
        -1

        You're right! Send a letter to his mistress as well. Before a gag-order is put in place.

        Ooh, wrong context, I see you meant gender-neutral "their".

        • OzzyOzbourne on 27/03/2018 - 13:50
          +2

          Gender neutral 'his'?

      • OzzyOzbourne on 27/03/2018 - 13:50
        +4

        Ooo, were you negged for indicating a female could be ceo?

        • original15 on 27/03/2018 - 20:17
          +1

          yeh looks like it lol

  • peterpeterpumpkin on 26/03/2018 - 18:50
    +1

    I complain about stuff like this quite a bit so I'd just like to thank you for sharing your experiences. Though in my experience it's normally when a company (or temping agency) is hiring 50 people or more at once.

    The irony is that I often say HR is generally incompetent because non-IT-savvy people have been put in charge of a modern-day IT-centralised system. If an IT consultancy can't manage to get their act together then I foresee troubles for years ahead.

    Someone probably got a bonus for introducing their newfangled multi-step hiring system as well. They were probably literally asked to pat themselves on the back for a job well done. The meeting was on a Tuesday morning and a round-of-applause was had. Then we they had morning tea and whispered to each other how lucky we are for creeping in under the old system. Yep, been there.

    • D C on 26/03/2018 - 21:58
      +1

      newfangled multi-step hiring system

      Reminds me of public service jobs like the ATO & rail, they take so long to hire by the time they offer the 'good' people have gone elsewhere and they're left with picked the 'best' out of the dregs.

      They're probably congratulating themselves that their process means they always get the best of the best, but as pointed out in a very old article, well not quite: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2005/01/27/news-58/

      The good people already have jobs, and you're just making the unemployed (who apply for EVERY job) jump though hoops until you hire the 'best' of those willing to put up with your crap.

      • Gandalf the Thrifty on 27/03/2018 - 09:42
        +1

        To be fair those public service jobs are most likely delayed by useless HR/HR processes. The interviews etc can be pretty quick.

        • D C on 27/03/2018 - 11:38

          useless HR/HR processes

          Er, well, yes, I mean it's not like I was blaming the candidate for it.

          I remember it used to take Sydney Rail 6 months to hire someone.

  • p1 ama on 26/03/2018 - 20:36
    +2

    Have you talked to the company?

    Sometimes these sorts of things are more down to just rubbish HR than a bad company. I've worked at places before that were great places to work, but just had really incompetent admin and HR who just didn't reply to emails properly, were never around when they were needed and were just simply not knowledgeable about the things that they needed to know.

    You might be surprised, but many companies want to have a good image. This affects their ability to generate sales and close contracts. If a company is involved in this sort of scandal and a large number of employees (or potential employees) come out and make some noise, it would reflect quite badly on the company. On top of that, companies should treat their potential employees well. At the end of the day, most of the people who are interviewing you will be your future colleagues and many of them have been in your situation before. I've had interviews at many different types of firms and I've always found my interviewers to be friendly and amicable. There were some that were very social and just had more of a chat than a formal interview, whilst some focused more on technical things, but were still very nice and easygoing. Maybe it's worth following through with this.

    At the end of the day, companies are looking for good talent just as much as good people are looking for a place to work. Both sides need each other and cannot operate alone. If worst comes to worst, there are plenty of other companies out there that are worth your time.

    • spook290 on 27/03/2018 - 15:20

      While I agree that different areas of a company have different cultures, the recruitment team should be conscious that they're the face of the business throughout the recruitment process.

  • whooah1979 on 26/03/2018 - 20:40

    They did not offer to reimburse my travel

    This must be a joke right?

    • [Deactivated] on 26/03/2018 - 20:57
      +9

      Why is it a joke? I've had interviews/testing where they offered to reimburse flights, hotels etc without them (profanity) up. It's not wrong to expect to be reimbursed for someone else's (profanity) up.

      • whooah1979 on 26/03/2018 - 21:09
        +1

        I've had interviews/testing where they offered to reimburse flights, hotels etc

        it sounds like your skill sets are highly specialised and that your employer valued them enough to pay for your expenses.

        • [Deactivated] on 26/03/2018 - 21:11
          +7

          I was a student in my final semester of my BSc. Definitely not highly specialised in anything haha

        • whooah1979 on 26/03/2018 - 21:17

          @nurries:

          you must have done something right.

          are you still thinking of completing your msc?

        • [Deactivated] on 26/03/2018 - 21:37

          @whooah1979:

          I started a Masters in software engineering this semester.

    • aleayr on 28/03/2018 - 00:21

      Nope, pretty common, I'm not highly specialised either, IT project/product role, had flights and accomodation to different cities for interviews paid for before after getting past initial interviews.

  • SmiTTy on 26/03/2018 - 23:15
    +3

    Get the job. Sign the papers, don't turn up to work.

    • Donaldhump on 28/03/2018 - 23:09
      +2

      Gotta turn up for a few days. Sit on dunny forv2 hours a day. Chain smoke, take 2 hour lunch. Chuck sickie Thursday. Quit Friday

  • blawler05 on 27/03/2018 - 08:32
    +2

    What people really need to understand is that it is a two way interview. You are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you.

    With that in mind, they have clearly failed the interview, and you should not go back. I would not consider working for that company. If they treat prospective employees that way (People they are trying to attract to their company) how do you think they will treat you once you work for them.

    Not all companies are like that, and this seems really at odds to my experience. Just strike them off your list and find somewhere better to work.

    • resisting the urge on 27/03/2018 - 14:49

      filter out the ones who want to put you through a low-cost or protracted interview process, so many can't be arsed to read the resumes and cull the applicants based on the advertised skills and experince

  • farknos on 27/03/2018 - 08:50
    +3

    take it as a warning, run for the hills, find a different company to work for.

  • seonken on 27/03/2018 - 08:51
    +1

    Recruitment companies are worst, a complete waste of time but many times big companies' internal recruitment is bad too.

    Recently I had an interview with Ricoh Australia before the interview communication was excellent with HR coordinator and hiring manager. Even after the interview, post-interview email was responded well. I took a day off and spend a good time travelling and paying a toll to reach to their office. I expect some sort of response but nothing, literally no response to my three email to the hiring manager and HR coordinator for the outcome and feedback. A bad practice followed by well established multi-million dollar company.

    It is very simple, a candidate costs them nothing except time, sounds like they were not desperate in filing up the vacant role otherwise usually they bend over. There are hundreds of candidates to chose from, they can do your background check but as a candidate, there is no established company review place they fear of. The star ratings of companies on Seek and Glassdoor is very manipulative. (that my little rant)

    • ozbogan1 on 27/03/2018 - 12:37
      +2

      I hate how the practice of not even sending a rejection email or making a quick phone call has become common

  • rr64 on 27/03/2018 - 10:24

    I think you should complain to head office, tell them what happened and the specific person you dealt with. You expect to get jerked around a bit but that's too far. If they're going to waste your time like that then they can go on and get in the job breadline themselves.

  • EdenKai on 27/03/2018 - 11:32
    +1

    Well its possible the HR department is utter garbage. My old job had the worst HR, they had no idea what was going on and they just ignored all of our complaints and issues. But itd also be fair for me to say that working there was probably the funnest time I've had in my career. Great people, great workload and so many learning experiences. Dont get me wrong, you were treated pretty poorly, but it might not be an entire reflection on what the company represents. Call head office or if theres a specific person you discussed it with before HR was involved, let them know whats happened. Hopefully they can work around it.

  • LordSydney on 27/03/2018 - 12:24
    +3

    I treat interviews like dates. They’re auditioning for the role as much as you are. Is it worth wasting your time & mental energy if they’ve screwed up, not just once? Move on. There’s more fish in the sea. Whatever you do, don’t let it get to you. Entertain yourself. Send them an invoice for the time and travel expenses. Send it to the CEO. Heck, send them a link to this page and perhaps they’ll realise what jerks they’ve been?

    • OzzyOzbourne on 27/03/2018 - 13:46
      +1

      Thank them for making you aware at your 'interview' how they treat people.

  • OzzyOzbourne on 27/03/2018 - 12:48
    +3

    Seems to be a common trend, anyone in a position of relative power over others, will lack decency and respect and may even go as far as abuse.

    Morals and decency often don't factor into modern society, it's dog eats dog.

    • spook290 on 27/03/2018 - 15:17
      +1

      I think in the interview process, a lot of people are simply unaware of the consequences their actions have, I have to educate hiring managers on this constantly and you can often see the light bulb moment when they 'get it'

      Ignorance shouldn't be an excuse though as we've all been in the interviewee's shoes and had a terrible experience.

  • No ONE on 27/03/2018 - 13:26
    +3

    Name and shame

  • spook290 on 27/03/2018 - 15:15

    The interview process is a two way process, you're interviewing them as much as they're interviewing you which many people have echoed this already.

    I've been in recruitment coming up to 5 years or so, last 2 jobs have been internal recruitment, I've had to have stern conversations in the past with hiring managers about the crappy candidate experience they've provided, although I've never had someone do anything this bad.

    I'm also a little confused, you were supposed to have a technical interview over skype, the guy didn't show up and then you got through to the next and final round without getting through the technical component? Seems like a very disorganized team.

    In the end, it's their own brand they're ruining, if they're an IT consultancy the shoe will be on the other foot, I'm sure you're not the first person to do this to, when they're trying to drum up business and they have terrible reputation, you can watch them crash and burn.

    Sounds like you dodged a bullet with this business.

    • [Deactivated] on 27/03/2018 - 15:24
      +2

      They rescheduled the technical Skype interview which I cleared. They organised the final interview after that. Sorry for the confusion. They havent even bothered contacting me about anything since then. I am just shocked altogether.

      • spook290 on 27/03/2018 - 15:30

        Makes sense, every right to be shocked and frustrated, sounds like a terrible culture and lack of overall customer service.

        The thing is, after a technical interview there is always a concrete reason why to proceed/not proceed and provide feedback, so it doesn't sound like you weren't successful.

        I'm guessing someone messed up and didn't put the interview in the diary, it does happen especially when recruitment teams are overworked (or just have poor attention to detail).

        Even if something was missed, you assume they would make the effort to reschedule things for SOMEONE to meet you, whether it be HR, a peer or a key stakeholder in the role, sending you home with literally nothing to show for it is such bad practice.

      • netsurfer on 28/03/2018 - 01:30

        Until you received the actual paperwork, just continue looking for other job opportunities.

        All sorts of weird things can happen. Generally due to projects got put on hold or cancelled completely.

        • There was once I passed the final interview, but few days later, they told me the project got put on hold. Then, a couple of weeks later, they called me back and asked if I am still available coz. the project got approved.
        • Another time, a company wanted to interview me a.s.a.p. and said they would call me back to arrange an interview that week. Then, did not hear anything from them for 2.5 months. After 2.5 months, they called me to arrange that interview (too late).
        • My friend was once told by a company that they really want him (coz. he was the best candidate they interviewed), but his rate was too high. They did call him 6 months later and offered him a job (at the rate he wanted).

        If the company haven't started the final round interview, and the project or role got cancelled. It is quite likely they won't inform any potential candidate, especially if the project is only on hold temporarily.

        There can be many reasons for companies not interviewing candidates promptly. Don't get upset or keep on waiting. Look for other opportunities.

  • Hardlyworkin on 27/03/2018 - 15:27
    +8

    Which Dr Boom store did they ask you to attend?

    It would be difficult to put your heart into working somewhere that treated you like that.

  • DBBROS on 27/03/2018 - 15:30

    Days after my interview, one of the panel members asked me to complete a pre employment checklist which they didn't provide me before and my application was deemed unsuccessful on the same day after completing it in the morning.
    In my other interviews they won't give me a feedback despite contacting them multiple times

  • ozlab on 27/03/2018 - 15:31
    -1

    No one would care about your complain except the CEO because he/she is afraid you will take it publicly.

  • [Deactivated] on 27/03/2018 - 18:13

    What company is it, IT?

  • BargainCowboy on 27/03/2018 - 18:34
    -1

    This makes me sick. Fortunately most HR positions will be eliminated in the very near future. These people are totally useless.

  • smit0847 on 27/03/2018 - 20:34
    +1

    If you don't like their recruitment process you won't like working there. See this as a lucky escape.

    I had 2, hour long interviews for a role at a law firm years ago, the second one was with their CEO and I was down to the final 3. Thought everything went well but they didn't even bother ever telling me i didn't get the job. I thought that spoke volumes about the culture of the company and was happy not to get the role.

  • kasp on 27/03/2018 - 21:21
    +3

    I had to do the hiring recently for a new IT position and well the amount of people who are muppets is just staggering.

    When a role says good communication is an absolute must and you get a stack of applicants who apply that can barely be able to scrape together a word of english is just annoying. Same goes for the basement dwellers who can't give eye contact and whose personal hygiene sucks.

    Wtf is wrong with people. Why are there so many shit IT candidates? Our HR absolutely dreads dealing with IT. It makes me never want to hire a newbie to the industry again just to avoid that shithouse process.Someone else can deal with the trash, I know why everyone wants experience now.

    • netsurfer on 27/03/2018 - 22:50
      +1

      Great candidates get jobs easily. You cannot expect them to apply for lots of positions. Often, through word of mouth, they find new jobs quite easily (and they certainly shine in interviews).

      It's not easy for new IT graduates. Universities don't prepare them for job interviews. Most of them don't have interview experience. You need to prepare for every interview (unless you've done so many of them that you are used to interviews).

      Don't get upset if you don't hear from the people who interviewed you afterwards. If you didn't get the job, there is nothing they can say or write to make you feel better. It's more important to figure out what you didn't do well in the interview and improve next time, rather than getting angry on things which won't help you. In OP's case, an interview meeting scheduled 1.5 weeks in advance needs to be re-confirmed a day or two before the actual meeting.

      From kasp's comment, you can get a sense of what the other side feel about interviews. I've been on both sides of the interviews. Most tech leads and managers don't enjoy interviewing people but they have to do them. Interviews are essentially extra work on top of their normal work.

      OP, perhaps it is time to move on. However, try to assess why you didn't get the interviews. Hopefully, it was simply because they were really busy. Otherwise, it could indicate your CV needs more work. From your CV, the tech leads have a rough idea of your technical skills. Some will even do some homework on you before the interview (if they like your CV). Honestly, for the candidate(s) they are interested in, they normally would not do this.

      • kasp on 28/03/2018 - 08:50

        Oh yeah I guess my issue was out of hundreds of applicants only about 3 were decent.

        Too many shit people flood every application and have no business trying to work in these fields which require communication. They just poison the well for decent job seekers.

        • netsurfer on 28/03/2018 - 11:14

          Go through a recruitment agent if you don't want to waste time screening bad applicants.

          You get what you pay for. If you are paying for an IT person with little to no experience, you need to screen applications appropriately. Unless you get heaps of CVs full of lies, there is an issue with the screening process. HR could forward too many CVs at times, but that does give you more to choose from.

          You can contact each candidate before the interview and do a basic screening / check. Or, ask HR to do an HR interview first. Don't just blame the candidates. They should do their homework before the interview, but you can do your homework too to avoid bad candidates wasting your time. It goes both ways. We do our own reference checks before we interview the candidates.

          Being able to discard bad candidates (and not bother interviewing them) is something a good tech lead / manager should be able to do. If you constantly interview candidates which aren't appropriate for the jobs, you are not good at your job.

    • 2ndeffort on 28/03/2018 - 12:38

      I hear you. I recruit regularly and some of the folks applying stagger me. I have even had people lie and deceive their way through the recruitment process, getting other people to do some of the onboarding tests so they get through. last year I had a guy get hired after an extensive onboarding process. End of week 1 I had his supervisor telling me he was useless and didnt know what he was doing. Suspecting a stressed supervisor i went to have a quiet word with the new guy to see if i could help him. He literally broke down and admitted he had no idea what he was doing, he had a friend do the tests we sent him and he lied on his CV and in the interviews. He asked if there was another role in my small 15 person company that he could do. As i dont have much slack to carry non essential resources I had to say no and let him go. On one hand I felt sorry for the desperate guy but on the other hand I had to remind myself that we chose him over somebody else that missed out. I had to waste more $$ and time and go through the hiring process all over. I had another guy leave out the fact that he was undergoing criminal processes (ie had an upcoming criminal trial in the courts). As all my positions require the worker to get a government security clearance it is impossible to hide something like this. When the government refused his clearance and i asked why he admitted. He thought that because i had already hired him i now had to pay him out with a redundancy (only worked for us for 2 weeks), he was upset and threatened legal action when i told him he only got paid for the 2 weeks he had worked (and I use that term loosely). I never heard from his threatened lawyers.

      There seems to be this culture of expecting rich companies will exploit poor honest workers. As the owner of a not as rich company let me tell you this is not always the case. the worlld is full of liars and cheats and you need to be very careful when you hire new people to make sure you find the good guys rather than the liars and cheats.

      I often advertise for people with either a government security clearance or at least be an Australian Citizen and willing to go through the government vetting process to get a clearance. You would be astounded the number of CVs I get sent from people overseas that want me to sponsor them to come to Australia. I get loads of people on student visas etc, they just ignore the citizenship aspect of the advert. i have advertised for people with skills in 'integrated Logistic Support' or ILS. This is a discipline used by Defence to look after their big assets like ships and tanks etc. I get CVs that are obviously just spamming based on keywords. I normally get CVs for truck drivers and storemen because the job title had the word logistics in it.

  • useruser on 27/03/2018 - 23:15
    +1

    The company where I'm at will pay to fly you to our premises for a final interview. Sound's like you got a pretty raw deal, as others have said best to find out now than committ to moving and then get shafted.

  • Powershopz on 28/03/2018 - 06:54

    Move on. No point crying over spilt milk. Count yourself lucky that you now know it's a shit company than finding out a few weeks in.

  • berry580 on 28/03/2018 - 07:47

    I can't see without further info on how an interview with a medium sized company would be worth going Interstate.

    Can't the interview intended to be Interstate be done through Skype?
    Further, are you expected to relocate Interstate once you get the job? As it be certainly sounds like it.

  • Trying2SaveABuck on 28/03/2018 - 11:31
    -1

    If you dont get the job name and shame the company

    Otherwise there isnt anything you can do

    I feel for you traveling 4 hours both ways for that would of had me fuming. Remember as much as they are interviewing you! you are interviewing them! I wouldn't tolerate being cancelled the 1st time let alone the 2nd. When they rebooked you in you should of had it on your terms not theirs.

    HOWEVER

    I have never been desperate to find work and i honestly believe it is all to do with mentality. I have never put up with BS from a boss/employer because if you bend a little they will push you till you break. Stand up for your self and basically say thank you but due to the lack of professionalism i think i will be looking else where unless you can offer me the job on the spot.

    Looking for work should be treated like dating keep your standards high and never settle for average

    • yannyrjl on 28/03/2018 - 16:43
      -1

      exactly, this is how they treat you and they aren't even paying you yet !!

  • pongky on 28/03/2018 - 12:30
    -1

    I don't think it's necessary to hide what company this is, since they caused you nothing but grief. If it were me I'd just write the name of the company for all to see

  • wkd on 28/03/2018 - 13:24

    you dodged a bullet if that is how they treat you before you got the job

  • JH100 on 28/03/2018 - 13:35

    Send the bastards a bill for your time.

  • The Informer on 28/03/2018 - 14:22
    -1

    Tell us the company name, we'll shit on them on Google reviews, seek jobs and everything we can do in our power to ruin their rep.

  • yannyrjl on 28/03/2018 - 16:42
    -1

    Name them and then we can be on the watch-out, and pretty soon the "market forces" will take care of them so they either change their ways never get any good applicants. The beauty of Capitalism.

  • infinite on 28/03/2018 - 17:20

    I once went through 5 rounds of interviews for a middle management job with the department of transport. Upon getting to the final 3 candidates, i was called in for a 6th and final round panel interview. I arrived, went upstairs, was ushered into the board room & once sat down, was informed the position had been changed and was now a logistics based role that had nothing to do with what I applied for. They gave me the new job & person spec, asked me to read it over, before then interviewing me for the position on the spot. I laughed and asked if they were serious. They were. I politely thanked them for their time and walked out. One of the recruiters followed me all the way downstairs and out the front of the building asking me to come back in. I just left.

    TL/DR, don't let idiots waste your time. If that's how they treated people who they didn't control or employ, imagine how dodgy and untrustworthy they were to even pay you on time, let alone anything else once in the position?

  • Lucky13 on 29/03/2018 - 01:07

    Wow, is this really a company you want to work for? They're assessing you as a potential applicant, but you're also assessing them as a potential company to work for and it sounds like they've failed miserably. What will you learn from working there? How to treat others with disrespect and pick up a few seriously bad habits. No thanks, you can do better!

  • Geryatric on 29/03/2018 - 02:01

    Haha sounds like an IT position alright

  • [Deactivated] on 29/03/2018 - 08:27

    I don't understand what the fuss is all about.

    If you got to the interview and it was at your cost - that would be fine.

    But if they cancelled on you and you have already spent time / effort / money to get there and they gave no notice after you confirmed everything with them prior - I would ask for reimbursement.

    You have nothing to lose by asking if they have cancelled the interview anyway.

  • mponderosa on 29/03/2018 - 09:29

    Sometimes this is due to incompetent admin or HR staff who scheduled the interviews, or probably the manager who interviews you.

    You need to withdraw your application.

    If I were you, I will contact the Board and CEO of the company politely and told them of your experiences, and ensure they respond. If email or writing did not get any respond than call or meet in person.

    You won't get the position but it's imperative to give them lesson!

    • Click_It on 29/03/2018 - 10:24

      Yep, what he said.

      Firstly withdraw your application and interest in this organisation - they are a sinking ship (these are the early warning signs!)

      Secondly let the Board / CEO know, but since it's likely a sinking ship there won't be much of an outcome here, maybe it's just incompetent staff in an otherwise functioning organisation. My money is on the whole org being outta business in 12 months. Seen it happen first hand more than once.

  • gimme on 29/03/2018 - 18:01

    I haven't come across a competent HR dept at any company in my 25 years of working at several large organisations. They're just monkeys ticking boxes.

  • ozbjunkie on 29/03/2018 - 18:04

    Write a well stated letter of complaint to higher management.

    Name and shame here.

    Report experiences on Glassdoor.

    Write poor reviews on any website you can find.

    Try number 1, then go for all the others if unsatisfied.

  • Neptunesblood on 29/03/2018 - 18:26

    I’m not sure I understand your issue except that you might need a tissue.

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