Negative interview experience
Today I have encountered the most extraordinary and disappointing experience in the interview with Social Discovery Ventures. It was miscommunicated and painful experience with no possibility to either explain myself or have the opportunity to meet the expectations. And I believe it is crucial to voice it out to support every job seeker and applicant in their recruitment journey and shame those managers who let themselves mistreat the applicants.
I have neither been provided with a clear explanation of the goals and objectives of the following interview by HR nor been given any specific tasks or instructions for the preparation. Therefore, I had a vague idea of what to expect and what the interviewer expected from me. And it turned out that the interviewer had something in her head she expected me to cover before the meeting to provide my feedback.
I realize that sometimes there can be a human factor that could influence the smoothness of the recruitment and interview process, and things can be missed out. We are all humans; we make mistakes, even in business. And it is okay. Mistakes are to learn and correct. I fully understand the time preciousness for managers. However, what turned out to be the biggest disgrace was the manager's reaction when I reported that I had not done what she had expected from me as HR did not inform me. I admit my bad; I should have been proactive and anticipated what could come. Following that testimony, the manager addressed that it was wrong, she could not continue the interview and dropped off the call...
I was shocked. Was it a stress interview technique or a lack of self-control and disrespect? I will let you conclude yourself, leaving this question with no answer...
What would I do if I were in the manager's shoes in that case and the candidate did not do what I expected?
1) I would ask why this happened to analyze the situation professionally and ethically.
2) I would care about the company's interests in fixing the issues with the recruitment process and communication between the HR department and the applicants rather than my personal feelings in that case.
3) Based on the feedback provided, I would conclude about the candidate's work ethic, reliability, honesty, and professionalism - whether it was the candidate's fault or miscommunication, and the efficiency of the recruitment processes in the company.
4) I would continue the interview, serving as a company representative.
5) If the candidate was good enough, apart from the missing expectation not pre-articulated, I would provide one with clear instructions on what should be prepared for the further decision to be taken.
Dear recruiters, I hope you will treat the talents with due respect in every interview and have the common sense to listen to people, be able to control your emotions, not make hasty conclusions but maintain professional and qualitative work on behalf of the business prosperity.