AIBU to think this is pretty poor form (job interview related)

They have it on audio mode so it's listening to the question and then prompting the answers. Candidate then reads out the answer. We can spot it when they keep looking away from the camera and are clearly reading out something
Eta: these are typically more junior interviews so less flowy and more structured questions.

Agree. I think it's fairly normal now just to leave people hanging. Years ago, they always phoned you up whether it was a yeah or a nay. Just part of the discourteous , shitty times we live in now I'm afraid. Too many ignorant twits with no manners in positions of influence these days.

How on Earth does this work?! So within the few seconds that the interviewer asks the question and they answer, they have time to ask ChatGPT and then read the response out all while looking straight at you on Teams? I've never heard of this happening and wouldn't even know how it would work. All the interviews I've had have been conversations that flow. How would anyone have time to consult ChatGPT?!

Sorry to hear that OP. I can confirm after recently securing a role, after my second period of unemployment in the last couple of years (for the first time since 2014), that the job market is an absolute state and your experience although pretty rude is not uncommon, sadly. I have applied for several hundred jobs over the last 18 months and can say probably only 20-30 got back and less than 10 offered interviews. I also had this when interviewing for a role at the beginning of 2025 and was completely ghosted after the interview and it took 5 weeks of chasing up before someone bothered getting back to me. I was also ghosted again at the end of 2025 after another interview, and by a recruiter.

On the flip side though, I have recently secured a role after applying and submitting my application on a Wednesday and receiving an interview offer on the Friday, interview the following Wednesday and offered the role the next day. I started this week and love it. It has restored my faith in the process and I really hope you have a similar experience.

Internal Recruiter here 🙋🏽‍♀️

Just to say, it’s fine if you want to get an offer in the bag before declining the other candidates.

However, if you don’t give some kind of communication to the other candidates you’re keeping waiting, then that is a poor recruitment experience for them and you lose good candidates this way.

At the very least, they should be sent an update email or given a phone call to just say that you’re still shortlisting etc and that they will be contacted with an update in the coming x amount of days/weeks. They don’t have to wait around and may get offered elsewhere, but at least you’ve not completely left them hanging.

@Itsmeanttobesummer If the job is one you’re keen on, I would give them a few more days, as there could be a hold up on the decision. They could be torn between you and another candidate. They could be waiting for input from someone else etc. There are sometimes things that can hold up the recruitment process a bit.

But if you haven’t heard anything by say Tuesday of next week (so giving them a week past the date they said you’d hear), I’d probably cut your loses. The lack of communication after asking you to travel that far at your own great expense, is a not a great look for them to be honest.

Exactly. Almost all law firms interview over Teams.

I was asked to travel to the north of Scotland for a face to face interview a couple of years ago, despite the job (and company HQ) being located a 15 minute walk from my current office in central London. I was havering on the role anyway and decided to politely decline but I’d have been really narked if they didn’t then send a “sorry, not this time” email to their shortlist.

Such a condescending answer.

YANBU. I heard back same day when I got my job. I’d imagine you’ve been unsuccessful if it’s been that long and you’ve not heard anything

All my interviews are Teams, I even send the questions out beforehand - it’s ab interview, not a memory test. For me it shouod be much more like a conversation, you find out much more about people if they are at ease.
As for A.I, I would love someone to work for me who was so skilled with the Tech that they could hear a question, wait for the A.I. response, filter the A.I. response to get rid if false positives, and present it to me in natural langague, all in seconds

We are pulling back from Teams interviews due to candidates using AI to answer the questions.
It's a retrograde step as it used to be very convenient to do by Teams but now candidates just have ChatGPT listening to the question and prompting the answer. **

Candidates are usually reimbursed for travelling any distance to a job interview.

I'd give it a fortnight, they may have to check references or the first person on their shortlist may back out.

For many years now it has not been uncommon for unsuccessful candidates to hear nothing but I would have thought, given the amount of travel involved to get to the interview, it would be courteous to contact.

Good luck whatever happens.

I went through 4 rounds of varying interview over 2 weeks for a role I'd applied for. They'd told me they were really pleased, said they wanted to offer me the role, agreed to a slightly adjusted office time no problems and said they just needed their boss to do a quick hello over teams with me first. After a few days I popped a follow on email over (because I'd got their direct email from several emails conversations as well as the interviews) then a few days after that the recruitment company chased. They just never came back to either of us. Not even to the recruiter to say close the role down we've changed our mind, just ghosted everyone involved.

A few months later I applied for a further 50ish jobs over 3 weeks, and I heard back from 4. 1 interview and the other 3 were no's.
In my experience I've had a job offer within an hour of interview and one within a couple days of interview, but if you have chased then they should give you some kind of response whether that's we need a couple more days to let you know or sorry it's not you.

It's normal IME for the employer to pay expenses in these circumstances. My DC recently went to a Central uk assessment centre for a grad job, along with 20 odd other people from all over the UK, and they were all paid reasonable expenses.
In our business we pay expenses if someone has had to travel to us to interview e.g. if they are relocating

As someone who generally works contracts, the job market is the worst I've ever seen it and employers currently hold all the cards. Some of them are behaving decently and some are taking the absolute piss, and so consider carefully while you're going through the process. Remember you are interviewing them as well. I don't expect immediate responses, but I expect the employer to give me a timeframe for responses at the end of the interview, and if there is a significant delay in that timeframe, to be notified. A two line email saying 'process is currently taking longer than expected, we expect to inform candidates around x' is plenty. That's what I've done when I've been administrating grant funding for example. If they strung candidates out forever with radio silence, I wouldn't take the job anyway.

How can dragging everyone down to the far south east of the country be 'a fair compromise between where everyone lives/ has access to'?

The OP said the job was local to her and she travelled 3 hours by train, so e.g. she could be in the North East of England or the South West. Surely it would make more sense to hold the interviews local to where the job is so candidates who are not local have an opportunity to see what the area is like. And if I was a Scottish candidate applying for the job I'd not be impressed at all to be dragged down to London for an interview for a job role in the NE. Particularly, as is suggested by the OP, travel expenses weren't paid.

ETA just realised she didn't say local to her, just implied it. But that does potentially mean she e.g. travelled from the NE to London for a job based in Scotland. And I still think interviews should be local to a job location.

Sadly standard these days. Ask for expenses. I had a long trip for one in march and after much chasing have only just got the expenses out of them. It took them a week to reject me too. If they don't ring you next day IME they're not interested.

When i was hired for a senior role (remote) with a company headed out of Switzerland, I had to travel there for the interviews.

Ive only ever had the HR filter conversation over teams. Proper interviews have always been face to face.

I would never hire anyone without an in person interview as I don't want people using technology to inform their answers. Via teams someone could have another person off camera prompting answers etc.

I would have the interview where the role was located though, or if necessary offer to reimburse people's travel expenses.

Incorrect. Some people interview for senior roles with companies based abroad for example, or at the opposite end of the country in fields where perhaps the panel are scattered all over. Just makes logistical sense to offer it online sometimes.

Seriously poor form. Most interviews are online now or they will reimburse travel costs. I work in academia and even a few years ago during my last interview they reimbursed me for the travel. It’s shocking to be expected to pay so much to attend something they could (and should) offer online.

On the not hearing back, chances are it’s negative as you know. When offered roles I’ve always been told within a day or two, twice on the same day in fact. When declined, it takes days, sometimes even weeks and I’ve had to chase.

I think there is a lot of dreadful behaviour by employers hiring mainly because they can get away with it because the market is so shit

I disagree, this may be industry and company specific. I am aware of friends and family in senior roles who have completed the entire interview process via Teams.

Apart from which your post is fairly condescending to the OP.

It's an interesting one. I assume it's a very junior role that you're in for as for senior roles you'd expect face to face, to travel and for the selection panel to take their time. That said, I'm not sure where the tipping point is.

Personally, I wouldn't dream of final interviewing someone online at any level although I know some do for the type of junior/entry level role that you've gone for. If they don't get back to you at all then yes, that is disgraceful, but 8 days on is waaaaaaay too early to make that assumption. They may not even have finished their interviewing, let alone made a decision.

I don't think you can argue with the travel. They may have candidates all over the country, they can't travel to every one.

I do think it's only good manners to tell candidates what day a decision will be made so they are not left in limbo, and a follow up email if a decision is delayed. In these days of group emails this is hardly a big admin job! I also think it is poor when interviewees are not sent an email to tell them if they have not been successful. Again, a 5 min admin job but brings appropriate closure to the process.