How would you view a candidate who has to reschedule an interview due to illness?

[SaltandPepper22]

Just that really - DH and I have been debating it.

Would you show compassion and think these things happen, treat them the same as as the other candidates and still consider them a potential option, or would you hold a bias against them and expect them to blow you away to get the job, or not want to hire them in case they are unreliable when actually hired.

Not a situation that directly affects either of us, but inspired by a conversation I overheard at work today.

yeah. DO NOT come near me with Noro.

@Marybrownsword that seems very harsh! What if somebody was struck with acute appendicitis the night before an interview or something? I’ve picked that it because it has a pretty quick recovery time once the appendix is whipped out so they could probably interview again in a week.

Depends if you were a good candidate to begin with.

no, its a reason.

If it was a candidate we really were interested in we'd try and rearrange.

But if we'd already found a great candidate at the original booking we wouldn't, especially if they weren't one of our top 3 to begin with.

Depends on the number of good candidates and the urgency of the job.

I think if you had the Norovirus and spewing out both ends, then the company would absolutely support your decision to reschedule!

@Marybrownsword what would they be trying it on for though? If they didn’t want the job they would just cancel rather than try and reschedule surely

Honestly, I don't understand why a candidate would feign illness to miss an interview, if they were keen on the job!

If they were no longer interested, then they'd just withdraw their application.

If it was because they had another interview elsewhere, then the fact that they've got an interview with a potential competitor shows that they are a desirable candidate.

If they seemed mortified to be rescheduling it would definitely help. I would reschedule and ask them about it when they come in for the interview. I work in an industry where sickness levels are rife so in all honesty I would be biased against someone who called in sick before even having an initial interview.

I wouldn't be too impressed, unfair as it is. I did my PhD viva with covid - nothing was going to stop me. If I really wanted a job, I'd have to be practically dead not to show up for interview. That said, I am aware that this is wrong.

Any company worth their salt and with a competent HR department would reschedule. We have set interview questions, formal comments on presentations, and someone from HR sitting in on the process. Conjecture such as ‘I think that they weren’t really that ill, and they’re just flakey’ as a comment on the interview feedback forms wouldn’t pass muster. As a candidate I’d see it as a red flag if the company wouldn’t rearrange for illness.

What would be the point of rearranging if you as a candidate were faking the illness? If you didn’t want the job then you’d just cancel the interview.

They might be hungover, they might have overslept, they might want to queue for a new trainer drop instead.

It's possible that my experience interviewing for graduate posts has jaundiced me. They did all seem to have terrible luck with their grandparents.

Or it's my distant memory of being a very flaky young adult myself.

@Spomb I completely agree with you that is what should happen! But I don’t think we can pretend that people don’t score, talk about it, and then adjust scores to fit the person they got the best vibe from, which is what I am wondering people might do for anyone who reschedules. It’s really good to hear that not everyone does think this way though!

I was admitted to hospital the day before an interview last week - I emailed apologising profusely, saying I understood it was short notice and that they might not be able to reschedule but that I’d love to still interview for it if they could. They have rescheduled and I’m really grateful as I didn’t expect them to. I hope it’s a good sign, that they liked my application.

@tutorwannabe hope it goes well for you!

@SaltandPepper22 thank you! The interview is on Teams but I absolutely couldn’t have done from a hospital ward 😂

Because they had another interview that they preferred so going with that one and then will do mine if they don't get that job. Because they are generally flaky and just didn't feel like it or were out on the booze last night, becauase work isn't a priority. Challenge is it's not like an employee who you know so you've no idea if they are genuine.

I'd be more annoyed if they came in with something horrible and contagious.

I knew someone who was ill on his first day at a new job - I think it was his first job out of uni if I remember correctly. He (understandably) was nervous about calling in sick so he went in. Threw up over his desk, in the stairwell, down his shirt, and on the train home. His new colleagues weren't impressed that he came in to spread his projectile vomiting around.

@DancingPhantomsOnTheTerrace that story is the stuff of nightmares omg 🫣🤢

Most people wouldn’t admit to it either!

Treat them the same as other candidates . It seems odd to look upon this any other way .

Of course if it was an urgent appointment and no opportunity to reschedule then I can understand employers not bothering to offer another date.

'Betrays a lack of resilience.' Wow. Getting genuinely ill is not a lack of resilience or even choice. It's called life and like other posters have so eloquently pointed out - people get ill. Life throws curveballs. If you judge your candidates like this I'd advise only selecting robots for your future teams. Although remember they sometime need time for software updates...