AIBU to wonder why people don't turn up to interviews?

[BillyAndTheSillies]

Have just started a new role in a small admin team who are looking to fill another position.

Received over 100 applications, filtered down to 8 people for interview.

2 people turned up. One of the six who didn't turn up called in the morning to rearrange the time to half an hour later. This was done for her, and then she didn't turn up.

The others didn't turn up with no correspondence at all, apart from one applicant who emailed 6 hours after their interview time to say they had the flu.

I just don't get it. Why go through correspondence and arranging times to just not turn up. Considering how much diary organisation goes in to scheduling interviews, time out of work for the people interviewing etc.

Everyone was given an option of time slots and we were flexible around days so it wasn't like the interviews weren't designed to fit in with applicants needs. Considering how much we see about unemployment, aibu to wonder why people apply for jobs and just don't acknowledge not coming to an interview?

I've been job-hunting for over a year and have had just one interview. I travelled over a hundred miles (at my own expense) to attend. The place I was told to report to was closed, the person I was told to ask for never showed, the stand-in interviewer didn't know which job I was applying for, every piece of information I offered about myself/my experience/my goals was met with surprise although I was just repeating/confirming what was on my (clearly unread) CV. Yep recruitment certainly brings out the rudeness in people.

@hesterton Under normal circumstances, yes, but I accepted the other job at 7pm and was being interviewed at 8am the next morning. It was either turn up and explain myself or simply "not turn up". I could have emailed but it's likely that they wouldn't have seen the message in time.

I once didn't turn up to an interview. Caught a train then was a 30 min walk. Got lost and Google maps was no help whatsoever. I think it was taking me to the back of the large, fenced site. The heavens opened and I got soaked. At this point I was late then I dropped my phone and broke it. A lorry came past and splashed muddy puddle on me.

At that point I started crying hysterically and just turned around and went back to the train station snivelling pathetically. I desperately needed a job at the time and felt utterly utterly wretched. Low point in my life.

I feel sorry for the applicants who weren't selected for interview - and who would have turned up.

We interviewed the other week for apprentices. Four out of the eight did not turn up or bother letting us know. A waste of two mornings. These candidates had already had a phone interview and had reconfirmed their intention to attend the interview in person.

In a way it's good to know that many people invited for the interviews don't turn up therefore bigger chance for the smaller number of people to be selected. If 4 people out of 8 shortlisted candidates don't turn up it'll increase chances of the remaining 4 people from 12.5 percent to 25 percent. Doubling their prospects. This might be good news for the competition.

Perhaps people are just doing it to mess with you : they've applied for 100's of roles but never heard even received an email saying 'no' from any of them so they want to teach you how it feels.

Or as tectonic more eloquently put it.

I am still waiting to hear from a job I applied for 6 months ago.

Maybe I'm still in with a chance? Shall I call and ask? What kind of HR department can't call someone back and say, you know what, it's not gonna happen? A shit one, that kind.

I work for a very large worldwide company and I see this all the time. Before Xmas we advertised temp jobs. Good hours and fairly good pay. Especially for students as we don't do different pay brackets everyone of that level got the same whether you're 17 or 70.
We had 11 vacancies.. 11 interviews.. 3 turned up for interview.. 2 accepted the job.. Only 1 turned up.
Following week.. 10 more interviews... 6 turned up.. All offered job.. 4 turned up on start date...
This continued until in the end the manager said we would have to put up with being short staffed as the company wouldn't allow time for people to do interviews as was wasting time. It's a two stage process so meant the dept manager had to do 1 part then after 2 other people, generally from the dept in question then interview the candidates.. So was wasting so much time.
I was told it happens because some people on job seekers have to show what they've applied for and interviews etc so by turning up.. They getbtheir jsa payment... The they don't accept the job or don't turn up, but tell the job centre they weren't successful.
I don't know how true this is or how that works but that's what I was told?

I've only ever missed one interview - I got a letter to say I hadn't got in because I hadn't attended the interview. This was the first I had heard about the interview, and contacted them to say so. They checked their details and found they'don't sent the letter to the wrong address (this was over 20 years ago.) I ended up having an interview with a successful outcome. (It was for a place on an MSc, rather than a job, though. A job would have just been filled by someone else. )

This doesn't explain people who have agreed to a time and confirmed they'don't come and then don't, though.

I can't imagine not letting them know if I wasn't going to attend. Do as you would be done by and all that, however badly others may behave.

Maybe the person is on Benefits and applying for jobs because thats what they have to fo

My daughter's primary carer at nursery died and I got the message 1.5 hours before the interview. I couldnt stop crying, but called to cancel.

Nerves

Nerves? What, for 6 out of 8 people?

With 6 out of 8 not turning up I suspect the job is either massively underpaid or is undesirable for some other reason.

Many job hunters will apply for everything with a generic application and will only read the actual job description if they get offered an interview. Something has put them off.