Housemate briefly interrupted my webcam job interview - AIBU to be annoyed?

[PMani]

Hello all,

I moved to a new house a few weeks back on a lodger agreement (my housemate owns the house - he is older and lived alone quite a while). We get on fine - no real issues so far. TBH it's a bit of stop-gap for me as I'm unemployed and hence don't have a huge amount of choice in the matter, but it's fine for now and I'm happy staying on.

Today I had a video interview for a job I'm very keen on. Me and flatmate have agreed that I can do all such interviews in the communal storage room as the lighting is better than in my bedroom. I him that I'd be in there for a bit - I don't think I explicitly said it was for an interview, but I was dressed up in a shirt and tie so it was pretty obvious.

The interview was going very well, then about halfway through I noticed the door opening. My flatmate was standing there mouthing something - I'm a poor lip-reader so I had to pause the interview. Turns out it was some cleaning products he needed, which I gave him. So, about a 30 second interruption. However it flummoxed me and took me out of the interview headspace and it took me a few minutes to get back into it.

On the one hand - ok it's his house he can do what he wants, the lodging agreement only specifies freedom from interference in my room, yadda yadda. He was in the middle of cleaning and just needed one specialist item and came in for 30 seconds - big deal.
On the other hand I was pretty p'd off afterwards - could he not have waited just 20 minutes for the interview to finish? Was it really that urgent?? He knew I was on an interview - surely basic human courtesy dictates that you don't interrupt people on such an important call unless it's extremely urgent/important?

I've been over-thinking it all day - was it an assertion of dominance? Is he just clueless and unintentionally self-centred after having lived alone for a very long time? The paranoid part of me is even thinking he deliberately tried to sabotage it, as if I get a job I will have more options, one of which would be leaving the house (it has a lot of problems and I think he knows I don't see this as a long-term gig - much better to keep me suck here any paying him rent). Should I sit down and talk about it with him - and risk making a decent set-up I'll probably leave in a few months anyway frosty and unpleasant?

Basically AIBU to be angry this? Advice or comments appreciated.
P. Mani

If you had an interview in a communal area you should have clearly/explicitly communicate with your housemate that you had an interview. He was annoying /arguably inconsiderate for not playing percentages and leaving you to it, but the fault is yours.

You need to take responsibility for yourself, get a ring light that plugs into your laptop. Problem solved. Order one now on Amazon and it will be ready for the next interview.

YABU.

YABU if you had said you were having an interview, you wouldn’t have been disturbed. Unfair to blame your housemate in these circumstances.

I can see the point that I should have been more explicit. However I habitually wear casual clothes and stay in my room. I only ever wear formal dress and go in the spare room for zoom calls (as per our verbal arrangement) - and the door was fully shut and I was talking fairly loudly.

Excuses excuses excuses. Next time explicitly tell him it is an interview. He doesn't have ESP.

He made a mistake, move on. He’s probably kicking himself as well. Next time put a big sign in the door so he doesn’t make the same mistake again. Good luck with your job hunting.

Agree that you definitely needed to put a note on the door. I do this at home due to confidentiality work issues as well.

But you clearly said in your post you didn't explicitly say it was an interview. You are therefore unreasonable to expect your housemate to be a mind reader.

However, you do say further down in your post that you did say it was an interview. Now which was it? You can't seriously expect people to advise on here when you're changing your story to suit

YABU for two reasons
First, you should have explained it was a job interview and that you'd need the private space for a set amount of time, uninterrupted.
Second, if it ever happened again, it would be a perfect opportunity for you to show prospective employers that you can remain good natured and unruffled when unexpected problems arise.

I do a lot of zoom interviews and I’d never hold this against someone. I’ve seen it all kids, dogs, cats, door bells.

This bloke is used to living on his own and probably just absently mindedly bimbled in.

If I was interviewing you I would not have been bothered by the interruption and would have been interested in how you dealt with it in the moment.

You are both at fault

You for not telling him it was an interview and do not disturb

Him for not backing off the minute he came in and saw the screen etc.

I hope you just told the interview team very politely 'Excuse me for a moment' and then carried on as normal.

I doubt if you are the right person for the role this will have impacted very much.

You didn't actually explictly tell him you had an interview. You can't just assume he knows from what you are wearing - some people are totally oblivious to things like that. He might not even have noticed what you were wearing.

Sorry but I think this is on you as you didn't actually ask him not to interrupt you.

The cupboard has better lighting than your bedroom?

I'm sure he didn't do it deliberately, he probably forgot you were in there, you need a sign.

Annoying, but one to leave and move on.

An ascertain of dominance seriously? You just have told him you could not be disturbed as it’s an interview. Expecting him to be able to guess because of your attire is beyond bizarre.

Although it must be frustrating, you were doing a job interview in a cupboard. That is odd in itself he needed cleaning stuff and came and got them. You need a nice daylight lamp my friend.

Buy a lamp and sit in your room. I can't believe you're mad your landlord is not a mindreader.

@MotionActivatedDog

Of course he knew you were in an interview. You had previously agreed with him that you would do all your interviews in the storage room, he saw you go in wearing a shirt and tie and presumably with a laptop. What else would you be doing in there? He knew.

This. Of course he knew you were in an interview.

Get an A4 sheet of paper.

On the sheet write "Interview in Progress - Do NOT Disturb".

Get some bluetac.

Fix A4 sheet of paper with instructions on outside of door so as not to be disturbed.

Job done!

Maybe he knew - maybe he didn’t,

But OP lost me at the sabotage/rent hostage pish flimflammery.

I think if I opened the door and you were on a call I’d back out of the room. Whether an interview or a work call (though presumably he knows you’re not working), Id be sorry for interrupting.

If I was an interviewer I wouldn’t be bothered if you were interrupted on a zoom call. I would be more bothered that it took you a while to get back into interview mode, most people have to contend with interruptions from colleagues, phone calls, and other unexpected environmental distractions, you have to deal with it and refocus immediately in most jobs. Not being able to switch back is not something I would want to see. Admittedly an interview is a slightly different situation than a normal work day, but people who can stay focussed are going to win over people who get flustered and more importantly remain flustered.

YABU! You should have been explicit if you couldn't be disturbed and you really should have stayed in your bedroom

I can understand why you are annoyed but you should have told him you had an interview and asked if he needed anything from the cupboard beforehand.

You’re both to blame. If I walked in a room and saw there was/heard an interview I’d immediately leave not mouth that I wanted a cleaning product. And like others say you should have told him or put a note on door so he was reminded not to go in there.

Just to say I hope you got the job!