Remind HR that job interviews are a two way process

[wannabewhat]

I know the job market is tough right now, and employers have a lot of candidates to choose from, but honestly, that is no excuse to treat people like crap during the hiring process.

I had an interview two weeks ago, and they said they'd be in touch the following week. Nothing came. I chased politely, and got a vague "still having internal meetings, will get back to you by Thursday." Surprise surprise; still nothing. It's now Monday. No update, no rejection, nothing.

This isn't even a one-off it's just the latest in a string of terrible recruitment experiences. Ghosting after multiple interviews, jobs being pulled without notice, automated rejections minutes after sending a carefully tailored application... the list goes on.

AIBU to think that if you actually want to attract the best candidates, you need to treat them with a bit of basic respect? The interview process is a two-way street, I'm assessing them as much as they're assessing me. If this is how they treat potential hires, it doesn't say much about how they treat staff. I am also a customer of this company and starting to think I should place my business elsewhere.

Rant over. Just so sick of the whole process right now.

All the best! 🤞🏻

I disagree. Letting candidates know quickly over the decision is made is respectful. I've sat on many panels (probably over 100) and have never kept candidates waiting for an outcome. Whilst another day of interviews is no big deal for an interview panel, it's usually a huge deal for candidates.

I expect once they are in negotiations with their chosen candidate the rest are not a priority. If you are a big catch for a company it's a two way process if not it's up to them and you just have the option to say no if it isn't right for you.

But yes it shouldn't be hard to tell HR to notify the rest of the candidates that they were not successful. And perhaps tell the best of the rest that they were close, in a polite way.

I think it’s really poor of companies to not tell candidates the outcome of interviews. Has happened to me and a few others I know. I get why they can’t give feedback from applications as they probably get 100’s of applicants but when someone has taken time out to come and meet you and gone through the interview which is usually a bit stressful, it is unbelievably rude. Regardless if it is an employers market right now.

And I do think it is a two way process. If a company is not letting people know the outcome of an interview then it shows a lack of care from the company and it would definitely put me off working for them or applying again.

In most companies I’ve worked for it has been the managers not HR who do the interviewing and follow up calls. I have previously worked in HR and it was all the transactional stuff that they were involved in, eg sorting the references, issuing the contract, checking ID’s but not interviewing and giving feedback to candidates.

So I do agree completely with you OP but I don’t think it is solely an HR issue, I get some companies will have HR do everything but not always.

Whoever does it though, it isn’t a nice experience and I think it would impact the employer brand

Sorry, I was just referring to the spelling of "negotiations". No "c".

Well I do know what you mean - how hard is it to mail merge a “Thanks but no thanks”?
However I have ended up in three jobs where the manager got back to me unexpectedly which totalled about ten years of employment so you never know. One was a vacancy in another department of the business but the original manager had remembered me and passed my CV to the manager of the other department, one was an additional vacancy had come up and the third was where the management team had rethought budget and decided the could offer me full time rather than part time.
Good luck!

@CalliopeFosterBeauchamp - and I was getting a bit agitated wondering why I hadn’t heard back five years after an interview 😁

Not hearing about an application is fair enough - they may have hundreds if not thousands of hopefuls.

But after someone has been for an interview, let alone several or spent hours at assessment days - really, really rude. These days it’s as simple as a one-line no thanks email so there’s no excuse; it’s just arrogance.

It's the managers who make the decisons and should be feeding back, not HR.

Agree 100%

I was a hiring manager for decades in IT. Every communication with candidates had to go through HR.

I gave feedback to them after each interview but I had no idea if they were contacting the candidate.

YANBU it’s rude and unprofessional. By contrast I had a great experience last year for my current job, HR person was lovely and the hiring manager very present throughout the whole process and even offered me additional calls with her to discuss some specifics. Had a screening call one week, 1st interview the following Monday, Second interview the Tuesday and Senior Manager Meet and Greet the Wednesday (all remote), received the formal offer that evening.

This is the right mindset, I think. I have interviewed at places that were so disorganised and kept changing times for second or third interviews, then hearing nothing back after being told they just need a quick chat with the CEO to finalise the decision. There's a tipping point between proving to them that you are keen and flexible, and realising that they are timewasters who you don't want to work for.

It's totally crap isn't it. I saw a job posted on a Friday that was closing the same day. I called to check if the closing date was right and was told it wasn't and it closed a week later. Great - asked to speak to the hiring manager and was promised a call back that never came. Spent the weekend getting my application ready at a cost of family time. Had a couple of questions so called again on weds to speak to the hiring manager when I was WFH, thinking I had 2 more days to submit only to be told they'd closed it the day before! I asked for a call back to see if they would accept my application never to hear from them again. Soul destroying. I was so angry

they know

but until they actually lose out on the prefered candidates, things won't change. It's likely a lot more about being disorganised and waiting on ONE person than being personal.

That's why people employ recruitment agency, smooth the process down a bit - but even recruiters can't physically force a director to make a decision, but good recruiters do make a difference. HR are just employees, it's a different relationship.

to be fair, they should have told you there and then, but it's expecting A LOT of feedback when you're just filling an application form.

Unless you are an exceptional candidate, which should have been head hunted to start with, your CV would get at the bottom of my pile.

It's very possible you call and speak to a receptionist or someone not actually involved in the recruitment process and who physically can't give you the info you asked for. People apply in such huge numbers (usually when they are completely unsuitable, but it's still application forms to deal with) hiring managers have better things to do than call people before they even fill an application.

Some companies are ridiculous. DS1 had a second interview in the second week in March. He was told he'd hear either way "within the week". He emailed for feedback in April and it went unanswered.

They called him last week to say he'd been successful and wanting to organise a start date. The manager was actually really, really rude to him when DS said that he'd actually started a new job in June that he was enjoying so wouldn't be looking to join them.

They actually sent an email complaining that he'd wasted their time by not withdrawing his application!

That's unbelievable! Did he reply back and tell them how rude they were to keep him waiting and not reply to his email?

I was unemployed for 6 months at the tail end of this year/ start of this. The job market is a very strange phenomenona at the moment. I also had some pretty awful interview experiences (transitioning from higher education to the private sector). One was so bad I walked out, luckily I had another offer already but was holding out just in case anything went wrong with that, after being stung with accepting an offer and having it withdrawn. Keep at it. You will get there in the end!

... ok?
thank you?
does it really matter? (i suspect it does, at least to a few people - but i d take it as a positive sign that it s not AI-generated, unlike many of the emails, CV, letters i see these days)

I was let hanging after being offered a job- there were some additional checks, they cost a lot of money so I told the hiring company how much and that I was all ready to do them if they could fund them- and heard nothing for a month. I had to phone and fight for some sort of answer and the HR department had gone completely AWOL.

It's common for adverts to close early if there have been sufficient high quality applications. It's always best to apply as soon as possible. As for wanting to speak to the hiring manager, it's just not always practical - work pressure, annual leave, sickness. Also, when there's lots of interest in a post, enough for it to close early, it's unlikely a hiring manager will spend time talking to people who haven't yet applied. There could be 50+ applicants already. Yes it's frustrating, but entirely understandable

I’ve just been through a recruitment process which was so refreshingly good! Closing date was end June, heard back within a week that I had a first interview (on Teams). They sent the questions in advance which I loved! Really helped me perform at my best. That was a Friday, then heard by the end of Monday that I’d got through to next round. Again, choice of slots for second, in person interview. Interview went well but I’ve decided to withdraw as the job isn’t right for me. But everything about the process was great. They provided loads of info in advance of the application date and even ran information sessions about the job on Teams (during which I did actually pick up the info that the job wasn’t right for me due to working hours but I stupidly proceeded with applying, feel bad for wasting their time now!). It was public sector too!
When I’m hiring my current organisation insists panel chairs call all unsuccessful candidates as soon as the decision is made. It’s the worst, I hate making those calls as people assume a phone call will be good news. But at least candidates hear early.

It's very normal to speak to the hiring manager in my profession - it's stranger not to actually. But regardless of that the point of my post wasnt that I didn't get a call back, it was putting a 12hr deadline on the job advert, extending it to a week and then summarily closing it 4 days early.

I think its entirely reasonable to give feedback on the process and the impression it gave you of the company. It would be unreasonable to frame this in terms of what's good for their business, as that's an overstep (unless the job is within their HR department) and nothing to do with you. Its also obvious to anyone with any experience of selection that the applicant won't necessarily accept the offer. However the type and level of priority they give to communication with that in mind will come down to how important the role is and how much they want the candidate. In short, if they're not treating you with much respect or priority, its because they don't place as much importance on that job and/or you as an applicant as on other elements of their work.