To feel a bit annoyed this is why I got rejected?

[ToeSucker]

I completed 5 rounds of interviews for a company. For the final interview, I had to travel across the country for an in-person meeting.

At this meeting (I met the whole team) there was a coffee break where we popped out to the local coffee shop.

The hiring manager asked me what I wanted. She also asked me what the team members next to me wanted. She paid for everyone's drinks.

Today I received a call from HR saying I was rejected, but mentioning I owe the hiring manager £3.70 for a coffee.

I'm shocked by this. I'm not sure I should be. I should have offered to pay I suppose but you're not in a normal frame of mind during interviews. I'm more annoyed I had to pay almost £240 for the train tickets and got rejected with this seemingly contributing to why.

Tbh I think they should pay the travel expenses

I’d review their interview process on Glassdoor.

I wouldn’t work for a company that needed 5 interviews to make a decision

Well its plainly not the norm for professionals on this thread. What industry/type of organisation are you talking about?

Any headhunter suggesting that many rounds of interviews to me would be dismissed as time wasters.

None of my blue chip clients across different industries have processes like this any more than my Big does - its a stupid waste of our own time as well as the candidates. Even my public sector clients with their panel interviews don’t go to 5-7 rounds.

So where are you working that the processes are so poor that they need multiple rounds of interviews?

I came here to say this exact thing. This is just plain weird. Please review them and name them. They should be embarrassed. You’ve dodged a bullet working for them!

This

Have you responded OP? Id be tempted to say "Sure, deduct it from the £240 you owe me for travel. Can you send me a form for expenses?"

Ludicrous. It would be funny if it wasn't so insulting.

This!!

They offered you a drink so the correct assumption is they pay for it.

Reading all the time and effort you put into the hiring process and they have the audacity to charge you for a drink they offered you!

I would reply with;

That's fine, deduct the amount from the cost of my travel. I look forward to receiving my funds imminently.

Sounds like you dodged a bullet by not getting hired.

This with bells on!

Don't whatever you do pay them! You don't owe them anything!
They're nuts.
It's totally reasonable to expect the company interviewing you to pay for your coffee. I expect free coffee at interviews and in work.
It's also totally reasonable to expect reimbursement of travel expenses, but you probably should have clarified that before wasting your time on these ridiculous tightwads.

5 rounds?! What was it for, Queen of the Universe?!

You obviously di dnot get rejected fo rnot buying your own coffee, that would be ridiculous.

Christ I think you’re lucky you didn’t get the job!!! There’s no way in hell I would be prepared to complete FIVE ROUNDS of interviews and then cross country travel unless the salary was millions of pounds. Or it was to be Prime Minister. Who on earth do they think they are! It says a lot about the team.. never mind the coffee!!! I’d never pay that back. And id leave an honest review on Glassdoor.

This is absolute rubbish and didn’t happen.

Send them an invoice for the cost of rail travel minus the coffee cost!

if someone asks what you want in that scenario , they are implying they are payingz huge bullet dodge. … also whilst you may not want to name the company, maybe the city and the line of the business may help someone else consider if they’ve been in the same positions with the same company!!

Cheeky! Having said that, though, if I was with anyone who asked what I wanted to drink in a coffee shop or somewhere I would never make any assumptions that they were offering to actually pay for it. I'd always say "Thanks, how much do I owe you?" when I'd received it. I thought everyone did that?

But yes, I think the post is made up. Travel expenses for interviews are usually reimbursed, aren't they?

This

Send them an invoice for the train tickets, 5 hours of your time, minus a coffee. Bastards.

I'm a bit confused. The thread title indicates that you are cross that you were rejected for not paying for your coffee. But then you say :-

Today I received a call from HR saying I was rejected, but mentioning I owe the hiring manager £3.70 for a coffee.

which seems to suggest that this isn't the case.

Could you please clarify this?. Thank you!

This definitely did not happen

This. If you don’t want to out yourself publicly the post a review on Glassdoor - the absolute cheek of them!! Be glad you didn’t get the job.

WHAT!!!! You dodged that bullet. Maybe that was the test. Don’t pay, and tell them why.

Disgraceful behaviour from this company and you dodged a bullet. What a horrible bunch of arse wipes. Feed back? Ask why you're out of pocket but expected to pay for one coffee. Go f yourselves.

That’s not right. They determined you should go for coffee, not you, so they should pay. Any decent company would also pay your travel expenses. You should ask them to, and if they refuse find a way to publicise this story on LinkedIn via a friend so it doesn’t mention your name. Hell, I’ll do it for you if you want me to.