Is this unprofessional?

[Mindthenicedeadpeople]

Job interview for 12pm

10 candidates all booked in for 12pm being seen individually by one person.

So whoever is here last will presumably be interviewed an hour later than booked.

At least we know why the UK has such pisspoor productivity.

@Mindthenicedeadpeople brilliant email well done! What an absolute shit show the dental practice is, completely unprofessional and they need to be told.

That's infuriating OP. What a disgusting way to treat hopeful applicants.

I hope a decent opportunity, with a sensible recruitment process, comes up soon.

The only time that has happened to me in my very long career, is when the recruitment has required several screenings, so you are prewarned about elimination round sif you like. The first "interview" you are all invited at the same time to undertake some type of test. Those selected from that go through to the next round where you may need to do an exercise and then the final candidates still standing get interviewed 1:1.

I have only ever experience the above for senior roles or mass recruitment, i.e a new call centre opening and the want 20 people.

What you’re describing isn’t a normal interview process at al, it’s either a badly organised mass‑recruitment day or a screening exercise where they haven’t bothered to explain the format. In a standard professional setting, you’re given an individual time slot and seen at that time. If ten people are all told “12pm” and one interviewer is working through them one by one, that’s just poor planning.

Turning up to a mystery cattle‑call with no structure is disrespectful to people who’ve taken time off work or rearranged childcare. As for the trackies and trainers, that usually signals people attending because they’re required to by the benefits system, not because they’re genuinely trying to secure the job. If I’d taken annual leave for something run this chaotically, I’d walk too - it tells you everything you need to know about how the organisation operates.

Is it in Cheshire by any chance?

No, it was East Sussex. Can there be two places this unprofessional?!

Good for you op! Please update us if they reply. What an ass.

I'd just walk out! Shows they have no respect for the candidates time

I refer you to why the UK has such poor productivity.

Whenever I have recruited, it's been

reduce to 3 cvs, interview 2, quickly offer the first choice with the 2nd in case they have been snapped up (which is highly likely if you have done your job properly) when you call.

All else is just performative thrashing.

Well that's one less candidate to worry about then.

You were right to send that message. Extremely unprofessional and highly disrespectful of people's time and efforts. I'm not even going to start on the son being there.

Whichever poor s~d gets that job is walking into a world of chaos.

I hope that you can find a lovely job in a decent place that suits you very soon.

That high-pitched whistling you can hear is the sound of the bullet you just dodged whizzing past your ear...

Absolutely diabolical. If it's a chain I'd let their head office know how crap their management is. If they can't get the basics right God knows how they manage accounting and all the rest that goes with running a business.

Why interview that many anyway?! Surely you shortlist and have a maximum of 5 for a receptionist role 🙄.

Thank you everyone!

I thought I was going a bit mad when another person showed up, then another and another.

Like in Fantasia with all the brooms!

Honestly I'm gobsmacked. I thought it was a cleaners role.
Surely to goodness you can narrow the CVs down, your looking for Experience of some description, and the age range (check when they started work)

I would be finding EVERY review and media channel to post this on. If a supposed professional has so little regard of concern for potential staff members that he would subject them to this cattle market, I don't think he would show much respect or concern for his clients

When they started telling people no more benefits unless you do 2 interviews a year?

I wouldn't allow this practice to floss my teeth! If you wanted to design a poor process for interviewing, you couldn't do better than this.

How much choice does the dentist need? Yes, it's an important role but a shortlist of six would surely be enough.

Great email, OP. Let us known if you get a reply.

When I see someone in tracksuit bottoms I feel sorry for the person that nobody told them in their life to dress professionally. If I saw a child there I’d assume it was an unavoidable circumstance. The mis handling of timings to me says yes there was a mistake but I wouldn’t go online about it then leave after declaring myself better than this and contacting them with a cutting email. I honestly mean this op, you should look at the attitude and vibe you’ve given off here or you should aim for something that isn’t customer facing

That is odd. Why on earth not offer a slot. If it is one in one out and takes x minutes just book people in for a 15 minute window or whatever.

If they all arrive on the dot of 12 how would they know which ones to see in which order?

Maybe it's a way to observe the candidates interacting with each other. Maybe they are watching them and it's part of the assessment?! Or maybe they're just a naff employer.

I've worked in recruitment 20 years and that's a shocking technique, I feel you have had a lucky escape. Interviewing is a 2 way process 💐

We should all be more Dead People.

Good on you for having self respect! I pity the person that accepts the job offer.

Why weren't you seen first then? That hardly seems fair.

Oh, thank God the Redditors have arrived to teach the little women how to be properly submissive in the work place.

What would us silly little ladies do without them!

That happened to me once - went for an interview at a school for something reception/pa related. We all (about 6 of us) arrived at same time, were given a short tour, then told he would interview us all separately and to sort out the order ourselves?!!

Two people immediately shouted first and second, others quickly made their place known. The first interviewee was in for 30 mins, when they came out number 2 stood up, as did I, and I announced to the Head that I had work to get back to and left!!

I left feeling very proud of myself, knowing there’s no way I would work for a place that had so little respect of our time!

Another interview I had at a doctors surgery, had a successful (I thought) interview but they asked me to go into their sister surgery later in the week, asking me to meet their practice manager for an hour as half the job was based there. I arrived at 9am, as asked, manager had no idea I was coming so she sat me at reception, shadowing a receptionist. At 10am I asked practice manager if she had time for our meeting, she said no just stay there. 1030 somebody made tea/coffee for all the staff but ignored me!
stayed til 1130, spoke to practice manager again who said she didn’t even know why I was there!! I then walked out , saying i didn’t either!

Got a phone call later that day from original interviewer offering me the job! I politely refused saying I enjoy a challenge but I’d never work for anywhere that disorganised.

You do seem to be in the minority…

Why is their time more valuable than mine?

I’ve been customer facing all my life so I don’t think I’m the problem here…