Have employers become less transparent with candidates during recruitment?

[EarthSight]

Just wanted to have a moan really about the lack of respect that employers treat potential candidates. I'm sharing some of my experience wondering if other people have experienced similar in the last year or so.

I've been to 3 interviews where something very important about the role wasn't disclosed until that stage. In one case it was very important terms of the contract (not pay), but similar. They awkwardly acknowledged that had been a change to the original job spec....but no one thought to tell me before I went all the way there to interview?? I think I wasted over 4 hrs on it in total - going through their lengthy application, then travel time plus interview, only for it to have been a piss-taking waste of time. I wasn't impressed and had a dim view of the fact they didn't even apologise. Just looked at each other and their feet in awkwardness as I exclaimed surprise that no one told me of the change, and that no, I won't be proceeding (up until that point I think they were likely to offer me the job).

Not wanting to repeat that experience, I applied for another role and made sure I also attended a pre-interview session where potential candidates get to meet one of the hiring managers for a short presentation and they're allowed to ask questions.

I went to the interview, and like the earlier one, it went really well....until they chose the end of the interview to tell me something extremely important about the location and training that they absolutely should have declared on the job advert, or in that pre-interview presentation at the very least.

In another interview, I wasn't 100% sure if they had an actual job lined up, or if they were just using the interview method as a way to get free consultancy about a niche subject.

Then last night, I saw a job that wasn't paid very well (a few thousand above minimum wage), that had 30 items in their essential requirements alone (with the desirable list it must be well over 40), of which you are expected to address every single one using the STAR method.

On it they expected 'first class' this, 'excellent' that......suffice to say I'm not going to apply because I think it's indicative of how unreasonably demanding the manager will be, for one thing😐

@Thisisnottheone I've seen a lot of hybrid roles being advertised at wfh 😄Doesn't matter what it says in the job advert though - unless it's in the contract, and then there is detail to expand on what exactly hybrid or wtf means, it's at the employer's discretion.

I was put forward for interview for a freelance role at a rate agreed between myself and my agency.

The client offered me the role based on the rate of pay agreed with the agency. A month into the role I realised my pay rate was not as agreed.

The agency have confirmed that they were unable to agree the rate agreed despite me having written proof of hourly rate. They originally claimed that the difference in rate of pay £4.45 per hour was being absorbed by tax, NI and pension and holiday but I am still paying no tax (having not worked for 4 months earlier in the year) and pension hasn't come into affect yet. I knew they were talking rubbish and escalated my complaint to the director.

Managed to get a few hundred pounds out of them as back pay as an 'Act of Goodwill' but they've fixed my rate of pay to £4.16 less than agreed now having given me an increase to what my colleague receives working for another agency, even though I have 30 years more experience than her!

Its only because I love the hours, my colleagues and the job that I've stayed put. There's no stress, I get to the stables at 4pm and home by 6.30pm/7pm which is an ideal work life balance. I'm only her till end of October anyway but I do love my role.

But they love the claim they have flexible working….

My brother had no fewer than two roles withdrawn after a formal offer for internal reasons (nothing to do with him, he has fantastic references). But as he had given notice, he had to basically beg for him job back. Appalling way to treat someone. I think there should be greater penalties for companies behaving so badly.

Bad experience here too. Long application with STAR method then interview. Call to say I did really well but informed that the two people doing the job for the past two years were offered the positions. Fair enough but what a waste of my and their time.

I'm job hunting at the moment and agree with all of these. Also the jobs which have no location listed at all. I don't mind working in an office full time if it's local. I don't mind (genuine) hybrid with reasonable travel but I don't want to have to search the company website to find out that the HQ is actually in a city 6 hours away. It's such a basic thing to state on an advert.

And absolutely yes to the tell us how your 25 year year has prepared you for the job, with particular emphasis on your learned skills and experience and specific professional achievements. (200 words). Even worse when the word count isn't visible and you spend ages on a carefully crafted response, only to have the application rejected when you hit submit, because you went over the word count you didn't know about.

As a recruiter, I think I used to go the other way, with so much information in the job spec, I didn't want anyone to enter a role unprepared, but then my organisation got rid of most of the HR department and created standard text for job descriptions, based on grades, with absolutely no wiggle room to add specifics for different types of jobs. Suddenly we had a load of pissed off new recruits.

It's soul-destroying out there.

Three times I’ve had this. Thankfully unemployed but still egg on my face with friends.

Oh God that's so bad. For separate reasons, I've had a job offer disintegrate right at the point of being sent the contract (the job itself was under question), and piss-poor communication from them after that.

People have been very surprised when this happened to me. Good to know it’s not a ‘me’ issue.

That’s not the case for Civil Service. My son recently received an email saying they were not progressing with his application (unfortunately).

This happens automatically when the job closes or is taken down usually months afterwards. An actual rejection? Never had one.