Another example of the broken recruiting system
This recently happened to my client. She applied online through a company’s ATS, for a position for which she was perfectly matched. She had little faith that anyone would ever see her application and assumed that she sent it off down a black hole.
A few weeks later, she received a text message from a foreign number, advising her that a Google Hangout interview had been scheduled for her with the hiring manager. To be clear, this was the first contact she had with anyone at the hiring company. She received no phone screen from anyone in HR. She replied back that the time for which the interview was scheduled was not convenient for her (remember, they never asked her) and gave a few dates and times that she was available.
Radio silence. A week later, she received five text messages from the same number, indicating that five individual Google Hangout interviews had been scheduled for her. Additionally, she had five emails confirming these interviews. Again, she had never spoken with a live human being from this company, and by the time these interview requests came, her schedule had changed, and she was not 100% available.
The email had the name of an actual person on it, so she replied and requested to speak--to have an actual initial conversation. The person who responded was the recruiter, who apologized profusely for the confusion, but did not offer to speak with her either. Instead, she asked my client to email her availability and said she would get back to her.
Two weeks passed, and my client heard nothing. She assumed the lead was dead. Then out of nowhere, she had an email from the recruiter asking if she could do a Google Hangout with just the hiring manager. Because it fit with her schedule this time, my client agreed.
The day before the interview, she received the following email:
I wanted to reach out and inform you that [name redacted] and the team has decided to move forward with an offer to another candidate at this time. I wanted to thank you for your efforts in getting an interview scheduled, as well as to encourage you to continue to search for employment opportunities with our organization. I know your skills and experience will be an asset to [company name redacted] when the right opportunity comes along. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.
My question to all of my readers is this: The next time this company has a so-called “great opportunity,” do you think my client is going to apply for it? Do you think she would refer a peer to this company? Or do you think she would advise anyone who asked to stay away from this company because of its unprofessional behavior?
Again, the interview is a chance for the candidate to vet the company just as much as it is for the company to evaluate the candidate. I will be charitable and say that this was not a great candidate experience. When hiring companies treat candidates like numbered widgets, it sends a strong message that this is a company to avoid. And hiring managers? You don’t get to whine about the “skills gap” while you pull this nonsense with candidates.
