So I was invited for a telephone interview for a full time graduate job December last year . However, she only gave me one date and asked me to confirm it I can attend to the interview on that date. But I confirmed that I couldn't because it clashed with assessment I had for my course at uni. Also I had so many other deadlines due the same week as the interview.
She (HR) did not even reply to my email and nobody called me on the date that was requested so I knew she read the email. A few weeks later I emailed her again stating that I am still very much interested in the position. This time she emailed back saying " Will let you know in the new year if we arrange another date"
It's coming to ending of January now, I'm doubting that she won't arrange another interview for me . I am not happy to be honest because I asked her in the first email if it possible for me to reschedule the interview, therefore I feel like if she knew it wasn't gonna be possible she should have replied saying "NO". And maybe I would have found a way.
Do you think she is being unfair or not? Also do you think she will schedule another interview for me?
I'm losing hope. is one of my dream company to work for and I'm very disappointed that I have lost my chance
I do not think you did anything wrong. From what you said, I think she acted very unprofessionally however I wouldn't say she is in the wrong.
I thought she acted unprofessionally too. I do understand that they have thousands of applications to get through but still...
I had another telephone interview clashed with my exam date but the HR for that company was very nice and understanding. And she scheduled another date for me.
Poor response from the HR contact. Assuming you didn't put anything silly in the email, it really isn't unreasonable to request an alternate time for a telephone interview.
That said, your post rings alarm bells. You say you couldn't attend because the interview because it "clashed with an assessment" you had for university, but then you also mention you had "many other deadlines due the same week". How are the other deadlines relevant? You either had something scheduled at the time of the assessment or you didn't, other deadlines should have no bearing on the interview. Depending on how you worded the email, it may have been construed as an attempt to put it off rather than a genuine clash.
No, it isn't. Demanding another interview time suggests a lack of flexibility, which looks bad in the eye of the employer. Plus, the employer has a lot of other things that they would rather get on with and would want to get all the interviews over and done with within a couple of days. It would be an inconvenience to them if they had to find the time to conduct one at a random other time.
No, it isn't. Demanding another interview time suggests a lack of flexibility, which looks bad in the eye of the employer. Plus, the employer has a lot of other things that they would rather get on with and would want to get all the interviews over and done with within a couple of days. It would be an inconvenience to them if they had to find the time to conduct one at a random other time.
Not being able to make a specific time that was offered without discussion is not a 'lack of flexibility' - it's called having commitments. Should university students not attend examinations because some HR bod can't be bothered to do their job properly? How about offering a few time slots to the interviewee, or requesting availability?
If this was a case of OP not being available for the entire week then I agree with you. Having a prior commitment that prevents someone from making a specific 1 hour slot that was offered at random is not unreasonable, at all. On the contrary, this makes the employer look bad, not the other way around.
Your mistake was taking a "few weeks" to follow up.
I'm not sure how you know someone definitely read an email if you didn't get a response from them. If you hadn't of heard back confirming a new interview slot within a week you should have contacted them back, maybe even by call rather than email.
Waiting three weeks every time you don't get a response means you will miss the recruitment process. It wouldn't surprise me if the recruitment process had gone beyond telephone interviews by now.
I didn't take a few weeks, sorry if i didn't make it clear. The first email I sent, I got automatic response that she was out of office and if it's something urgent I should email the main recruitment team. So I emailed the main HR team but they didn't reply too. All this was done before the date that was scheduled for interview to take place.
I didn't take a few weeks, sorry if i didn't make it clear. The first email I sent, I got automatic response that she was out of office and if it's something urgent I should email the main recruitment team. So I emailed the main HR team but they didn't reply too. All this was done before the date that was scheduled for interview to take place.
The HR are doing a shoddy job if they don't respond to e-mails. But on the other hand I have e-mailed potential employers several times in the past just to get a response - you have to be persistent if you want it.
That said I can totally sympathise with you in the lack of flexibility of employers with interviews. I've had several experiences of getting to interview stage and only having one available date and time to choose from, or being told I have an interview only a couple of days in advance. They assume that everyone has no commitments - I work full time and can't get the time off to attend with only a few days notice. Annoyance aside, it privileges the people I know on gap years doing nothing all day who can commit this time to attending and preparing for interviews.
Recently I've been invited to interview in Newcastle, despite there being a location in London offered. I e-mailed and said that I live in London so that would be preferable and they replied saying that the location was not flexible. I don't mind travelling but now the company has to reimburse me up to £200 for travel which is currently spent out of my own pocket and a b&b for the night (otherwise I wouldn't get there in time) including meals etc. All for the sake of not being able to interview me in London and I wonder how many more candidates are in this position that they are forking out for.
Not being able to make a specific time that was offered without discussion is not a 'lack of flexibility' - it's called having commitments. Should university students not attend examinations because some HR bod can't be bothered to do their job properly? How about offering a few time slots to the interviewee, or requesting availability?
If this was a case of OP not being available for the entire week then I agree with you. Having a prior commitment that prevents someone from making a specific 1 hour slot that was offered at random is not unreasonable, at all. On the contrary, this makes the employer look bad, not the other way around.
Thank you!! Most companies give you at least different time slots and alternative dates but this JPM HR gave me no choice. I even suggested in the email alternative dates I could do. I contemplated missing my uni assessment module but then I said to myself if I fail my degree they won't even offer me the job in the end.
You said a few weeks, so I am only going by what you said. Waiting three weeks into the new year to also hear back is far too long.
So the person was out of the office? You can't expect them to respond.
And if you didn't hear back from the other point of contact, you should have followed up. They probably didn't think it was urgent and thought the original point of contact would pick it up.
This is why relying on email is never a good idea. Calling is a far better option, especially when you get an out of office.
Not being able to make a specific time that was offered without discussion is not a 'lack of flexibility' - it's called having commitments. Should university students not attend examinations because some HR bod can't be bothered to do their job properly? How about offering a few time slots to the interviewee, or requesting availability?
If this was a case of OP not being available for the entire week then I agree with you. Having a prior commitment that prevents someone from making a specific 1 hour slot that was offered at random is not unreasonable, at all. On the contrary, this makes the employer look bad, not the other way around.
What can you say to those who already have a job but is unable to attend an interview? Not a lot of employers are flexible in this case because of their office hours.
Also it's not just OP who has an interview; what if employers' schedules are fully booked to see the other candidates?
She didn't give me her number and I have searched for the HR team number of online but I can't find it. If I email her again, would it not come across as being annoying ? Since she already told me that she will let me know..
Your mistake was taking a "few weeks" to follow up.
I'm not sure how you know someone definitely read an email if you didn't get a response from them. If you hadn't of heard back confirming a new interview slot within a week you should have contacted them back, maybe even by call rather than email.
Waiting three weeks every time you don't get a response means you will miss the recruitment process. It wouldn't surprise me if the recruitment process had gone beyond telephone interviews by now.
OP you should pay attenion and read this. Businesses are busy, some of them arent perfect. the mistake was yours in not chasing it up and getting a positive confirmation. E-mails are not the best way of communicating and in many instances the phone gives you an immediate and unambiguous answer. Interviewers are not always available, it isnt just you. They may already have got someone by now. They dont have to interview everyone.
You emailed the individual HR person on 01/12 saying you can't make it. You get her out of office. It then takes you 5 days to contact the main HR team as an alternative, and that's only one day before the assessment is due.
On 15/12 you email her again. She could easily still be out of the office and you may not have received a second OOO notification if she had been out of the office throughout that time - and therefore no one has picked up your email.
Yes, the contact from the HR team in general has been somewhat questionable, but the main HR team might have assumed it wasn't urgent and covered by the individual, and that individual could quite easily have been out of the office longer than expected.
You have since left it 5 weeks go subsequently follow up. Why have you taken so long? Also why did you leave it 5 days to follow up when you got the OOO notification, why not follow up sooner?
If you can't find a number, contact them through one of their social media channels or just call their switchboard (I found that straight away with a Google search).
Thanks for your reply. I see what you mean, next time I will handle the situation much better. When I email on the 15th she replied back the same day so she is back in the office now.
Recently I've been invited to interview in Newcastle, despite there being a location in London offered. I e-mailed and said that I live in London so that would be preferable and they replied saying that the location was not flexible. I don't mind travelling but now the company has to reimburse me up to £200 for travel which is currently spent out of my own pocket and a b&b for the night (otherwise I wouldn't get there in time) including meals etc. All for the sake of not being able to interview me in London and I wonder how many more candidates are in this position that they are forking out for.
HR infuriates me. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there's plenty of capable HR professionals, but there's also a whole lot of dead weight. A tiny amount of common sense and some good planning could save a company like the one you describe above a pile of cash - but some dead end HR bod has the budget and spends it indiscriminately.
They get away with this because nobody is looking. HR tends to be too small an expense in the grand scheme to be attracting the attention of top management, but when you look at the wastage in HR it's often awful. Can you imagine the uproar if an ops department in a big manufacturer was this wasteful with expenses? Or to bring it back to the OP example, can you image if a sales department was letting leads get lost like this? Would be uproar!
What can you say to those who already have a job but is unable to attend an interview? Not a lot of employers are flexible in this case because of their office hours.
Also it's not just OP who has an interview; what if employers' schedules are fully booked to see the other candidates?
Saying this from experience here...
This would be an example of HR failing to properly manage their candidates. There should never be a '1 time slot only' policy..
I have never in my life been told there is zero flexibility on an interview slot. It's essentially either HR doing a poor job at managing comms (granted OP could have done more chasing), or HR showing a blatant disregard for candidates on account of having more applicants than jobs. Neither is a good sign.
She didn't give me her number and I have searched for the HR team number of online but I can't find it. If I email her again, would it not come across as being annoying ? Since she already told me that she will let me know..
Mate, if you're serious, you email them every other day from now on until you get a firm answer either way. What do you stand to lose?