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Patience is a virtue. For my current company, I was made to wait 30+ minutes with each interview. And for every interview, I made sure nothing else was going on that day.
There's no such thing as dignity. Just pride. Swallow it if you really want a job.
I am completely against any manager, hiring agent, or CEO that likes to play mind games with the job candidates. What is this, anyway, the CIA? Are people being hired for the psychological warfare division of the NSA?
What these mind games actually translate to is ... DISHONESTY.
That's right, these self-absorbed managers are LYING to you. They lied when they said the interview would be at X time knowing beforehand they were going to make you wait indefinitely. They lied about the reason for the wait - assuming they gave you one. And by playing their silly little game, they are disrespecting you and your time.
I look at it like this: Time is the great equalizer. Unlike money, time is something you cannot get back no matter how hard you work. Every second that ticks by is gone forever. All of us only have a finite amount of it, and no one knows how much time we have in our "bank" accounts. We can't check our balance, so to speak.
As everyone knows, every choice comes with an opportunity cost - if I do X then I can't do Y. We can't hit the rewind button on a wasted stretch of time and make a different decision. So while you're sitting there, being subjected to their stupid little waiting game, you COULD be doing something else, something infinitely more productive or enjoyable. We hear complaints all the time about people who steal company time, but companies are notorious for stealing employee's time, as well ... and a company doesn't have an expiration date stamped on it. Human beings do. What's worse is that you're not even being paid. You're just supposed to give them your time ... for free. Would that company do anything for free?
Finally, your willingness to oblige a hiring agent by stupidly sitting around for who-knows-how-long can send an unflattering message to said agent. Sure, it might show tenacity or that you really want the job. But it can also alert the hiring agent that you'll put up with just about anything to work for them - and then you'll find yourself doing all the crap work if you're hired. If you don't mind being a "yes man" forever, then jumping through their hoops - no matter what they are - is the thing to do.
Sometimes people are running late for some reason. She was running late. She didn't schedule two people at the same time, she was just running that late.
At my previous company one of the Managers discovered she had a flat tire when she went out to leave for work. She called in immediately, but communication being what it was there, the earlybirds got the message but the receptionist did not. The 9:00 applicant came in for the interview and left at 9:25 saying she would not waste any more of her time. At 9:28 the Manager walked in.
It was a great company to work for and the Manager was ready to offer the applicant 30% more in salary to take the job because the person had nearly all the experience she was looking for. The applicant missed out on working for a great place and getting a nice increase in salary.
What you experience in one hour of one day from one person is not necessarily reflective of what you might experience if you worked there.
For all you know, she may have apologized profusely and explained once she got to you. But you showed her alright. You showed her you are inflexible and have a short fuse.
And you expected her to call you to explain and apologize after you showed her you had a short fuse?
Bottom line, as I posted yesterday, was you didn't really want the job.
If someone is running 40 minutes late, they should have the courtesy to let you know! If I was sitting in a room not knowing what was going on, I would walk out as well. Not an employer I want to waste my time with.
Why should someone have to be treated that way to get a job? If I was desperate, maybe I would stay. If I was employed and looking for another opportunity, no way would I sit in a room and wait for that long.
At my previous company one of the Managers discovered she had a flat tire when she went out to leave for work. She called in immediately, but communication being what it was there, the earlybirds got the message but the receptionist did not. The 9:00 applicant came in for the interview and left at 9:25 saying she would not waste any more of her time. At 9:28 the Manager walked in.
It was a great company to work for and the Manager was ready to offer the applicant 30% more in salary to take the job because the person had nearly all the experience she was looking for. The applicant missed out on working for a great place and getting a nice increase in salary.
That's absurd. If the manager were reasonable, she would have just called the applicant back with "I'm sorry I missed you. I had car trouble. Can we schedule again for tomorrow or the next day?"
I scheduled an interview with a hiring manager through the phone a week ago. I was scheduled to meet her today at 11:00am. I walked into the lobby and noticed another fellow waiting. Soon after, the hiring manager walked in and greeted only the other guy: "Hi, I'm Kelsey nice to meet you! Please follow me to the back." I sat there dumbfounded, did this person have two people come in at the same time?
My company schedules double interviews all the time - we've even done blitzes where we have three or four candidates in at the same time. It's not unheard of and is much more efficient.
The only difference is that in our case we have multiple teams set up so that each candidate is meeting with someone while the other candidates are with other people. And then after an allotted time they switch, until everyone is done.
The candidates know it's a blitz, and we've never had someone walk out because they see their competitors. In today's market everyone knows there is a lot of competition - no one can assume they are the only candidate.
Had I been you, I'd have stayed and done the interview. No sense burning a potential bridge if you don't have to.
I think what you did was fine OP. Interviews are two-ways streets and it sounds like the hiring manager was either 1) behaving passive-aggressively; or 2) bad at time-management. If you were subjected to either during an interview, its certain you would regularly if they hired you.
I am completely against any manager, hiring agent, or CEO that likes to play mind games with the job candidates. What is this, anyway, the CIA? Are people being hired for the psychological warfare division of the NSA?
What these mind games actually translate to is ... DISHONESTY.
That's right, these self-absorbed managers are LYING to you. They lied when they said the interview would be at X time knowing beforehand they were going to make you wait indefinitely. They lied about the reason for the wait - assuming they gave you one. And by playing their silly little game, they are disrespecting you and your time.
I look at it like this: Time is the great equalizer. Unlike money, time is something you cannot get back no matter how hard you work. Every second that ticks by is gone forever. All of us only have a finite amount of it, and no one knows how much time we have in our "bank" accounts. We can't check our balance, so to speak.
As everyone knows, every choice comes with an opportunity cost - if I do X then I can't do Y. We can't hit the rewind button on a wasted stretch of time and make a different decision. So while you're sitting there, being subjected to their stupid little waiting game, you COULD be doing something else, something infinitely more productive or enjoyable. We hear complaints all the time about people who steal company time, but companies are notorious for stealing employee's time, as well ... and a company doesn't have an expiration date stamped on it. Human beings do. What's worse is that you're not even being paid. You're just supposed to give them your time ... for free. Would that company do anything for free?
Finally, your willingness to oblige a hiring agent by stupidly sitting around for who-knows-how-long can send an unflattering message to said agent. Sure, it might show tenacity or that you really want the job. But it can also alert the hiring agent that you'll put up with just about anything to work for them - and then you'll find yourself doing all the crap work if you're hired. If you don't mind being a "yes man" forever, then jumping through their hoops - no matter what they are - is the thing to do.
Great points.
This is a job interview, not Special Forces or Delta Force tryouts.
Why should anyone have to tolerate such disrespect. We are supposed to be on time for interviews but we have to tolerate rude and unprofessional behavior by management? I don't think so. Being made to wait is one thing, so people run late and all, I get it. That doesn't excuse no apologies for being herded around from place to place with no acknowledgement.
I also fail to see any relevance between OP's other job and this particular case.
I once went to a scheduled interview and as I walked into the front office, noted that the lobby had six or seven people sitting in it. After 30 minutes of awkward small talk and zero acknowledgement from any company employees, a man walked into the lobby and gruffly called out a name - never making eye contact with anyone. A woman got up and followed him into an office. Another woman in the lobby said "Her interview was scheduled for well over an hour ago, I'm right after her". A brief conversation ensued and it was determined that they had scheduled all our interviews within a one-hour period of time ... and were running very, very late. Nobody offered an apology or even acknowledged our presence.
I stood up, pulled out my car keys, and walked toward the door. As I walked out, two other interviewees got up and followed me out. We chatted in the parking lot and agreed that this would be a terrible company to work for, wished each other luck, and left.
Something about dignity Lol. I felt like I was being disrespected and didn't want to bend over because I actually have another offer.
You WERE being disrespected. Make no mistake about it.
You did the right thing, except I wouldn't have even told the receptionist I was leaving.
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