second interviewer unintroduced and silent during phone interview

[barndog]

mpowering1 -- As I said, at this point, I feel shocked mostly. I am still trying to sort out my reaction, thoughts, and feelings and whether they are valid. I think that I have been clear about that. I don't feel that I have been deceptive, even in a minor way, on this topic.

I *think* that I would be okay with an interviewer saying to me that a second party is on the phone and will be listening only... because that gives me the chance to make sure I clarify at least once, and more if it seems necessary, that I have answered in a way that BOTH parties understand (e.g., the end of the call when I want to make sure nothing is left unanswered).

I also *think* I would be okay with an interviewer recording an interview if they told me, but, to be honest, I'd really have to think about that more. There might be hidden ramifications that I don't know off the top of my head.

Bottom line: I don't know if they played me or not. I am still trying to sort through it, and the answers here seem to be solidly in line with each other. The answers I am getting from professionals that I network with in real life are all solidly swinging in the direction of it being absolutely unacceptable. I'll make my own decision about how I want to handle it soon.

Again, I thank the majority of you for your thoughts.

[Adhom]

Originally Posted by barndog

I have not fully identified my reaction right now because I am still mostly in shock, but a concern that I do have is this: I look at interviews as an opportunity to evaluate the client. Just as they want to know if I would be a good fit and if they could work with me, I want to know if I could work with them. At this point, I now know there is one party who likes me a lot (good news!) whom I know nothing about (bad news!). Including silent interviewers cheats the contractor of being able to make a fully informed decision. I have worked with many, many clients, and value ANY chance I get to avoid a contract going bad.

I'm sorry but you've just stated in a very elaborate way how you may suffer from some paranoia.

[barndog]

Okay, the personal insults have started. Took longer than expected so, all things considered, I will consider this thread a success and sign off here. Thanks to you all who tried to help.

[Mr_Geek]

It is an initial phone interview after all and not all the cards are out on the table. Once you attend an in person interview your fears should be alleviated. Or there may be a two way mirror.

[halberto9]

I used to have people call me on the job and I could guess they were on speaker phone without informing me. I felt it was rude and impolite and would always ask, "Who else is there?". How would you feel if they were recording the interview and didn't let you know about it? Not really the right thing to do. Even LL Bean will tell you "this call may be recorded for quality assurance....",etc.

[MPowering1]

Originally Posted by halberto9

I used to have people call me on the job and I could guess they were on speaker phone without informing me. I felt it was rude and impolite and would always ask, "Who else is there?". How would you feel if they were recording the interview and didn't let you know about it? Not really the right thing to do. Even LL Bean will tell you "this call may be recorded for quality assurance....",etc.

In most states it would be illegal to record someone without them knowing. That's why companies have that recorded statement.

OP, I get you're in shock, (if you're even still reading), but as an outsider who isn't emotionally involved in the matter, it does seem like you feel deceived, because not knowing the background of anyone who may be in the room, you wouldn't know when to ramp it up anyway.

[Geneyus]

I pretty much expect someone else to listen to a phone interview, whether listening live or a taped playback later. Most companies want multiple people to look at a candidate before they are hired.

Originally Posted by MPowering1

In most states it would be illegal to record someone without them knowing. That's why companies have that recorded statement.

I don't know about the statement, "most states"... maybe more like, "some states". In TN, you can record a conversation all you want, as long as one side of the conversation knows it's being recorded (The interviewer, in this case). No announcement or warning is needed.

[bande1102]

To me, this is about courtesy and, to some extent, ethics. Having people listen in on an interview without the interviewee knowing is shady and deceptive. I don't see how this practice works on any level.

I've had several phone interviews where there were others listening and I was told about them. For example, John would say, "Hi, I'm John here with Susan and Dave. I'll be conducting the interview and they'll be taking notes, blah, blah, blah". I've worked at places where I've been recorded (on the phone, on my laptop, from desk-cameras, etc) and I've always been told upfront.

If places were recording me and I didn't know, obviously, I can't do anything about it. But if I know a company participates in eavesdropping and sneakiness, I have to walk away.

At my last job, my employer had meetings with remote employees. These employees were led to believe this meeting was between them and their manager (2 people). In actuality, they were put on speaker phone (they didn't know this) and upper level management or HR or whomever would listen in. This created horrible working conditions: morale was horrible, there was absolutely no trust, no collaboration, production was down. It was horrible.

Bottom line is that this company has shown you how they operate.

[Mnseca]

I don't think I would have assumed that I was only talking to one person in the first place.

[NToma99]

What's it matter?

You can have another person on your side listening in and coaching you through the interview.... no biggie