Candidate walks out on interviewer who was late

Interviewers often complain about candidates showing up late and unprepared, but how about when interviewers arrive late to a job interview?

In the corporate hierarchy, the stereotype has been for candidates to 'serve' their hiring managers, be patient, wait for them to come because the candidate is the one in need of a job.

However, looks like the younger generation have their own set of views when it comes to the workplace.

Recently a Facebook post on a job candidate walking out on his interviewer who was 30 minutes late for the interview has received 12,000 likes and has been shared 2,700 times over the past few days.

Before leaving, the candidate said: "The company has expectations from me. Similarly, I also have expectations from the company. I don't think the interviewer will be more than 30 minutes late if he is meeting a client."

The HR staff told him it is common sense for candidates to wait since they are hoping to get a job with the company.

The candidate replied, "people of your generation are like slaves," before walking out of the door.

Siddharth Suhas, general manager, Hudson Hong Kong thinks the prospect of a candidate leaving when an interview is delayed beyond a reasonable amount of time (typically 10-15 minutes) is accepted and understood by employers.

"There are several examples of such situations occurring. However, the reactions are very subjective to the cause, the communication around it and the person’s schedule. In most cases, when an unavoidable situation has occurred along with early communication of it – candidates are generally happy to wait," he said.

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"Scenarios where no communication and explanation is provided, it does leave the candidate with a negative impression and in a few situations have left the candidate disengaged from the interview process altogether. Candidates do speak with each other and such instances can very quickly cause a negative impression about the company," Suhas added.

In this particular scenario, Suhas thinks both candidates and clients are reasonable. He recommends the employer should communicate with the candidate as early as possible ideally before the scheduled appointment along with alternate timings and details if the meeting is being re-scheduled.

If the meeting is being re-scheduled, it is best to be more accommodating by the employer for a future alternate schedule – based on the candidate’s availability.

"A follow up call or email by the interviewer to the candidate also goes a long way to add a personal touch and keep the candidate motivated and engaged in this highly competitive market," said Suhas.

While some netizens said the young person’s attitude may result in fewer job opportunities, many others support what he did.

One said the job seeker did not do anything wrong, as a job interview is for the recruiter and applicant to understand each other.

Another netizen praised the job seeker for having the courage to speak out in an unfair situation.

Image: 123RF