Navigating Job Interviews: Why Are Recruiters So Vague About Job Details and Budgets?

Here I would like to share my recent interview experiences with you and would like to have your advice on it. As a background, I would like to tell you about myself. I have been working with a good brand for the last year in the HR department in Mumbai and am looking for a change because my contract is going to finish next month. (I have mentioned this very clearly in my resume) whereas I have 4 years of relevant experience.

1st Experience:

I received a call from a well-known company in Pune. As part of the first conversation, the lady on the other side asked me about my basic information like education, experience, salary expectations, etc. Then, she requested me to come down to Pune for a final face-to-face interview. At the end, she asked me to ask her if I had any queries. At the beginning of the conversation, the lady only told me the company name from where she was calling and the designation of the open position, but she did not give me the job profile, so I requested it. She ended the conversation by saying she would forward me the details by mail. At the end of the day, she forwarded me the venue details but not the job profile. I replied to her with confirmation of my availability for the interview and again requested the job profile. Finally, the day came, and I went to the venue on time. During the face-to-face interview, she asked me the same questions with more detailed expectations. Similarly, she opened a box of expectations from candidates, which was actually the job profile. After that, I understood why she had not disclosed the job profile during our first conversation nor sent me a copy by mail because the profile was related to my department but with totally different activities. She wanted to present these to me only during the face-to-face discussion. After a 20-minute discussion, she asked me to wait and promised that her colleague would attend to me.

Till here, I understood that if I wanted to get the job, I would have to compromise on the job profile. I agreed too because the profile would allow me to learn new things and face new challenges with a good brand. So, it would be an additional expertise in my curriculum. After some time, another lady came into the cabin where I was sitting with a smiling face and satisfaction with confidence that she would soon close the open position. She once again ensured that I was comfortable with the profile. Then she opened the page of the package. I was very shocked when she told me about the offer. It was just a 2K increment without any statutory deductions and benefits. In addition, the job would be contractual for the first 3 months with no surety of the future. Thirdly, I had to join in only 7 days. I tried to convince her at my best, but nothing was in her hands. I took leave, saying I would get back to them on this offer soon.

2nd Experience:

While going through regular job posting emails, I came across a job opening with a steel manufacturing organization. I went through the job profile and decided to apply for it. I applied with confidence that I would get a call from them. On the same day in the evening, I received a call from them. The lady asked me very few questions, which were mainly related to salary expectations and notice period. Then she fixed my face-to-face interview date and time and hung up the phone. The next day, I received the venue details as promised by her, and I started to prepare myself for the interview. On the day of the interview, the HR person introduced me to their CEO and MD. Mr. CEO asked only 3 questions and asked Mr. HR to bring me to the concerned department head. We both went to the concerned person's cabin. The lady asked me very technical questions regarding my experience and her requirements and expressed a satisfactory smile. Then Mr. HR took charge of the situation and again asked about salary. I told them my expectations. Then they told me about their benefits (which are only 15 days of holidays in a year, no more than this) and requested me to negotiate. Before telling them about the salary negotiation part, I requested them about their budget. Considering if they would tell me their budget so that I could cross-check with my expectations and reply to them with negotiation, which would be helpful to both of us to save our time. Assuming they could treat me as an HR person who is aware of all this. But they were not interested; rather, they felt it might be a confidential matter and did not answer me. So, I framed my statement. At the end, they told me that some interviews were going on and they would get back to me. I understood that they had a lower budget than my expectations and would never revert to me.

3rd Experience:

As a response to my job application from a Delhi-based company, I got a first call. After collecting all basic information about me, she ensured my availability for the next telephonic interview and promised to get back to me. The next day, I received a call from her again, saying if I was free, she would like to carry on with the 2nd round of the interview. As I was free, I permitted it. In this 2nd round, another lady asked me the same basic questions and gave a description of their organization and very clearly told me that I was a suitable candidate for the position. She was going to arrange one more telephonic interview with the local HR who sits in Mumbai on the same day. I was waiting for their call in the evening, but no one turned up. On the very next day, late in the evening, I received a call from them, and they asked me the same basic questions. After that, I am still waiting for their reply.

The purpose behind describing these three incidents here is, as an HR person, I have a couple of doubts in my mind.

- Why, my dear HR friends, do you not give a clear job profile at the time of the first conversation?
- Assuming a candidate can be available quickly as he is on a contract basis, is it good to offer him another contract job with a low budget at the time of the final discussion?
- Why do all recruiters not search for candidates within their budget and avoid wasting their and the candidates' time?

I understand and agree that there are many concerns that affect our work, e.g., time limits, work burden, achievements in short notice, etc., for which we do not follow all the steps at the time of recruitment. But as HR, we have to consider the effect and impact of our actions on candidates and our efforts too. At the end, you might feel that as I am suffering and struggling to get a job, hence my frustration is coming out in this way. It might be right, but when I look back on my professional life, I did make some nonsensical mistakes, but now I realize that people like me or HR like us should have some kind of training to avoid someone's frustration. This kind of need comes only on humanitarian grounds.

Regards,
Roopesh

You are right. I have also gone through this type of situation 3-4 times in the last couple of months. HR personnel should avoid these types of mistakes as it can save time for both parties and resources as well. Seniors should communicate this to junior staff who are new to recruitment.

Thank you.

We mostly receive phone calls from recruitment agencies that end up the same way, resulting in the same consequences as described by you.

Regards,
MK

This is the fault of the company/consultants who hire freshers without any kind of training in HR recruitment and other areas as well. If you go deeper, you will find the same conclusions. In fact, in some consultancies, they hire people for recruitment who have no knowledge of recruitment or how to conduct interviews at all; some do not even know what kind of questions to ask.

It's a sad situation. On one side, we have MBA colleges and institutes mushrooming, and on the other hand, we provide no professional learning to them. Then we have companies that hire resources at lower salaries and place them as recruiters, without any talks about training, skill development, or on-the-job training.

Another issue is that job profiles are not shared, as the recruiter is confident that during a face-to-face interview, they will surely be able to negotiate on this, without considering that they are wasting the time of applicants.

The HR industry still works in a very unorganized manner. There is hardly any association that can benchmark practices to be followed by all the consultancies. Hence, such incidences are bound to happen.

As Archna said, many job consultants don't have knowledge of the job profile. They simply search on job portals and arrange meetings with employers, which often end unsuccessfully. They are essentially brokers who earn commissions on successful CVs. I've heard that they typically collect around 20% of one month's CTC from employers for successful candidates.

Regards,
Pon

First of all, let me thank Mr. Roopesh for initiating a useful discussion, which can create awareness and teach how to act as job consultants. I have had a similar experience with a different question for rejection. When consultants called initially, I used to explain that I work in the Construction Industry and do not have practical experience with Trade Unions, the local language, or the manufacturing industry. The consultant said it did not matter and instructed me to attend the interview. However, upon reaching there, I was rejected for the same reasons. A whole day was wasted, and the company incurred expenses on my conveyance charges (to and fro by AC Car), with none benefiting from the interaction.

By reading this thread, job consultants who view it may correct themselves to avoid such mistakes in the future.

Thank you very much for sharing your views about your past experience. As an HR Recruiter, I would seriously suggest you inquire about the following details in depth:

1. Ask for the complete job description for sure.
2. Mode of job - Permanent or Contract.
3. Notice period and salary expectations of the company.
4. Inquire about the company profile (Regular Employees, Establishment, company level - Level 5 or 3).
5. Any on-site projects for the clients.

Most recruiters do what you have discussed, "to send as many profiles as they can in a day," and they tend to rush to close the position, only to fail to do so in the end. This is a waste of time for the candidate and the client/company as well.

Thanks & Regards,

V. Vikram Kumar
HR IT Recruiter
Email: [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Thank you for sharing your valuable experiences, opinions, thoughts, and suggestions.

@Mr. Vikram, I very much agree with your suggestions, but my experience is that only after this inquiry, which is the downside of this entire story. Anyway, there may be mistakes in my guessing, understanding, and assumptions. But thank you very much for sharing.

Regards,
Roopesh.

Hi all, It is surprising that as HR professionals, we face so many issues. We may unknowingly be causing trouble for prospective employees who do not understand basic HR terminology. However harsh it may sound, the employer or recruitment partner cannot take a vacancy lightly. You may not realize how significant a job offer can be to someone in need of employment.

Challenges in Sharing Vacancy Details

One problem I see as an employer is that sometimes we are unwilling to share complete details about a vacancy with consultants because we may not think it is worth their time. It is as if the consultant possesses a magic wand to find the perfect match for the job. Why would a candidate want to join your company if the offered profile is not challenging or new? Money is not always the right motivator, as stability could become an issue. When I started my career as a recruiter, my boss once told me, "Find a profile that matches 80% because you have something valuable to offer."

Issues with Closing Positions

As recruiters, we often encounter issues with closing positions for the month. We may mistakenly believe that all sales or HR profiles are the same. Taking shortcuts and merely sending out hundreds of resumes will likely result in rejections. As a recruiter, it is crucial to focus on key responsibilities rather than just keywords.

The Importance of Collaboration

An ideal scenario would involve a brainstorming session between the employer and the recruitment partner to identify key responsibilities, skills, and even potential alternative industries. People often seek a change in industry as roles can become monotonous within the same sector. Collaborating in this way can save time in sourcing candidates and conserve energy for all involved parties.

Regards,
Roopesh