Was It Fair for the Company to Change Interview Plans and Then Reject Me? Seeking HR Insights

Dear All,

I would like to share my experience that I faced before some days. Actually, last Monday, I received an interview call from a reputed manufacturing unit. They got my resume from naukri.com. They told me that they have a post of Assistant HR Manager, are you interested? If interested, can you come tomorrow for the interview? I told them I can't attend the interview tomorrow but I can come on Saturday. When Saturday came, they gave me a test paper and told me it was my written test, and I had to attempt it within two hours. I was surprised that they did not inform me beforehand about the written test, but I was ready. I attempted the test, and then they gave me some topics for a group discussion and told me to attempt them within half an hour as our HR Manager was leaving the office. Though the topics were very lengthy, I attempted them within half an hour. After that, the HR Manager called me and conducted a personal interview related to Acts, ESIC, and PF, and said they required a person like me. So, are you ready? I replied, "Yes, I am ready, sir," and then we discussed the salary part. After negotiation, the salary was finalized. Finally, he told me that when I could join. I informed him that I needed one month as I have to give one month's notice period to my current company, and he agreed. Lastly, he mentioned that I only needed permission from the MD, and it was just a formality. They said they would call me within three or four days for the offer letter. I replied, "Ok, sir."

Yesterday, when I called him, he informed me that they did not select me. I would like to ask the experts if what they did with me is right or wrong. I was not angry that they did not select me, but I was concerned about their reputation. Currently, I am working in my current organization as an Executive HR, and I am also handling recruitment. When we conduct written interviews with any candidate, we inform them in advance so that they can prepare accordingly. Secondly, I believe that even if we think a candidate is good but we plan to conduct more interviews, we should not give false hope or discuss the salary before finalization. As an HR professional, I cannot accept this behavior from a Manager HR. Please advise me if I am wrong.

Thanks

Dear Raj,

Firstly, they should have informed you about the test and all the procedures earlier, which they didn't, and it shows a lack of professionalism. Secondly, sometimes it happens that where HR is not strong, the decisions are changed just like anything, which is again an unprofessional practice. I'd say it's good that you didn't get the job there.

Regards,
Fahd Khan Sherani

Hi Raj,

Ideally, they should have informed you about the interview process. But maybe they wanted to test whether you would be able to get through the test without preparation, i.e., to check if you are on your toes about your subject. In that case, I don't think not informing about the test is a mistake.

Coming to your non-selection, maybe they have found someone who is better qualified than you?! You can ask them the reason for not selecting you so that you can rectify your mistakes and improve in your trial for the job.

I don't see anything wrong in what they did. Like I said, a surprise test might be to test your knowledge, and non-selection might be because they found someone better.

All the best.

Regards,
Deepthi

Dear Deepthi,

I agree with your first point that they want to test me without preparation. My intention was not about preparation. Suppose you are going to any interview with the intention that they will take your maximum half an hour, and after that, you have to go for another important work. In that situation, what will you do? If they want to take my test without preparation, they could tell me that we will take more than two hours so make your schedule accordingly. They should give me some idea about the time. As an HR person, I think we should be punctual about our time so that we can set an example for other people in the organization.

Secondly, you mentioned they have found a better candidate than me. I also agree with this point. I assume you have not recruited any person yet. Suppose you have a requirement for one person, and you expect ten candidates to come for an interview. Would you discuss everything with every candidate? I believe if you are conducting a written interview, you do not need to take immediate steps or discuss everything with every candidate. Initially, you can shortlist two or three candidates out of ten, then call them for a personal interview. Following that, you can select one candidate out of the three based on their experience, salary negotiation, etc. There is no need to discuss everything with all ten candidates; otherwise, you would be wasting your time and the candidates' time. If they are conducting a written test, a personal interview with every candidate may not be necessary.

Kind regards

Hi,

I think most companies do follow the practice of giving written tests to candidates. That's perfectly alright, but when the HR manager of the company assures you that your offer letter will be processed in a couple of days, that is wrong on their part. I think they should have either said that they shall get back to you in a couple of days as they are in the process of interviewing more candidates for their requirement, rather than committing anything in the first place.

Henceforth, whoever gives you an interview call, do ask them clearly about the duration of the interview and the number of interview rounds that will be conducted.

Regards,
Sridevi Nair

Dear Raj,

I can understand how upset you are with whatever happened to you on that Saturday.

Accept that it was so unprofessional of the interviewer to confirm your selection and assure you of an offer letter on a later date, only to make your selection void. Next time you happen to meet him, just shoot him a glance.

Regarding the test, I can't say they were wrong. A written test may be their first level of screening, which could be their normal selection procedure. Perhaps the test paper content was to check your basics, so that they can directly interview you on the crux of the job, such as Acts, ESI, PF, as you mentioned.

I suggest that next time you attend interviews, make yourself available for half a day. A mere 30-60 minutes may really not be sufficient enough to decide one's candidature for the position applied. What if you have to undergo more than 2 or more levels of interviews on the same day? So, plan your availability accordingly.

All the very best for your future endeavors.

Regards,

Naveen

Dear Raj,

They are absolutely wrong. There is no second thought about it. The process of selection should be informed to the candidates at the time of calling them for the interview. If the HR Manager didn't have that much confidence in himself or had other candidates to see, then he should not have offered the job to you verbally. He would have just told you that he would get back to you in a couple of days. If the MD had to make a decision and the HR Manager didn't have any say in the recruitment, then he should not have given any commitment to you. This is not done. This is the most unprofessional way of handling things. It's good that you didn't join there. All the best to you for all your future endeavors.

Regards,
Byomjeet Mishra

I have an HR interview next week with a written test, but I don't know how to prepare. Can you share some tips with me?