Handling Interview Interruptions: Was I Right to Reject a Candidate for Taking Another Call?

Hi,

I had a very strange experience yesterday when our technical panel and I were conducting an interview for a sales position. The candidate had requested a reschedule for the following day due to some problem, and we obliged. He came to our office for the interview, and as we began, he received a call. He sought our permission to answer it and stepped out to take the call. During his absence, we could hear him conversing on the phone, and it was evident that he was participating in another telephonic interview. The technical panel decided to leave the venue, leaving me waiting for his return for about 25 minutes. Upon his return, he mentioned that he had received a call from his manager. I directly asked him if he was attending a telephonic interview, to which he admitted.

I informed him that taking an organization lightly was not acceptable, and consequently, he was rejected based on his attitude. Do you think my decision was justified, or should I have simply informed him of his rejection without discussing his behavior? Please share your thoughts. If you have encountered a similar situation, please share your experience with us.

Regards,

Madhu

I believe you made the right decision by rejecting him and also by informing him of the reason behind that. An interviewee always has the right to know why he/she is rejected.

Regards,
Thomman

Dear Madhu,

It was really a strange experience - even to read it. Attending a telephonic interview while a personal interview is in progress is equivalent to starting to look for a girlfriend or date when one's marriage ceremony is in progress!

Humour aside, the cheekiness of the candidate was well evident. If you have turned down his candidature, then it was quite correct on your part.

Thanks,
Dinesh V Divekar
Soft Skill & Behavioural Trainer

Hi,

That's an interesting experience. But don't look at what the candidate has done; look at why he has done it. It might be possible that if you find out the reason for the same, you would be able to correct yourself not to experience the same in the future. No doubts that the candidate has taken your organization and the recruitment process lightly and deserves to be punished. You should have made him feel sorry for his act. But looking at this situation from a different view... is there anything you can do to ensure that the candidate who is coming to you takes the organization seriously? As HR professionals, we face this on a daily basis. People come to your organization for an interview, no matter what the outcome of the interview is, if they get another call for an interview from some other company, they go and attend. It's just natural. One needs to give recruitments the respect rightly deserved, be it people within the organization or outside.

Share with us how you felt after the interview. This might help us learn from your experience. Which position was it for: Middle-level management?

Regards,

Avi

I think you did the right thing. It feels bad as an interviewee when you don't know why you have been rejected. Moreover, some people are so desperate for a job due to financial difficulties that we can empathize with them if that was the situation. However, you were there, so you would be a better judge.

Once I was rejected in an interview, and later I found out from my friend who works there and referred me. He asked me if I had mentioned that I already had an offer from another company. I replied, "Of course, yes." I was honest with them and stated that I had a good offer and would be joining within 15 days. I mentioned this because I thought it might make me more valuable as the other company is a competitor. However, later he informed me that this was the reason for my rejection. His manager mentioned that I had already given a 2-month notice period at my current job, and it was not suitable to apply at the last moment for the interview.

Another friend of mine had a similar experience in a different company; he was offered a 20% higher CTC and was selected. It seems that everything depends on the judgment of the interviewer. However, in your case, what stands out to me is the attitude. The interviewer should have first turned off their phone upon entering the interview room.

Best regards