I was first contacted by Rauland on LinkedIn with a request to set up a phone screen. Initially, I was unsure if the position was a good fit based on what I was provided however I figured it would be beneficial to at least have a conversation over the phone so I provided my telephone number. Three weeks went by, and I had still not received a call or response back to my email. I did however see the job posting again during a search I was conducting so I opted to send my resume. A few days later, I was contacted again to set up a phone screen which did occur this time a few days later. I was asked a few basic questions regarding my experience, what I was looking for in my next position and given an overview of the role and company. I was advised face to face interviews would be scheduled early the following week. Two weeks passed before I heard back with an invite to meet with the management team.
The first thing that put me off was the office itself. It was shabby, gloomy and in desperate need of some updating. One of the interviewers declined to shake my hand, sighting "sickness". Keep in mind, we were in a tiny conference room with the door closed, so instead of a handshake, now I'm stuck in this room breathing in their sick germs for the next hour. Great. Another interviewer was very condescending for most of the interview however I tried to answer their questions as best as I could.
Although I have many years of experience, based on some of the questions and scenarios they threw at me, it was obvious that they were seeking someone who had very specific experience, some of which I have not encountered in my career. Nonetheless, I'm certain I could have performed in the job just fine. I did not however feel that the company or the management team was a good fit for me. As I expected, the feeling was mutual. I was less than five miles away after leaving the interview when I received a generic rejection email.
As someone who has interviewed and hired candidates in the past, I found their timing in sending the rejection letter to be incredibly rude and insulting. Sure, some companies wait weeks or send nothing at all however what message does a company send a candidate when they cannot even wait for the candidate to leave the parking lot before letting them know they were not interested? Candidates spend a lot of time preparing for and traveling to interviews. And while I often knew during an interview when someone was not a good fit, I also took some time to reflect on the meeting before sending a rejection letter, ideally after 24 hours. I encourage their team to consider this constructive feedback in the future as it's a very poor reflection of the company.
