I was so thrilled about interviewing with this company because of its reputation in the healthcare industry. I was referred by a former colleague, so I felt as though I had an excellent advantage. For the final interview, I was asked to prepare a case study to present to a panel, and I had up to 45 minutes to present. I spent days on this presentation, and I was so excited to present. During the Zoom interview, half the panel had their cameras off and the other half were VERY OBVIOUSLY working on other things. It was absolutely disheartening, but I pressed on and delivered an excellent presentation. I even received feedback from my former colleague that the presentation went well. I sent a thank you email to the hiring manager….no response. I sent a thank you email to the recruiter….no response. Then, I sent a request for feedback email to the hiring manager….no response. Then, I sent a request for feedback email to the recruiter….no response. I never even received a form rejection letter via email, and I saw that the job has been relisted after several months.
I fully recognize that this incident was specific to this team and not the company because I have since interviewed for other departments within the company and have had a pleasant experience. But, if anyone from Optum is reading this, please remember that candidates are human beings. Some of us are unemployed due to unforeseen circumstances like the pandemic, and while I realize no one owes me anything, it would still be nice to experience some humanity. You, as hiring managers and recruiters, would expect the same level of human decency if you were interviewing, especially after spending 5 hours in interviews with a company.
