I submitted an application after confirming that the job was still open, despite the fact that it was posted on their website for 2 months. About a week later I got a voicemail from HR asking if I could call back because they want to "discuss the position" with me. I (wrongly) assumed they wanted to let me know about changes to the position, and was surprised when I called back and the first question I was asked was, "why do you want to work here?" Luckily I had an answer ready! I was then asked a series of basic questions such as, do I have a valid drivers license, can I legally work in the US without sponsorship, am I over 21 years old. I wonder why HR does these over the phone - seems like it could be much easier for applicants to fill out a form online along with their application.
About another week later I got a call from the staff person who's hiring the position. We had a great chat about the role and they asked me questions like, why am I interested in the role and my relevant background, etc. We talked for about 30 minutes and they went over details of the position and also answered my questions. They said the interview timeline was pretty straightforward - they are doing more phone screens, and hopes to bring in candidates for in-person interviews the following week.
After a few days I get an email from the same staff person asking if I could come in for an in person interview the next day. She meant to ask me sooner but had sent the email to the wrong email address. Minutes after I get the email, they text (!) me on my cell phone to see if I've gotten the email, and if I can come in for an interview the next day. They also offered me another option - come in for an in-person the following week. I chose the next week option since I didn't feel like I'd have time to adequately prepare for an interview the next day, particularly given that they scheduled a one hour interview AND a one hour "performance task." I have no idea what kind of "performance task" I would've been asked to do. I was definitely surprised that they decided to text me. It is totally fair to make a mistake in sending someone the wrong email, but it seemed like they were trying to rush me in for an interview and that didn't feel good, particularly since it wasn't my fault that the email didn't get to me right away. But anyway, we scheduled the interview for the following week, so I decided to let the text/email thing go.
Two days before the in-person interview and performance task I get a call from HR telling me that the position has been filled. Oddly, the HR staff referenced a different position than the one I applied for, but HR assured me it was the same position. The titles were drastically different, i.e. one had "assistant" and the other had "manager" in the title, so not sure what's going on there.
Okay, companies, staff, anyone who does hiring. Here's the deal. If a candidate asks you if a position is still open, be honest - say that it is open BUT that you're already interviewing candidates (if that's the truth!). This gives transparency to the process and lets the applicant know that there is a bit of urgency. I was pretty shocked to learn the position had been filled given that the timeline I was told was pretty standard, and it sounded like the process was just beginning. If I had known they were as far in the process as they were, I would've taken the offer to interview the next day, not waited until the following week.
Also, I thought it was incredibly unprofessional that the staff hiring the position texted me to try to schedule the interview. I understand they had sent the email to the wrong address and were trying to work quickly, but it came off as very disorganized. Moreover, I as the candidate should not be penalized for not taking an in-person interview the next day. My interview should have been honored. After the interview they could've turned around the same day and said, thanks for applying, but we filled the position - this would have at least made my time feel respected. Submitting applications, preparing for phone interviews, and preparing for in-person interviews takes a LOT of time - and it's really important that applicants' time is honored and respected. So in the future I hope this company is more honest about their hiring processes and doesn't waste applicants' time by accepting applications for months, only to hire out of no where. You never know what's going on behind closed doors and there could be a totally reasonable explanation for the cancelled interview, but I wish (again) that there had been more transparency in the process all along.
