Strike 1 - You're Out!

This just happened.

We're recruiting for a C# developer (in Michigan). We've had a few candidates interview and the process is moving along. The first step in the interview process involves a WebEx meeting with the hiring manager just to get a bit of "who are we? - who are you?" in place. Simple enough, right?

The starting point for that is an email from the manager to the candidate with the WebEx details - the link, password, etc.

So our candidate just called (5 minutes after the meeting was scheduled to begin...) to let us know he couldn't find the info and wanted us to resend it.

Could we have resent it? Sure. Why not? I'm guessing most recruiters would.

Well - here's why not: If you have an important meeting (and you're unemployed) I would think the FIRST thing you could do would be to keep an important email. I mean - how hard is "not" deleting info about your interview?

So - rather than "behind the scenes" regrouping with said candidate - I shut it down. Period. End of story. You're O.U.T.

Hard core? Too heavy handed? A bit too harsh? Poor guy.....needs a job.....just needs us to resend the WebEx info.

Nope. Can't keep important info? Sorry man - but we've decided there is not a match here.

Comment by Sandra McCartt on August 29, 2012 at 10:20am: Love it and I think. Good call on several different levels. What I want to know s what did your hiring manager say when you told him?

Comment by Jerry Albright on August 29, 2012 at 10:24am: I let her know that it was our professional opinion that if he couldn't keep track of something this important - that our suggestion was to skip it. They agreed - and appreciated it.

Comment by Bruce Rowles on August 29, 2012 at 11:01am: Also Let's the client know - you are out for their best interest, to find the BEST person.

Comment by Andrew Hanneman on August 29, 2012 at 4:25pm: Love it, I have very little patience for people who won't put the minimum level of work in. So I'm all for it, if you can't track down an email that you deleted...well let's just say you are in trouble. Wasn't aware you can pull up deleted items? Also can't stand it when someone tells me they can call me in 4 days when they have a day off. If you are lookign for a job, you can find a way to talk to me. I hate excuses.

Comment by Andrew Hanneman on August 29, 2012 at 4:29pm: the longer I do this the less understanding of these kind of things I become

Comment by Peter Ceccarelli on August 29, 2012 at 4:38pm: Totally the right thing to do. If they don't take the job search seriously, how badly will they fail once they're hired and then waste a lot of people and company's time!

Comment by Jerry Albright on August 29, 2012 at 4:49pm: I've pretty much had the long-standing rule that if you call me to reschedule you're interview - I'm going to suggest we just cancel it. That policy was adopted a few decades ago (when I kept copious notes of every detail) where I finally realized I never (NEVER) placed anyone that was rescheduled.

Why was that the case? Most likely they weren't interested I suppose. Perhaps the client then had a bad feeling about them? Whatever the case may be - I now let them know their statistical chance of getting an offer is very nearly zero. Once I then share that - they pretty much know what I'm saying.

Comment by Bill Schultz on August 29, 2012 at 4:56pm: I'm working with this guy who took 3 days to get back to me on a contact regarding an interview time with client. So I asked him if this was usual for him and he said "No, I was sick all weekend." I gave him benefit of the doubt but now he says he can't interview until next Wednesday. He is currently working but I'm getting the disinterested feeling.

Comment by Jerry Albright on August 29, 2012 at 4:57pm: Ditch that guy Bill.

Comment by Bill Schultz on August 29, 2012 at 5:07pm: Yeah I'm about to hit the button. Just got to find another to take his place. He''ll do as a placeholder for now.

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