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 Andrew Hanneman on August 29, 2012 at 5:10pm: Yeah....ditch. If you are interested, you are going to go sit in your car during lunch time and do the interview then. From one of my fav movies "office space)..."it's a question of motivation, Bob"

Comment by Will Thomson on August 29, 2012 at 5:53pm: Right..Next. Candidate preparation is key. He obviously didn't want the job that bad.

Comment by Rebecca B. Sargeant on August 29, 2012 at 10:20pm: Even when candidates have all the right skills, they are still unemployed. All because they can't get through the interviewing process!

Comment by Isaac Kelly on August 30, 2012 at 8:34am: I totally agree! I think we all find the more we do this, the less patience. Should that mean that we allow things like this to happen? No. I'm glad you did this and I'm glad the Client took it as you looking out for them and providing nothing but the best candidate.

Comment by Paul S. Gumbinner on August 30, 2012 at 8:38am: I have always said that you never know a candidate until you work with them. They are almost always on good behavior when they are interviewing with me. It is when they start to work with clients that I find out who the really are. I forgive busy executives who are working and work necessitates rescheduling an appointment, but never forgive out of work candidates for doing the same. How about the people who call you to reschedule your interview because they "have another interview"? I always ditch them. If a candidate cannot do what they are supposed to do when they are interviewing, what will they do once hired?

Comment by Christopher Perez on August 30, 2012 at 9:00am: The mortal sin was that the candidate called you 5 minutes AFTER the meeting was supposed to start. Calling 5 or even 15 minutes BEFORE the start time would have p!ssed me off but I might have relented (and kept an even more suspicious eye on this person from that point on). Takes all kinds. True, this person needs a job, but they are acting like they expect someone to "give" them that job. Save the opportunity for the person who is willing to earn it.

Comment by Jerry Albright on August 30, 2012 at 9:12am: Excellent perspective Christopher. I guess - looking back at it - I'm of the same opinion. With this client (as with many) they'll interview every candidate we put in front of them. My philosophy has always been to introduce candidate that: Are qualified, available and interested. Once I get the feeling any of those three is missing - I shut it down. In this case - if he were actually interested, he would have been prepared beforehand - which he clearly wasn't.

But also - just the idea of him losing the invitation. Often times when someone throws me an excuse - for anything (even in real life) I ask myself "How does that happen? What took place that makes "this" now the case?" I just can't picture a guy deleting an important email. And even if he did - was he not capable of simply opening his Deleted file and figure things out?

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on August 30, 2012 at 9:34am: I was thinking exactly what Christopher said. Good call Jer

Comment by Christopher Perez on August 30, 2012 at 9:37am: EGGZACKLY Jerry. There's no such thing as a lost electronic file any more. Some computer geeks (I use the term lovingly as I have geek tendencies myself) even suggest that it's no longer necessary to file email messages in folders, because searching for stuff is now so easy and instantaneous. And this guy is (reputedly) a programmer!

Furthermore, a client who IV's every single candidate you submit deserves to have their trust in you repaid by respecting their time. I'm preaching to the choir here. At first I thought your 1-strike rule may have been harsh, but with any luck, you did this person a favor. And if he doesn't see it that way, then you most definitely made the right call.

Comment by jerina vincent on August 30, 2012 at 10:26am: Love it.

How do u inform to client, that he is not available. dont your client feel bad?