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 Jerry Albright on August 30, 2012 at 10:30am: Me: "Hi Client. I just got a call from ________ and he said he lost the invitation to your WebEx. I find that rather telling. How does anyone lose an important email when they're in the interview process?"

Client "What do you think we should do?"

Me: "Cancel it."

Client "OK. If that's what you think."

Me "Yep. That's what I think."

Comment by Tiffany Branch on August 30, 2012 at 10:35am: I'd be careful with the "rescheduling" thing. Depending on why, I don't think one should be a eliminated. I had to reschedule twice during times I was actively interviewing. I have bad allergies and once I had a severe reaction and needed to go to urgent care. I think that is a legit reason for rescheduling. Another time, I was interviewing during work hours, a major employee relations issue popped up and I couldn't leave the office. Think about how many times your clients have had to reschedule candidates for meetings, and other unexpected reasons.

Comment by Jerry Albright on August 30, 2012 at 10:41am: Thanks Tiffany. While I do go ahead and reschedule if the client requests - I just have to go with my track record on applicant reschedules. Never did the rescheduled sendout turn into a placement. So I know that, regardless of nature of circumstance, the interview is doomed. So - knowing that fact - I tell the candidate "Based on what I know - your chance of success if we reschedule is zilch. So let's either find a way to make this happen - or put it on the back burner."

The phrase "Where there's a will - there's a way" rings quite true when it comes to sendouts.

Comment by jerina vincent on August 30, 2012 at 10:46am: Thanks Jerry

Comment by Tiffany Branch on August 30, 2012 at 11:00am: @Jerry, that's the part about hiring managers that annoy me during the interview process. They tend to sometime forget they are human as well and was once in a candidate's position. It's sad that they could possibly miss out on a great candidate for a legit reason.

I agree, about "if there is a will there is a way," but I highly doubt a candidate with a swollen face and neck drugged up on cortizone would make for a good interview. LOL However, stanger things have happened.

Comment by Chris Russell on August 30, 2012 at 11:10am: Boom! love it Jerry.

Comment by Jerry Albright on August 30, 2012 at 11:13am: I'd like to add - this isn't about me. It never is. If, in my professional experience, these things were just par for the course I would have just resent the info and hoped for the best.

I'm pretty sure our clients are counting on us to see things for what we know them to be. This dude was unorganized, sloppy and not paying attention.

Time to shut 'er down.

Comment by Darryl Dioso on August 30, 2012 at 11:43am: Well done. I've told candidates that "lost" our address while en route to not even bother showing up.

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on August 30, 2012 at 1:21pm: This was not an illness. This was not a last minute work priority. This was a candidate who didn't care enough to be prepared and on time. Period. Zero sympathy from me - Jerry made the right call and any recruiter who truly had the client's best interest at heart would have done the same.

Comment by PJ Cunningham on August 31, 2012 at 7:25am: Agreed - great decision. Similar to one where I had an interview scheduled with a candidate to meet with me in person. The guy was 45 minutes late with no apologies. I asked what happened (just for my own morbid curiosity) and he said he had car issues or got lost - some lame detail. Anyway I asked if he had a cell phone on him. He did. That's it, interview over. "Sorry, I have decided that this interview is over. We will not be pursuing you as a candidate for any of our clients. What you have just done to me, you may do to our client...and the buck stops here. Have a nice day.+