Young Aussie worker on ‘disrespectful’ job interview trend

A fed up young Aussie has revealed the common and “disrespectful” habit displayed by too many employers during the job interview process.

A Gen Zer has revealed a common and “disrespectful” habit that rears its ugly head when you’re trying to get a job.

Sophie Williams, 22, lives on the Sunshine Coast and was applying for a wide range of customer service jobs when she observed one boss norm that she couldn’t stomach.

She would go for a job interview and then be told, “We will call you back and let you know if you got the job”.

Then she had to wait, which was always longer than initially told. Online, she shared just how agonising the process was.

“She said she’d get back to me Monday and it is now 3.30pm. I haven’t heard anything. My anxiety is through the roof,” she said.

After all the waiting, she was eventually hit with bad news

“I did not get the job,” she said.

Ms Williams told news.com.au that she understands that part of the hiring process is waiting to hear back from employers, but she’s found that people aren’t reliable or timely in how long it takes to hear back.

This leaves her with anxiety and in a state of flux.

“Earlier this year, I had an interview for a part-time role at a popular bank. I thought I nailed it and they said they liked me and that they would get back to me either that afternoon or Monday,” she said.

“I didn’t hear anything until five weeks later when I got an email saying I was unsuccessful. I even went to the interview while I was suffering from tonsillitis and they knew that. It was just frustrating.”

Young Aussie reveals job interview trend. Picture: Istock

Ms Williams said it is frustrating when potential bosses don’t respond when they say they will as she is then stuck waiting around.

At first, she’s always hopeful, but the longer time drags on, she’s not expecting good news.

“It makes me feel disrespected and annoyed. I spend so much time writing cover letters customised to the specific role and most online applications require you to answer their questions in paragraphs or do online standardised testing,” she said.

That’s all before she gets an interview and, when she lands one, she puts extra time into preparing for that.

“Then, if I get an interview, I study and prepare answers and questions for the employers,” Ms Williams said.

“Not even mentioning the anxiety interviews cause me. And then, of course, there is the time and effort needed for the actual interview. Only for them to a) not get back to you or b) leave you waiting for ages.”

The longer employers take to get back to her, the more she assumes she hasn’t landed the job.

“The longer they leave it the more I assume I haven’t been successful. And then I’m not surprised,” she said.

“I think if they called on the same day or the day after, then I would still be hopeful, and it would sting more.

“Having the employer be later than expected with an answer doesn’t necessarily hurt my feelings, it’s just inconvenient and annoying.”

Kate Jolly, global head of talent at Employment Hero said that when managing a recruitment process the timeframe to inform candidates of a final decision is “crucial.”

“Ideally, it shouldn’t be any more than a week after their final interview. However, if there’s a clear reason why you need more time to make a decision,” she advised.

“The most important thing is to keep the candidate up-to-date. Give them a call and let them know precisely why it’s taking longer to reach a decision. Always keep them informed and be respectful of their time.”

Originally published as Young Aussie worker on ‘disrespectful’ job interview trend