Canceling an interview?

[manny31]

Maybe I am being to sensitive but I am pretty insulted, here is what happened today. I had a 3pm interview scheduled and I rolled in at 2:53, wasn't greeted by anybody but after a couple of minutes was shown to a conference room where I waited until just after 3. At this point an executive assistant comes in and tells me that the person I was to meet with is in a meeting and can't get out and has to cancel. I was dumbfounded. Anybody ever had an experience like this? All I could think was that this was I credibly unprofessional. As of 8 hours later no email of apology. 

[NavinRJohnson]

Unacceptable? Nah, it happens. Would I walk away content to go work somewhere else? Absolutely.

[MUfan12]

It's unprofessional, and I wouldn't hesitate to tell the person that if they reach out.

And it's also a good sign that you should look elsewhere.

[manny31]

Yep, that is what I think. Indicative of how the place is run. Still insulting.

[WellsstreetWanderer]

Totally unprofessional and probably B.S.     Not a company or person you would want to work for. Good Luck

[Dr. Blackheart]

Unacceptable? Nah, it happens. Would I walk away content to go work somewhere else? Absolutely.

You did the hard work:  Qualifying to get the interview.  If they don't realize they are also their to recruit you and make you feel valued...walk. You deserve more.  Two way street.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

It's unprofessional, and I wouldn't hesitate to tell the person that if they reach out.

And it's also a good sign that you should look elsewhere.

This exactly.

About 6-7 years ago I had a similar experience.  They say you don't want to interview with HR first.  They scheduled me with HR first and I got like 80/85% of questions totally unrelated to the position and the next thing I know the engineering person I was supposed to interview with next was unavailable. 
I found out later another engineer I know had the exact same experience interviewing with the same company.

Then I heard from some people who had worked there at some point (in other departments) say that you don't want to work there.  The interviewing process totally reflected the company. 

[WarriorInNYC]

I'm not sure canceling the interview is that crazy unprofessional.  Things do come up during the day and sometimes you just can't get out of it if its critical (hoping that this is the case here).  You also do want to interview with the correct person, so sometimes getting someone else to fill in wouldn't cut it.

What I do find unprofessional here is the lack of follow up and apology.  That absolutely needs to happen in this case.

[hairy worthen]

I'm not sure canceling the interview is that crazy unprofessional.  Things do come up during the day and sometimes you just can't get out of it if its critical (hoping that this is the case here).  You also do want to interview with the correct person, so sometimes getting someone else to fill in wouldn't cut it.

What I do find unprofessional here is the lack of follow up and apology.  That absolutely needs to happen in this case.

This, 

Unexpected things come up, but he/she should have been on the phone as soon as they were free apologizing and bending over backwards to reschedule. If that didn't happen then it is rude and a huge red flag to look elsewhere.

[MU B2002]

I'm not sure canceling the interview is that crazy unprofessional.  Things do come up during the day and sometimes you just can't get out of it if its critical (hoping that this is the case here).  You also do want to interview with the correct person, so sometimes getting someone else to fill in wouldn't cut it.

What I do find unprofessional here is the lack of follow up and apology.  That absolutely needs to happen in this case.

+1

[GGGG]

This, 

Unexpected things come up, but he/she should have been on the phone as soon as they were free apologizing and bending over backwards to reschedule. If that didn't happen then it is rude and a huge red flag to look elsewhere.

I agree with all of this.

I would also stay away from the "insulting" language.  Believe me, crappier things are going to happen during your career and staying above it all is usually a good attitude to have.

[warriorchick]

Having recently been through the job search process, I can tell you that it can be one of the most soul-crushing experiences a person can go through.  Since the perception is that it's a buyer's market, all of the civility has gone out of the process on the employers' side.  I remember my dad going through a job search in the early '70's, and even when he sent an unsolicited resume to a company, he would receive, at the minimum, a letter acknowledging that they received it and would keep it on file (and those were the days where each one of those had to be individually written on a typewriter). Even after an interview, I got used to not hearing from an employer at all unless they were interested in continuing the process.

Among the indignities I endured in my last job search (keep in mind that I am a degreed accountant with a CPA and 25+ years of experience):

• Having to take a clerical skills test where I had to put names in alphabetical order, do simple math problems, and identify misspelled words.  The HR person came back beaming. "You got a perfect score!"
• Being asked to provide copies of my last two years' worth of W-2s to prove I wasn't lying about my salary history
• Giving a prospective employer a general idea of my most recent compensation, and in return, receiving a formal, written job offer for half of that amount
• Receiving an assignment to write an analysis of a very complicated accounting issue involving revenue recognition in the software industry.  The HR person said, "Um, [the hiring executive] would like to have it before he leaves on vacation tomorrow afternoon, so can we get it back first thing tomorrow?"  I pulled an all-nighter to get it done, and if I say so myself, it was effing brilliant.  After the guy returned from his vacation and we had the interview, I asked, "What did you think of my analysis?"  His response:  "Oh, I haven't looked at it yet."

Fortunately, I landed a great job with a great organization, but I hope that soon enough, the economy will improve and the tables will be turned on those A-holes who thought treating job candidates like crap was a good business decision.

[muwarrior69]

I am glad I am retired. I always went into an an interview as being a 2-way street. Sure they are finding out if I'm competent and will be a good fit, but while they are interviewing me I am interviewing them. There were times it just did not feel right and politely told them so and left. No one knows your self worth better than you, so consider yourself lucky and just move on.

[mreezybreezy]

If nothing else, use it as a bargaining chip now. Feel free to tack on an extra 20-30% to your originally envisioned salary. If they balk at it, hey, they suck anyway right?

[jsglow]

After 7-8 years of recession (please refrain from political comments, I will too), the business world has grown increasingly coarse in all areas.  Many have actually decided to leave it.  And this is going to come back to bite employers in the long run.  If you work for a company that genuinely has a soul, consider yourself fortunate.

Chick's right.  We faced a crisis situation this week.  We're okay now but upon returning to work the COO personally came to her office to offer support and see if there was anything that could be done.  Took 5 minutes but it was the thought that counted.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

I finished grad school in the summer of 2008, right before the economy crashed. Took me a year to get a good job, and I ended up getting a job in the middle of nowhere. Want to move back to Milwaukee now. I preface with that to say that I've been through a lot of interviews since college...

My guess is the most likely scenario is that HR f'ed up. The person who referenced HR is dead on. I don't want to paint a universal picture here, but most HR people are terrible, have zero technical skills, and do not understand the job or the department you are interviewing for.

I've had mishap upon mishap happen with HR. In your situation, most likely a) The job was already filled, b) They asked you to come in as a mistake and you weren't on the short list, c) They didn't check the hiring manager's schedule beforehand or put something on Outlook. And then they made up some bullcrap excuse when you were sitting there in the conference room.

I work at a very large Fortune 500 company. 100% of the scheduling and initial interview people are outsourced. They don't have an incentive to get this stuff right. Even if they screw up 20% of their contacts, there is an endless stream of candidates available for interviews and hiring.

I've had in-person interviews at several MKE-CHI area Fortune 500 companies where I didn't even get an automated rejection letter from their system. It's such a "buyer's market" that basic decorum is simply gone.

[StillAWarrior]

This, 

Unexpected things come up, but he/she should have been on the phone as soon as they were free apologizing and bending over backwards to reschedule. If that didn't happen then it is rude and a huge red flag to look elsewhere.

I think this is right.  Emergencies happen.  If this happened to me, I'd be perfectly willing to listen to what caused the cancellation before I decided whether I was interested in continuing with the process.  But that information better come extremely quickly along with a sincere apology.  Seeing how people respond in difficult situations can be really important in the decision making process.  But you've heard nothing.  Consider yourself lucky -- you got a chance to see how they respond in a difficult situation.  Not well.  Dodged a bullet as far as I'm concerned.

[Coleman]

I'm not sure canceling the interview is that crazy unprofessional.  Things do come up during the day and sometimes you just can't get out of it if its critical (hoping that this is the case here).  You also do want to interview with the correct person, so sometimes getting someone else to fill in wouldn't cut it.

What I do find unprofessional here is the lack of follow up and apology.  That absolutely needs to happen in this case.

+1

Stuff happens. Maybe there was an emergency: family, business or otherwise. I would be understanding of the need to cancel.

But I would be expecting a phone call from the interviewer as soon as humanly possible apologizing and explaining what happened. If you don't get that, walk away.

[JWags85]

• Giving a prospective employer a general idea of my most recent compensation, and in return, receiving a formal, written job offer for half of that amount

I recently had final interviews with a large Fortune 100 company in Chicago.  I'd been recruiting by the company's internal recruiters and was very clear in our discussions.  Talked about my experience and desired new roles and responsibilities, compensation expectations, as well as a general baseline for where I was currently with comp.  After final round interviews, which went well enough that I was debating what offer they would give that I would be satisfied with, they touched base to say that they loved me, my experience, and would fit with the team.  BUT, the team and the position is complex, they would like me to come in at a level lower than I was recruited and interviewed for, BUT, I was high potential and would be up for review and promotion...in 18-24 months.  AND, to make matters worse, when I pushed back for more details, was informed that the compensation was over 10% lower than my current comp, with no wiggle room.  It was one of the most insulting and tone deaf conversations I had ever had.  Talking to a headhunter shortly after, I found it was a common theme that she'd been hearing about said company.

[warriorchick]

I recently had final interviews with a large Fortune 100 company in Chicago.  I'd been recruiting by the company's internal recruiters and was very clear in our discussions.  Talked about my experience and desired new roles and responsibilities, compensation expectations, as well as a general baseline for where I was currently with comp.  After final round interviews, which went well enough that I was debating what offer they would give that I would be satisfied with, they touched base to say that they loved me, my experience, and would fit with the team.  BUT, the team and the position is complex, they would like me to come in at a level lower than I was recruited and interviewed for, BUT, I was high potential and would be up for review and promotion...in 18-24 months.  AND, to make matters worse, when I pushed back for more details, was informed that the compensation was over 10% lower than my current comp, with no wiggle room.  It was one of the most insulting and tone deaf conversations I had ever had.  Talking to a headhunter shortly after, I found it was a common theme that she'd been hearing about said company.

Only 10%?  There are a lot of people who would jump at that offer, especially if they are not currently employed.  That's exactly why those companies do it.  However,  they are ignoring the fact that having an employee start work already having a huge chip on his/her shoulder is not the best for the company in the long run.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

And this is going to come back to bite employers in the long run.  If you work for a company that genuinely has a soul, consider yourself fortunate.

How I wish this was the case. Most large companies love recessions because they eliminate business competition and, in the case of the labor market, allow them to get their pick of the litter, and rarely have to worry about people leaving.

With fewer and fewer companies out there, what exactly are the consequences of this type of behavior? I think there aren't any.

[Benny B]

Regarding the OP, look at it this way... that "fluke" phone call, emergency, whatever, might be the best thing that ever happened to you.  If not for that, you would have aced the interview and only to find out several months in that you're working for the most unprofessional company you could ever imagine and wishing you never took the job.

[JWags85]

Only 10%?  There are a lot of people who would jump at that offer, especially if they are not currently employed.  That's exactly why those companies do it.  However,  they are ignoring the fact that having an employee start work already having a huge chip on his/her shoulder is not the best for the company in the long run.

But I'm not.  Ive been employed at a major CPG for the last 2+ years, and I was recruited for a promotion/step up position by them.  That was the issue, it wasn't me applying on a company website and this happened.  They sought me out, tried to bait and switch, and didn't even present a compelling case.

[Benny B]

How I wish this was the case. Most large companies love recessions because they eliminate business competition and, in the case of the labor market, allow them to get their pick of the litter, and rarely have to worry about people leaving.

That's a bit shortsighted.  I can't think of any business that hopes for a recession other than perhaps the dollar stores, Hollywood and the 30-minute oil change companies.  Maybe the HR people at large companies "love" recessions, but the executives and accountants certainly don't.

The downside of getting a hire "cheap" is that you need to ratchet up their salary to market within a couple years, otherwise, if they're good: they'll be going to work for someone else as soon as the economy turns around; and if they suck: they're going to suck even more when they find out the new hire is making X% more than he/she is.

[jsglow]

But I'm not.  Ive been employed at a major CPG for the last 2+ years, and I was recruited for a promotion/step up position by them.  That was the issue, it wasn't me applying on a company website and this happened.  They sought me out, tried to bait and switch, and didn't even present a compelling case.

Yep. That's the kind of crap I'm talking about.

Look, I've run large departments.  If an emergency forced me to reschedule an interview with a young candidate I'd be darn sure to call him/her, apologize for the inconvenience, and reschedule.

Honestly, it doesn't take much.  I used to have this unofficial 'policy' that prior to major holidays I'd ask people to wrap up by 3:30 if they possibly could.  Certainly sometimes folks remained to complete something necessary.  And I made that announcement via a group email that both wished them well and provided a reminder as to why Monday was an off day, for example to remember our troops on Memorial Day.  I actually 'worked' on the body of that email each time to make it meaningful.  And you know what?  Folks appreciated it and would step up to the plate if we had something important going on.