I am sick of acting like an unpaid clown and being interrogated in job interviews. I’ve been in enough to know that whole process is just a bunch of people bullshitting each other. I’m at the point where I don’t want to smile and pretend I love what I do anymore. I applied because I need the money and I want the benefits, that’s the only reason. Get over it. I don’t get why companies want you to give bullshit reasons for wanting to join them when deep down we all know why everyone goes to work. Doesn’t matter what my “motivations” are for applying or what I do outside of work. If I have the skills and experience, display maturity and good communication, and pass the skill based assessments, then I should be good enough to be hired.
I work in tech, and the amount of interviews we typically do is stupid – 4 to 5. I understand we must undergo skills based tests, but the other rounds like recruiter screening, casual manager chat, “culture fit” tests, personality assessments, etc. are a waste of time. Why the fuck would I need to interview with a recruiter just to repeat everything on my resume, which they already have? Why the fuck do I have to do another interview to make sure I “live and breathe” company values? Company values are more or less the same everywhere and common sense. Most of the time you can gage almost everything you need to know about a candidate in two interviews. If a candidate can get the job done and isn’t an asshole, that is all you need. I’m not going to be jumping up and down with pom poms in my hands, with a clown smile while screaming enthusiastically about how I love your company.
What’s worse is when a candidate gets beyond the 3rd round because at that point they’ve invested a lot of time in the company, from the prep, to interviewing time, to commuting time (if it’s onsite), to their mental energy. Candidates invest weeks if not months into these interviews. It’s the worst feeling when you’re suddenly dropped, with no explanation or compensation for all your time and effort. Companies should at least pay for dragging us through the mud, for the time we spent enduring their bullshit questions and dumbass interview process. “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” Working at whatever company that’s pays and treats me the best, obviously.
Then there are the Interviewers/recruiters who are artificial as fuck. They act chummy, like they’re having a good time with you, maybe even crack a few jokes here and there. They make you think you’re the perfect candidate. They hype you up. They say they’re “not like other companies”. They tell you that they’re “looking forward to speaking with you again”. Then hours later the rejection email comes. Like what the fuck? I’m not offended by a job rejection as much as I am how FAKE people are in interviews, and how much time I wasted with them, especially when I just did multiple rounds of interviews with them. All that time, energy, and prep for nothing.
Also there’s the pointless questioning of resume gaps. Gaps in a candidate’s resume shouldn’t matter unless it’s been years and years of absence. If I decided to take two months off to travel the world and enjoy my life, or four months off to help my elderly parents renovate their home, that’s my business. Companies have no right to pry into what we do outside of work and make judgements off of that. I wasn’t born to spend my entire life being a wage slave, with only two measly weeks off per year. Unless I get amnesia or some shit, I’m not going to forget my skills within a few months. What is so wrong with hiring someone who took some time off to prioritize their happiness?
I have no sympathy for companies who complain about not being able to find talent or how “nobody wants to work anymore”. Shut the fuck up. Most people are ready and willing to work if you stopped rejecting them and scrutinizing them under a microscope (and obviously also pay a decent wage). Looking for an entry level candidate with a masters degree and 10 years of experience while trying to lowball their salary? Good luck. What idiot sets these expectations? Looking for a “rockstar” candidate? Then I hope you also treat them like a rockstar and pay them like one. Companies are looking for that perfect package unicorn employee, which they will never find. In fact, I hope these kind of companies never do and go under due to screwing themselves over with their stupid hiring practices.
Fuck all these unrealistic requirements companies and hiring managers have. People just want a damn job so they can afford to do the things they want outside of work. Stop toying with your candidates. The interview process has become phony and messed up. It’s painful. I’m so tired of it.