look news india
It has been an unspoken and bitter rule in the corporate world for decades that a job seeker has to silently tolerate every whim, delay and tantrum of the company, HR and higher officials. But technology and the youth of the new era (Gen-Z and Millennials) have started shaking the foundations of this one-sided system. A similar case is currently going viral on social media platforms LinkedIn, Reddit and X (formerly Twitter), which has put the hiring model of the entire corporate world in the dock.
The case pertains to a virtual job interview conducted for a senior role in a reputed tech startup. As per the fixed schedule, the candidate logged in and sat in front of his laptop at the right time. Even after 10 minutes, 20 minutes and then 45 minutes passed, there was no sign of the company’s founder and CEO in the meeting room. After an unbearable delay of one hour, when the CEO appeared on the screen, there was neither any remorse on his face nor did he make any formal apology for the delay. He started the conversation in a very casual manner and asked directly, “So, tell me about yourself.” The steps taken by the candidate in response to this were probably never imagined by the CEO in his entire career.
Hurt and angered by this unprofessional attitude of the CEO, the candidate replied bluntly without any hesitation. The candidate said in a calm but very firm voice, “Sir, our interview was scheduled at 3 pm. I have been waiting for you alone on this call for the last 60 minutes. Neither has there been any update from HR nor any message from your side. Now without any explanation or courtesy you are talking as if nothing has happened. Just as your time and your company’s value is valued, similarly my time and my self-respect are also valued. If she can’t value her future employee’s time on the first day, how will she value her work in the future? So I’m ending this interview here and withdrawing my candidature for this role.”
Saying this the candidate disconnected the meeting. When the candidate shared this entire incident through a detailed post on social media, the post went viral within no time and was flooded with millions of views, thousands of re-posts and comments.
This incident has sparked a heated debate on social media between two different ideologies. The corporate world seems to be clearly divided into two camps:
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Youth standing in support of the candidate: The first group is of those crores of employed youth and professionals, who are praising this bold step of the candidate. He argues that ‘hiring is a two-way partnership’ and not a charity or favor. If a candidate is late even by 5 minutes, the companies immediately reject him by calling him ‘unprofessional’. In such a situation, the same basic etiquette that applies to the candidate should also apply to the top executives of the company. People wrote that this incident shows that now talents are not ready to compromise their self-respect just in the name of money or big brands.
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Perspectives from founders and past managers: On the other hand, many senior executives and startup founders believed that the candidate took a hasty decision and missed a big opportunity. He said that a founder or CEO may face many unexpected emergencies like crisis, client escalation or server downtime throughout the day. The candidate should have shown some flexibility and expressed his views in a civilized manner after the conversation started, rather than getting angry and directly rejecting the interview. Some people also termed it as ‘over-entitlement’ of the new age youth.
This viral issue is not just limited to the cancellation of an interview, but it exposes the deep flaws in the ‘Candidate Experience’ and ‘Employer Branding’ of companies. In today’s digital age, platforms like Glassdoor, AmbitionBox and LinkedIn have made the world of hiring completely transparent.
When a company keeps a candidate sitting in the waiting room for hours, does not respond for weeks after the rounds (Ghosting), or treats them arrogantly, that candidate shares that bitter experience with the world. In today’s era, a huge salary package is not enough to attract top talent, but the workplace culture and human behavior has become the biggest parameter. Companies that treat candidates as third-rate gradually lose the trust of the best engineers, marketers and leaders in the market.
There is a universally accepted principle in global HR and corporate etiquette called ’15-Minute Rule’ It is said. According to professional standards:
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If due to any unavoidable reason the interviewer is getting late, it is the primary responsibility of the HR or Coordinator to inform the candidate through email or message 10 minutes before the scheduled time.
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If the delay is expected to exceed 15 minutes, the candidate should be politely asked whether he or she is comfortable waiting or the interview should be rescheduled to another time or day as per his or her convenience.
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Leaving a professional hanging for 60 minutes without any prior notice is not only a gross violation of basic corporate etiquettes, but it also shows arrogance of position which is considered completely unacceptable in the modern work-culture.
The biggest and positive message of this entire debate is that the culture of ‘Reverse Interviewing’ is now taking root in India. In earlier times, a job only meant that the company was testing the candidate’s ability. But when today’s conscious youth sits for an interview, he also closely examines what kind of mentality the manager or CEO sitting in front of him has. Does he listen to others? Does he value time? Is the environment of that company conducive to mental health?
By showing the mirror to the CEO who was late by an hour, the candidate has proved that any job obtained by compromising self-respect ultimately leads to a ‘Toxic Workplace’. This incident is a strong wake-up call for every boss, HR and recruiter who is under the misconception that giving a job is a favour. Mutual respect in the workplace is the only bridge on which a healthy and successful organization can be built.