As far as I can see, this position was advertised for at least eight months before I applied online. I got the call the next day for an in-person interview. But before coming, I needed to complete two online self-assessments and two personality tests. I also had to print one of my self-assessments and my resume and bring them with me. The self-assessments had nothing to do with the job, and the personality tests were pretty standard.
On the day of the interview, there was a huge snow blizzard. I didn’t cancel, and I was there on time. A very nice receptionist greeted me and asked me to sit and wait, along with another gentleman who arrived right after me. Everybody passing by seemed happy, joking about Canadian weather. I thought to myself: I can see myself working here.
Then, a few minutes later, two young ladies arrived. No “hi,” no introductions, no asking our names — God forbid a handshake — just coldly: “Follow me.” We did. Down a hall, into a room that split into two small glass-doored cells. They seated us down, one in each room. Two of them stood in front of the rooms with stopwatches. More tests, this time timed. Again, nothing complicated, looking at patterns, making pairs, but my question was: why? That had nothing to do with interviewing for the job of a Recruiter. The irony? My job would have been the opposite, telling people not to copy and paste job descriptions into their resumes.
When I was done with the tests, I had to wait in that small room for about 15 minutes until the Director of HR arrived. I handed him my resume and self-assessment. I am almost certain that was the first time he had ever looked at my resume. I could do his job. He wasn’t happy. He didn’t ask me a single question. I asked all the questions. And that was it.
I continued following this position after my interview, and the position is still open more than a year later. He said the person who had the job left due to health issues, and they needed someone who could grow with the job and lead later. The position is still open more than a year later.
The point of this review is not me complaining that I didn’t get the job. I wasn’t the right fit, and that’s okay. The problem is the whole process of hiring. That day, in the snow blizzard, I was driving super slow, passing at least seven car accidents, thinking: Will that be me before I reach home?