Corporate Courtesy Is Dead

A little over a week ago, I had one of the worst job interviews I’ve had in a very, very long time.  I’m not going to name names* but I wanted to take a moment to discuss this particular experience because I think there’s a couple business lessons to be learned here. 

This experience started, like so many of them do, with a phone interview with a human resources person in the main office of the company.  That went well and the hr person I spoke with was very professional.  He called back to schedule the interview and after we selected a time, he said he’d send email to confirm once the interviewer accepted the appointment.  This ended up taking a few days which should’ve been a big red flag. 

On the day of the interview, I took my lunch from my current position to go over to their Columbus office.  When I walked in, there was no reception area.  I waited several minutes until someone walked by and asked if I’d been helped.  I told them who I was there to see and they went off to presumably find them.  Another person came back and told me he was in a meeting and would be out in about 10 minutes.  Fifteen minutes after, my interview was supposed to have started, the person I was to interview with came out and ushered me into a conference room.  I was offered something to drink which I declined and then he excused himself to go get something.  Fortunately, I’d brought a copy of my resume because he didn’t have one.  He talked for most of the interview about what the job entailed and why he didn’t think I could do it because my background was in the ISP industry and ISPs “run their budgets very loosely and informally”.  It was quite possibly the most insulting and rude interview I’d ever attended.  At one point, he asked me why I’d left one of the companies I worked for “besides the stupid name”.  I left the interview saying to myself, “No way in hell”. 

 Well, I didn’t get the job.  Not too surprising considering the interview.  I know that I didn’t get the job, not by the friendly phone call telling me that they selected another candidate, nor by the email saying thanks for interviewing but we went with another candidate, nor by a postal letter saying “thanks but no”.  I know that I didn’t get the job because I saw the position reposted on Monster two days after I interviewed.  No one bothered to contact me to let me know either way.

Before I get into this too much on why I think this kind of behaviour and attitude is bad for business, I want to make a small disclaimer.  This isn’t just big corporate behaviour.  I’ve seen small businesses engage in this type of “people are disposable” behaviour too.  In fact, I’ve worked for some smaller companies that just really treated people poorly all around.

So why’s this so bad?  I think this says a number of things about a company and there are a number of reasons why this kind of behaviour is a symptom of bigger problems.  First of all, I’ve often heard company managers and owners bemoan the lack of employee loyalty.  Turn over creates a series of costs and hardships for companies so naturally they want employees to stay on.  What doesn’t seem to register is that if you want loyal employees you need to be loyal to them.  This is something I’ve always sought in every company I’ve had an ownership interest in or was a manager at.  Treat your employees well and stand by them, and they’ll stand by you.

Secondly, job hunting is difficult.  It sucks out there.  Don’t make people sit around waiting and guessing whether they got a position.  It’s sometimes hard to decide when you might have multiple offers.  No one wants to be waiting on a position they’d prefer and then never hear anything.  This kind of behaviour sends a signal that you just don’t care about the person.  They didn’t make the cut so they don’t matter.  What every business manager that interviews potential employees needs to realize is that people do matter.  Putting aside the more esoteric reasons, let’s focus solely for a moment on the practical, financial business reason.  That person that you interviewed and then left hanging, will eventually get a position somewhere else.  And here’s the part that’s interesting, at that somewhere else, they may be in a position to influence whether their new company purchases your products or services**.  I’ve often held positions where I made vendor selections.  I’m sure I will in the future.   I know what those companies won’t be using for teleconferencing. 

Why should a company’s treatment of potential employees matter to anyone else?  Here’s why.  A company that views people and their time as having no value, probably see their customers in a similar light.  Think about it.  This type of behaviour towards employees and job seekers is usually indicative of a philosophy towards people.  This philosophy is going to colour their approach to their customers.  They can’t help it.  It will in some way manifest in their service. 

Corporate couresy is dead.  But it doesn’t have to be.  If you’re a business owner or a hiring manager, take the extra time to treat your potential employees with respect.  After all, an interview is really a two-way process– the candidate selling him/herself to you and you selling your company to the candidate.  Treat it as such.  How you treat potential employees says alot about your company and your corporate culture.  Make it one that values people and you’ll see that translate into success in other areas.  It has always worked for me.  In fact, I’d say that I’ve had some of the most loyal employees working for me. 

Update(04/01/2008): Ironically I got an email form letter this morning stating that they’d decided to pursue other options.  It was a generic letter and sent through Monster not from the HR person I who originally contacted me.  Highly impersonal and interesting coincidence that I received it the morning after I posted this.

* While I won’t name names, I’m not above linking to them.

** Beside the potential harm of an interviewee later being a decision maker elsewhere, there’s always the potential that they’ll blog about you and then whenever your customers google your name, they’ll see what schmucks you are in dealing with potential employees.

Tags: arkadin, corporate courtesy, employee loyalty, employee morale, job interviews