Sour Grapes November 19, 2013
Posted by Audit Monkey in The Joy & Pain of Internal Audit.Tags: interview feedback, interviews, job interviews
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One of the latest whizzes in recruit is providing feedback on the interview process. Of course, the outcome of the interview will have a bearing on whether the feedback is favourable. So without further ado, here is the feedback I provided to an employer. You will probably gather the interview went South and should any of the interviewers read this, Audit Money will be unmasked, Nevertheless.
“In relation to the question, the gap between feedback from the third stage interview to outcome (nearly a fortnight) was unacceptable. Although it was evident from the late response that the interviewers weren’t interested, common courtesy costs little.
My main criticism was the third stage interview and the two interviewers. They seemed more interested in demonstrating their own intellectual ability and knowledge about Acme Ltd than assessing the ability of the candidate. They expected the candidate, my good self, to have intimate knowledge of Acme Ltd and the immediate risks in their business area. While this is a reasonable expectation, I was left with the impression that as I was unable to provide the model answers (as I was not completely au fait with the micro detail the interviewers required) I was immediately rejected. No latitude was given to the candidate. I think the interviewers did not appreciate that effectively I was an ‘outsider’ to the organisation. In context, it is unrealistic for the candidate to have perfect knowledge of the Acme Ltd business and risks at an operational level. In short, I felt the interview was not a facilitative process where I could be successful with my application.
Moreover, that conversational or chat style of interview adopted by interviewers was not conducive to providing strong answers from the candidate; either it is a convivial conversation or a formal interview. You can’t have it both ways. It is especially confusing to the candidate if it transpires that the interviewers were looking for an opinion rather than the pro’s or con’s of a matter.
Lastly, it was difficult obtaining clear feedback from the final stage interview. To add, the feedback seemed to be vindictive rather than constructive and designed to protect the interviewers from reproach. I hope this feedback is not read as sour grapes*”.
* insert ‘even though it is!’
Audit Monkey's Blog 
Sounds more like the grapes of wrath to me, from the interviewers, that is. Sometimes, as much as you want work, you have to wonder what it’s like to work in a culture where people are not treated with common courtesy.
And yes, I have worked almost a year in such an environment. That was a tough year, I needed to eat, and I still learned a lot. As Calvin & Hobbes’ dad would say, it “built character.”
a lot of interviewers are not skilled to conduct interviews. HR should train/brief them first on how an interview is conducted. I experience one interviewer telling me that I should not be applying for a job in his employer as it sucks.
MOST interviewers are not skilled. That tells you something about the company and the kind of people they hire–unskilled (surprise).