Waited over 2 hours for an interview

Former Member

Hi everyone,

Today I had an interview scheduled at 11:00. I came early and had to do a lateral flow test. Then I proceeded to wait for over 2 hours for my interview, which felt like it only lasted 10 minutes. They did apologise for the long wait, but I watched the woman who ended up interviewing me meandering around for ages and chatting to people. There was a girl before me who was being interviewed, but I was not seen straight away afterwards, I waited for a good hour and a half after she left for pretty much no reason (as far as I can tell).

I spent ages preparing for the interview, only for them not to ask any questions actually about me. I feel pretty down about it. I don't know if I should have just got up and left earlier or what.

When chatting to my mum about how the interview went, she seems to have the attitude of just getting over it as that is what employment is like (being undervalued). If that is true, and that is how people are treated generally by their employers, then it is very disheartening. She is also of the mind that if I am offered the position I should do it for the experience, but I feel like I don't want to because of the negative experience mentioned prior. I also feel like I am being extremely entitled by being upset about it.

Former Member

Hey @roxby

Interviews are always nerve wracking but they should always be conducted in a professional manner from both parties and you did everything right, unlike the company.

You can actually gather a lot from how a company treats their potential employees and to be honest i am seeing some red flags from this company. They do not seem to value your time and they do not really want to know more about your, which is pretty standard in interviews just as a way to gauge your personality.

However, keep in mind that between the time that the previous girl was interviewed and your interview there could me some form of emergency that needed your interviewer's attentions.

There are a lot of bad employers out there but a lot of good ones as well. Do not settle for a place where you won't be appreciated or taken seriously even if its going to be a nice learning experience.

You are not entitled you are informed. Older generations seem to believe this behaviour by employers is normal and should be expected. This is not the case and a toxic workplace where you spent most of your day can be pretty draining psychologically.

kaii

Hi @roxby , I'm so sorry that you had such a terrible experience. It's perfectly valid for you to feel upset, you've worked so hard preparing for the interview, and it absolutely sucks that it didn't even last that long after the 2 hour wait, and that they didn't even ask questions about you.

I understand why you think employment must feel disheartening after talking to your mum. It's unfortunate that there are employers in some companies who undervalue their own workers, but please remember that there are a lot more great opportunities for you out there with better employers - so please don't feel like you should only settle for a place with a negative experience only because the learning experience seems worthy. Working in an environment where you're not appreciated enough can really take a toll on your mental health.

Hoping everything gets better for you

Former Member

Thank you @jorge and @kaii for your words of kindness and advice

I did end up getting a job offer, although I'm not sure what I'm going to do at the moment.

I feel like the logical thing to do is accept it, due to the training & experience I'd get (plus the hourly rate is fairly good) which would help me apply to other jobs. My family also thinks I'm making a big deal out of nothing and should just accept it.

But I just have a bad feeling about it, and keep catastrophising the idea of accepting it. It's hard making decisions with anxiety because idk if I genuinely don't want to do it, or if it is the anxiety stopping me from accepting it. I'm scared that if it is anxiety making me not want to do it, I'm continuing the course of not doing things due to anxiety and missing out.

I'm scared also if I don't accept it, I will not make an effort to apply to other jobs, and will not move further on in life due to giving in to my anxiety and depression. It takes so much effort to function normally and I hate how easily small things can end up setting off a spiral of negative thoughts.

I feel like I'm mentally working 10 times harder than other people just to live through day-to-day life, and I'm honestly tired of it.

kaii

Hey @roxby I'm very sorry for the late reply. How have you been? Have you made your decision? Don't worry if you haven't - please take your time as they will understand. I also forgot to ask, did they tell you why you had to wait for a while?

You did a great job in your interview by impressing them despite it not lasting long - you worked really hard and you deserve a lot of credit

I understand how difficult it must be for you to make this decision. Unfortunately, I can't tell you exactly what you should do. But I can say this:

Your feelings are completely valid, you're not making a big deal out of this. You've worked hard to prepare for your interview, but the company didn't seem to be professional about it. If anything, they didn't give you a good impression.

It may seem that it would be better or easier for you by accepting this job offer, you have reasonable worries if you don't end up accepting it. But even though they have these great benefits for you like good training, better chance of getting into other jobs etc, the environment may be difficult for you. There are no jobs that aren't stressful - if you do end up accepting, it ultimately depends on how you manage your mental health in a work environment. Do you have strategies that could help you manage your mental health in this kind of environment?

If you end up not accepting, please remember that there will be other great opportunities for you out there. You don't have to make an effort to go for other jobs right away - you could take a break, it may help for you to partake in self-care activities such as going out for a walk or reading a book. Small steps may help you feel ready to apply for other jobs again ^^

I just want to say that you're doing really really well - for working in ways that are difficult and exhausting for you. Whatever decision you make, please remember that you're going to be okay either way.

Keep trying your best, and I hope everything works out for you

AislingDM

Just wanted to jump on and say i couldn't agree more with what others have said @roxby !! You definitely didn't deserve that kind of treatment, and whilst I get your mum's sentiment of 'employers don't value their employees', you are still entitled to your own wellbeing, and if you think that working in that company could put that at risk, it is not worth it simply for work experience. Plus there is a huge difference to being made to wait for 30 mins because of a very valid reason compared with two hours with a rather inadequate excuse.

I wonder, would you be working with the people who interviewed you, or are they more HR-based? Either way, huge well done for getting the job and even if you don't take it you should feel proud of yourself and know that you come across well in a high-pressure situation xxx

AislingDM

Just wanted to check in on how you've been doing over the past week @roxby ?