How Not To Interview

Last week, I received one of the nicest interview letters I have ever seen or read. It was polite, informative, not too long, but long enough, nicely spaced out, and the HR manager, or as they like to be called nowadays, the People and Culture Manager/Director, ended it beautifully. I had my choice of days and times throughout the entire week, so I indicated I'm available either on Wednesday or Thursday, anytime between 11 am & 4 pm, only because I didn't want to get caught up in rush-hour. The People and Culture Manager/Director came back with Wednesday at 11 am, and I replied confirming the date and time.

My interview was set to take place the following week at a five-star establishment in central London. I would be interviewed by two people, one being the People and Culture Manager/Director, and the other being the Director of Operations. I researched the company and went onto LinkedIn to look up the two people who would be interviewing me and to get familiar with their backgrounds. Something that really surprised me was that someone I used to work with almost 2 years ago was employed by this five-star establishment. The first thing that came to mind was, “Oh, fuck!” Because this guy is a very very very very acquired taste, but thinking about it, even though he could be considered an arsehole, he knew his job, and I respected him for that.

The day of the interview, I'm a bit nervous. I haven't been sleeping well for the last few weeks. I come from a four-star establishment, and now I'm interviewing for a five-star property. I get up early, do a bit more research, get dressed in my three-piece suit, and leave my home at about 9:45 am. This will give me enough time to get there and find the property. 

I get to the area about half an hour before my interview. I find the property; it's only about a seven-minute walk from the Elizabeth line. As I'm roughly 25 to 30 minutes early, I walk towards the river. I take the job description of the position I'm interviewing for out of my bag and go over it one more time. It's about 15 minutes before my interview, so I make my way to the property. I'm greeted by the concierge. I tell him I'm here for an interview and give him the names of the two people interviewing me. He tells me to take a seat and pulls out his phone to contact them. Five minutes later, a man appears in the lobby. I recognise him from the LinkedIn profile; this is the Director of Operations. He goes to the concierge, talks to him for a bit, and then, for the next five minutes, he's walking around the lobby. He doesn't introduce himself to me, and then he disappears. It's now 11:15, and I've been waiting in the lobby for 25 minutes, and nobody has approached me. The concierge appears and asks if anyone has seen me. I tell him no; I'm still waiting for the People and Culture Manager/Director and the Operations Manager. He has a puzzled look on his face and says, "Let me find out where they are." He pulls out his phone again, informs me that the message he sent to the People and Culture Manager/Director has been viewed but there's no reply. He's going to call them again. He does, and five minutes later, the Director of Operations once again appears in the lobby, talks to the concierge, does not approach me or say anything to me, and then hangs around the lobby for another five minutes before disappearing again.

The concierge approaches me again roughly ten minutes after our conversation and apologies, saying that the People and Culture Manager/Director is in a meeting; he shouldn't be much longer, but the chef will come and see me. I'm a bit confused by this, but I'm thinking okay. Five minutes later, the chef appears. I introduce myself, still confused, and tell him I'm here to apply for the Front Office Manager position. He tells me I'm not the person he's interviewing and asks me who I'm here to see. I tell him the People and Culture Manager/Director and the Director of Operations. He pulls out his phone and makes a call. At this point, I return to where I was sitting, and once again, the Director of Operations comes out into the lobby, talks to the chef, does not introduce himself to me, does not talk to me, hangs around the lobby for another five minutes, and then disappears. After he disappears, one of the reception team members approaches me, apologises for what is happening, and offers me some water. The People and Culture Manager/Director is really sorry, and he shouldn't be much longer. At this point, I've been sitting in the lobby for about 50 to 55 minutes, and my interview should've started about 40 to 45 minutes ago.

Needless to say, I am frustrated, but it's not showing on my face. When you've worked in the hospitality industry for some time, you learn to hide certain expressions. Fast forward to me waiting an hour and 15 minutes, or an hour from when my interview was meant to start. The only people I have spoken to have been the concierge, the chef who was meant to be interviewing someone else, and the reception team member who offered me some water.

I'm now approached by somebody else who sincerely apologies for the wait. He informs me that the People and Culture Manager/Director was called away for an urgent meeting, and he's so sorry for not being able to see me. He will give me a call later on that day to reschedule and explain what happened. The person who told me this asked if I would like a drink while still apologising. I say yes; I'll have a coffee. While drinking my coffee, the person I used to work with suddenly appears, and we have a catch-up. We talked for an hour before I made my way home.

I get home an hour later; the journey takes roughly an hour, and I'm expecting a phone call from the People and Culture Manager/Director. I didn't get that phone call. The next day, I'm hoping I'll get a call, and at 4 o'clock, nothing! No phone call, no email. So I sent a polite email saying I hope everything is okay. I was meant to get a call, I didn't get a call, so I'm just inquiring what's going to happen next. My interview was meant to take place on Wednesday; it's Friday afternoon, and I've heard nothing. I am pissed! And I'll explain a little bit later why I'm pissed!

I've worked in hospitality for quite some time. I have interviewed people; I have been late to interview people; I have had to reschedule interviews. But what I have never done is left someone hanging. I can recall a couple of occasions where I have scheduled an interview to start at a certain time, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I've had to start that interview late, but no later than 15 minutes. And I can tell you this, at the time of the interview, I have met the person, explained the situation to them, and told them to give me no more than 15 minutes. 15 minutes later, I will be interviewing them. What I have never done is keep someone waiting for an hour without an explanation. So being a Generation X, I want to say, "screw you" for the following:

1. Fuck you, for making me research your company

2. Fuck you, for making me get up early

3. Fuck you, for making me waste an hour of my time traveling to your property

4. Fuck you, for making me wait an hour without having the decency to see me

5. Fuck you, to the Director of Operations; he didn't have the decency to introduce himself to me and  explain what was going on

6. Fuck you, for your water and your coffee

7. Fuck you, for making me spend another hour traveling home

8. Fuck you, for wasting four hours of my time

9. Fuck you, for not calling me when you said you would

10. Fuck you, for not responding to my email

11. And as I'm in the mood for giving Fucks, here's just a general Fuck you.

What the fuck has happened to decency? Is this just a word, or is it a thing of the past. I've taken my time to apply for a job with your organisation. I understand, especially in this industry, unforeseen circumstances happen, and these circumstances are out of your control. But what is in your control is the fact that you can inform the person who has taken the time to travel to your property, who has taken the time to research your property, and explain or honour what you said and give them a call that day. 

For better or for worse, we are a society that is constantly connected. We have phones, we have laptops, we have tablets. The only thing we don't have is fucking decency, or common sense.