Interview Experience: Unprofessional and Misrepresented Process
I had a disappointing interview experience for a Talent Acquisition role through CareerNet, which was presented to me as a client round with N-able's TA leadership team.
The interview process lacked professionalism from the beginning. The interview schedule was changed multiple times, and the interviewer joined late. There was no proper introduction, overview of the role, or explanation of the interview structure. Instead, the discussion immediately moved into basic recruitment-related questions.
What was particularly concerning was that the interviewer spent a significant amount of time asking and noting down personal and family-related information that did not appear relevant to the role. As a candidate, this felt uncomfortable and unnecessary.
The interview itself lasted only about 30 minutes and felt more like an information-gathering exercise than a genuine assessment of my experience and qualifications. After the discussion, I checked LinkedIn and discovered that the interviewer appeared to be associated with CareerNet rather than N-able directly, despite the interview communication indicating that it was a client round. This created confusion regarding who was actually conducting the interview and the purpose of the discussion.
Overall, the process lacked transparency, candidate respect, and professional communication. Candidates invest significant time preparing for interviews, and clear representation of the interview stage, interviewer identity, and evaluation process should be considered a basic professional standard.
Pros
- Opportunity was communicated promptly.
Cons
- Interview schedules changed multiple times.
- Interviewer joined late.
- Lack of proper introduction and role briefing.
- Questions regarding personal/family information felt unnecessary.
- Confusion regarding whether the interview was with the client or the recruitment agency.
- Overall candidate experience was not handled professionally.