Unprofessional and disorganized.
I was asked to interview either in-person or via video teleconference. I appreciated that my schedule was accommodated and I arranged for a video teleconference. I was interviewed by four people of varying titles who all asked me questions and listened intently to my responses. The questions were reasonable and I felt that I was able to articulate myself in a respectful environment without intimidation. When it was my turn to ask questions, I posed a few that my interviewers stated were better suited for the HR representative whom I had previously been in contact with. Overall, a very positive experience regarding a position I was very interested in. That same day, I emailed the HR representative thanking everyone involved in the interview process, while also posing those same questions my interviewers had been unable to answer.
Then things went a bit south. The HR representative never answered my email, which I found odd, but then again, I can't imagine how difficult it is to keep track of every single candidate email. About a week after the interview, this same HR representative emailed me to schedule a second-round interview. I had no misgivings about the second round; however, I was surprised that my earlier questions had not even been acknowledged. I responded to the email stating I was most certainly interested in the second-round interview, but still had questions about the position, and posed them once more. Again, no response.
Two days later, I received another email from the same HR representative following up and double-checking that the previous email had not gone to my spam folder. At that point, it was clear my questions would not be answered, so I scheduled a second video-teleconference. On the interview date, I was ready at the video teleconference interface for the interview, but did not receive a call. I reviewed the correspondence between myself and the HR representative, and verified that the interview indeed had been scheduled for that time. After approximately fifteen minutes, I called the same HR representative, and left a voice message stating that perhaps there had been miscommunication, but that I would wait the remainder of the allotted time.
Forty minutes after the scheduled start time, I received a series of text messages from staff stating that they were running a few minutes behind, but were ready for the interview. Given that I had sacrificed my lunch hour for the video teleconference, I responded that I was unable to be interviewed, as I had returned to my job. Staff then called me, which I did not appreciate, as I was at my office. I then received another text message asking that I call staff back. I did so, and during the phone call, staff stated that I had scheduled the interview for a later time, and that they were now ready. I calmly explained that this was not the case, as I had correspondence confirming that the interview had been scheduled for earlier. I was then asked to forward the correspondence, as though the burden of proof for an internal error were mine, and I did so. Upon receipt, staff was apologetic and asked if I was available for an interview the following day. I then withdrew my application and thanked the Bronx Defenders for their consideration. I have never had such an experience before, and I hope that future candidates do not have to as well.