Really the worst hiring process I've participated in, probably ever. I was emotionally manipulated and lied to from the beginning by the hiring manager who phoned me up on WhatsApp on the first day of the process to tell me how great she thought I would be for the role. After successfully completing 3 interviews and a technical test, her inappropriate phone calls telling me how much of a great organisational fit I was, and even in evening hours, continued. She even pushed me to negotiate my salary/conditions and told me that TNC would never reject me for doing that, and that I should empower myself to do so because for women this is something we find very difficult. After this, she requested 3 professional references from me which confirmed to me that they were contacted by her. After this process, I received what I believe was an informal offer from her by phone. As recommended by her, I tried to negotiate, but about holidays rather than salary as money wasn't my main motivation. I asked for some minimum holidays during the first year as Colombian labour law doesn't allow holidays in your first year of a job, and I understood that as an international org, they may be able to have some flexibility on this one. After this conversation, I could sense the hiring manager turning cold and becoming very strange with me. A few days later, I received a rejection email. I was honestly shocked and gobsmacked at the lack of professionalism and the inappropriateness that took place in the process. In total, it was around 2 months of my time wasted and really knocked my confidence. My faith in the international NGO sector has also been very damaged by this and is unlikely to recover any time soon.
