I interviewed for a Software Engineer position and unfortunately had a very poor experience with the hiring process, mainly due to repeated delays and lack of communication from the recruiter.
Timeline:
Feb 26 – The recruiter did not show up for our scheduled interview. After waiting 10 minutes, I emailed to check if she was planning to join. Only then did she call me back, saying she was busy and suggesting we either reconnect later that day or reschedule. There was no prior notice from her side.
Feb 28 – Two days later, she asked me to reschedule toward the end of the week.
Mar 5 – At the rescheduled time, she messaged on WhatsApp that she would be a few minutes late, and then asked to postpone by another 30 minutes.
Mar 9 – She reached out saying she would like to invite me to a technical interview. I agreed and suggested the following week.
Mar 10 – She proposed a time. I responded immediately suggesting a slot 1–2 hours later. About 1.5 hours later, I followed up saying I had rearranged my schedule and could also do the original time she suggested. I never received a reply.
Mar 19 (!!!) – She followed up asking if the opportunity was still relevant for me.
Mar 22 – I confirmed that it was.
Mar 24 – She invited me to come to the office the next day. I said I was only available the following week.
Mar 30 – Technical interview finally took place (three weeks after the initial technical interview invitation and 25 days after the previous stage).
Apr 28 (!!!) – A month later I received a message saying the position had already been filled.
Throughout the entire process, each delay was described as something that had "somehow slipped through", usually accompanied by an apology. While I understand that part of this process took place during a challenging time, the level of disorganization and repeated delays went far beyond what could reasonably be expected. This reflects a lack of respect for the candidate’s time, which I find unacceptable. Managing communication and scheduling is a core responsibility of a recruiter.
Overall, the experience felt unprofessional and poorly managed.
