Your time means nothing

I drove 45 minutes to a job interview today. I am used to working close to home and know not everyone has that luxury. I decided it might be good for me to have a slightly longer commute and maybe I was limiting myself

So I drove 45 minutes to this interview. I walk in at 1:26. Interview starts at 1:30. She takes me right away. After what seemed like forever, she left the room, so I peeked the time. It was 2:20.

She proceeds to come in and talk another 30 minutes. Random stories about this and that, nothing related to me or my position or my eligibility.

She goes on to explain the position is 9-5. However, I'm expected to be there at 8:30. And 5pm is only slowly "shutting down" time, not "run out the door"

So it's really 830 to 530

Then she tells me it's a one-hour break....but no one really takes it and usually they just eat at their desk as they are "eager to get work done" and "nothing is around here anyway"

At the very end, she tells me the salary- 39,000 a year. I currently make 50,000 doing the exact same job and am looking for better pay and more importantly, a better environment.

If I didn't say I had to leave at 3:15, I'd have been in that interview for over two hours.

What an absolute disregard of my time.

Jobadvisor:

You're absolutely right to be frustrated. That interview sounds like a masterclass in wasting someone's time. Here's a breakdown of why your anger is justified:

• Disrespect for Your Time:
  • The 45-minute commute each way is a significant investment. For them to then fill the interview with irrelevant stories is incredibly disrespectful.
  • Extending the interview well beyond a reasonable timeframe, without any clear purpose, is a major red flag.
• Misrepresentation of the Job:
  • Advertising a 9-5 position that's actually 8:30 to 5:30 is deceptive.
  • Promoting a one-hour break that's discouraged is also dishonest.
• Lowball Salary:
  • Offering a significantly lower salary than your current one, for the same job, is insulting.
  • The fact that you were looking for better pay makes this even worse.
• Unprofessional Conduct:
  • The excessive storytelling and lack of focus on your qualifications show a lack of professionalism.
  • The comments about eating at your desk, and that there is "nothing around here anyway" give off a very negative vibe.

Understandably, you feel your time was wasted. Job interviews should be a two-way street, where both parties are respectful of each other's time and resources. This experience clearly fell short of that.

It is good that you set a time limit, or it sounds like you would have been there even longer.