Don’t put up with disrespect, ESPECIALLY during a job interview.

You can find more on this in the video at the bottom of the page

A few years ago, I interviewed for a developer role with a company. The process went pretty well with only a couple in person interviews. Everything was great except for the final interview. It was the worse one I’ve ever had.

When the woman conducting the interview walked in, I introduced myself and put out my hand. She just looked at me and didn’t say anything. It seemed strange, but I ignored this and sat back down. What followed would be my first interrogation in this industry.

She didn’t ask me a single tech related question. Instead, she asked about every job I had dating back almost ten years. As the questions continued, I realized why she acted this way. Part of the job application mentioned a background check before hiring.

This was it! She was likely in charge of background checks. Since each prior interview focused on my technical knowledge, this was probably the closing interview where they confirm my work experience. At least, this is what I thought.

Towards the end of the interview, she started laughing and asked me “Did it really take you THIS long to get your degree?” That’s right, this woman was actually making fun of me in the middle of a job interview.

Usually companies are welcoming during the intro stages. This was the first time an interviewer tried to insult me instead. I was surprised, but I kept cool. I explained I had additional responsibilities at the time and had to take time off. I wanted to take my time and only take classes when I could focus.

Now that I cleared up that whole thing, I knew the interviewer would have a better understanding of my journey and we could put her behavior behind us

She didn’t respond. Didn’t even look up from the paper in her hands.

Now, this was much earlier in my tech career. Back then, I would put up with anything if it meant getting the job. But I missed major signs to walk away from companies as well.

Even if it’s just the background check person, that’s bad business. Hiring someone who insults applicants and shows zero professionalism is a bullhorn screaming “GET OUTTA HERE!”. Sure, sometimes you have to deal with rude coworkers in the office. But this was just an interview. I wasn’t even on the payroll yet!

Interviews let everyone get to know each other. The company learns about you and you learn about them. This is also a time for first impressions. If someone is rude during the interview process, stand up for yourself. Walk away from the position and look for a better place.

Ideally, you’ll spend a few years with a company. You want them to be a good fit. A place where you’ll be valued, treated as an equal. If they can’t even do this, you should go. Somewhere out there is a company looking for someone to be part of a hard working respectable team. Go find them!

Oh, I almost forgot. After the interview I went on the company website and it turns out that lady wasn’t in charge of the background check. She was the CEO.

For more on this, watch the video below.

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Coding Fanatic