The HR manager was extremely disrespectful toward the candidate during the interview.

Not reviewing the résumé beforehand would have been bad enough, but she could not even understand the candidate’s clear and well-organized explanation. The interview itself was empty (doesn’t she need to understand the brands her own company represents?), she made the candidate wait for a long time, wanted to cut the salary before she could even explain the job duties, kept probing into the candidate’s private life (whether someone else has a partner is none of your damn business!), loved putting random labels on people, and deliberately smeared young candidates with good qualifications (if your own qualifications are poor, why don’t you reflect on yourself first?).

She kept bringing up San Shang Group at every turn—is San Shang Group your family’s company?

A company that disrespects you during the interview will mistreat you later

By Hong Xuezhen

Acting superior

They think that, because the company is big enough, they have the right to be extremely selective. The way they speak makes people uncomfortable: “There are too many applicants who want to join our company, so we have to take our time and choose carefully.”

Being one or two hours or more late

It is common to be kept waiting for one or two hours. Applying to interview with two supervisors often takes an entire day. What is hard to understand is: “How could they schedule an interview and a meeting on the same day? Isn’t it obvious that the times would clash?”

Failing to prepare

Companies expect candidates to prepare for interviews, but when conducting interviews themselves, many have not read the résumé or autobiography, do not understand the applicant’s background or experience, and instead read the résumé while conducting the interview.

Putting random labels on people

The most common criticism directed at candidates concerns their stability and ability to handle pressure: “You have changed jobs twice in three years. That indicates a very unstable work personality, and we are concerned that you have a low tolerance for pressure.”

Changing the job duties repeatedly

When companies post job openings, they often package them with attractive wording without clearly explaining the duties. Only after bringing people in for interviews do they reveal a little more; after starting work, however, candidates discover that the job is completely different from what was described.

Vague compensation

During interviews, companies ask about everything, even the candidate’s ancestors, but when asked about compensation, they gloss over it, remain vague, or describe a compensation structure so complicated that no one can understand it at all.

Asking about matters unrelated to the job

Many companies worry about hiring the wrong person and use all kinds of indirect probing to dig into every detail—even asking whether the candidate has a boyfriend, where he works, and how much he earns. That is completely out of line!

During interviews, companies should uphold the first and most important principle: show respect. Next, please do not pry into people’s private lives. Finally, be prepared, so candidates feel valued and have a positive experience, and so they leave with a good impression of the company.