Last month, I walked into an interview for a senior HR role at a real estate company in Abu Dhabi.
I was on time, well-prepared, and looking forward to a professional discussion about the role. Instead, the entire meeting lasted less than 10 minutes. The only question asked was: “Tell me about your experience.”
- No introduction.
- No discussion about the role.
- No competency-based questions.
- Nothing that actually assessed my ability to do the job.
Weeks later, I was invited again — and I genuinely thought this was a second interview with a more senior person. To my surprise, it turned out to be with the same interviewer for the same role. What shocked me most was that she had no record of our previous meeting and did not even recall that we had already met just a few weeks earlier. Once again, the experience repeated itself: the same single question, no structure, no evaluation, and a dismissive closing remark.
That’s when it hit me: an interview like this isn’t just a poor candidate experience. It’s a reflection of how the company values people — and it has consequences far beyond that one meeting.
The Reflection
This left me thinking: if this is how candidates are evaluated, what kind of message does it send about the company’s culture, its approach to talent, and even its future business success?
As HR professionals, we know that:
- Every candidate interaction shapes the employer brand.
- Poorly structured interviews lead to poor hiring decisions — often based on gut feeling rather than evidence.
- Disorganized processes reflect a lack of internal alignment and create a perception of carelessness.
- Rudeness or dismissiveness during interviews damages trust not only with candidates but also within the market.
The Risk
In industries like real estate, where reputation is everything, a candidate leaving with a negative impression can be as damaging as an unhappy client. Word spreads quickly, and today’s rejected candidate may be tomorrow’s customer, partner, or even influencer in the talent market.
The Better Way
If I were consulting such a company, here’s what I would recommend:
- Structured Communication
- Competency-Based Interviews
- Training for Interviewers
- Candidate Tracking
- Respectful Engagement
Closing Thought
An interview is not just about evaluating a candidate — it’s also a chance for the company to be evaluated. Candidates today are highly observant, and their experiences translate directly into how your brand is perceived in the market.