Over on LifeHacker, they are sharing their worst interview experiences online. I never thought I would have something to share under this topic. Ironically, it happened just this last weekend.
I received an e-mail that I have been invited to attend a walk-in interview at the Indian Outsourcing company TechMahindra's Bangalore office. I was applying for a senior position, of an SME or Architect, and was told to appear anytime betwen 10 and 11AM. That word "anytime" should have alerted me, because it looked like this company really sells the "anything goes" culture.
I showed up at 10:30 AM. It was a Saturday, but the traffic was horrible. As I took the lift to the 3rd floor, I was trying to form a prepared answer as to my possible delay to show up. I go in, and was told to wait in the lobby. After 15 minutes, a spectacled guy asked us to walk in and sit in the employee's chairs on the floor. And..he announced nervously, the interview panel has not yet arrived !
Great, its now 11 AM, and the interviewers themselves have not shown up. So much for punctuality.
I wait.
And wait.
12:00
I now decide to walk up to the floor co-ordinator and enquire. I think his name is either Prithviraj or Chakravarti Srinivas Darukmalli.
Him: "I apologize sir. We have just started. It will take another 1 hour max for your turn."
Ok…I walk back.
1:00 PM…still no sign of being processed. I am now hungry.
Again , I continue waiting. There are others in front of me who are now getting restless. And worse, there are people behind me as well.
1:30 PM
I ask him how much more. The asshole assures me another 20 mins.
I walk OUT.
I go down the lift, pick my things and head home.
30 mins, I am home .Have a nice lunch with fish pollichathu which I picked up on the way.
Afternoon siesta.
About 3:30 pm, I get a call from an unknown number. Presumably, it is from the interivew venue. I didn't pick up, as I had left the phone on silent.
A company which does not practise punctuality is for me, the most un-professional. How can they expect us to deliver their software on time, if they can't even show up on time for their OWN requirement ?
