From Job Candidate to Customer Lost

I recently applied for a position with a massive, well-known pharmaceutical company, expecting a level of professionalism that matched their reputation. The role was for an Account Manager, and about a week after applying, I received a follow-up email from a recruiter expressing interest in scheduling a one-hour panel interview.

At the time, I had a pre-planned trip to Brazil for my brother's wedding. Wanting to demonstrate my eagerness and commitment, I scheduled the interview during my trip. I prepared thoroughly and skipped a full day of family activities to focus on the interview. I didn’t want to risk delaying the process and losing the opportunity to other candidates.

On the morning of the interview, I sat in my hotel room in sunny Rio de Janeiro, ready to give it my all. My family even adjusted their plans to support me. When the time came, I joined the Teams Meet call and spoke briefly with someone from HR, who informed me that the hiring manager had a sudden emergency. The interview would need to be rescheduled. Although disappointed, I let them know my availability for once I returned home and waited for their follow-up. I was bummed that I had to miss out on vacation-time since it was during our final days of the trip I had been waiting for since the previous year. But I also took into consideration that unexpected things come up, and it's out of my control this time.

I would've much rather been on this beach, but I also really wanted the job.

When my family returned to the hotel, eager to hear how it went, I had to share the frustrating news. My older brother was especially upset, questioning why such a large company couldn’t manage to find a quick replacement for the interview. He’d seen me face similar disappointments with other companies, and his patience was wearing thin. A family friend, who works in Human Resources, expressed similar frustration. He said, “There probably wasn’t an emergency, just a change of plans they aren’t being honest about.” While I hoped that wasn’t the case, I couldn’t help but feel disheartened.

After returning home a short time later, I waited for the company to reschedule. Days passed with no updates, so I sent a follow-up email to the initial recruiter. When she finally replied, she informed me that scheduling wasn’t her responsibility and copied someone else on the email. That person never responded, even after I inquired with her directly. When I checked the job posting online, it had been removed from both LinkedIn and the company’s internal site.

In the end, I was essentially ghosted by a corporation that should know better. All I expected was basic courtesy and communication—not vague excuses and unprofessionalism. As a customer, I’ve since chosen to take my business elsewhere, shopping exclusively with their direct competitor across the street.

How candidates are treated during the recruitment process matters—especially when they’re also customers. A single poor interaction can tarnish a reputation and cause someone to jump ship. I’m tempted to name and shame this company because they market themselves as a leader in their industry. Yet their recruitment process was anything but professional. It makes me wonder if it’s the larger, renowned corporations who do a worse job at recruitment compared to the smaller players who may provide a more human touch to their processes.

Either way, candidate experience = customer experience. Let’s not forget that.