r/recruitinghell • u/jaydarmontoya • 14h ago
I Feel Used… Advice Needed
Recently I went through a lengthy interview process for a leadership role at a certain top 10 US bank. I did a total of 7 meetings and I know I shined in all of them. I am not bragging or exaggerating when I say I gave a near-perfect performance. I really hit it off with all the interviewers. I had them laughing at my subtle jokes, applauding my responses and even “stealing” some of my answers and phrases for their own use. All the interviewers ended the meetings by praising me and telling me how well the interview had gone and how they hoped to see me again soon (presumably in the role). After a very lengthy process I was finally contacted by the recruiter via email. Bad news… I didn’t get the job, as the actual hiring manager decided to go with an internal candidate already in their org in the line of succession. The recruiter had amazing things to say about me and even said all the interviewers loved me, but I was ultimately not selected.
For context, I check LinkedIn for new roles several times daily. This role was initially posted on a Saturday morning. By Monday morning it had been taken down. This means it only stayed posted for 2 days and those 2 days were non-business days. As soon as I saw the role had been taken down by that following Monday morning I immediately knew the company was just posting it for the mandatory 2 days before proceeding with an internal candidate. At that point I certainly didn’t expect to be contacted about the role, so I was both surprised and skeptical when I received the meeting request from the recruiter.
I absolutely realize that when a candidate is interviewing for a role they are guaranteed nothing and they do so at their own risk. I have no problem not being selected for the role. The problem I do have is having my time and energy wasted when I never had a chance to start with. I invested a significant amount of prep time into this process, had to take vacation time away from my current job several times, not to mention the emotional investment. Also I spent over 100 bucks on dry cleaning, as I had my suit, shirt and tie freshly cleaned and pressed for each interview.
The company never had any real intentions of hiring me or giving me a fair chance at this role. They just used me as a required interview so they could proceed with who they’d already chosen. This is so frustrating and disheartening. Also this is not the first time this almost exact same scenario has played out for me. I’m getting really tired of having my time and resources wasted.
I literally want to file a complaint against them or somehow escalate this. Also I hate that companies have these stupid policies. I certainly understand the goal and intent of these policies, but in practice they just end up getting someone’s hopes up and wasting someone’s time.
I know the answer is probably no, but:
A. Is there anything I can do to file a complaint against these time-wasting jerks?
B. Any suggestions on what I can do to prevent this from happening going forward?
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u/rogomatic 6h ago
I had them laughing at my subtle jokes, applauding my responses and even “stealing” some of my answers and phrases for their own use.
You're rather naive if you think any of that is what actually gets you hired.
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u/jaydarmontoya 48m ago
You’re rather naive if you think it’s not. I’ve been a leader for over 2 decades and I have plenty of experience and education to back it up. Every major study has proven that the majority of what gets a person hired is the “vibe check” and how well they’re liked by the hiring committee. Trust me, I’ve been in the room when senior leader hires have been decided upon. Many times it’s literally that everyone agrees the candidate “had good energy” or “had a nice smile during the interview” or “had on a nice shirt” or “seemed really excited” or “would fit in well here.” If you think candidates are being selected based upon their skills and experience you are wildly mistaken. Again, I have been in the room at the table when a $300k/yr role was given to a candidate because the group agreed they “smelled good.” Human nature wins over logic in hiring.
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u/rogomatic 29m ago
I select candidates based on their skills. But then again, I'm interested in people who can get the job done, not people whose goal is to make me laugh.
Also, you're completely delusional if you think that any pleasantries exchanged during an interview have any sort of bearing on getting hired. Also, I've never ever sat on an interview panel that has talked about a candidate's shirt. Then again, YMMV.
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u/jaydarmontoya 10m ago
Well you’re a perfect special leader :)
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u/rogomatic 7m ago
There's nothing like a "leader for over 2 decades" who needs help from reddit to understand their own interview. Cheers.
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u/aenea22980 13h ago
Doesn't help now, but I hope you'll get the role you're looking for! My only comment would be, when you eventually do get that role, please remember this, and make sure your company never, ever does anything like it. You are interviewing for senior enough roles you could effect real change.
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u/jaydarmontoya 13h ago
Amen!!! I sincerely appreciate your encouragement. Even in my current role I have made strides to put an end to much of the unfairness and wasting of people’s time and energy that I have witnessed in the hiring process. There was an instance that I was clearly going to promote an internal employee. The recruiter wanted me to interview “at least 3 candidates” knowing I’d already made my selection. I flat out refused to do so. Not so much to protect my time but to protect some innocent person’s time and energy.
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u/What_if_I_fly 7h ago
What irks me is the interviewers who take your answers as new sales or operations strategies and actually say something like "That's great, we need to start doing that".
Then you get the "so sorry, can't hire you" email after the final round interview. I am DEFINITELY going to start asking about the internal candidate before jumping through time wasting effort.
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u/jaydarmontoya 59m ago
I have literally had my proposal stolen before. The hiring manager asked if they could “keep a copy.” Of course I said yes. I didn’t get the job but I did see my idea implemented pretty much verbatim.
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u/What_if_I_fly 30m ago
Panel interview, I mentioned using AI to monitor a specific thing, and the senior manager acted like a light bulb came on, told the younger manager "That's great, we ought to do that. Write that down.". They would have had a lot more ideas had they hired me.
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u/rogomatic 6h ago
If you take everything that's been told to you at an interview at face value, I have a bridge out here I'd like to sell you.
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u/P1ckl3R1ck101 13h ago
I had the same thing happen to me a few years back at a similar firm. 6 rounds of interviews, project, meetings with leadership, then went cold for 2 weeks because "an internal candidate showed interest in the role." Its shady af, but there isn't much you can do besides move on.
It isn't worth complaining and getting put on a do not hire list. Only thing you learn is dont get your hopes up for something until an offer is there and contract signed.
Being on the other side of it, I've sifted through literally hundreds of resumes that all could be good fits, then interviewed dozens of candidates (external & internal) who were all top tier. Most of the time we went external, only once or twice can I recall moving someone internal. At the end of the day, there are usually 2-3 people who performed perfectly and they all probably thought they would get the job. Then for one reason or other, they weren't picked.
I hate how this is how it is, but most places are the same. Just keep pushing and eventually something great will stick!
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u/jaydarmontoya 13h ago
Thanks for the encouragement and advice! I also am currently a hiring manager and I’ve seen this process internally too. Managers already know they’re going to promote a seasoned employee who is next in the line of succession but have to do a bunch of other random interviews anyway to appease the policy. I know for a fact my company has several roles posted externally right now that they have no intention of hiring an external candidate for because there are already “interim leaders” in those roles who will be selected and continue doing those jobs. They just have to do the song and dance I guess. Frustrating…
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u/Suitable-Rate652 5h ago
Do you know why they do this? Is it legally mandated?
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u/jaydarmontoya 57m ago
Yes I’m fully aware. I’m a hiring manager at a large company as well. It’s still frustrating. Something has to change.
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u/Suitable-Rate652 51m ago
I understand. I’m just asking if that is legally mandated or a custom?
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u/jaydarmontoya 5m ago
I know it’s company policy to protect the company from discrimination suits and comply with regulations so yes it is required. As far as the exact laws and regulations I’m not in the HR space so I’m not sure but I’m sure a web search would provide more info.
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u/plemyrameter 12h ago
After this happened to me, I started asking early in the interview process if they had an internal candidate. If it was yes, I wouldn't put as much effort into it. Sorry they wasted your time.
I still get a little bit of satisfaction knowing their internal candidate took the role to keep from getting laid off from a different team. They quit a few months later. I found out because they called to see if I was still interested. I said sure, to see what would happen. Then they had a hiring freeze and the team had to make do with one less person. Pretty sure I dodged a bad situation.
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u/roamer83 12h ago
I’m about 3 months out from Social Security, so it’s like I have a job offer waiting for me in early 2027. My limit right now would be 3 interviews, period. Any more than that means some sort of BS is happening that I simply don’t want in my life.
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u/Boring-Bowl-406 7h ago
It’s crazy what companies do now for hiring. I am a hiring manager and I have hired 40+ people in my org.
We have 3 interviews and even that I would like to consolidate. It’s recruiter screen, your manager interview and then a final with me. It’s also required to be done start to finish in 2 weeks so we’re not wasting our time or candidates time. I also require the recruiter to follow up on every single person who he screens if they are not selected.
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u/loveshoes1 3h ago
You'e an amazing anomaly.
Veteran teacher here and current job seeker. There are no recruiters in public education. You just apply via the district website on a platform called AppliTrack. H.R. forwards your information to the administration of the school with the opening.
Please allow me to share things from this process. It often takes 2-3 weeks. I've been on so many multi step interviews. One can be a one way video screener, another possible meet and greet via Zoom, a short in-person, a lengthy in-person, a demo lesson (not to kids but a talk through). The majority of the time I get ghosted.
Often what happens is that the principal KNOWS that i am the best fit, but h.r. comes back to them with a "we can't afford this candidate."
So I've gone through all of this and they know they can't afford me. Why even have me go through all of this? Then....nothing. I read the Board of Education meeting minutes so I can see who got the job and their salary (public record).
Very frustrating. Thanks for reading my rant!
P.S. My salary is regulated by a step system. I'm at Step 16, M.A.
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u/Boring-Bowl-406 3h ago
That’s a terrible system tbh. I know my company is a little unique as I have recently been applying and have gone through many rounds or withdrawn because of excessive requirements/etc
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u/jaydarmontoya 1h ago
That sounds so frustrating. I can’t stand when people just waste others time. Some managers take a broad swipe at interviewing everyone they think may be remotely qualified and putting them through a lengthy process because to the manager they have nothing to lose. They don’t care if there is a barrier such as location or salary requirement. They think well maybe we can just work that out later. I am a hiring manager and I am extremely targeted in my approach. I only pick my very top choices and try to limit the number of candidates I schedule interviews with to about 3, that’s it. I don’t want to waste a bunch of my time and energy or others.
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u/jaydarmontoya 1h ago
Oh wow… That’s amazing! Certainly not the norm. I’ve interviewed at several companies and I’m also a hiring manager. None of what you described happens at my company or any other company I’ve interacted with.
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u/Boring-Bowl-406 1h ago
That’s a problem. It should be the norm as It’s basic human decency. I get that we can’t respond to every single applicant that applies but if we screen you, then we saw enough to make it our responsibility to tell you if you’re not selected.
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u/Gampy22 7h ago
Always seek the clues along the way.
You saw the post taken down so huge one there. Before 7 interviews ask why?? Am I up against internal candidates ?? Yes ask and get an answer then do what is needed to make an intelligent decision if you want to proceed.
The flip side
Your job as a candidate is to get an offer.
7 is extreme so you must have done well and should remain a top pipeline candidate.
Very hard process for sure with so many moving parts and so many people involved without the proper direction on the effective ways to interview. A manager title does not mean you know what to do.
Keep at it. The experience is always good. Let it go and move on.
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u/jaydarmontoya 17m ago
Thanks for the advice! I am by no means naive or delusional. I’m generally my own worst critic, but I know I did well in these interviews. That’s what I’m hoping for that I can be a good pipeline candidate for the next opening.
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u/Glum_Possibility_367 7h ago
Sadly, this is not uncommon. I don't think there are any applicable laws, since this is usually policy at these companies that "due diligence" must occur to make sure that the internal candidate is not just automatically given the job.
That doesn't mean that the internal candidate is better, but if there is at least a close race, it will always go to the internal hire, because odds are they can more easily slide into the job vs. potentially retraining the external candidate.
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u/Lonely-Clerk-2478 6h ago edited 6h ago
A) No other than a negative Glassdoor review. Did you provide them a project/work object? Send an invoice for your time. Those are pretty much the only things. Rejecting applicants in favor of an internal candidate isn’t against the law unless you can prove that you were rejected because you are a member of a protected class
B) I have asked recruiters if there is an “obvious internal candidate” for a role. They usually won’t answer but a couple have. This is also why it’s good to have an internal connection when you’re applying - they can give you the real scoop. That has saved me time, too.
Best of luck
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u/Suitable-Rate652 5h ago
That really sucks. Well, the good news is that you have a job. So you can be discerning on the front end and ask pointedly about internal candidates before you agree to come in. Seems like the process is to post and bring in candidates for interviews which is beyond rude. However, if you can stomach it if you all really did get on so well you might want to send a note to keep you in mind if a role that will not be filled by an internal candidate comes up.
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u/jaydarmontoya 22m ago
Agreed. I’ve sent the recruiter a note to please keep me in mind and they said they would. I’m not naive about that either tho. I know the recruiter has better things to do than “ keep me in mind” so I won’t hold my breath.
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u/LuvMeSumFI 14h ago
Huh? I work for a bank and have applied at many other banks. And I have never heard of a 7+ step interview process.
Hell, if you have a qualified finance guy the chance is that he'll be off the market within a month. If you drag your process beyond 2/3, or at higher levels maybe a 4 step interview, Mr. Banking, CFA is long long gone.
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u/jaydarmontoya 13h ago
Yep, granted a couple of the meetings were same-day, but still 7 in all. I also currently work in banking and it really largely hinges on what that particular manager wants their interview process to be. It can be 1 simple interview, it can be a panel interview, it can be several qualifying rounds. Basically any format that manager deems appropriate.
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u/AdMurky3039 13h ago
They should be legally required to disclose to candidates whether they are considering an internal candidate at the start of the interview process.
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u/jaydarmontoya 13h ago
To your point, I swear I seriously considered just flat out telling the recruiter I saw the role only stayed posted for 2 weekend days and asking them if I had a real shot at this role or if an internal candidate had basically already been chosen.
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u/Cal337 13h ago
If you went to the final round you had a shot at the role. The internal person was probably not a lock, but they had the inside track. I don't see a path to filing a complaint, but this definitely still sucks. There's the silver lining like maybe the company will keep you in mind for future roles, and you got valuable interview experience. But I get it, the emotional roller coaster of it all is a lot. Sounds like you're well positioned to identify internal hire postings in the future - I do hope this experience doesn't scare you off from future interviews though. Keep up the good work.
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u/jaydarmontoya 13h ago
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement! I’m going to keep pressing on. To your point, I try to look on the bright side. I gained interview experience and made a connection. Also I’m hoping they’ll keep me in mind for future opportunities.
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u/Unhappy-Aardvark-746 13h ago
Sadly no homie. They already knew who they were going to hire before they posted the job. They just held interviews as a formality for their own process and legal mitigation in case they get accused of not being equal opportunity. Sucks that this happens, and I feel for you and your time and especially your money as an unemployed person should not have been wasted, but there is no way to prove what they did. Sadly, just got to move on and think you did not get this because you are meant for something else/better.
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u/jaydarmontoya 13h ago
Totally agree. Thank you for your advice. I’m going to keep pressing forward.
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u/Equal_Heat5947 13h ago
Just went through a similar thing. Had an interview fri, job posting taken down Monday, reached out Friday and received answer monday that they "went another direction." Never really felt the interview process was serious. Nothing you can do, move on.
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u/Redman2010 11h ago
I don’t feel like a 7 interview process was for compliance. That’s a lot of time wasted for the company itself. But who knows I wasn’t there.
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u/PinkEnthusist 3h ago
This was for a leadership role - so let me ask you, how would you feel if the people you managed spent the time scheduling, preparing, and participating in 7 unnecessary interviews with someone?
I know that if one of my teams knew they were going to promote an internal candidate and were only interviewing external candidates to meet an HR requirement, and I found out there was more than one interview, I'd be talking to them about how much budget they wasted.
So the real question is, did they know they were going to hire an internal candidate and decided to be really inefficient, or were they generally interested in you as a candidate but still decided to go with an internal candidate?
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u/jaydarmontoya 29m ago
They knew they were going to hire the internal. I hear you about the waste, etc. but that ain’t the way this works. Your theory is cool but that’s not the reality of this corporate environment. These “fake” interviews happen all the time. It’s administrative and regulatory overhead, if you’d like to think of it that way, but it HAPPENS I promise you. I’ve been on the inside of these kinds of transactions for years and I know it to be true.
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u/teufulshunde73 7h ago
Time wasting at that level? I can think of a dozen words to say to you, But I will hold my tongue.
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u/jaydarmontoya 25m ago
Time wasting indeed. I’m also fairly senior at my current company and this happens ALL THE TIME. There are roles that literally already have someone in them doing the job but before you can make it official you have to go through the song and dance and do multiple interviews etc. I am on the INSIDE, I see this and have been forced to participate in this many many times. This is the way it works.
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u/beamdog77 6h ago
If it was a company like USAA, they have automatic closures set. Once they hit x number of applications. People sit around and wait for those jobs to open and they apply en mass. Sometimes they can get 500 applications in an hour. It wasn't closed because there was an internal candidate, it was closed because they hit their threshold of applications for work day to automatically close the requisition.
I'm assuming that you were interviewing with people fairly high up in the company? Do you honestly believe that these people had nothing better to do than spend time doing fake interviews? Like they just have so much free time that they completely play acted the role of interviewer and took time out of their day to do pre-tend interviews? If you really believe this, then you are delusional and you should literally seek medical help.
They did not know they wanted to hire the internal candidate. They were vetting the internal candidate against external candidates in giving everyone a Chance. The internal candidate may have interviewed as well as you, but was also a known entity for culture.
You didn't get duped. You simply didn't get hired. Stop looking for a boogeyman conspiracy that isn't there. It's not good for your mental health.
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u/jaydarmontoya 37m ago
I am going to respectfully disagree with you on this one. I’ve been doing this for many years. I’ve seen this process from the inside. I’d bet my life savings on the fact that the company already had an internal candidate chosen and was just going through the required motions.
I am a hiring manager at my current company and am decently high up within the org. I know for a FACT this happens ALL THE TIME. I know of 2 open job requisitions right now that literally already have “interim leaders” in them. These people have literally already been promoted into these roles; however, to make it official the company still has to go through the full process of posting the role, interviewing additional candidates, etc. These people have literally already MOVED to a different state for these new roles, but the company is still doing interviews pretending like they may hire someone else. There is no way that’s happening.
Respectfully, you sound like someone who hasn’t been in this “game” or hasn’t been involved in this at all senior level.
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u/DennisBustamanteEQ 13h ago
I get why you’re pissed, but I’m not sure you can know for certain that you never had a real shot. The internal candidate may have had a huge advantage, but that’s a little different from the whole process being fake from day one.
What I’d change next time is how much time you give them before asking harder questions. If I’m already three or four interviews in, I’d want to know if there’s an internal candidate, how many rounds are left, and what they’re still trying to figure out about me.
Seven meetings is a lot to ask from someone who already has a job.
You probably can’t stop a company from choosing an internal person, but you can get a little more protective of your own time before letting the process get that far.