I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Deverell Smith
Interview
It's been a while I had the opportunity to speak with Suzanne regarding a potential position, and I would like to share some professional feedback on my experience.
Based on Suzanne’s LinkedIn profile, it appears she has several years of experience in recruitment. With that background, I expected candidate engagement to reflect a consistently high standard of professionalism throughout the process.
However, certain aspects of our interaction were surprising. In particular, I was asked about the origin of my accent and where I live. Such questions are not relevant to a professional assessment of suitability for a role and could reasonably be perceived as inappropriate in a recruitment context.
I was also concerned by the structure of the process. After an initial telephone conversation covering key aspects of the role and my background, I was invited to participate in a subsequent video call that revisited essentially the same points. As this second discussion covered matters we had already addressed, it felt repetitive and, ultimately, a poor use of both my time and, potentially, the hiring team’s time. In a competitive job market, and for the benefit of both candidates and clients, recruitment conversations should be efficient and clearly differentiated in purpose.
Following our discussions, I was informed that my details would be passed on to the hiring team and that Suzanne was impressed with my experience. However, despite following up to enquire about next steps, I have not received any response or update. In the current job market, I believe it is the minimum standard of professional courtesy to communicate whether a candidate’s application will progress, rather than leaving them without closure.
I share this feedback constructively, with the intention of contributing to an improved candidate experience and greater clarity in engagement going forward.
I applied online. I interviewed at Deverell Smith (London, England) in Nov 2023
Interview
It was formal and straight to the point. The recruiter was very accommodating, answered all of my questions and provided the overview of the role. Overall good and helpful experience.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why are you passionate about the industry you have applied for.
Quick 1 stage interview process. Interview involved making a few phone calls pretending to be member of the recruitment team which was straightforward. Would recommend doing your research on company.