Interviewing Ethics

[Cosmo]

I'm a junior in college and today I had the great fortune to land an internship in my field of study at a company I'm very excited about. Informing me of the good news via phone, the company representative indicated that I must decide by March 9th whether or not I'm taking the job. At this point, I have every intention to do so.

I just got off the phone with my mother, who was also very happy to hear the news. However, she suggested, even after March 9th and right until my job begins, that I continue to accept and schedule interviews with other companies as "it'll give you more interviewing practice". I cannot deny that more interviewing practice is a good thing, but doing so appears to me to be unethical.

If I schedule an interview with a company, there is a possibility that they will extend me a job offer. If that should occur, there exists a very real possibility that another qualified student may be denied the position that was instead offered to me, even though I have no intention of taking the job. I said as much to my mother, but she replied that I "need to learn how to play the game".

Is it ethical, then, to accept an interview for a job which I have no intention of pursuing?

 

[Marquis de Carabas]

If they offer you the job, the anonymous "other qualified student" can still get the job, since I presume you will turn down the offer. What's the problem?

 

[Cosmo]

If they offer you the job, the anonymous "other qualified student" can still get the job, since I presume you will turn down the offer. What's the problem?

I don't think it's necessarily true that all companies keep a "wait list" of secondary job candidates. I can see this happening at some larger companies with better-developed internship programs, but I really don't think one can assume that the other student would be offered the job should I decline.

 

[Dogdoctor]

I guess it depends on if you want to use "me too" ethics. How to play the game? I guess it depends on if you value the game or see it as what is wrong with the world. If you think the game has an important value then it's ok for "me too." If it is a counterproductive game as most of that type of thing are from my perspective and only good for the person playing it then it would be unethical. I don't really see what harm may come from applying for a job other than wasting the time of the employer which should be a consideration. You could always say you have another job offer which you think you will take but want to apply for the experience of applying to the interviewers and let them kick you out or accept your interview. Who knows you may get a better offer?

 

[Cosmo]

Makes sense, Dogdoctor.

Here's another issue I failed to mention: by accepting and scheduling an interview, I feel it's reasonable to say that I imply that I am interested in the job and the company.

By having an interview after having already accepted another job, I would be openly lying to the interviewer when I said I was interested enough in their company to accept an interview.

Moreover, If I said

You could always say you have another job offer which you think you will take but want to apply for the experience of applying to the interviewers and let them kick you out or accept your interview.

...what kind of company would want to go ahead with the interview regardless?

 

[Dogdoctor]

...what kind of company would want to go ahead with the interview regardless?

You never know. I wouldn't assume they won't allow you to apply.

 

[cpolk]

If you are certain that you have a job "in the bag", I see no reason to apply for any further jobs. It would be pointless - literally. You have no intention of "selling yourself" to these employees, so what would you learn from the process? I'd say, tell your sweet mother that you are going to focus on preparing for your new job.

 

[TragicMonkey]

Go to the interview. You might not want the job now, but maybe once you interview you will learn something that changes your mind. "Of course you'll have your own office, and a company car" or "Naturally the figure we quoted for the salary was per month, not per year" or "you'll be working closely with five very sexy people, I hope you don't mind" or "and after a year, you will be in the running for a big promotion."

I've been to interviews where I walked in certain I'd never take the job, and left wanting it very much. (I've been to others where I walked in wanting the job and left at a run, desperate to wash the stench of their crapitude off me.)

 

[Dogdoctor]

Go to the interview. You might not want the job now, but maybe once you interview you will learn something that changes your mind. "Of course you'll have your own office, and a company car" or "Naturally the figure we quoted for the salary was per month, not per year" or "you'll be working closely with five very sexy people, I hope you don't mind" or "and after a year, you will be in the running for a big promotion."

I've been to interviews where I walked in certain I'd never take the job, and left wanting it very much. (I've been to others where I walked in wanting the job and left at a run, desperate to wash the stench of their crapitude off me.)

Yeah theres that too. How convinced are you that you don't want another job?

 

[roger]

If you have no intention in considering the job you are applying for, you shouldn't apply. Why? Glad you asked. Interviewing takes up a lot of time on the part of the interviewers - not just the time it takes to talk to you, but time to read your resume beforehand, time to write up the result of the interview afterwards, and time to discuss it with the other interviewers. Depending on the # of people who are interviewing you, and their billing rate, your little practice interview could cost the company several hundred dollars. Do you really feel comfortable taking say $500 from a company under false pretenses? If so, may I recommend a career in armed robbery? The pay is irregular, but the hours are great!

 

[Cosmo]

Yeah theres that too. How convinced are you that you don't want another job?

I'm not completely convinced; all I have is my experience with them so far. They spent nearly a thousand dollars to fly me out to their campus and put me in a hotel for a night, then bought me lunch and interviewed me the next day. I was suitably impressed with the whole deal; though that's probably what they were aiming for.

 

[JamesDillon]

It is absolutely unethical. But that's not necessarily a reason not to do it. If the company whose job offer you've accepted were to find out about it, though, they would be quite understandably upset.

 

[Dogdoctor]

I'm not completely convinced; all I have is my experience with them so far. They spent nearly a thousand dollars to fly me out to their campus and put me in a hotel for a night, then bought me lunch and interviewed me the next day. I was suitably impressed with the whole deal; though that's probably what they were aiming for.

In my mind then you could apply for other jobs without being unethical as long as there is a chance you might work there.

 

[Dark Jaguar]

I see it as totally pointless to waste an interviewer's time with an interview if you have no intention at all of actually taking the job. It is basically a prank.

If however you were in a situation where you were not certain you were going to get the job, then going out on interviews is something you should do as a security measure.

From the situation you have described, just tell your mother that those interviewers are interested in actually hiring people, not teaching you how to conduct yourself in an interview, and playing around with them like that would not be appreciated and might actually hurt chances of being hired in the future should your current job situation be lost.

Going on interviews is for when you WANT to get a job at a company. I'm not sure why she would think it is useful at any other time.

 

[Complexity]

Is it ethical, then, to accept an interview for a job which I have no intention of pursuing?

No, I don't think it is ethical.

How would you feel if you were invited to interview for a position that doesn't exist, just because someone in the company wanted to practice his interviewing skills (or have fun messing with your head)?

 

[EricGu]

I don't think it's ethical.

But, my current job came from an interview after I had committed (but not gotten an official offer) from another company, and I'm really happy that I went to the second interview.

So, I would encourage you to interview up to the deadline but not go beyond it.

 

[Smart_Cookie]

Cosmo

Since you still have time before you must give a final answer (March 9th), why not try for interviews only with companies that you'd really, really want to work for?

You don't know, you might find another company would have an even better job to offer, that you'd otherwise miss out on.

While the point about wasting the interviewers' time is valid, it's still ultimately your long-term career at stake.

I was in that position 8 years ago. I had already accepted one job offer when another company called offering an interview. I went, and got offered a job that same day - for twice the money. I contacted the first company and turned them down. No regrets on that score either - I don't think the first company is even still in business.

 

[roger]

In my mind then you could apply for other jobs without being unethical as long as there is a chance you might work there.

But he accepted. As someone who has had this happen to him, it really sucks to inform all of your other applicants that you are turning them down because someone accepted the job, and then hear from the person a few weeks later that they changed their mind. Now you have to restart the interview process, and you may no longer have the cushion of time to find another person (we do contracts work, and you kind of have to friggin start when the contract says to start). Unethical, unethical, unethical.

But then I have this odd notion that you should keep your word, and not screw over other people at a whim. Odd, that, I know.

 

[roger]

While the point about wasting the interviewers' time is valid, it's still ultimately your long-term career at stake.

It's my retirement fund at stake, so don't feel bad when I hold you up at gunpoint for $1000.

 

[Kopji]

Hi Cosmo,
I don't work full time in HR, but I have interviewed many candidates including several interns. Each company has its own culture and might view your situation a little differently. Ethics are not always black and white, but they are guided by principles and informed by the experience of living.

I'm a junior in college and today I had the great fortune to land an internship in my field of study at a company I'm very excited about. Informing me of the good news via phone, the company representative indicated that I must decide by March 9th whether or not I'm taking the job. At this point, I have every intention to do so.

There is absolutely nothing unethical about looking at other offers until March 9th. This may be an excellent point to investigate and interview the company more. How do they view this relationship? Show some interest in their culture. Be curious about them. They'll dig it.

I just got off the phone with my mother, who was also very happy to hear the news. However, she suggested, even after March 9th and right until my job begins, that I continue to accept and schedule interviews with other companies as "it'll give you more interviewing practice". I cannot deny that more interviewing practice is a good thing, but doing so appears to me to be unethical.

1: You may be signing a contract on March 9th that legally obligates you to the internship relationship with this company. Also, the internship may have been offered as part of a relationship the company has with your college.
Do not confuse an intern position with a long term career position.

2: IMHO interview practice is overrated. Being a good company means you know how to hire good people. A hallmark of a badly run company is that they also hire the wrong people. I could hold up the ex CEO of Radio Shack this week a a prime example of this.

3: The company may see a decision to look at other offers as lack of focus and self discipline rather than 'gaining experience'. We do not really expect a junior in college to have a highly developed sense of ethics, but we might very well expect to see goal orientation and focus in their life.

If I schedule an interview with a company, there is a possibility that they will extend me a job offer. If that should occur, there exists a very real possibility that another qualified student may be denied the position that was instead offered to me, even though I have no intention of taking the job. I said as much to my mother, but she replied that I "need to learn how to play the game".

The 'game risk' is really with the company, not you. They may be counting on having an intern and if you cancel out there may not be a large enough intern pool to choose from. This is why I mentioned your college relationship earlier. If the college gains a reputation of offering candidates who can't be counted on, that eventually reflects poorly on the school. If it got bad enough a company may just say "thanks but no thanks" to the college.

Part of thinking ethically is looking at something from several points of view.

Thinking of yourself as a business of one person might be one such view. You are in a sense, competing with other 'one person businesses' for a contract. Be ethical, but also don't worry so much about the success or failure of the others - they are ultimately responsible for how they conduct their business. You can be both ethical and competitive.

Finish college!

Ethical actions are informed and guided by principles.

Duplicity leads to unethical decisions. You being upfront and honest about your intentions could turn this either way.

Is it ethical, then, to accept an interview for a job which I have no intention of pursuing?

This is kind of an odd question, it contains a misconception. The interviewing company is also marketing themselves to you. So if you say "no" before they get started, but would also be willing to be interviewed... they might interpret this not so much as bad ethics, but a lack of focus or self discipline.




Let honesty inform your decisions and actions. If you are being duplicitous you are probably also being unethical.