I applied online. I interviewed at Co-op (London, England) in Jul 2021
Interview
Had to jump through Hoop after Hoop after Hoop, only to eventually be interviewed by three people who clearly had extremely limited interview experience. They worked from a script and asked one question each, (and to be honest none of them had the necessary experience to be the 'final decision' for the role being recruited - Sorry, but true!)
I later found out, (as they make a big thing about openness etc when they sent me interview feedback) I failed the interview because - A). the interview lasted too long. B). I gave too much information. C). When describing when I had cause to previously discipline someone I used the pronoun 'he'.
In reply..., an interviewee can hardly be responsible for determining the length of an interview - nor should they be penalised for providing in depth answers. And with regard to being 'failed' for referring to a past employee as being a 'he'...., (when they obviously were) is political correctness gone completely mad.
They suggested I should have used the term 'staff member' and to use the term, 'he' was somehow inappropriate.
They praised every other aspect of my interview; my experience, my manner, my attention to detail, my presentation, (thorough well presented, well thought out.., etc etc) but my 'use' of the male pronoun deemed me unsuitable!
The Coop was founded on good ideals 'BUT' I fear the current climate encourages some , to push the 'inclusive agenda' to the extent it is anything but inclusive.
As a middle aged male, (who doesn't tick enough boxes) my application was a waste of time.
Though, saying that...., I do feel I dodged a bullet!
Thanks for your feedback and we're sorry you've received a poor recruitment experience. We do use structured interviews to ensure fairness and consistency in the scoring. Did you feedback to the colleague managing your application?