CEO slammed for ‘rude’ comment to UAE jobseeker

DUBAI – The CEO of a catering company in the UAE was criticized on social media after posting his personal WhatsApp conversation with a jobseeker. The jobseeker had contacted A.A. (full name withheld) and asked if he could be interviewed through Skype since he lived in Sharjah. “I don’t want to waste your time either mine. So if it’s possible you can take my interview on Skype ,” the jobseeker said. This appeared to have put off A.A. who replied, “Don’t come, and I don’t need you.” He also captioned his public post with the message, “I don’t believe in someone excuses more than solutions”.

The post on Saturday (October 12) has since gotten more than 100 reactions and 58 comments from LinkedIn users, many of whom disagreed with how the CEO responded to the situation. “He proposed a solution and you just rejected it with a rude response. Wow, what a ‘CEO’,” commented Julius Maraya, a marketing specialist. Two others also criticized the CEO for his “unprofessional” response. “Extremely unprofessional of you to respond that way to him and to post your private conversation with him to the public. You could have easily said that you can’t conduct Skype interviews and in person interview is the only way to do it,” said Nadine Naji, a fashion retail professional. Mohammed Hamidoun, a front office manager, opined: “You have a serious problem of communication, not obviously professional and the answer shows that you have no respect people.” Many pointed out that the candidate was only being “honest” with his situation and had tried to present a solution nonetheless. “Maybe you lost the best candidate ever because he was ‘honest’ with the situation and you took the decision without knowing his ongoing situation,” said Naushad Rahman, an assistant HR manager. “I think the candidate has a very valid point, where a video interview helps having your list shorter and saves a lot of time for both candidate and employer,” said Omar A., a manager at Adnoc Group. “He gave you a solution. He said the problem was waste of time and the solution to that was Skype. You didn’t see the solution. You only focused on the problem,” said Maithili Rao, Assistant HR Manager. Others, however, defended A.A.’s action, and said the jobseeker’s request was a point against his work ethics. “You are right. If people really want something they can find a solution,” Dila Matkarimova commented on A.A.’s post. “If he couldn’t make it to the interview, his attendance would be a genuine concern if he is hired,” said Laila Saad. “The UAE is known to have favourable transportation means; this is not an excuse,” said Ali Jaber, a marketing executive. PIA/Expat 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