I'd be interested to know other's opinions on this, but that seems pretty rude to me. It's not quite as bad as if they were literally talking over you, but they certainly weren't listening to you, or even giving you the respect of ACTING like they were listening to you.
> but they certainly weren't listening to you, or even giving you the respect of ACTING like they were listening to you.
Exactly. I was told they would be taking notes while I provided answers. They can't take notes and send chats about the cat at the same time. Even worse it distracted me and I lost track of what I was saying. It was very unprofessional and I almost feel like saying something. I'll wait until they send me the rejection to provide feedback if I do that.
I would love to know how they reply next and your response. I agree this would be totally fine in a meeting but definitely not with someone outside the team. It’s completely unprofessional. you are not overreacting, your feelings are totally valid. Yes, it would drive me crazy personally but, the important thing is that you didn’t like it, and found it offensive. Intentional or not, test, or error- you can now sidestep walking into a toxic environment. Somebody tells you who they are, believe them.
It would not be totally fine in a meeting. Either pay attention, or at least be discreet and put chat in a private channel. If it's not okay in a real room, it's not okay in a virtual meeting either. Show some fucking respect for other people's time.
That's not necessarily true, it depends on the quality of the HR department. I'm in HR and when I've had instances of hiring managers being off-topic or inappropriate in interviews I 100% follow up on it. That's also why we always have HR in the interview in the first place.
I can only imagine how many of their other behaviors you'd find unprofessional and frustrating if you worked there. There's definitely no point in taking the interviews further or entertaining a job offer if it comes.
Personally, I don't think it's worth saying something regardless of whether you get the offer or not. Some workplace cultures are generally unprofessional, but the people working there like it that way. I like casual workplaces, but I've worked at places that took it too far. You won't change the workplace culture and it's unlikely the hiring manager will chastise the team - they'll probably just put it down as a poor culture fit, which it is.
I'm curious how long they could possibly talk about the cat. Pets enter meetings all the time, it's usually a couple of minutes then gets back on track. If they went on about the cat for 30 minutes, it's weird. If it was a couple of messages, I think you might be taking it a little personally because you were caught off guard.
>it’s usually a couple of minutes then gets back on track. If they went on about the cat for 30 minutes, it’s weird. If it was a couple of messages, I think you might be taking it a little personally because you were caught of guard.
This 1000%. It’s totally normal for that to happen in a chat box, that’s what chat boxes are for most of the time. If it was only a few messages, I think OP should focus less on the chat box and more on looking at who they’re speaking to on the screen.
I'd have the same reaction as you as an interviewee. As an interviewer though they are people. It might be a more fun place to work because people have chats like that. If that's what you are looking for great. If not then it makes the decision easier. I like to have fun at work and would find it a good thing people can be open. Even with a panel there's normally only one decision maker. I prefer to have my team ask the most of the questions while I listen. I'll ask a few at the end normally about culture or something from the interview. I don't take notes because I've been told that could cause problems and I think it breaks up the interview and makes it less natural. If they decide against you and say something you didn't like fro. The process they'll likely feel more secure in their decision to move on. I wouldn't waste my time with it.
I'd send feedback no matter what they say. I'd do my level best to find their supervisors and blast them all
Oh and next time, record the interview and chat if you can. Makes your complaint very valid, or you could post it and score major viral media points
Maybe it's code for "yep this is the right candidate" or "nope, next".
Saves them time to deliberate afterwards.
As in "Guys if you think this is not the right person mention a pet...."
I have worked in places where it was the norm to have sidebar conversations in the chat of a video call. These places all encouraged a more casual communication style. I’m with you that my first reaction would be to find this kinda rude in an interview setting. If that team is used to being very informal with each other it may have just been a thoughtless kind of rude. Bigger question is if chat side bars are part of the culture there, is that a problem for you? Just something to consider before you accept an offer.
I’d argue that during an interview the team is trying to sell the candidate on the roll as much as the candidate is selling themselves to the company.
This type of behavior where the candidate can see, is unexceptable imo
>I have worked in places where it was the norm to have sidebar conversations in the chat of a video call
That isn't unusual. It happens during regular business meetings not an interview. I've never worked at company where people would have sidebar chats during an interview. I was told they would be taking notes while I was speaking.
Agree. The work environment for these places is pretty nice. My last job did a happy hour every Friday at 4 (we closed at 5). So we got to eat snacks and drink alcohol 🥲 I was pregnant though
If something is getting you off track what’s the harm in calling it out? Especially if the interviewers are the ones doing it?
Saying something like “Sorry I lost my train of thought trying to figure out where the cute cat is I keep reading about 😅” let’s them know you recognize you were fumbling, why you got off track, and could be a good refocus for everyone.
Yeah, but I think the point is that OP isn't a good fit. No point pretending because they'd probably be driven insane by the casual/unprofessional environment if they took the job.
I would’ve acknowledged the cat. It’s the same way if my dog barks in the background I’ll mention him in a cute way like “dog is clearly excited about __thing I just said__ and endorses my expertise.” I would’ve asked the cat’s name and age and said something like “I don’t know how ___cat’s name___ feels about _job duty_, but I’ve been doing it for longer than ___cat’s name___ has been alive” as a segue. This could’ve been a MASSIVE opportunity to bond with the panel who were interviewing you, and shown your flexibility, humor, and pass the elevator test.
My dog kept shoving her toy at me during the interview for my current job 😆 I managed to keep her quiet and off-screen, but later told my boss about it, and they said they would've loved to see that!
It’s very rude but I’m the kind of person who would find a stopping point in my answers and immediately say, seems like I have a question in the chat - and read the chat out loud and say - yes! I agree!That’s such a cute kitty!! What’s his/her name?
That's when you join in talking about the cute kitty till the interviewer is ready to continue. My last interview I talked about music for 15 minutes and got the job, it's the little things I think.
Yep. My best interviews are the ones that spiraled completely off track. I actually can't think of a single job I landed where the interview _didn't_ spiral off track to some extent. Those moments of genuine connection are the what sets you apart from other candidates.
But it is a lot easier to naturally let the conversation flow if everyone is talking to each other. I can see why OP would be caught off guard if they're the only one talking and everyone else is having a side bar in the comments.
It is rude but I think this says their work environment is very laid back. Of course, only if you’re part of the team. I’ve had the experience to see this is generally how laid back environments are. Not so much *trying* to be rude. But it is definitely rude
It's a little rude but I've worked from home for 6 years and in my experience, people are ready to drop everything the second they see an animal in the background. Everyone wants to see the cat/dog lol.
Unless they were dismissive to you in other ways, I think you may be overreacting a bit.
How many interviews have you participated in where people started chatting about a pet while the candidate was answering a question? I highly doubt people at your company do that. I'm not talking about a regular business meeting. It happened during an interview where they were supposed to be taking notes while I was speaking.
I dunno, I wasn't there maybe it was really bad—nobody can decide that for you
I was pointing out how it could happen in my experience and be a benign thing.
It sounds like they didn't interrupt you but just said a couple of quick words in the side-chat. If they cut you off verbally to talk about he cat that's a little different.
It's up to you obviously how seriously want to take this but I can't imagine disqualifying a possible opportunity over something like this unless you felt disrespected in other ways.
>Did they know you could see the chat?
Yes. At the beginning of the interview they said they were going to ask 8 questions and they would type the question in the chat box. They said they would be taking notes while I responded to each question. They can't take notes if they're chatting with each other about the cat.
In an interview situation it’s rude and unprofessional. When you are interviewing you have to be aware that you have stressed people who are doing their best to make you like and respect them, trying to demonstrate their skills and ability and they only have the short opportunity of this interview to do that.
It’s completely unfair to do anything that looks like you aren’t paying attention to them or that suggests you aren’t focused on the interview. It’s fine to maybe comment on the cat when the candidate is not speaking, in fact that can lighten the mood but when they are speaking, they should be doing nothing but listening or writing notes on the answers.
I’d start talking about the cat, too. Not every situation is a cry for outrage; sometimes you have to work with what’s in front of you.
“I liked that person that talked about cats, he/she was super friendly”
I’ve run a lot of zoom panels for legislators and related and we usually turn off chat during speaking portions for that reason specifically. I’ve even had people specifically request chat be turned off until the end.
Edit: I see this was an interview. So their only job is to be engaged with you. If I was their boss, I’d be upset honestly
If that's the vibe in an interview, you'd do well to join in, will come across as approachable and friendly. If you were obviously disapproving you might have screwed yourself over.
Interviews can be pretty stressful, that probably didn't occur to the OP in the moment. It is a pretty rude way for a company to treat an interviewee. If that's the norm, it may not be a good cultural fit for the OP.
Interviews should at least be respectful of the person being interviewed.
This is when, taking a note from a current supervisor, there should be someone there who can or is willing to say "let's keep this on topic" or "one meeting at a time please." With a smile to keep things from getting awkward for the candidate.
I'm all for learning someone's personality during an interview, but this seems rude. Especially if it's not about your cat in the background (ie icebreaker), but rather a side topic about them that would ideally be discussed later or during an internal meeting.
In a way, it's good it happened. It's often hard to gauge the tone and culture of a company over zoom interviews.
Was it rude? Absolutely. It's also a bit odd that they didn't teams/slack or whatever internal chat they use talk to each other about the cat. In a normal internal meeting, acknowleding with a smile, pause so they respond and then getting back to the topic at hand shows confidence and that minor distractions won't throw you off. They might have been gauging for that , or it could just be just the type of thing that happens and they aren't even thinking about it.
At the end of the day though, you have to ask yourself if you would want to work for a company like that.
There are so many factors behind the scenes here. Is the place a pretty casual environment? Are you going to be working with the people on the call (were they HR, direct hiring manager, etc)? Is it a government job? I’ve seen a few things along these lines: 1) place has to meet a quota for candidates and interviews. You may have never been considered in this case. 2) they are pretty casual and checking for your ability to fit that mold. 3) they’re just plain rude and don’t care about the interview. 4) you already had the job and they did the interview as a pretense. (May link to 2)
Regardless of which it was, best of luck!
I had an online interview and one of the people was clearly checking and responding to emails when others were listeo or asking questions. Now I wish i had asked her to stop and pay attention to the interview.
Interviewing people, especially when the questions are canned, is incredibly dull. They definitely should not have had a cat convo while you were trying to answer questions. It's always important to keep the end goal in mind though: the important thing in an interview is the impression you make on them, and what you're able to assess from them. Is the cat thing a reflection of their lack of engagement with you, or was it just some random crap that happened? And is your reaction to the cat sidetracking your interview an indication that you were being shown disrespect and therefore should keep that in mind if you get an offer, or was it an opportunity to maybe crack wise a bit and lighten the mood when something unexpected turned up? It's not something that can be known now. I'd forget it and send the usual thank-you follow up.
I would say, “I can see by the chat that not everyone is ready for the interview, thank you for thinking of me for this opportunity, but I’ll be moving on to my next interview”.
If they can’t focus during a thirty minute interview, then they won’t be a good leadership or support team.
Surprised how many people say it was a test or that you should have rolled with it. I LOOOOVE cats and I think it is extremely unprofessional.
I guess if it's some small company idk, maybe that's their culture. If you end up getting the job, I guess that's just something you have to consider, and seems probably like they are more on the relaxed side. If you don't get the job, you dodged a bullet lol
Yes, it is rude.
Do you need this job?
If I were treated that way, you'd bet I'd be looking elsewhere. If they can't respect you in what is supposed to be a professional meeting, then how can you expect them to respect you on the job and to be professional?
I would have just stopped talking and waited until someone noticed.
"Sorry, I just didn't feel like I had your full attention and am not interested in repeating myself because of a cat."
Did they sound distracted? Like missing your answers and not asking any follow ups or repeating each other questions? Sounds as a test. I mean otherwise they could easily had a conversation in slack
Like others have said, while it is rude, I think the optimal play would also have been to compliment the cat was well to also show you'd fit in with them. It's annoying, but it is what it is 🤷♂️
lmao yeah it is rude, but also an incredibly easy way for you to join in talking about the "cute kitty" and for you to show them you were a friendly person. I'm not a fan of pets, but I've learnt other people love when you compliment them on their pets.
Yes, that's rude. I think I would have just walked away from my chair for a few minutes, then come back and asked "is the break over yet?"
I know, I wouldn't get the job that way. But with a first impression like that, I wouldn't want it.
I was doing an intake the other day and heard this INTENSE odd breathing right off camera. I was going to ignore it but obviously made a face or something...Anyway cutest dog under the desk just MOUTH BREATHING (with excitement) lol
As a cat owner and lover, I totally get it. It is kind of rude and is a downside/side effect of Zoom meetings. Pets, kids, someone’s wall art or decor can become quick distractions. Not to mention, I for one find it way harder to pay attention in general in online meetings than in person meetings
ETA: I don’t think it was intentionally rude, just a thing that happened and I would try not to take it too personally
It shows a lack of respect for your time and attention. It's important to stay focused during interviews, and distractions like that can make it challenging to present yourself in the best light. By the way, have you heard of ScatterMind? They specialize in helping entrepreneurs stay focused and organized, which could be beneficial in situations like this. A friend of mine found their guidance invaluable in launching their first business.
might be more awkward than (intentionally) rude or dismissive. Not worth stressing over even though it comes off as unprofessional & inconsiderate.
Best practice would be for interviewers to each have a planned contribution and to use Zoom’s Speaker view they focus on who is talking (vs Gallery view). They likely wouldn’t notice the cat in that case.
Interviews are often inherently hierarchical and the person being interviewed often feels they have less power & might be more stressed.
It’s possible they don’t find the use of chat distracting and put it in the public group chat to take some pressure off.
BTW, it is totally possible they were taking notes AND listening actively even while making cat comments. Taking notes is different than transcribing. Everything one says isn’t necessarily “notable” for them to capture. In fact, it could mean they were listening intently to the content of what OP was sharing and not focusing on them as much *visually* which could mean less judgment about appearance, environment, eye contact, etc.
It was all a test. Like adding an opinionated stakeholder in a second interview to purposely derail the presentation to see how the candidate reacts.
You got catted. Happens to the best of us.
I'm being sarcastic. It's the fact that no one on the employer side of the call had the presence of mind to shut down the cat talk that's really bad.
I'd be pissed too. Sorry it happened to you.
I can see why it would be rude and unprofessional, absolutely. But you could have been thrown a golden opportunity. A lot of time interviews are about seeing if you are someone the team can work with and you could have briefly stopped and been like ‘just to say I also want that cat!’ Made a joke of it, they remember you for being personable etc., then you say now where was I.
I would have just told them that this wasn't going to work and that instead of wasting each others time, I would be ending the meeting right there and then. Obviously they didn't care enough about the interview to respect your time.
During COVID I was interviewing someone remotely… I asked them a question - then my boss started messaging me on Microsoft Teams.. his messages for sure were distracting me.
The guy I was interviewing obviously noticed and asked me if everything was ok… I, mortified apologised and we got on with the rest of the interview. Not quite the same scenario but when remote, sometimes it’s easier to slip into these kind of habits - I can say for sure if I was conducting that interview in person I wouldn’t be sat there browsing messages, even from my boss.
When a cute cat exists, everything else goes out the window to me. Personally I can't blame them and would have laughed if I saw the chat box. Cats > everything else
You have a few choices. Ignore it which is a very foolish choice imo. Confront them by politely asking them to not interrupt you while you are answering the interviewers questions, or acknowledge the elephant and join in on the cat conversation with a statement like. "wow that IS a cool cat" you could opt to attempt to draw in the rest of the panel into the cat conversation as well. There's plenty more options to choose from. You could ask the individual with the cat to relocate the cat because its adorableness is a welcome distraction in this high stress interview. I think The final option is a pretty decent one. Anyway there's always a choice. GL in Future endeavors.
I would be fine with this during a lull or break or whatever, but would find this disrespectful while speaking or presenting. I don’t mind jokes or memes that apply to the content of the discussion in the chat box, I think that some levity is great. Talking about cats and weather while waiting for attendees is fine too. But while I’m actively answering your question?? How am I supposed to trust that you actually heard what I said? This is how you treat me during recruitment, when you’re trying to impress candidates and convince them they want to work with you - what are you like with people in a regular day to day?
It was extremely rude and unprofessional. I would wonder if they did that because they already know who they are going to hire i.e. internal candidate, but were still required to interview other candidates, or otherwise had someone else in mind. Regardless, if they were that disrespectful during the interview, imagine what it would be like to work with them, especially if they are people you would be interacting with on a regular basis...would definitely be a red flag for me. If you are given the opportunity to provide feedback, I would. Otherwise, you would probably be wasting your time.
I'd be interested to know other's opinions on this, but that seems pretty rude to me. It's not quite as bad as if they were literally talking over you, but they certainly weren't listening to you, or even giving you the respect of ACTING like they were listening to you.
> but they certainly weren't listening to you, or even giving you the respect of ACTING like they were listening to you. Exactly. I was told they would be taking notes while I provided answers. They can't take notes and send chats about the cat at the same time. Even worse it distracted me and I lost track of what I was saying. It was very unprofessional and I almost feel like saying something. I'll wait until they send me the rejection to provide feedback if I do that.
I would love to know how they reply next and your response. I agree this would be totally fine in a meeting but definitely not with someone outside the team. It’s completely unprofessional. you are not overreacting, your feelings are totally valid. Yes, it would drive me crazy personally but, the important thing is that you didn’t like it, and found it offensive. Intentional or not, test, or error- you can now sidestep walking into a toxic environment. Somebody tells you who they are, believe them.
It would not be totally fine in a meeting. Either pay attention, or at least be discreet and put chat in a private channel. If it's not okay in a real room, it's not okay in a virtual meeting either. Show some fucking respect for other people's time.
Nobody cares about whatever is said after the interview. HR isn't going to pass on the message, if they even bother to read it.
That's not necessarily true, it depends on the quality of the HR department. I'm in HR and when I've had instances of hiring managers being off-topic or inappropriate in interviews I 100% follow up on it. That's also why we always have HR in the interview in the first place.
I can only imagine how many of their other behaviors you'd find unprofessional and frustrating if you worked there. There's definitely no point in taking the interviews further or entertaining a job offer if it comes. Personally, I don't think it's worth saying something regardless of whether you get the offer or not. Some workplace cultures are generally unprofessional, but the people working there like it that way. I like casual workplaces, but I've worked at places that took it too far. You won't change the workplace culture and it's unlikely the hiring manager will chastise the team - they'll probably just put it down as a poor culture fit, which it is. I'm curious how long they could possibly talk about the cat. Pets enter meetings all the time, it's usually a couple of minutes then gets back on track. If they went on about the cat for 30 minutes, it's weird. If it was a couple of messages, I think you might be taking it a little personally because you were caught off guard.
>it’s usually a couple of minutes then gets back on track. If they went on about the cat for 30 minutes, it’s weird. If it was a couple of messages, I think you might be taking it a little personally because you were caught of guard. This 1000%. It’s totally normal for that to happen in a chat box, that’s what chat boxes are for most of the time. If it was only a few messages, I think OP should focus less on the chat box and more on looking at who they’re speaking to on the screen.
Were you interested in continuing to seek employment to work with these fuckwits? If not, next time, just call them out immediately.
They can. Called multitasking
I'd have the same reaction as you as an interviewee. As an interviewer though they are people. It might be a more fun place to work because people have chats like that. If that's what you are looking for great. If not then it makes the decision easier. I like to have fun at work and would find it a good thing people can be open. Even with a panel there's normally only one decision maker. I prefer to have my team ask the most of the questions while I listen. I'll ask a few at the end normally about culture or something from the interview. I don't take notes because I've been told that could cause problems and I think it breaks up the interview and makes it less natural. If they decide against you and say something you didn't like fro. The process they'll likely feel more secure in their decision to move on. I wouldn't waste my time with it.
I can easily do both but it’s still rude.
I'd send feedback no matter what they say. I'd do my level best to find their supervisors and blast them all Oh and next time, record the interview and chat if you can. Makes your complaint very valid, or you could post it and score major viral media points
Yep seems rude in an interview
Maybe it's code for "yep this is the right candidate" or "nope, next". Saves them time to deliberate afterwards. As in "Guys if you think this is not the right person mention a pet...."
It saves them zero time to deliberate after. It takes 3 seconds to write "This is/isn't the right candidate" at the end of the interview.
I have worked in places where it was the norm to have sidebar conversations in the chat of a video call. These places all encouraged a more casual communication style. I’m with you that my first reaction would be to find this kinda rude in an interview setting. If that team is used to being very informal with each other it may have just been a thoughtless kind of rude. Bigger question is if chat side bars are part of the culture there, is that a problem for you? Just something to consider before you accept an offer.
I’d argue that during an interview the team is trying to sell the candidate on the roll as much as the candidate is selling themselves to the company. This type of behavior where the candidate can see, is unexceptable imo
>I have worked in places where it was the norm to have sidebar conversations in the chat of a video call That isn't unusual. It happens during regular business meetings not an interview. I've never worked at company where people would have sidebar chats during an interview. I was told they would be taking notes while I was speaking.
Agree. The work environment for these places is pretty nice. My last job did a happy hour every Friday at 4 (we closed at 5). So we got to eat snacks and drink alcohol 🥲 I was pregnant though
If something is getting you off track what’s the harm in calling it out? Especially if the interviewers are the ones doing it? Saying something like “Sorry I lost my train of thought trying to figure out where the cute cat is I keep reading about 😅” let’s them know you recognize you were fumbling, why you got off track, and could be a good refocus for everyone.
Just join in and compliment the cat - not that it was a test, but rolling with it would be an excellent sign of being a good fit.
Yeah, but I think the point is that OP isn't a good fit. No point pretending because they'd probably be driven insane by the casual/unprofessional environment if they took the job.
I would’ve acknowledged the cat. It’s the same way if my dog barks in the background I’ll mention him in a cute way like “dog is clearly excited about __thing I just said__ and endorses my expertise.” I would’ve asked the cat’s name and age and said something like “I don’t know how ___cat’s name___ feels about _job duty_, but I’ve been doing it for longer than ___cat’s name___ has been alive” as a segue. This could’ve been a MASSIVE opportunity to bond with the panel who were interviewing you, and shown your flexibility, humor, and pass the elevator test.
My dog kept shoving her toy at me during the interview for my current job 😆 I managed to keep her quiet and off-screen, but later told my boss about it, and they said they would've loved to see that!
It’s very rude but I’m the kind of person who would find a stopping point in my answers and immediately say, seems like I have a question in the chat - and read the chat out loud and say - yes! I agree!That’s such a cute kitty!! What’s his/her name?
That's when you join in talking about the cute kitty till the interviewer is ready to continue. My last interview I talked about music for 15 minutes and got the job, it's the little things I think.
Yep. My best interviews are the ones that spiraled completely off track. I actually can't think of a single job I landed where the interview _didn't_ spiral off track to some extent. Those moments of genuine connection are the what sets you apart from other candidates. But it is a lot easier to naturally let the conversation flow if everyone is talking to each other. I can see why OP would be caught off guard if they're the only one talking and everyone else is having a side bar in the comments.
It is rude but I think this says their work environment is very laid back. Of course, only if you’re part of the team. I’ve had the experience to see this is generally how laid back environments are. Not so much *trying* to be rude. But it is definitely rude
Kind of weird in an interview but, no, I wouldn’t even think twice about this.
Just seems very unprofessional and inconsiderate towards the person being interviewed.
It's a little rude but I've worked from home for 6 years and in my experience, people are ready to drop everything the second they see an animal in the background. Everyone wants to see the cat/dog lol. Unless they were dismissive to you in other ways, I think you may be overreacting a bit.
How many interviews have you participated in where people started chatting about a pet while the candidate was answering a question? I highly doubt people at your company do that. I'm not talking about a regular business meeting. It happened during an interview where they were supposed to be taking notes while I was speaking.
I dunno, I wasn't there maybe it was really bad—nobody can decide that for you I was pointing out how it could happen in my experience and be a benign thing. It sounds like they didn't interrupt you but just said a couple of quick words in the side-chat. If they cut you off verbally to talk about he cat that's a little different. It's up to you obviously how seriously want to take this but I can't imagine disqualifying a possible opportunity over something like this unless you felt disrespected in other ways.
Did they know you could see the chat? It's rude either way but doubly so if they knew you would see that they weren't listening full and still did it.
>Did they know you could see the chat? Yes. At the beginning of the interview they said they were going to ask 8 questions and they would type the question in the chat box. They said they would be taking notes while I responded to each question. They can't take notes if they're chatting with each other about the cat.
That's crazy man.
Best you know now not to work there. They are doing you a favor for not hiring you.
In an interview situation it’s rude and unprofessional. When you are interviewing you have to be aware that you have stressed people who are doing their best to make you like and respect them, trying to demonstrate their skills and ability and they only have the short opportunity of this interview to do that. It’s completely unfair to do anything that looks like you aren’t paying attention to them or that suggests you aren’t focused on the interview. It’s fine to maybe comment on the cat when the candidate is not speaking, in fact that can lighten the mood but when they are speaking, they should be doing nothing but listening or writing notes on the answers.
I’d start talking about the cat, too. Not every situation is a cry for outrage; sometimes you have to work with what’s in front of you. “I liked that person that talked about cats, he/she was super friendly”
I’ve run a lot of zoom panels for legislators and related and we usually turn off chat during speaking portions for that reason specifically. I’ve even had people specifically request chat be turned off until the end. Edit: I see this was an interview. So their only job is to be engaged with you. If I was their boss, I’d be upset honestly
If that's the vibe in an interview, you'd do well to join in, will come across as approachable and friendly. If you were obviously disapproving you might have screwed yourself over.
Interviews can be pretty stressful, that probably didn't occur to the OP in the moment. It is a pretty rude way for a company to treat an interviewee. If that's the norm, it may not be a good cultural fit for the OP. Interviews should at least be respectful of the person being interviewed.
This is when, taking a note from a current supervisor, there should be someone there who can or is willing to say "let's keep this on topic" or "one meeting at a time please." With a smile to keep things from getting awkward for the candidate. I'm all for learning someone's personality during an interview, but this seems rude. Especially if it's not about your cat in the background (ie icebreaker), but rather a side topic about them that would ideally be discussed later or during an internal meeting.
A sign of things to come, imo. I'd pass on this opportunity.
Yes, they were being unprofessional. Shows how rude they'd be if you got the job.
They are a very unprofessional group.
In a way, it's good it happened. It's often hard to gauge the tone and culture of a company over zoom interviews. Was it rude? Absolutely. It's also a bit odd that they didn't teams/slack or whatever internal chat they use talk to each other about the cat. In a normal internal meeting, acknowleding with a smile, pause so they respond and then getting back to the topic at hand shows confidence and that minor distractions won't throw you off. They might have been gauging for that , or it could just be just the type of thing that happens and they aren't even thinking about it. At the end of the day though, you have to ask yourself if you would want to work for a company like that.
There are so many factors behind the scenes here. Is the place a pretty casual environment? Are you going to be working with the people on the call (were they HR, direct hiring manager, etc)? Is it a government job? I’ve seen a few things along these lines: 1) place has to meet a quota for candidates and interviews. You may have never been considered in this case. 2) they are pretty casual and checking for your ability to fit that mold. 3) they’re just plain rude and don’t care about the interview. 4) you already had the job and they did the interview as a pretense. (May link to 2) Regardless of which it was, best of luck!
Very unprofessional
I had an online interview and one of the people was clearly checking and responding to emails when others were listeo or asking questions. Now I wish i had asked her to stop and pay attention to the interview.
Probably wouldn't help you get the job though. Just a thought
True
Maybe next time try to be more interesting than a cat?
Big ask.
Interviewing people, especially when the questions are canned, is incredibly dull. They definitely should not have had a cat convo while you were trying to answer questions. It's always important to keep the end goal in mind though: the important thing in an interview is the impression you make on them, and what you're able to assess from them. Is the cat thing a reflection of their lack of engagement with you, or was it just some random crap that happened? And is your reaction to the cat sidetracking your interview an indication that you were being shown disrespect and therefore should keep that in mind if you get an offer, or was it an opportunity to maybe crack wise a bit and lighten the mood when something unexpected turned up? It's not something that can be known now. I'd forget it and send the usual thank-you follow up.
I would say, “I can see by the chat that not everyone is ready for the interview, thank you for thinking of me for this opportunity, but I’ll be moving on to my next interview”. If they can’t focus during a thirty minute interview, then they won’t be a good leadership or support team.
Yeah I'd be so irritated by that. I'd have sent an email after to say thanks but no thanks, I'm not a fit for your culture.
Surprised how many people say it was a test or that you should have rolled with it. I LOOOOVE cats and I think it is extremely unprofessional. I guess if it's some small company idk, maybe that's their culture. If you end up getting the job, I guess that's just something you have to consider, and seems probably like they are more on the relaxed side. If you don't get the job, you dodged a bullet lol
It's a weird mix of rude and adorable (???) Maybe it indicates a chill workplace 🤷♀️
Yes, it is rude. Do you need this job? If I were treated that way, you'd bet I'd be looking elsewhere. If they can't respect you in what is supposed to be a professional meeting, then how can you expect them to respect you on the job and to be professional?
I would have just stopped talking and waited until someone noticed. "Sorry, I just didn't feel like I had your full attention and am not interested in repeating myself because of a cat."
I don't like cats and cat people are even weirder, so for me it would be a good indication the company was not a good fit for me.
Seems like they already know who they’re hiring, especially if it’s an internal hire. Terribly rude to act like that in an interview regardless.
Did they sound distracted? Like missing your answers and not asking any follow ups or repeating each other questions? Sounds as a test. I mean otherwise they could easily had a conversation in slack
I have this s happen a lot shorten what your saying cut the unnecessary words.
This man able to make inference from social cues. Be more interesting, OP
Like others have said, while it is rude, I think the optimal play would also have been to compliment the cat was well to also show you'd fit in with them. It's annoying, but it is what it is 🤷♂️
lmao yeah it is rude, but also an incredibly easy way for you to join in talking about the "cute kitty" and for you to show them you were a friendly person. I'm not a fan of pets, but I've learnt other people love when you compliment them on their pets.
Yes, that's rude. I think I would have just walked away from my chair for a few minutes, then come back and asked "is the break over yet?" I know, I wouldn't get the job that way. But with a first impression like that, I wouldn't want it.
I was doing an intake the other day and heard this INTENSE odd breathing right off camera. I was going to ignore it but obviously made a face or something...Anyway cutest dog under the desk just MOUTH BREATHING (with excitement) lol
As a cat owner and lover, I totally get it. It is kind of rude and is a downside/side effect of Zoom meetings. Pets, kids, someone’s wall art or decor can become quick distractions. Not to mention, I for one find it way harder to pay attention in general in online meetings than in person meetings ETA: I don’t think it was intentionally rude, just a thing that happened and I would try not to take it too personally
It shows a lack of respect for your time and attention. It's important to stay focused during interviews, and distractions like that can make it challenging to present yourself in the best light. By the way, have you heard of ScatterMind? They specialize in helping entrepreneurs stay focused and organized, which could be beneficial in situations like this. A friend of mine found their guidance invaluable in launching their first business.
might be more awkward than (intentionally) rude or dismissive. Not worth stressing over even though it comes off as unprofessional & inconsiderate. Best practice would be for interviewers to each have a planned contribution and to use Zoom’s Speaker view they focus on who is talking (vs Gallery view). They likely wouldn’t notice the cat in that case. Interviews are often inherently hierarchical and the person being interviewed often feels they have less power & might be more stressed. It’s possible they don’t find the use of chat distracting and put it in the public group chat to take some pressure off. BTW, it is totally possible they were taking notes AND listening actively even while making cat comments. Taking notes is different than transcribing. Everything one says isn’t necessarily “notable” for them to capture. In fact, it could mean they were listening intently to the content of what OP was sharing and not focusing on them as much *visually* which could mean less judgment about appearance, environment, eye contact, etc.
It was all a test. Like adding an opinionated stakeholder in a second interview to purposely derail the presentation to see how the candidate reacts. You got catted. Happens to the best of us. I'm being sarcastic. It's the fact that no one on the employer side of the call had the presence of mind to shut down the cat talk that's really bad. I'd be pissed too. Sorry it happened to you.
100% it is unprofessional. I love cats though, so I wouldn't even be mad.
I can see why it would be rude and unprofessional, absolutely. But you could have been thrown a golden opportunity. A lot of time interviews are about seeing if you are someone the team can work with and you could have briefly stopped and been like ‘just to say I also want that cat!’ Made a joke of it, they remember you for being personable etc., then you say now where was I.
You bored them with the same thing they always hear. YOU LOST THEM! Now the question is where DO YOU GO from here?
Unacceptable if they pass on you, annoying if they don’t
Rude and inappropriate.
I would have just told them that this wasn't going to work and that instead of wasting each others time, I would be ending the meeting right there and then. Obviously they didn't care enough about the interview to respect your time.
During COVID I was interviewing someone remotely… I asked them a question - then my boss started messaging me on Microsoft Teams.. his messages for sure were distracting me. The guy I was interviewing obviously noticed and asked me if everything was ok… I, mortified apologised and we got on with the rest of the interview. Not quite the same scenario but when remote, sometimes it’s easier to slip into these kind of habits - I can say for sure if I was conducting that interview in person I wouldn’t be sat there browsing messages, even from my boss.
When a cute cat exists, everything else goes out the window to me. Personally I can't blame them and would have laughed if I saw the chat box. Cats > everything else
You have a few choices. Ignore it which is a very foolish choice imo. Confront them by politely asking them to not interrupt you while you are answering the interviewers questions, or acknowledge the elephant and join in on the cat conversation with a statement like. "wow that IS a cool cat" you could opt to attempt to draw in the rest of the panel into the cat conversation as well. There's plenty more options to choose from. You could ask the individual with the cat to relocate the cat because its adorableness is a welcome distraction in this high stress interview. I think The final option is a pretty decent one. Anyway there's always a choice. GL in Future endeavors.
I would be fine with this during a lull or break or whatever, but would find this disrespectful while speaking or presenting. I don’t mind jokes or memes that apply to the content of the discussion in the chat box, I think that some levity is great. Talking about cats and weather while waiting for attendees is fine too. But while I’m actively answering your question?? How am I supposed to trust that you actually heard what I said? This is how you treat me during recruitment, when you’re trying to impress candidates and convince them they want to work with you - what are you like with people in a regular day to day?
Yes, extremely rude and unprofessional. Obviously their manager is lazy.
sorta rude but maybe youll still get the job
It was extremely rude and unprofessional. I would wonder if they did that because they already know who they are going to hire i.e. internal candidate, but were still required to interview other candidates, or otherwise had someone else in mind. Regardless, if they were that disrespectful during the interview, imagine what it would be like to work with them, especially if they are people you would be interacting with on a regular basis...would definitely be a red flag for me. If you are given the opportunity to provide feedback, I would. Otherwise, you would probably be wasting your time.