I recently had a very disappointing experience at Standard Chartered Bank’s recruitment drive.
1. **Poor Time Management**
- HR instructed all candidates to arrive strictly before 9:00 AM.
- However, instead of starting the interviews, the bank conducted a Women’s Day program and speeches for nearly two hours.
- Candidates were not informed about this in advance, which led to unnecessary waiting and wasted time.
2. **Unprofessional Interview Setup**
- The interview process began only around 12:00 PM.
- Surprisingly, interviews were conducted in the cafeteria, which did not feel professional or appropriate for such a reputed organization.
3. **Misleading Process**
- I cleared two rounds and was invited for a third techno‑managerial round, which was conducted virtually.
- The interview went well, and I even received positive feedback from the interviewer.
- Despite this, the final response was a rejection, with the reason given that the “requirement is on hold.”
4. **Candidate Experience**
- More than 100 candidates attended, and none received an offer after the third round.
- If there was no actual requirement, the bank should not have conducted the drive or wasted candidates’ time and energy.
- Many of us traveled long distances, leaving other opportunities to attend this drive, only to face disappointment.
**Conclusion**
This entire process felt unorganized and disrespectful of candidates’ time and effort. Strictly calling candidates before 9:00 AM, making them wait through unrelated programs, conducting interviews in a cafeteria, and finally rejecting everyone due to “requirement on hold” reflects very poor planning and communication.
I hope Standard Chartered Bank takes this feedback seriously and improves the way they conduct recruitment drives in the future.
