I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Alzheimer's Research UK (Cambridge, England) in Aug 2020
Interview
I applied online through Indeed. I received a phone call maybe a week or so later to let me know I had been shortlisted and I was given the option to choose between a selection of times on the selected interview date (of the following week). Everything was very organised and I felt that this allowed me to prep and feel generally relaxed ahead of the call. A couple of days before the interview I submitted a presentation which I had been asked to do, which would explain why I felt my experience & skills best matched me as an individual, to the job role. The call went really well, there were two people who interviewed me. They were both very friendly, so I felt very at ease and the interview went very smoothly. I presented for around 20 minutes and then they had prepared a series of questions for me. The interview was around 90 minutes long. I felt that I had really impressed the panel and they had also asked questions that fell out of their prepared list with I answered well. I was told I'd hear back from them (whether I had been successful or not) by COP that week (my interview was on a Tuesday). I didn't hear back until the following Wednesday from the recruitment department within ARUK that they still hadn't made a decision and that they'd be in touch when they had. It wasn't until the Friday on that second week that I emailed chasing for an update. I didn't hear back again until the following Monday (13 days after my interview and 8 days after I was told I'd have answer from them) that I hadn't been successful. Considering that I had made the panel aware that I was unemployed, I felt it very unfair to be left waiting as long as I had been. I sent my feedback to the company but I never heard back from them so I don't think had any time for me and they made no effort to help me with any interview feedback for my future job search. Luckily I haven't had that experience with any other company or organisation that I have applied or interviewed with since. I have been completely put off applying for a position with this organisation again after such a disappointing experience and I know others have had similar experience which is such a shame. I have however now fallen into a wonderful role within another organisation which I enjoy very much!
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How I felt my skills and experience would best fit the role?
Thank you for leaving a review, whilst disappointing that you feel you had a poor experience with ARUK we take all feedback on board and will ensure that your points are looked into. I’m sorry that you did not receive the response we sent to you and I will ensure that our Recruitment Coordinator checks the email she sent.
ARUK prides itself on our culture and customer service and unfortunately due to the pandemic, which has resulted in everyone working from home, there have been understandable delays in our recruitment process.
The review you mention by another candidate on social media is unfortunately for another Alzheimer’s charity and we are in the process of having this rectified. As you can see from our scoring on Glassdoor this is a rare occurrence but one that should not have happened and will be fed back to all parties involved to ensure this does not happen again.
It is lovely to see that you have secured a position and we wish you every success in your new role.