I applied online. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Project Delivery Profession (London, England) in Nov 2019
Interview
I attended an Interview for a Senior Project Management role at the Civil Service (Government Project Delivery).
It was conducted by two panellists who one of whom informed me was an observer but and the other a technical panellist. Both of them took turns to ask me over six questions each. It was interesting and astonishing that both of my interviewers did not have an overview understanding of the role or department I was being interviewed for but reiterated that they were only assisting (GPD) with my interview. I professional answered all the questions they asked me.
My surprise was I had asked them about four questions relating to the role I was being interviewed for, one of them being if I could clarify anything for my panellist, for which I was impudently in an abrupt manner told by the interviewer “This interview is concluded”. Astonishingly, they did not answer any of my questions but instructed me to write to GPD instead for answer. From that moment I became suspicious and had reservations about getting the role but kept a straight and professional face none the less.
The Civil service prides itself on diversity the irony was there was a sign on the wall of my waiting room “Diversity is about us all feeling inclusive”. As someone from an ethnic minority, I was not made to feel this way.
In retrograde, Britain today has been polarised and some of our white colleagues are very happy to superficially select ethnic minority candidates for interviews to promote diversity and support statistical data but are intolerant to give them the opportunity of hiring them, especially in cases where they feel you are a challenge to them.
In my humble opinion, the principles of interviews are integrity, clarity, and tolerance from both sides. A recruiter’s role in my opinion is to select the best or most suited candidates who can deliver organisational objectives and success criteria in a candid and impartial way without bias or meretriciousness.