A company I’ve applied to had what I thought was a good job description. But when I got into the interview, the hiring manager mentions a key skill that isn’t listed in the description.
Therefore I get eliminated on an criteria that the hiring manager either forgot to write down or invented on the spot.
Should I point out to them, meaning the HR contact, that this criteria is missing from their job description?
I'm often feeling a need to do that. "No experience required - at least 5 years experience" "babysitter wanted - need to be able to wield" "high expertise level wanted - for a junior position".
The thing is - I would be wasting my time to let them know I THINK there is something wrong with their ad.
But was it? Maybe they know exactly what they're doing? Maybe the ad is not for hiring but just to be there? Maybe they want only naive gullible people? A specialist that will settle for junior pay?
At the end, I don't know. And I would only make them aware of that if I wasted time already (for example attending such interview). I would make them aware because that would be a thing I would other people know (for example by writing on glassdoor). That this company is hectic and unorganised that they can't even write proper ad. That it don't care about wasting people time. and/or have no clear goal and don't know what it want from it's employees.
In such case the feedback should be instant "You wasted my time".
It's unlikely to help.
Chances are they noticed this themselves: Interviewing costs time and money and if the lacking requirement eliminated the candidate through oversight, they are likely to update the JD and more importantly the pre-interview screening process.
If they are not smart or organized enough to take action on this, your notification is unlikely to make a difference.
If it was the requirement was made up on the spot to have a convenient reason to reject you, your notification won't do anything useful either
What would you gain by telling them? You won't get the role, but I guess it might keep your name in a slightly positive light should you apply for a different role.
If they haven't put in a key skill to their job description then they will no doubt not get the candidates they actually want, to me it would seem if they miss something basic like that then I'd be less eager to join that company.
