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I've just passed a phone interview with a company in London. For the next round, they offer me 2 choices - either tomorrow at a set time, or on Tuesday at a set time as Monday is a bank holiday in the UK. I replied saying that I do still have commitments to my current job and can't do such short notice. Their reply was simply no, and "please let us know how you’d like to proceed with your application".

In my interviewing experience, I've never had a company be so curt or unaccommodating to a prospective hire before. Should I take this as a red flag as to how the company treats their employees, or am I just over thinking a normal industry practice which I was just fortunate to have not encountered yet?

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    If they have many candidates, dropping one for scheduling reasons is entirely possible.
    – user7230
    Apr 28, 2016 at 16:50
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    You have to wonder what kind of company doesn't see it as a good thing you want to fulfill all your obligations to the company that is currently paying you. You might want to see this as a good thing. When it's time to go, you can do the same to them and not worry about any hard feelings.
    – Amy Blankenship
    Apr 28, 2016 at 17:04
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    You don't say what level the job is for, which makes all the difference. If you're interviewing for CEO/CTO/COO I'd take it as a red flag and give it a body swerve. If you are a graduate programmer I'd say "welcome to the real world"...
    – The Wandering Dev Manager
    Apr 28, 2016 at 18:34

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They probably have a number of interviews lined up, and don't feel they are missing out if you decide not to show up.

Companies don't have to accommodate your preferences - they simply try out of politeness, or because they think you're an especially valuable applicant.

Also consider that a very busy manager might be taking part in the interview, and his/her schedule might be very inflexible.

Is this a red flag? Not really, although your chances might not be too great.

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I'd say this is normal for a wide spectrum of employers that want to fill a position quickly and they have a relatively large number of applicants to go through. This is not necessarily a "red flag", as this terse and incisive manner could possibly be contained to their initial recruiting environment.

A few years ago I was given 3 hours notice to travel 50 miles through peak traffic to take two tests at an examination center, but the interview itself was a chill all-day affair.

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You haven't specified your field, but if you're a skilled employee (e.g. software engineer), this should definitely be a red flag. While this might be acceptable for positions in which employees are relatively fungible (e.g. cashiers), if you're not, you should run, quickly!

"Red flags" are all about optimizing your time and your chances, they're usually not absolutes. Although it's possible that a company that is harsh towards candidates isn't terrible to work for, it makes it less likely to be the case. If you have a large number of recruiters or potential companies to work with, feel free to cross this one off of the list.

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