To begin, Advanced Fraud Solutions (AFS) employs an external recruiting firm for all candidate screenings and submissions.
I was approached by someone from this recruiting firm via LinkedIn Messenger, who mentioned a role with their client that seemed a perfect fit for me. She asked if I could schedule a screening with her colleague to discuss the details. After reviewing the information about AFS and the role provided by them, I decided to proceed.
In preparation for the call, I researched AFS and discovered that I had prior experience with their solution while working at a former financial institution. There, I assisted with verifying the validity of fraud claims. My responsibilities included pulling logs from the backend, researching IP addresses, and similar tasks.
During the screening call, the person I spoke with appeared impressed with my background and industry experience, suggesting I was a strong candidate to move forward. She asked me to send my resume, promising that the person I initially spoke with via LinkedIn would coach me on highlighting key points for my meeting with AFS. I left the call feeling optimistic, but things soon took a turn for the worse.
A week passed without any follow-up, so I contacted the person I spoke with on the phone to confirm receipt of my resume, but received no response. Another week went by, and I followed up again, this time including them and the initial contact. Shortly thereafter, I received an email stating that AFS was moving forward with other candidates who had more experience in the support side of an organization versus customer success, noting that my background included a little of both, but AFS was looking for someone with more of a support background.
This response left me perplexed. My resume clearly shows over 20 years of experience in software and technical support, including roles as a Technical Account Manager and an L3 escalation point managing a support team, which aligns with AFS's requirements. In my current Director role, I am heavily involved in support and technical tasks, including working with the Development team on bug fixes, code changes, API calls, and feature enhancements.
It was evident that something was not communicated properly. I pointed out these discrepancies and asked if they could see if AFS would be willing to reconsider my candidacy based on this. The two of them met to discuss, but ultimately maintained their decision, citing my "lack of technical experience."
Upon reflection, I identified a probable cause for this miscommunication. During my screening call, the person I spoke with mentioned she was driving to her daughter's uniform fitting, which explained the muffled audio. Conducting an interview while driving is unprofessional and irresponsible, as it compromises both the quality of the interview and safety of not only yourself, but others on the road.
This situation reflects poorly on AFS, as the recruiting firm they hired is failing to accurately represent candidates and is engaging in unprofessional and unsafe practices.
I had intended to address this feedback directly with the firm, but they have yet to respond to my email requests for a follow-up call. I believe AFS is potentially missing out on excellent candidates due to the inadequate efforts of the company they hired to vet people by failing to gather and present information accurately.
