Filipinos weighed in on a human resources (HR) manager’s post about an applicant who withdrew her application after experiencing a delay in her interview.
Social media users shared a screengrab of a Jobstreet post in which the HR manager, identifying themselves as “HR manager head,” recounted the incident.
The manager described a conversation with an applicant named “Gela,” who reportedly “walked out” after preparing for the interview.
“We opened our doors. Scheduled the interview. Prepared everything. Tapos dahil lang may slight delay, biglang walk out?” the HR manager wrote in the “Community” section of Jobstreet.
“Ganito na ba talaga ka-fragile ang applicants ngayon? You say mahirap maghanap ng trabaho, but where’s the patience? The professionalism? The hunger for the role? If a few minutes of waiting is too much, what about actual work pressure?” the post added.
The post included a screengrab of the conversation, showing that the HR manager sent the following message to the applicant at 11:20 a.m:
“Hi, Gela! Where are you? I’m in the meeting room A already. Thanks.”
The applicant, Gela, responded with the following message:
“Hello po. I left na po around 8:45 a.m. because the interview is scheduled at 7:30 po kanina. Sorry po. I will not proceed with the interview anymore.”
The post was later reuploaded on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), sparking discussions among Filipinos.
Some online users argued that the applicant had the right to walk out, noting that, according to the screengrab, the HR manager did not provide an earlier update and only messaged Gela after 11 a.m.
“Tigil mo ‘yang ‘slight delay’ mo, girl. 7:30 a.m. ‘yung interview, tapos 11:20 ka nagparamdam? Please respect your candidates. While we do want jobs, not at the expense of being treated like this. Lahat ng oras natin mahalaga,” a Pinoy wrote.
Saw this from a VA group in FB. Tigil mo yang “slight delay” mo girl. 730am yung interview tapos 1120 ka nagparamdam?
Please respect your candidates. While we do want jobs, not at the expense of being treated like this. Lahat ng oras natin mahalaga. pic.twitter.com/17cFlR5z12
— Louis Jocson-Zabala (@louiszabala) March 4, 2026
Others agreed with the sentiment, saying that the delayed update, sent after 11 a.m., was “unprofessional” on the part of the interviewer.
“Ang malupit, once hired, same company will demand and lecture its employees on punctuality and professionalism. Plain and simple power tripping issue, obviously, may attitude problem ‘yung interviewer,” an X user wrote.
“If being late tells something about the candidate, it goes the other way around, too. What does that tell about your company? Hindi mo naisip na baka sa dami ng in-apply-an, may schedule din silang sinusunod? Ano, kayo lang ang kumpanya?” another Pinoy said.
“Kahit ako lalayasan ko ‘yan. [Four] hours after ng scheduled meeting, delay ba ang tawag dun? Saan ang professionalism diyan. Rescheduled na lang sana kung ‘di kaya ma-accommodate. Hays, ganito na ba ang mga company [dito] sa Pinas?!” another wrote.
“Yung tipong okay lang na may ‘slight delay’ sila kasi sila ‘yung mag-iinterview, pero kapag ‘yung applicant ang late or wala pa at least 15 minutes before the schedule, eh red flag na sa kanila. Tama lang ginawa nung applicant dahil importante rin ang oras niya,” a different Pinoy said.
Other HR professionals also agreed that the manager should have been more considerate of the applicant, given that she had put in effort to prepare for the interview.
“As an HR professional, this is embarrassing. If you can’t respect a candidate’s time, how will you manage company resources? Employer brand starts at first contact. An interview is not a favor, it is a two-way assessment,” a Jobstreet user claiming to be an HR assistant manager said.
“If you’re running late, inform them. Apologize. Ask for their convenient time to reschedule. It’s not the applicant’s fault you mismanaged your calendar. The job market is already tough,” the user added.
Another Jobstreet user, claiming to be an HR head, also agreed that the interviewer should be more professional.
“Being on time is showing respect sa applicants and you are also creating an impression if anong klase ang company niyo. Say, for example, the applicant took a leave kasi employed pa, tapos pinag on-site interview mo then paghihintayin mo ng ilang oras. I think review natin ang tamang pag-handle ng applicants,” the online user said.
Employers schedule interviews so that both parties can be fully prepared for the meeting.
HR personnel are typically the first point of contact for applicants, setting the tone for their impression of the company.
As such, the conduct of the HR representative is an important factor in shaping the applicant’s experience.
