I felt the recruitment process once the offer was made, was completely unreasonable. So to start... I have applied on the company's website and received communication the next day to advise they would like to hold a phone interview. I was sent a link and booked in a slot. A week later, on the agreed date, I receive the call on time which took roughly around 15min. I was asked some behavioural questions, what good service meant to me, etc. I was then put on hold for a couple of minutes and the recruiter then came back to say I was successful and booked me in for an assessment centre, that took place about 3 weeks later (8th of March). I received two emails and a call the day before the assessment centre, to make sure I was still attending and that I was bringing the correct documentation. It also advised to arrive 15min early as the assessment centre was going to start at 12pm sharp. I arrived a good 20min in advance, however we were left to stand in the corner of the reception until around 12.30pm before we were taken through. We were taken to a room to watch a short video, which was not set up and took another 10min of back and forth, before it started. This was on the company's culture, etc. This was then followed by a 1:1 interview, that took about half an hour and consisted of standard question pack. Lastly, we all had to do 2 role plays, where we were given a script and had to speak to a "customer" and resolve their issue by using the script. We were given feedback on the first role play, to help us prepare for the second one. Until this stage, I found the process relatively easy and relaxed. In the 1:1 and the role-play I felt at ease. The next day I was called and advised that I was successful and offered a conditional offer. The bells rang when I it appeared that the working days were misadvertised online as well as the starting date was 3 days later than previously stated. I was then advised that my offer can still be withdrawn, based on the outcome of vetting, which I was happy with. I was then asked what my notice period was, and after saying 3-4 weeks, I was asked if I could ask my CURRENT EMPLOYER to see if I could get it any lower (in case vetting was to run over). I was then informed that you cannot go away within the 6 week training period (fair enough) however the starting date could potentially be pushed back if vetting was to take longer. Lastly, I was casually asked to open a bank account with then, which was not optional and you couldn’t take your application further without doing so. This was not mentioned at any point on the whole process and I felt extremely uncomfortable opening one, before any concrete offer was made. So to sum it up, once the offer was made (on basis that it could be withdrawn), I found the requirements unreasonable and a lot was expected, with nothing promised in return and with no flexibility towards the employee. I ended up withdrawing my application the following day, which was a shame as I was looking forward to working for the company.

I applied for the job via Indeed.com and a day later I received a text message inviting me to take part in the next stage of the application - the telephone interview. I was asked to log onto my account to book my interview at a time and date that was convenient for me. Once I had booked my telephone interview I received an e-mail letting me know how I should prepare - which was really handy as I was so nervous. I was sent a text message reminding me about the date and time I had booked my telephone interview for and advising me that there was a number I could call if I wanted to cancel it. The telephone interview lasted about 20 minutes (they said it would be roughly 30-40). They asked me about 4 customer service competency based questions and at the end the interviewer put me on hold. After taking me off hold he advised me that I had passed the telephone interview and invited me to the assessment day. He booked the date and time there and then but confirmed that I could log onto my candidate portal to change it if needed. I was then e-mailed further details. I arrived at the building about 15-20 minutes early. There were 6 candidates altogether including myself. The assessment day lasted about 4-5 hours. It consisted of; a brief introduction to Lloyds Banking Group & submission of our ID & references, a one to one interview, a group exercise, a role play and then a brief tour of some of the building.