Job candidate refuses to have Zoom interview recorded after recruiter won't turn her camera on: 'If cameras are required, both should have it turned on'

via LinkedIn Sales Solutions

A man in a black sweater speaks to a hiring manager over Zoom on his laptop at home.
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The meeting stated that cameras were required. No problem.
I had mine on since the start, but the recruiter didn't.
Powerful-Gold5000 shared their side of the story. After preparing for a job interview for weeks, he was under the impression that the virtual call would be an on-camera conversation between both parties. Given that there were expressly stated remarks about how cameras were meant to be on for the interview, he was not out of order in his assumption that the same rule would apply to the recruiter.
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A woman assesses an applicant's resume while holding a cup of coffee.
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Although he was taken aback at first to see that the recruiter's camera was off, the candidate likely assumed that this would only be temporary. Again, the recruiter was the person who said cameras needed to be on in the first place. However, after a few moments, it became clear that the person on the other end of the call (whatever they looked like) was not going to show up on camera.
We get into introductions for 2 minutes and then she says "okay I'm going to be recording now". That wasn't even mentioned and she didn't have hers on from the start.
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A recruiter reviews a stack of resumes and portfolios on their desk.
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This woman really had some audacity to announce that she would then be recording the virtual call without upholding her end of the bargain regarding her camera. This kind of behavior is not only unfair, but it's also shady!
I turn off my camera before the one second mark of recording. From there I can tell the energy shifted and don't care if I get the job.
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A recruiter types on a laptop with "Job Hunter" on the screen.
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Shouldn't there be an unsaid etiquette to have both parties turn their cameras on for professionalism sake? If cameras are required, both should have it turned on.
Forgetting about the recording of it all for a moment, it's still incredibly awkward to respond to questions from an off-camera interviewer. Body language and eye contact are important tools for human connection. How are candidates supposed to fully express themselves and fully understand what a recruiter might be asking when they have no visual component to the interivew?
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A recruiter searches on the homepage for "Job Hunter."
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I'm not going to be recorded with video and the other party just has voice enabled like she's interrogating me with questions into my ears.
You have to hand it to the candidate for standing their ground in the face of such unprofessional behavior. It's not every day that you come across this kind of interview dynamic. Not everyone would have the confidence to stand up for themselves. In fact, most of us would just be thrown off guard.
Below are some top comments from members of the online community, who expressed their solidarity with the candidate after this unnecessary experience. Here's hoping he finds a better opportunity soon enough!

“Yep, they should have had theirs on. That’s not professional at all." - Fine-Structure-1299

"I've had that happen a handful of times over the last couple months... Every single time they recruiter has said something like "I appreciate you being on camera but since I am not, feel free to switch off the camera and we can go audio only.".... Feel like that's the only professional thing to do." - popnfresh1nc

“Yeah, super weird she didn't have hers on. When one person's camera is off, then it's just the other person's face taking up the whole screen so super weird to have a convo that way, much less film it. Red flag for sure in my book.” - JunePeachRing
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A portrait of a male candidate's resume with his photo in the top right corner.
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