Things I'm Sick of Hearing at Job Interviews...

[carebear]

I think the love of Drama might have more to do with it But yeah, I've done sales oriented jobs.

Acting and sales aren't too far apart. In one you're selling you representing a role, in the other you're selling you representing a product or service.

In either case the "audience" is buying you first and foremost.

 

[Jovan]

It's things like this that make me feel like a little dog being made to jump up for a biscuit being dangled just out of reach -- keep jumping, and maybe he'll toss you the treat.

I called the company where I interviewed twice this week to check in, per their instructions, and neither time got a call back. Instead, I got a short email telling me to call again next week. Jump little doggie, jump!

No kidding! I hate it when they completely ignore you. The least they can do is say that they're still in the hiring process or considering those who applied.

Okay, I'm going to relay one of the worst interview experiences I've ever had a few years ago. If it even counts.

1. I apply to the local Buckle in my mall. This is before they had online-only applications.
2. Right as I hand in my application, the sales rep there asks when it would be best for me to interview and tells me the available times. I tell him that 2:00 PM on the upcoming Tuesday would be fine.
3. I'm thinking this is good, I like that I don't have to wait for a call (if one even comes) requesting an interview with me. Seems professional.
4. I mark this exact day and time in my planner, even though I have it in my head since I wasn't up to much else that summer. I look forward to it, possibly my first job in clothing is coming.
5. I come that exact day, that exact time. I've biked there, as this was before I had a car. I'm sweating, so I dry myself off. I've dressed myself appropriate to the store and the position I'm looking for; casual but not overly.
6. I arrive there and proudly declare that I have an interview in just a few minutes.
7. The sales rep tells me the manager isn't even there.

...

What?
8. I set up another interview, after them telling me they'd be there at this time.
9. I come in the next week at the specified time and day. Guess what happens?
10. This time, I'm told the manager is on vacation. My first thought is naturally:
"ARE YOU ****ING KIDDING ME???"
11. They ask me if I'd like to come in at some such time and day. I tell them, as politely as I can muster, that I'd let them know. Ironic, isn't it?
12. I never contact them. I'm so dismayed at how careless the staff, manager, or whoever does the schedule is that I wouldn't want to work for them anyways.

I actually came back last year, applied online, and did an interview, then a second one. Makes sense, two to make up for the first time when I couldn't actually get an interview. The manager was really a jerk on the second interview. "So, what makes you think then that you'd be able to do this?" in response to a situation he asked for when I had to blahblahblah.

In short, this is the worst company I've ever interviewed for. I certainly hope their other locations are better.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

My worst job interview experience

It was with an uppity consulting firm in Portland. I first met with the owner in his office for an hour, then he introduced me to the other consultants. I was called back for a second interview, and he said "why don't we grab some coffee at the cafe next door." So we went and I listened to him talk about nonsense for 45 minutes, and at one point he even said "stick with me and you'll go places." Then, after I had asked about parking, we left and we walked to the garage that had ONE spot. For his car. He then giggled with glee about how cool his car is, didn't I think it was cool, too.

I got a call a week later.

"Your perfect for the job! But, the thing is, we decided not to hire anyone. But we wanted to know you'd be perfect if we were!"

:rage:

Stuff like that is the wind under my stay-self-employed wings.

 

[lindylady]

It was with an uppity consulting firm in Portland. I first met with the owner in his office for an hour, then he introduced me to the other consultants. I was called back for a second interview, and he said "why don't we grab some coffee at the cafe next door." So we went and I listened to him talk about nonsense for 45 minutes, and at one point he even said "stick with me and you'll go places." Then, after I had asked about parking, we left and we walked to the garage that had ONE spot. For his car. He then giggled with glee about how cool his car is, didn't I think it was cool, too.

I got a call a week later.

"Your perfect for the job! But, the thing is, we decided not to hire anyone. But we wanted to know you'd be perfect if we were!"

:rage:

Stuff like that is the wind under my stay-self-employed wings.

What they did was just WRONG.

 

[Paisley]

I am interviewing several job candidates tomorrow for a word processing position and I've been looking over resumes. Two of the resumes really stand out; my favorite one is quite brief and to the point. One of the other resumes made me wonder if the person was being truthful. A few of the others list job experience that includes everything from soup to nuts; I wonder if they know what they want to do and if they'll stay long if they are hired. About half of them are full of punctuation errors.

Much of the interview is going to be a word processing test. I think that is pretty fair.

 

[SarahLouise]

I've been job hunting for over 6 months with no luck. Here in London there is just so much competition, for example a job interview I had yesterday had received over 500 applications. I've been applying for mainly administration positions and have had the following annoying question asked twice:

"You look quite creative/have creative interests, how would you cope with doing the job?"

This really irritates me as my personal interests shouldn't reflect on my ability to do the job and I also don't understand how you can look creative, especially considering I'm just wearing a smart skirt and shirt :eusa_doh: Somebody please enlighten me!

 

[carebear]

I've been job hunting for over 6 months with no luck. Here in London there is just so much competition, for example a job interview I had yesterday had received over 500 applications. I've been applying for mainly administration positions and have had the following annoying question asked twice:

"You look quite creative/have creative interests, how would you cope with doing the job?"

This really irritates me as my personal interests shouldn't reflect on my ability to do the job and I also don't understand how you can look creative, especially considering I'm just wearing a smart skirt and shirt :eusa_doh: Somebody please enlighten me!

"I would focus on working efficiently and effectively and always seek to find creative, intelligent solutions for any problems that may arise. I enjoy looking for new ways to better serve my coworkers and clients."

Anytime they hit you with a word, spin it into what you can do for them.

Remember, they aren't smarter than you, they are just working with what's on your resume and what comes up in conversation. Muster up some sincerity and shine them on. That will smooth out the weird questions and allow them to focus on the job skills that matter. If you are smooth in your responses, no matter the question, that usually impresses folks.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Beat 'em at their own game

Yeah, they probably read the same books on interviewing that your public library has, such as High-Impact Interview Questions. Go to the library catalog and type in keywords job interview questions and you will find some books to read, so you can be prepared for their nonsense, I mean questions.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've actually been giving serious thought to *dumbing down* my resume, given that it seems to be scaring people off -- for some reason they're having a hard time understanding that someone with just a high school education is capable of accomplishing the things I've accomplished, and they're passing me over out of suspicion that I'm padding my resume. Of course, when I eliminate all those things, I don't have a whole lot else to put in their place.

So what to do? Keep tooting my horn, or mute it?

(Two weeks on from the last interview, and still haven't gotten thumbs up or down. The little doggie continues to jump.)

 

[Kim_B]

The last job interview I had went very well - I was offered a job that wasn't even available! it wasn't until a day later when I called to arrange my drug screening that they realized their mistake. What would have happened if I had turned in my notice, and my current employer told me to pack up right then and there (it's been known to happen at a couple places I've worked)?!

 

[carebear]

I've actually been giving serious thought to *dumbing down* my resume, given that it seems to be scaring people off -- for some reason they're having a hard time understanding that someone with just a high school education is capable of accomplishing the things I've accomplished, and they're passing me over out of suspicion that I'm padding my resume. Of course, when I eliminate all those things, I don't have a whole lot else to put in their place.

So what to do? Keep tooting my horn, or mute it?

(Two weeks on from the last interview, and still haven't gotten thumbs up or down. The little doggie continues to jump.)

Maybe not completely mute it, but focus it for each job? Emphasize the really relevant stuff for that particular position and tone the rest down (list the job and barest title but not the awe-inspriring detail).

So it isn't "bare" but doesn't look so omni-capable? The details of how varied and deep your skills are could then be controlled by you talking about them in the interview if/when they are asked about.

 

[Paisley]

I've been job hunting for over 6 months with no luck. Here in London there is just so much competition, for example a job interview I had yesterday had received over 500 applications. I've been applying for mainly administration positions and have had the following annoying question asked twice:

"You look quite creative/have creative interests, how would you cope with doing the job?"

This really irritates me as my personal interests shouldn't reflect on my ability to do the job and I also don't understand how you can look creative, especially considering I'm just wearing a smart skirt and shirt :eusa_doh: Somebody please enlighten me!

"After spending the day doing technical work, I enjoy [drawing, dancing, whatever] as a way to unwind, (blah blah blah)." (Hey, it beats drinking or beating the dog.) Or just leave the creative interests off your resume. They may just be concerned that you'd rather be working at a more creative job.

I'd also look into a field with less competition. If you don't, you'll be beating your brains out.

 

[Flying Scotsman]

I'm always surprised when I get a resume that isn't tailored to the job for which I'm interviewing candidates. I do that when I submit mine...it's so easy to do, given that it's all electronic.

As an interviewer/hiring manager (but not an HR type), I'll tell you what mystifies me, and I see it time and again:

Me: "Tell me what you know about [our company]."
Candidate: "Well, not much..."

I should terminate the interview right there...they haven't even taken the time to find out the first thing about us, what we do, why we're here, etc. Why on Earth would I want to hire someone who is so lazy as to not even do a quick Internet search and read up on us?

I'd say 80% of my on-campus interviews start like that. Someday I'm going to do these folks a favor, tell them the interview is over and why, and hope they learn the lesson before their next job interview.

 

[Paisley]

I've actually been giving serious thought to *dumbing down* my resume, given that it seems to be scaring people off -- for some reason they're having a hard time understanding that someone with just a high school education is capable of accomplishing the things I've accomplished, and they're passing me over out of suspicion that I'm padding my resume. Of course, when I eliminate all those things, I don't have a whole lot else to put in their place.

So what to do? Keep tooting my horn, or mute it?

(Two weeks on from the last interview, and still haven't gotten thumbs up or down. The little doggie continues to jump.)

I agree with Matthew. I wouldn't dumb down the resume, I'd just tailor it to fit the job rather than use a one-size-fits-all approach. I know it takes a lot of time and effort to do that, but I think it's worth it. I'd also call them after sending your resume in to see if you can get an interview; it shows initiative and interest.

Maybe the people who are interviewing you haven't been around much. I've known a lot of really sharp people with a high school education (or less).

 

[Paisley]

The last job interview I had went very well - I was offered a job that wasn't even available! it wasn't until a day later when I called to arrange my drug screening that they realized their mistake. What would have happened if I had turned in my notice, and my current employer told me to pack up right then and there (it's been known to happen at a couple places I've worked)?!

If you had the offer in writing (and you would have before quitting your old job, right?) you'd have the basis for a lawsuit.

 

[Kim_B]

If you had the offer in writing (and you would have before quitting your old job, right?) you'd have the basis for a lawsuit.

You bet I would have! I was just so glad that I'm not one of those people who put the proverbial cart before the horse!

 

[Chanfan]

Interesting thread.

I can't say much in the way of going to interviews - either I haven't had any really bad ones, or (perhaps more likely) my poor memory doesn't recall them. I certainly have gotten jobs via interviews, but more often than not, the interview is due to knowing folk who work there.

I did have a bad stint after the dot-bomb crash. I used to be a software tester / test manager. When layoffs were happening at my company, I was kept on in the last 10% of the workforce, and transitioned to a company that purchased my old one. I thought I was lucky, but it turned out that the vast majority of my friends were able to find testing jobs and are still employed in that field. I ended up getting laid off a year or so later, and by that time, the market was flooded, and testers who didn't have tons of programing experience were not likely to get jobs, as out of work programmers were busy filling those positions.

I did have one interview, with a software company that I had previously worked for, at this time. I knew many of the folks there, and had specialty experience - not just software testing, experience in the field the software was used in. This was for a temp job, even, and I thought I interviewed pretty well. It turned out I came in second, after another similarly skilled, previously employed by that company, person on the hunt. It was a pretty crushing feeling. I ended up working a low paying, non computer job for a year or so, after my unemployment ran out.

I've done a fair amount of interviewing folks in my time. Several places I've worked for liked to do team interviews - often with 5 or 10 people sitting in on the interview, and then the department head having a one-on-one with the candidate as well. Some of that was to see how folks handled pressure, and also just to let the teams get a feel for the person they'd be working with. I've always liked that approach.

I certainly agree that personality and aptitude are the things to look for in a person - they are much harder (if even possible) to teach than the particular technical skills for a position. Having the skills is a bonus, perhaps a big bonus - but having a good attitude and aptitude is a requirement. I like questions that show this, and not concentrating on a "correct" answer or trick question. I think resumes tend to show technical skill, but the interview is for the - was was the word - "soft" skills.

In thinking of my past jobs, while what I was doing is certainly important - especially in holding my interest - the folks that I worked with are what separated good jobs from great ones. If you mesh well with the personalities and environment, it's like you are going to spend the day with a bunch of friends, getting things done. Otherwise, it's just work. Of course, a bad egg can make a job hell as well.

Another thing I liked in some of the interviews I did, was always asking the candidate if they had questions for us. I found it revealing to see what they wanted to know about the place / job / people, and also think it's important to let them ask - interviewing should be a two-way thing. If you want a good employee, they should be happy with (and interested in) where they are going to work. It's put me in the habit of asking questions of interviewers when I interview for jobs.

Anyhow, I'm back in a field I like, in a good job, and I sure hope it lasts.

 

[Jovan]

I'm always surprised when I get a resume that isn't tailored to the job for which I'm interviewing candidates. I do that when I submit mine...it's so easy to do, given that it's all electronic.

As an interviewer/hiring manager (but not an HR type), I'll tell you what mystifies me, and I see it time and again:

Me: "Tell me what you know about [our company]."
Candidate: "Well, not much..."

I should terminate the interview right there...they haven't even taken the time to find out the first thing about us, what we do, why we're here, etc. Why on Earth would I want to hire someone who is so lazy as to not even do a quick Internet search and read up on us?

I'd say 80% of my on-campus interviews start like that. Someday I'm going to do these folks a favor, tell them the interview is over and why, and hope they learn the lesson before their next job interview.

I got hired the last interview I gave that answer. -_- Well actually, I went on to say, "I know you've been in the video game retail business for a long time and used to be known as Babbage's and Software Etc." I guess that was good enough.

 

[SarahLouise]

"I would focus on working efficiently and effectively and always seek to find creative, intelligent solutions for any problems that may arise. I enjoy looking for new ways to better serve my coworkers and clients."

Anytime they hit you with a word, spin it into what you can do for them.

Remember, they aren't smarter than you, they are just working with what's on your resume and what comes up in conversation. Muster up some sincerity and shine them on. That will smooth out the weird questions and allow them to focus on the job skills that matter. If you are smooth in your responses, no matter the question, that usually impresses folks.

Thank you, that's really helpful!

 

[SarahLouise]

"After spending the day doing technical work, I enjoy [drawing, dancing, whatever] as a way to unwind, (blah blah blah)." (Hey, it beats drinking or beating the dog.) Or just leave the creative interests off your resume. They may just be concerned that you'd rather be working at a more creative job.

I'd also look into a field with less competition. If you don't, you'll be beating your brains out.

I removed my interests from my CV/resume a while ago so it's only when that question is asked that the topic is brought up. I also would look into different fields but I'm the type of person who doesn't quite know what they want to do yet! I have mostly administration and retail experience - admin is better paid, better hours and more opportunity to progress than retail so it's all I can apply for really.