job interviews

One time I was investigating a move back upnorth, and had an interview for a job.

Interview one went really well, so far so god. Interview 2 was obviously with their 'beat-down' guy, who promptly decided that I was uncommitted, and reduced the salary offer *and* the role to 'looking after legacy systems' without any committment to training on the new platform.

So, I said no when they sent their final offer.

Two things happened: I got a nice contract role in't city which ran for 18 months, and by the time that job concluded I noticed that the firm up north had gone bust and closed.

good, not god. ALthough I was pretty good...

It's over. I'm a nervous wreck and I'm sweating more than Josef Fritzl on MTV Cribs.

"und here ist where das magic happens..."

A few years ago I went for an interview for a research position that was lower paid and a bit more junior than I was doing. It was near home, in a new industry and I was desperate to leave my job. I thought the interview went okay, I answered all of their questions and gave solid examples. Then one of the interviewers went 'So, what do you do in your spare time?' and I kind of fell apart. I hadn't really prepared that one and didn't want to say 'pub' & 'record shops' so I paused for a bit said "y'know, just normal.. stuff." and they looked at me like I'd confessed to be a serial killer.

The next day later the agent called, she was furious. She said the feedback was "he could do the job but didn't seem that bothered, so we're not going to offer." Since then I have found that a lot of interviewers are jobsworths and want you to praise their company and tell them how you've wanted to work for the company since you were five. This may be particularly finance companies.

want you to praise their company and tell them how you've wanted to work for the company since you were five

... they all do this, don't they? I thought every one knew this?

I guess they do all want this, but I wish some places would acknowledge that it's nobody's lifelong dream to work there. Plus there are plenty places where they don't even tell you enough about the role for you to have a decent answer prepped for that.

An int recently asked "Any Questions?" as their introductory question.

"Not at this stage, no" I replied. They seemed spectacularly underprepared, and I was less than impressed.

It's just as much a process of Them impressing you as much as you impressing them.

My experience since has taught me that the individuals that over play the corporate line and want you to be in awe of the organisation and all that it represents are just putting on a show. Once you're two weeks in to the job you can find them in the pub on a Friday evening bitching and moaning, ruing the day they joined the company. I just don't know why they do it. When I've interviewed people I just tried to gauge their motivations, at the particular stage in their career, to want the job. If they are going work in sales & marketing then they should have at least some understanding of the business aims and positioning and to have affinity them. The rest of the BS is just unnecessary.

Is it now a thing that employers do not even bother to call you back after an interview to let you know you did not get the job? Pretty used to never hearing from 90% of the places I apply to now, but it seems a bit rich to not let someone know after they have taken the time to come and talk to you, perhaps even prepared a presentation (as I have on some occasions), and then ignore them when they email to ask if the position has been filled.

Actually, people in general do not seem to feel obligated to reply to email requests anymore.

Sing of the times?

haha

I can't keep going for interviews for jobs that I can do well and be gripped by so much fear that I turn into a jibbering idiot.

job interviews are basically voodoo to me by this point

doesn't help tht I'm looking in a sector that is struggling & so flooded w/talent. still, getting interviews, so that's a plus

I don't like job interviews

How are you all preparing?

I had an assessment & interview on Monday for a job I really wanted. Breezed through the assessment, got called back for the afternoon interviews and blew it. "Too quiet" and didn't sell myself, apparently.

interviews are really stressful to prepare for and a bad interview completely and utterly sucks. but a good interview can be really fun

how do you tell the good and bad apart?

you just know?

Good interview is like a conversation

Bad interview is like bad sex with a woman while her father is watching you

A lot of it is down to the interviewers - I've had lots that just didn't really know what they were doing.
A good one tends to be more like an actual discussion imo.
Having only been on an interviewing panel once, I'd say be enthusiastic. As a kind of serious and reserved person it made me think about how I present myself at interviews.

lol xp

i've had interviews that ran an hour over time because they were going so well and i STILL didn't get the job

fuckin a

The last IRL interview I had lasted over a hour (not including the code test). This was after an initial 30 minute Skype interview.

Didn't get the job either.

Ugh. Hate these so much. I have had 5 in 2013 without a job to show for it. I am starting to fear that I am a terrible interviewee. Response to feedback request from one I did on Weds:

Dear Sktsh

As I said in my previous email, we had an exceptionally strong field of applicants. As this is a senior position, I was particularly keen to find someone who has managed a team and has operated at senior level. We have a team of very able administrators in place who need an experienced manager to direct and guide them. All the candidates whom I am taking to second interview, are a little bit older than you and have held senior management roles.

Your passion for working with young people to change lives, came over loud and clear, and I do hope you succeed in finding your next role.

Kind regards
Chief Exec

Which, like, thanks - but if that was going to be an insurmountable problem, why waste my time by getting me in at all? And should my age have any sort of bearing on things? (nb I'm 31!)

I guess it's good experience etc but to go through a couple of weeks of pretty intensive prep work, and to take a day's holiday to do it, only to find out you basically weren't really in their thoughts anyway is really fucking exasperating

:(

thought this revive was gonna be about this sun-setting-on-the-silly-season peach http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/sep/05/currys-interviewee-radios-robot-dance

I dunno, if they were looking for someone with senior management experience then it may have been nothing to do with the quality of your interview. That said, if that were the case it does seem weird that they would waste your time with an interview in the first place.

Yeah, that's the bit I found a bit weird. OTOH she may have thought this was a kinder way of responding than saying "you were crap love" so idk.

probably hoping they could find a way to get what they wanted from someone they thought they could pay way less

If you were one of the older ones who didn't get it they'd probably have said they wanted a younger person

Fuck them. And fuck currys. I'm doing my bit to fuck currys by also posting that link to ilx on another thread

All the candidates whom I am taking to second interview, are a little bit older than you and have held senior management roles.

where do you live? in USA it's illegal to deny someone a job because of age except in very limited circumstances.

which basically just means you make up another reason not to hire somebody.

Yeah, equally so in the UK! In fairness to her I don't think she really meant "you didn't get through because you're not old enough" and her email was nice enough, but it was a pretty clumsy/stupid way of putting it. I can completely understand not getting through (it was a much more senior role than my current one, like several levels up, so I was pleasantly surprised to get an interview in the first place) but I could imagine someone much more entitled/irrational/desperate trying to complain about age discrimination.

Pay thing was weird too - for a job that had director in the title it paid what I'm on but with fewer benefits. And I am not a high-earning fella.

I think maybe she misinterpreted my "do you have any feedback that I can take with me to future interviews elsewhere" as "why didn't you give me the job waaaah". I'm fine with the not being chosen bit, but would have been happy to hear general sort of "you babbled a bit" or whatever advice, if she had any. But maybe there wasn't any, or she felt she couldn't give it because she thought I might take it badly. Anyway, jokes on her because I abhor 'working with young people to change their lives'.

Basically cardamom otm. Fuck 'em.

i've been unemployed for 6+ months now. it is really fucking discouraging.
the only places that have even replied to my applications are a dog walking service and a juice bar.

Why were they at the airport if the husband wasn't due to return from his tour of duty that day?

Wrong thread shit

ian, it's far more likely to be them than you

if she told you in an email that you weren't hired b/c you weren't old/young enough, regardless of what actually went on you have a lawsuit.

(another way of saying that is: if this company knows what is good for them, they should fire the woman who sent you that email.)

When I started going for teaching jobs 20+ years ago, I was hopelessly inept at interviews--so much so that when I finally was hired full-time after seven years of supplying (by basically asking for, and getting, a mercy hiring by the outgoing principal at a school where I supplied regularly), I never tried to switch schools again. Fifteen years later, I'm still there--because I like the school, but also because I never want to go through another job interview for the rest of my life.

Teaching interviews require that you're fully conversant in the acronyms du jour (ADJs, if you will). They change every three or four years, but they never go away.

Job interview at TK Maxx tomorrow. FML. Perhaps a consolation is that if I get the job, I can start a thread about it.

Full/part time? Cover your outgoings?

if she told you in an email that you weren't hired b/c you weren't old/young enough, regardless of what actually went on you have a lawsuit.

To be fair, that wasn't the spirit of what was written though. clearly she meant 'experienced' though she used the word 'older,' e.g. 'these other candidates are a better fit because they are older (and therefore more experienced).'

Hmmm, I just had an interview go really well for a job I don't really want but I really need any job. Hoping I can have a similarly good interview for a job I'd be more down to actually do before I'm called on to take this one. Meh.

I didn't even apply for this. My roommate did and they called him yesterday and he was like "I already took a job but my roomie's here and he's looking for work" and handed off the phone.

I'd say take it up and give it yr best shot because whether or not you like it depends on things that won't be apparent until you've worked there a while

Well, it's doing janitorial work for $11/hr late nights with a 27 mile commute, so I can't exactly see myself growing to appreciate it, but I'm fairly desperate and can't afford to pass on work at the moment.