terrible interview

cossie · #1 11-07-2008, 03:03 AM

Hey,

I recently had an interview for a position with a consulting company - it's damn hard trying to find a job with this current economic situation after coming out of college (I did a Masters last year). It wasn't my ideal job but beggars cannot be choosers and I prepared for it as best I could.

The person who interviewed me was utterly obnoxious. They got my name wrong when they came to meet me in reception. They scoffed at times when I offered answers to some of their questions, they wouldn't even make eye contact when I was answering some of their questions and also came short of saying my previous employers were idiots based on some project work they had asked me to do. They pulled me up on the words I used in my answers - if I said things like "I think" or "I would presume", "It may be the case that" etc. I was pulled up on that - and it felt like my choice of words mattered more than my knowledge (and this was for a junior engineering position). I put a few things to him that he didn't know about and I avoided being confrontational even though after a while it began to feel they were trying to making it personal.

It was incredibly frustrating and while I kept my cool throughout I had made up my mind after 5 minutes that I would never in a million years want to work for these people.

I've done quite a few interviews in my time and have never once come across someone so obnoxious and pedantic. The person interviewing me was the project leader and I got the feeling like they would be the sort of person to happily lay the blame on a subordinate if a project failed or was delayed.

Interviews are hard enough without some egotistic a$$ trying to garner some self-gratification. You're already in a vulnerable position trying to convince a company they should hire you, and it's made worse if you're in a situation where you desperately need work.

I always try to take the positives out of every situation and the good thing about this is that I can't possibly have a worse interview that this one. I'm prepared in future to deal with any similar interviewers.

RANT OVER - sorry about that!

And when I got home from the interview I was contacted by another company that I would really like to work for asking if I could meet them in just over a week's time

i_got_a_mohawk · #2 11-07-2008, 04:02 AM

Well, at least you know, if they turn around and offer you a job, you can quickly happily tell them where to shove it

Seeing it was someone who you would be working directly under, I think the interview also worked to let you see what they were like. And if he was like that to someone who they are trying to be nice to and reel in, how do you think he's be every day? **** that, people dont need that kind of added stress!

Good luck with the other inteview

vinny · #3 11-07-2008, 07:49 AM

You got a break. Forget them. I do interviews to hire on my job & the main thing I want to know is, "can you do the work & will you be here to do it." The guy who interviewed you sounds like he was looking for an @$$-kisser. You never want to work for one of these tools, as it's my opinion anyone like that has many other character flaws which foster a bad professional relationship. These cats are usually prone to micro-managing, favoritism not based on merit (ie the bigger @$$-kisser), throwing you under the bus when there is fault to be reckoned with, plus many more. I've learned these things from bad experience & have no tolerance for any of it in my management style or that of my subordinates. Like I said, you got a break. You didn't have to go to work for this guy only to regret it later. My $.02

SuperDuck · #4 11-07-2008, 08:52 AM

Better you find out now, before you started working for them.

Steve · #5 11-07-2008, 09:16 AM

Seems to me, the "Projetct Leader" already knew who he wanted for the gig and H.R. was forcing him to go through the interview process.

I've been on both sides of that desk. It sucks.

SuperDuck · #6 11-07-2008, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve

Seems to me, the "Projetct Leader" already knew who he wanted for the gig and H.R. was forcing him to go through the interview process.

I've been on both sides of that desk. It sucks.

Always a possibility. When applying for a job, you never know if the position was essentially already filled before it was even posted. I can think of a few cases where that's happened - the company dictates that the job has to be posted/advertised and interviews have to be performed, but it's pretty much in the bag who's going to get the job before step 1.

A terrible waste of everyone's time, IMO.

MakiSupaStar · #7 11-07-2008, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve

Seems to me, the "Projetct Leader" already knew who he wanted for the gig and H.R. was forcing him to go through the interview process.

I've been on both sides of that desk. It sucks.

+1. This was my first thought exactly.

awakefie · #8 11-07-2008, 09:32 AM

I had such an interview once.

It was out of town. It was an up and coming company. I was contacted by a headhunter that set up the interview with the VP.

The first thing I saw was someone had taped a caricature of the VP to her door with a sign that said "My Way or the Highway". Office antics... so I thought.

5 minutes into the interview I discovered she was the most self-centered, obnoxiuos, mean-spirited person I had ever met. When she took me on the tour I noticed people were terrified of her.

Three days later I was contacted by the headhunter saying they were really impressed with me and were ready to discuss salary.

I politely told the headhunter I was weighing other options.

I used to say "pay me enough and I'll do anything". This interview showed me how wrong I was.

It helped me greatly in the process of learning that the company doesn't just pick you, you pick the company as well.

I hope you find a job and company you like.

baalroo · #9 11-07-2008, 09:59 AM

Any time I've ever done an interview I look at it as I am interviewing them. Basically, this guy failed your interview. Good for you, now go interview some other company.

warnergt · #10 11-07-2008, 11:45 AM

I once had an interview that left me very angry.

I took a vacation day at my then current job and drove over 100
miles each way (about two hours each way) to meet with folks
at the company that had invited me in for an interview. I met
one or two guys in the company lobby and we talked there for
about 5-10 minutes. That was it! I didn't get a tour of the
company. They didn't even take me for lunch at McDonalds.
Nothing.

Despite the very short interview, nothing really went wrong. There
was no hostility. I felt I answered the low number questions to
their satisfaction. So, I went home and waited for a response
from the interview. And waited. And waited. There was still no
communication from them after about three weeks.

I was pissed. I wasted a vacation day and drove 200 miles
and four hours for nothing. I didn't even get the courtesy
of a response.

I stuck my hand in a photocopy machine and made a
copy of my hand giving them the finger. Then, I wrote
an angry letter sarcastically thanking them for wasting my
time and printed it on top of the photocopied page with
the finger gesture. I mailed it to them.

I kept a copy of the letter. It's a classic.

DudeistMonk · #11 11-07-2008, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Seems to me, the "Projetct Leader" already knew who he wanted for the gig and H.R. was forcing him to go through the interview process.

I've been on both sides of that desk. It sucks.

I've seen companies do this all the time...Half of all the interviews are just because of protocol.

MakiSupaStar · #12 11-07-2008, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warnergt

I once had an interview that left me very angry.

I took a vacation day at my then current job and drove over 100
miles each way (about two hours each way) to meet with folks
at the company that had invited me in for an interview. I met
one or two guys in the company lobby and we talked there for
about 5-10 minutes. That was it! I didn't get a tour of the
company. They didn't even take me for lunch at McDonalds.
Nothing.

Despite the very short interview, nothing really went wrong. There
was no hostility. I felt I answered the low number questions to
their satisfaction. So, I went home and waited for a response
from the interview. And waited. And waited. There was still no
communication from them after about three weeks.

I was pissed. I wasted a vacation day and drove 200 miles
and four hours for nothing. I didn't even get the courtesy
of a response.

I stuck my hand in a photocopy machine and made a
copy of my hand giving them the finger. Then, I wrote
an angry letter sarcastically thanking them for wasting my
time and printed it on top of the photocopied page with
the finger gesture. I mailed it to them.

I kept a copy of the letter. It's a classic.

No pics. No letter.

standupright · #13 11-07-2008, 12:21 PM

i've had a couple of interviews like that.....and after i had decided that it was b!@$#****, i politely offered my exit. "Please excuse me, but i feel that this is not the right fit for my direction." and leave. don't waste my time.

thumpbass1 · #14 11-07-2008, 01:44 PM

Chalk it up as another learning experience. I'm 52 and looking for another day gig, so I'm at the other spectrum of the job market with being older and more experienced which has different obstacles to overcome in competing for a job. Most of my interviews have gone well, but I did have one clown pull a similar style of interview like what you went through. I also know that some companies like to pull some sort of psychological warfare tactic in the interview to see how a job candidate handles stress.

I hope you land a great job that offers you a chance towards a bright future. Do get used to coming across jerks in the working world, as they do seem to be found just about everywhere.