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Is this really how the corporate world works?

#21
That's how the corporate world works.

Sometimes it works the exact opposite. Sometimes HR wants a scripted response to their questions. Some HR dept's want droids and robots, not free thinkers (not saying your gf was a droid, btw).
 
#22
PS- This kind of goes along with the whole Facebook/password story. HR depts are only allowed to be this asinine because of the tight job market. To the OP, I believe in a healthy job market, your gf would have probably been the one picked, given your post.
 
#25
Actium said:
They are probably flooded with applicants because everybody is looking for jobs now. They can afford to be picky and find that perfect person to fill the job.
Click to expand...

They can also afford to ask for Facebook passwords, require panel interviews with 4 hours, ask interviewees dumbass questions about which animal they would wanna be if they could be an animal, etc.
 
#26
To the OP, as others have said yes it happens that way sometimes.

I also agree that being over qualified may be an issue. Bringing a new hire on board is a time consuming process. Having a team member leave is disruptive. No hiring manager is going to hire someone they suspect may jump ship shortly if it's at all avoidable.
 
#27
pedroims said:
oh dear, corporate world is worst than that, maybe HR has a good friend that is not as good as your girlfriend but heyy thats whats friends are for right ?
Click to expand...

My experience, having been a hiring manager in three different technology companies, is that HR weeds out obviously unqualified candidates via whatever magical process they have. Once past HR hiring has been strictly my decision.


OT but the best HR person I ever worked with was a retired NYPD homicide detective. I've never, ever, seen anyone pull more information out of someone by just having a casual conversation. The man was an amazing student of human nature. Watching him work was a thing of beauty.

Unfortunately for us after 9/11 he went back to the NYPD to teach at the police academy.
 
#28
I've been a recruiter in the I.T. field for the past 25 years. What you describe happens every day and there is no way for your girl friend to ever find out what it was that the company saw/heard, that turned them off... so get over it, move on to the next opportunty.
Like any profession, there are people who are really good at what they do and there are those who aren't...

The thing to remember about recruiters is simply this... they get paid based on success... contingency based fees. If you want a recruiter to work their tail off for you, you have to bring something to the table that will make the recruiter believe that you are their next fee...

Recruiters don't always get feed back from their clients regarding interviews and even when they do, the company can virtually say anything they want, to justify their decision.
Don't fool yourself into thinking that the hiring process is a black and white one... it is most certainly many shades of grey!
Fishheadjo
 
#29
As others have said, the hiring process is different in every company, sometimes it extremely different within different divisions of the same company. It's even possible that different people in the hiring chain are completely unaware of what happens at other points in the chain.

It's best to just think of it as a black box. You can input your resume and interview answers but beyond that you have no insight about or control over what happens in the box.
 
#32
Thanks all.. I feel better about it today. It was wrong for me to think that she had it in the bag, just like anything else. You don't have it until you have it. I'm thinking of it the same as looking for a date, looking for a band..it's all a giant pain in the ass until something works out.

The recruiter from the staffing agency has been great to her actually. They were as shocked as she was as to how the interview turned out.
 
#33
Gaius46 said:
I also agree that being over qualified may be an issue. Bringing a new hire on board is a time consuming process. Having a team member leave is disruptive. No hiring manager is going to hire someone they suspect may jump ship shortly if it's at all avoidable.
Click to expand...

This.

Fishheadjoe said:
The thing to remember about recruiters is simply this... they get paid based on success... contingency based fees. If you want a recruiter to work their tail off for you, you have to bring something to the table that will make the recruiter believe that you are their next fee...
Click to expand...

And this.

Unfortunately this is the norm for many big companies. Typically the HR people, at least in my experiences, are there to screen people during the interview process. They are not typically the ones who make the final decision.

Also expect the strange questions. I sometimes ask interviewees if they were a type of ice cream, what would they be. Yes, it is an absolutely absurd question, and has little relevance on if they can actually do a job or not. I do get a very good idea of the interviewee's ability to think on their feet, handle the weirdness of what may be thrown at them (more so being in Corporate America), and see if they have a personality of any sort.
 
#34
It's probably as simple as this: The person they wound up hiring knew someone at the company. It's all about connections. My last three jobs resulted from me knowing the person hiring for the position. There is nothing odd about your girlfriend's experience.
 
#35
When I'm interviewing recruiters to join my staff, one of the first questions I ask them is "what direction does water flow"?
Most times I get "south" as an answer... this tells me that the person answering the question does not think outside the box... I can't have folks who make assumptions on my team, I need folks who can think on their feet and be at least three to five steps ahead of any conversation...

BTW - the correct answer is down!
(Most get it wrong!)LOL
Fishheadjoe
 
#36
Fishheadjoe said:
When I'm interviewing recruiters to join my staff, one of the first questions I ask them is "what direction does water flow"?
Most times I get "south" as an answer... this tells me that the person answering the question does not think outside the box... I can't have folks who make assumptions on my team, I need folks who can think on their feet and be at least three to five steps ahead of any conversation...

BTW - the correct answer is down!
(Most get it wrong!)LOL
Fishheadjoe
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. Ocean currents don't flow "down". Neither would water in a space - since there's no down.

Maybe you should fire yourself :-)
 
#38
Gaius46 said:
Not necessarily. Ocean currents don't flow "down". Neither would water in a space - since there's no down.

Maybe you should fire yourself :-)
Click to expand...

Actually, rip currents do. Most are caused by waves bringing water in, and then they find the path of least resistance to flow back out, which often results in water moving down hill to channels that move from shallow to deep water. But you are right about the normal ocean currents though. So BOTH answers are actually right here. :p
 
#40
Fishheadjoe said:
When I'm interviewing recruiters to join my staff, one of the first questions I ask them is "what direction does water flow"?
Most times I get "south" as an answer... this tells me that the person answering the question does not think outside the box... I can't have folks who make assumptions on my team, I need folks who can think on their feet and be at least three to five steps ahead of any conversation...

BTW - the correct answer is down!
(Most get it wrong!)LOL
Fishheadjoe
Click to expand...
The correct answer is it flows in the direction it is (initially) pushed or pulled, until it gets pushed or pulled in a different direction.

Just sayin'. :D

(I'm amazed that people actually answer with "South". :eek:)
 

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