Comments on: Interview(er) Tips

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:29:48 +0000

A few years ago I considered switching careers from engineering to financial services and was able to arrange an interview with a large financial services company through a friend. They were open to quantitative people with a range of backgrounds, and said previous financial services experience was not a requirement, so I felt I had some realistic chance of landing an analyst job.

I interviewed with three managers, the first of whom was very nice and very forthcoming about the group I was interviewing with, it’s strengths and weaknesses, etc. We spoke for about half an hour – so far, so good.

The second manager could not have been more different from the first. I was “dropped off” in his office while he was in a meeting. After about 10 minutes he entered, didn’t say hello, didn’t introduce himself, just sat down, picked up my resume, started grilling me with questions (never making eye contact) and then basically proceeded to tell me how dumb I was for not knowing enough about financial services, even though I tried to tell him that their job ad said that they were taking people from other backgrounds, as long as they could handle the math. He ignored my protests and then proceeded to draw a bell curve on his whiteboard to drive home how unqualified I was relative to the type of people they usually hire. (I think I was in about the 30th percentile.)

He then offered his “advice” that I go to the last manager I was supposed to meet with and ask that mgr. if I could go home and come back some other time, since in this mgr’s eyes I was so unprepared and so incompetent. I was so stunned and embarrassed by the way I was being treated that I gave up all hope of getting a job and declined this manager’s advice and met with the last mgr for about 20 minutes, basically in shell shock from the previous mgr. I just wanted to get things over with and get out of there.

I left in a daze and didn’t hear from them again. The kicker was that when I got home I got an email from another company I had interviewed with telling me that THEY were not going to offer me a job. So I struck out twice within about an hour!

By: Al

Al — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:03:24 +0000

I was applying for an exchange student program. They wanted to make sure that students accepted could handle being in uncomfortable situations, so they had a group of seven interviewers asking me ridiculous questions meant to completely rattle me. They asked if they could send me to Russia, and I said, well, it really wasn’t my first choice and I didn’t want to go there. Then they asked me if I was merely being xenophobic. I said that it was nothing against Russia; Russia just wasn’t my major area of study and there were other places I’d rather go first.

They also asked me what I’d do if I found myself on an elevator with a man who started molesting me. Seriously. I gave about fifteen different exit strategies before one of the interviewers said, “Actually, the answer we were looking for was don’t get on an elevator if there’s a guy already in it, and you two are the only people riding it.”

I got into the program, but believe me, nothing I experienced in the country I ended up in was anything like that experience.

By: ange

ange — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 01:05:59 +0000

I recently interviewed for a in house design job and it was going perfectly until the lady told me that the last two designers left because they got pregnant and at the end of the maternity leave decided to stay home. (good for them two less people to compete with for jobs)

She said everyone in the office thinks the chair was jinxed and paused. I smiled and asked if I could get a new chair if I came into the office. I think they hired a man instead.

By: rose wilson

rose wilson — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 19:37:04 +0000

I swear this is true. Hand to God and on the soul of my sainted mother. In 1970, I was interviewing for a teacher’s job and the principal of the school looked at me and said ” You ever teach any n***ers?” I was so shocked, I couldn’t answer.

By: Eric G.

Eric G. — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:27:00 +0000

Q: If it were to rain music, what would grow?

A:Purple

By: ac

ac — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 16:31:55 +0000

n2y2- chris couldn’t remember the word, if you read the first line. But I still don’t get it.

By: n2y2

n2y2 — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 16:02:12 +0000

Chris:

To be fair, the interviewee answered and incomplete question with and incomplete sentence. (You omitted the sentence’s object and so did he/she).

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 14:57:26 +0000

I can’t remember the exact term I was asking but the interview went something like this:

Me: Can you tell me what is?
Interviewee: (after a bit) Not really.
Me: Ok. Next question. How would you go about solving ?
Interviewee: I would use .

We didn’t hire them.

By: fred

fred — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:07:47 +0000

I think if the question, “If it were raining music what would you grow?” I might respond, “I can’t lye hear, I would grow harmony.” You can now (up)beat me with an accord(ion).

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 14:22:14 +0000

I have a friend who, in the 1980’s, interviewed with a large European pharmaceutical company for a research chemist position. She had a PhD, years of experience and exceptional references. She made it through all of the rounds of interviews and was told she would be employed if she returned with her certificate.

What certificate? the certificate they wanted was not citizenship, not right to work, not even proof of her educational credentials.

What they wanted a certificate of STERILIZATION to prove she couldn’t/wouldn’t have children and go on maternity leave. This practice, while highly illegal, was common in Europe in the 70s and 80s.

She did not take the position.