Interview Nightmares 13

[BJCooperIT]

I once worked for a software vendor (read: sweat shop) that I will call XYZ. Years later I interviewed for a position at one of their clients in a different state. This client had bitter feelings regarding their contract with XYZ. I was asked several questions by a panel of three hostile people who wanted to know how XYZ functioned internally and why they did not get the service to which they felt entitled.

Had I known how strained the relationship between these companies was, I would never have applied for the position. I had never even worked on their contract and was now between a rock and a hard place. If I defended XYZ, then I knew I was sunk. If I complained about XYZ, then I would not appear to have been a dedicated employee. I told the tale of dedicated developers who did their best in an environment where deadlines and contracts were in the hands of sales people. I did not get the job. Afterwards I had the distinct impression that I had only been interviewed so they could play their cat-and-mouse game with me as some sort of revenge.

Anyone else had an interview or interview question from hell? Hopefully by sharing we can avoid making the same mistakes.

[sup]Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.[/sup][sup] ~George Bernard Shaw[/sup]
Consultant/Custom Forms & PL/SQL - Oracle 8.1.7 - Windows 2000

 

[CajunCenturion]

Sometimes those question do come up, and I usually answer something along the lines of,

I certainly understand the question, but it would be inappropriate for me to speak on that subject. I would no longer speak about them behind their back than I would speak about you, should we engage in some relationship, behind your back, now or in the future.


Good Luck
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As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[jimoo]

I had 2 funny incidents - the first one occured to me, and the 2nd to my wife.

1. One of the interviewers fell asleep. It turns out he suffered from a sleeping disorder and this was not uncommon. I kept my focus on the other person. Oddly, I got the job.

2. My wife went into an interview and they started asking her all types of questions about skills she did not have. Finally, she ask them why they were asking those questions. It turns out, they were filling 2 completely different positions. They had the wrong resume and were asking questions for the wrong position. They had to regroup and start over. She did not get the job. No surprise to me.



Jim Osieczonek
Delta Business Group, LLC

http://www.deltabg.com

 

[chiph]

I once interviewed a guy who was wearing a tuxedo.

It turns out that he was also in town to attend a friend's wedding (he was a groomsman), and didn't own a suit, so he just rented the tux for an extra day.

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

 

[BJCooperIT]

How surreal Chiph. Did he get the job?

[sup]Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.[/sup][sup] ~George Bernard Shaw[/sup]
Consultant/Custom Forms & PL/SQL - Oracle 8.1.7 - Windows 2000

 

[dilettante]

Good thing he wasn't in town for a Renaissance Faire.

 

[sleipnir214]

I'd have been half three-quarters tempted to tell him, "You have the job. But I'll expect you to show up every day dressed like that."



It wasn't a job interview that I saw something strange. In the U.S. Army, you're required to go before something called a promotion board to be elegible for promotion through the NCO ranks. Promotion boards tend to be somewhat adversarial, so most folks are nervous appearing before one anyway. In this one promotion board, the room was set up in such a way that none of the examining NCOs could see the candidates' feet. And shoe- and boot-polishing is very important to the U.S. Army.

A friend of mine was appearing before that board and as I had never seen a promotion board before and was not going to appear in front of this one, I was allowed to sit in the back of the room and observe. As my friend entered the room, all 5 members of the board suddenly ducked over sideways and stuck their heads under the table to get a look at his shoes. He was so rattled by the sight he couldn't answer a single question -- got a bad case of "deer in the headlights" syndrome.

Afterward, my friend's comment was, "Suddenly, all the NCOs on the board turned into ostriches."

Want the best answers? Ask the best questions:

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

TANSTAAFL!!

 

[chiph]

Uhh, he actually did get the job.

But it turned out later that he was a wanted man (he even was featured on 'Unsolved Mysteries').

Probably no relation between the tux and being a criminal, though. Turns out he had kidnapped his biological children to get them away from his wife's abusive older kids from another marriage. She was otnay ootay ightbray ("He just left with our savings and our children and his book on how to change your identity&quot, but looked good on camera, so a nationwide manhunt was started. Totally messy situation.

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

 

[lespaul]

talk about a bizarre twist!!

Leslie

 

[JeanNiBee]

My worst experience... I have two.

1> We are intervieweing a guy for a senior architect position (I.T. field, not building architecture). After I do my routine, this other guy jumps in to ask some questions. Quick background, we would frequently have a few managers/developers in an interview room as we neede do tfill spots in other teams.
Anyway the guy who jumps into the interview is relatively new and VERY VERY junior. He starts asking this architect about his HTML experienece, how good at Javascript it is, etcetc. About 20 minutes of this guy answering his question with a "WTF" loo kon his face. He stops the guy mid sentenance and says "Hey man, look I think it's obviousl you don't have a F#$%ing clue what you are talking about, so why not let someone else step up to the plate!".

Unprofessional as it was I bust out laghing my butt off.

I wanted to hire him right away but the management thought there would be personality conflicts... they were over-ruled as every team lead wanted this guy. We got him and he was great.


2> I sat in an interview, and I hear this 'trick' happens from time to time, where two epople interview you and one sits in front of you and the other one in back. They barrage you with questions. The 'test' is to see if you will 1> Ask one of them to move so you can speak directly to both, or 2> Move your own chair to the side so you can at least keep them in your field of vision. Luckily I had read about this somewhere and asked them to move and they promptly said "good job, not many people can asert themselves like that and control a situation".

I got the job.

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[Golom]

You could take the attitude that happened in an interview conducted by a boss of mine. The guy arrived on his BMW motorcycle wearing his leathers and carrying his helmet. He opened the interview with the question

And just what are your qualifications to interview me?

... and he still got the job! (Must have been the Ph.D.)

 

[sleipnir214]

Golom:

I think I'd be too appreciative of the candidate's chutzpah to be too turned off. Maybe your boss was, too.

Want the best answers? Ask the best questions:

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

TANSTAAFL!!

 

[skotman]

I walked in to where I work now, not in the tech sector, rather we lift large objects like oil rigs and ships, the first few minutes of the interview went something like this:

President: Can you pass a drug test?
Me: Yes
President: You're hired, here is what I will pay you, call me in 2 days to set up training and to give you a job description with official offer.
Me: umm ok thanks.

Needless to say the offer was one I would be a fool to pass up, the company has been run by this guy since the begining (he's only 45 I think) and he always listens to his employees, even if it's about non-work related issues. Pay is on time, and more then fair. I actually do 6 hours (if that) of work a day, get paid for 8, the draw back is I have to be here from 730 till the work is done, my job takes 10 min, but I have to wait on the other crew to finish so I'm here till 5 or later some nights And pay is always on time. I should have started here in January instead of going to work for that CLEC.

Sad to say if I get into school I'll have to quit and move, I will miss this place alot, as I love it here and his family. They have been family friends for years.

Scott Heath

http://www.scottspad.com

AIM: orange7288

 

[willir]

A funny thing happened to me in a past life...

My wife and I were recently married. She moved from a different country. She kept her name which was fine by me. We both applied for the same tech job at well known university.

One evening, I get a call -- can I come in for an interview (yahoo).

Five minutes later, the phone rang again asking for my better half. The caller clued in and said didn't I just call this number? Yes. But is this the xy residence or xx residence? Both. (You could hear the guy think -- really weird). My wife was also called in for an interview.

It turned out we both scheduled same day with her interview scheduled 90 min after mine.

(You can see this coming...)
My interview went really well.

I met my wife 10 min before her interview and gave her the run down.

Her interview also went well. She went in and it turned out to be pretty much the same interview -- institutions tend to be like that I guess.

Needless to say, she got the job. Best job, by far, she ever had. And she exceled at it.


The worst interview I ever had, another past life experience, was with a major pharmaceutical company. They flew me in from 2000 miles away and put me in a hotel for a week. Interview started at 7:30 AM. For 8 to 9 hrs a day, for 3 days, I was run through the ringer -- interview panel after interview panel (3 to 6 on the panel) - questions upon questions. I was brain dead after the first day. I have never seen anything like this before. I felt more like I was being questioned for some crime than applying for a job. And nope, I did not get the job. And I think that was a good thing.

 

[Gatorajc]

willir,

I think the best thing is that you did not get that job. What was the job for? I cant think of any job that would require that type of interview.

I can think of a few that would require an extensive interview (Head of Surgery, CEO, Topless Dancer, etc).

AJ


If at first you do not succeed, cheat!

 

[MasterRacker]

A recent interview I went on for a sysadmin position ended up with tests. I had to take a skills and aptitude test (Math, verbal, pattern matching, etc.) and also a personality test. From what I've been told, this is becoming more common.

I can see aptitude tests for technical positions, but it's kind of scary to think of a job hinging on the results of some standardized personality test.


Jeff
If your mind is too open your brains will fall out...

 

[lespaul]

Can programmers actually pass a personality test?

JUST KIDDING!!

Leslie

 

[Gatorajc]

Maybe if its pass/fail. Leslie


AJ


If at first you do not succeed, cheat!

 

[phgirl]

Maybe it's a Yes/No???

Just kidding also!

 

[CajunCenturion]

I think the only way a programmer would pass a personality if it were multiple choice:

Q - The Question
A - The Answer
B - Only "A" Applies
C - Both "A" and "B"
D - All of the Above

Good Luck
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As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein