What irks you about interviews? What would you like to say in a job interview but could never say? What tips could you give? Got any comments about those HR droids??33 responses total.
I hate the kinds of questions that invite you to exaggerate your
skills or accomplishments, particularly the question I always seem
to get asked: "How would you rate your level in {skill X} on a
scale from 1 to 10?"
Answering that you're a "5" or a "6" in most skills with the potential
to become, in time, an "8.5" never seems to impress the interviewer
for some reason but what do they want you to say? That you know as
much about C as Dennis Ritchie but for some reason are choosing to
apply for their entry-level developer position?
I hate the "expected salary" question. I never know how to answer that one. If I go too high they won't hire me, if I go too low they may either hire me and pay me less then they were planning for the position or they may feel that but asking that little I am really not qualified. I would rather negociate that when the job is offered.
I'm with Glenda on that one. I also hate the "Why are you leaving your current job?" When I really want to say, "Because my current boss is a fucking wanker and if I have to look at him one more time, I'll kill him."
While I haven't applied for many jobs in my life, those I have have always been offered with a salary specified. Are there some jobs for which you cannot just ask, what salary are you offering?
That doesn't seem to be the current trend. Even when I worked for ManPower and was sent on an interview with a couple other ManPower candidates for the job I would be asked that question. ManPower sets the rate for crying out loud..
Yes, you may be asked the question, but my point was, why not answer it with a simple request for the offered salary? It seems to me that the question is a form of intimidation. YOU should have the option of choice of whether you will or will not take a job for the offered salary. (I do understand that what you do may depend upon how desperate you are for just getting a job - any job.)
Rigid, often unrealistic experience expectations irk me. I applied recently for a job that I was well qualified for skill-wise, but my application was rejected without even being considered because I was a few months under their stated experience requirement.
I always answer that question by taking the mean between the lowest salary I would accept and the highest one I can imagine would be realistic for the job and then putting some notation that the figure is negotiable. Whenever I am asked to rate my skills, I rate them as honestly as I can and then when they ask me about what my strengths are, I say that I am accurate about judging my ability.
keep them coming guys, I need all the sugstions I can get. I recently applied for a job on line that required an estimated salary. Problem is, I have no idea hw to answer and no way to ask. I also recently applied for a jkob on line and was rejected after taking three online aptitude tests. pissed me off royal. How can a computer tell if I am qualified.
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When asked for salary requirements, I'd answer something like "Let's see if the candidate and the job are a good fit before we discuss compensation." If pressed on the matter, something along the lines of "I'd like to find out more about the position before I try to put a price on it." Of course, I don't interview for a lot of jobs, though I do conduct a lot of phone interviews of people I'm considering hiring. In those instances, I'm just trying to get a sense of what sort of person I'm dealing with and what relevant skills they might have. It's pretty much always a very informal process.
Interesting. the human resources folks have a fairly minimal role in the hiring process in my company. Basically, HR take references, (sometimes) coordinate the candidate interview schedule and sort out the paperwork for the final hiring package. After the candidate is hired, they'll also help with sorting out the paperwork for benefits and the like but for most positions, the hiring process itself driven completely by the group hiring. I don't think we've ever put a candidate in front of an HR person for an actual interview.
I enjoy interviewing. It's an opportunity to brag about myself. If I do so convincingly, I get the job. I've been pretty successful at getting job offers, once I get to the interview stage. I think I probably come off well at interviews because I *do* enjoy them. An interview is also a place where I will establish whether I think the company is a good fit for me. If the interview doesn't feel good to me, the chances are good that I won't want to work there anyway. If they ask me stupid questions, focus on things that aren't relevant to what I want to do, waste time, etc., then the job was not a good fit for me. My least favorite question used to be, "What is your greatest weakness?" I answered at one job interview that I was too modest, that I'd come in 2nd place in a high school humility contest, but the guy who took 1st was faking it and I was a lot more humble than him. They offered me. (I accepted. Worst job I have had yet.) Since then, I've taken the question more seriously in interviews, and use it to talk about things I don't want to do and/or am not good at. I don't want to speak to groups, and don't want to travel for work -- ever, if I can avoid it. At my current job, I have pointed to the interview where I made these two points, and gotten out of both traveling and speaking to groups. I guess the thing I'd recommend about interviewing is to remember that you're not a victim of the process. It's about you as well as the company. You can take charge to some extent (but don't overdo it). Answer questions enthusiastically, positively and responsively -- but say what *you* want to say about yourself. There's probably no question which can't be used to say something you *want* to say.
Re #9: Could you research other jobs in the same field to find out what a typical salary is? This is kind of tough to find out in our society because talking about money is one of the last big taboos. Re #12: In a lot of the jobs I've applied for, the HR people act as gatekeepers, discarding resumes they don't think meet the qualifications. The problem, when you're applying for a technical position, is that HR people don't understand technology; they're just looking to see if your resume has the same keywords that appear in the job posting. :P
My last interview wasn't so good. I was being interviewed (over-the- phone) for a pre-sales tech job. The guy seemed to be attacking me all the time. When I told him that one of the companies I worked for had closed down, he asked me if the next one too had closed down. Then pointing to my work experience he said the work experience while I was doing my PG degree would have to be discounted or they would've to discount my PG degree. Then the guy says if we discount your PG degree, there isn't much left (since my graduate degree is in commerce and PG is in tech). Then guy expressed surprise that I am only 26 (whats *only* about 26??). Then he went on to give some *personal* advise to me since I was referred by one his colleagues. He said your CV needs to show stability (which he again rubbed in a bit) and a good brand (he hadn't heard of the companies I had worked for). And gave a small lecture on need for stability and how since he was older to me would like to give me advise. Of HR droids. I called up an HR droid to check if the resume I had sent interested them?? She asked me the what were my skill sets and searched for my resume on her PC. She started to read out my CV aloud (Security engineer ... blah blah blah). She said she had no job permanent openings for me. I called her up again to check if they had any temp/contract openings. This time I mentioned "firewall" as one of the skill sets, BINGO, she said they have a permanent opening for me. DUHHH!!! Salary is another sticky area. Most base your salary offered on your previous salary which seems rather unfair to me because you are expected to do more at the new job and shoulder more to much more responsibility.
I thought asking age was one of those verboten topics, like religion and politics. (During interviews that is)
Even I thought so and was taken aback by the question.
I understand that interviewers will ask illegal questions sometimes and from what I remember, it's recommended that you don't answer the question directly, but address the concern that caused them to ask the question in the first place. They might have misconceptions regarding age, for example, and so I if I understand correctly, you basically assert your ability despite such false assumptions. Anyway, for me, I need to learn to prepare a good script and have a plan before I walk into an interview. I just *hate* interviewers that have no idea what they are doing and I am left to conduct basically the entire interview. I don't think well on my feet, so I need to practice what I will say beforehand. Of course, I am out on the job trail, so this is currently a work in progress.
I'm not knowledgable about employment law, so I'm probably wrong, but I don't think there's anything illegal about asking an applicant's age, but it can be a hazardous question to ask because discriminating based on age is forbidden in some circumstances.
... hr filters are teh absolute bane of getting fitted into work you could enjoy... for a 'job', well, maybe nto. btw. salary.com has soem tips taht might help. for the life of me, my answer has alwas been 'it depends on teh function you need.' also, 'your past salary history' answers ahve been indignant, at best. what i earned 'before' has NO realtionishp to what i will accept 'now.' i work for whom *I* choose, not he other way around. i hire an employer.
Re #19: Sounds right to me.
adn #20? i work for whom *I* choose, not he other way around. i hire an employer.
In this market? Great, if you can pull it off.
heh-heh ... successful for over xxx# of years. granted, though, that i accumulated control of most of my capital during the *fan-fscking-tastic* reagen tax-cut yers. some of my risks paid off quite well; some didn';t. the ones that didn;t wer monatarlily insignificant. teh ones that did - - /sigh. i was taught - adn i have followed - teh mantra of *never* being *P R I S O N E R* to the monthly payment slavery that is emdemic to capitalism. that's endemic ... for the thought-impaired. yes, 'great' in any m,arket. "your money will ALWAYS work harder for you than you are capable of working for yourself. pay yorself FIRST." i lived on a lot of sardines and crackers .... i still like them even though i *have* to, anymore.
lol
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for PRESIDENT OF GREX
grex doesnt need a prrezzy ... got one already. besides getting elected si too much like going through alices' restaurant draft system, but i digress.
*hic*
errrr.. #24 .. edit: 'even though i *don't* ahve to any more.," <oops!>
lol
re #31 ... taht was deserved .....
whores.
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