The Ultimate Interview Thread

[jmettler]

That's easy. You can't NOT say you have any, that's arrogant, so you take something that's a negative and also show the positive, like "I'm so detailed oriented, I've had to learn to give myself time limits to finish projects."

My worstest question to hear is, and they always ask:

Can you recommend a good book to me? :doh:

LL

That’s true; they are looking for confidence, and honesty in one. It’s just like court; If you’re nervous, you talk allot which becomes unnecessary rambling which in the end can be used against you hurting your credibility. Be 20 percent honest at first, but then turn it against them with the rest of the 80 percent by giving them an accomplishment story. You are a machine but yet human, and you are quick on your feet and can correct error with no problems.

 

[QC]

The real answers I would never reveal in polite company. I have too many and I'm quite comfortable with that. :cool:

 

[JJ sloan]

The other day some jackass asked me during an interview to tell him about a time when I volunteered for something. Really? Did you READ my resume? I didn't say that but it went through my mind.
I sucked. Didn't get the position.

 

[Marine0311]

I just know that this question will come up as it always does, and I always just bullshit my way around it.

"What are your greatest weaknesses?"

" I don't feel as if I have any weaknesses, only areas I will improve over time through training and education"

-Me

 

[104TN]

Manager: "Sell me this marker." *Holds up a Sharpie.*
Me: "Do you buy markers?"
Manager: Answer
Me: "How often?"
Manager: Answer
Me: "Who do you buy them from?"
Manager: Answer
Me: "Why?"
Manager: Answer
Me: "So let me get this straight...you run a million dollar business, but every time you lose a marker you just get up and go marker shopping - adding lost time to your lost productivity - and you aren't even shopping around for the best deal?
Sir I don't want to tell you how to run your business, but it sounds to me like you could use my help. If I could show you how to save money on markers and never have to worry about driving to the store to get them again...would you be interested?"

I was being interviewed by two dudes. Both cracked up.

 

[Gypsy]

Nice.

 

[parallel]

At the interview for this drafting instructor gig I was asked how I would handle conflict in my classroom. I got the vibe that they were concerned that I might start bouncing people out of my class on their asses. I answered that conflict resolution is a fluid situation and one must be able to judge which tactic would be the least likely to escalate the situation. They asked me to expound on that answer so I explained that if one were to put the same person into multiple conflicts, the other often overriding variables could make the same person react differently to the same tactic. When asked how I came to that conclusion I explained that I had developed the ability to make sound judgments and defuse situations while an LEO. Of course I didn't mention that sometimes the best conflict resolution was to break out a PR24 and wear someone's ass out with it.

 

[SpitfireV]

I went for an analyst job once and they said:

"You would be working in support of the drug squad. These guys have...big personalities. If something went wrong and they're blaming you for it, what would do?"

"Well if it were my fault I would apologise and tell him why I fucked up and it won't happen again."

"And if it wasn't your fault?"

"I would tell him it wasn't my fault and why."

"And if he still blames you for it?"

"I would probably tell him to piss off and if he's got an issue to talk to my boss, they're paid more than I am to take that shit."

I did not get the job (but not for reasons you might think!)

 

[Manolito]

I spent the last six years of my working life hiring and removing people.
I wish I could tell people what I saw and heard. When I interviewed a person I already had confirmed their technical skills so asking those questions didn't make good use of a limited time. I always ask the candidate to sign a non disclosure statement not that it meant anything but it told me a lot, did he or she have a pen, do they have a problem being held accountable for containing the information they get at work, most of all do they blindly sign or do they read the form. You would be surprised how many times I was asked for a pen how many signatures without reading and how nervous people got. If I was going to make an offer and all I had was a phone interview I paid the ticket to meet the person. One lousy employee can ruin a good team and in a hurry. The cost of a plane ride and one nights lodging were a good investment.
No matter how you feel about it EEOC is a big part of the business world today. Be positive about it and make sure your interview reflects it. The last thing is do the work finding out about the company you are interviewing with. Who is the CEO and CFO at a minimum. Are they ISO 2000 certified, Union non Union, Stock market position if it applies. At the end of an interview I suggest two things blow your own horn loud and clear instill a real desire to work for the company and the most important in my opinion end with if I am not selected for this position please let me know if other openings come available because I want to build a career in this organization.
Just an old guys experiences.
Respectfully,
Bill

 

[Marauder06]

In one of my previous assignments I sat in on a lot of the screenings for people who wanted a job with us. We had a pretty formal process that included an approved list of questions. One time one of the NCOs asked in all seriousness, "If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be." I almost choked. Not only had I not heard that question before, the look on the interviewee's face was priceless. The NCO asking the question was very senior and intimidating-looking, and the way he asked the question made it sound like it was the most important thing in the entire interview.

The interviewee stammered around for a while and then said something about being a lion, because he was "fierce" or something. He ended up not getting the job, not because of his answer to that particular question but because he was a clown. Later we were teasing the NCO who asked the question and he pointed it out in the list of approved things we could ask. I guess it was a psychological question or something. At the worst it made people think on their feet and answer a question they didn't expect. I certainly didn't expect it.

 

[Dame]

In one of my previous assignments I sat in on a lot of the screenings for people who wanted a job with us. We had a pretty formal process that included an approved list of questions. One time one of the NCOs asked in all seriousness, "If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be." I almost choked. Not only had I not heard that question before, the look on the interviewee's face was priceless. The NCO asking the question was very senior and intimidating-looking, and the way he asked the question made it sound like it was the most important thing in the entire interview.

The interviewee stammered around for a while and then said something about being a lion, because he was "fierce" or something. He ended up not getting the job, not because of his answer to that particular question but because he was a clown. Later we were teasing the NCO who asked the question and he pointed it out in the list of approved things we could ask. I guess it was a psychological question or something. At the worst it made people think on their feet and answer a question they didn't expect. I certainly didn't expect it.

Stuff like that is why I started my own business.

 

[104TN]

Mara, I was at a brown bag with a VP level exec about a month ago that was supposed to afford the worker bees an opp. to take his pulse/ask questions. Some clown threw that one at him. He didn't skip a beat but I couldn't help but think, "career, meet suicide."
I might have mentioned this earlier, but I always ask my interviewer(s) if they have any feedback on my interview that I can take away.