Interview Interrupted

On another occasion I was interviewing a smart young lady who was graduating from college and looking for a full time job. The interview was going in her favor until she stopped and said "I expect your company pays competitive salaries because if they don't I don't want to waste my time interviewing any further." I looked her in the eyes and said "yes, we always pay competitive salaries; however, I don't want to waste your time, so we really can end the interview now." (Needless to say, her interview coach at college wasn't doing her any favor!) I'll save the one about the lady who passed out on me during an interview! TJNTIY.

Politically Incorrect Not A Job Requirement

At that same small consulting firm, we interviewed a candidate for a programming position who was doing pretty well... until out of the blue, he launched into an impassioned political tirade about a controversial topic. Um, thanks, don't call us, we'll call you. TJNTIY.

Overdressed For Success

I once fortuitously blew my own chances during an interview. I had asked the headhunter what the attire was at the company, and he said, "Business formal", so I showed up in a suit. Whoops! I was the only person in the office wearing a necktie, let alone a suit. Then it turned out I had over a decade's more experience than their most senior developers, and my in-depth answers and questions about their products seemed to unnerve them. I had a co-worker at a later job who had previously for that company, and he told me many reasons I was lucky to have escaped getting a job there. TJNTIY.

Engineers Who Forget Their Decoder Rings

During the dot-com era, our small, privately-held consulting firm was interviewing for a C++ programming position. We got quite a few applicants who had no real aptitude or skill at programming, but had managed to get some kind of IT degree and were looking for the big bucks. While they couldn't answer basic coding questions, they always knew to ask, "When are you going public?" and "How soon can I cash out my stock options?" TJNTIY

Mile High Club Member Stuck at Sea Level

Another recent one that cracked me up: A sales candidate told me that he was looking to change jobs because in his current job he was traveling about 90% of the time. He could have left it at that but he added, "Trying to get my wife pregnant between trips is not working out - I even had her meet me at the airport one time because I was only going to be in town for a couple hours." TJNTIY

Monopoly Money For Compensation

I have had candidates where when told the salary range think they are worth more and ask for figures so out in left field that they are higher then what I am (2 levels their superior) and higher then any of my bosses. It is great to have ambition but if you looking to double your current salary, it takes a lot more then just an interview. TJNTIY.

Dude, Where's Your Career?

When I asked a young candidate (early 20's) if he was punctual he responded with, "There were a couple of times that I was late. You know, I'm still young and I like to go out and party so sometimes I can have a hangover the next morning." But wait! It gets better..."But even though I was late I still made it in to work! I would just try to work twice as hard to make up for the time so I can still leave at 5 o'clock". I did not hire him. TJNTIY.

So Sue Me

I actually feel almost sorry for the candidates when I read some of these posts, for some of these things I can´t see as that important. I can´t help feel a sense of arrogance, a "he needs this job so he should shup up!" I try to be more understanding with the candidates as I´ve been in their spot myself.However, I prefer not to hire people:
1 - Who come late for the interview
2 - Who don´t know what the company does
3 - Who give me long speeches on how they´ll be 100% committed to the company etc (the more they talk the less they do!)
4 - Who criticize their last employer or so mentions the possibility of filing a suit against them. TJNTIY.

Candidates That Aren't Google-icious

Some people air their former and current employers' dirty laundry on their blogs, and then wonder why they can't get interviews. Nobody wants to be next on these folks' wall-of-shame, and all it takes is a recruiter who knows how to type the candidate's name into Google. TJNTIY.

Hypothetically Speaking . . . If I Could Give You A Straight Answer, I Would

Responding to questions with hypothetical answers. It's something that I'd never given much thought to but at the pointy end it was crucial and I had a good candidate miss this particular opportunity because of it - and you don't get a second run at it as a candidate. TJNTIY.

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