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Interviewer TJNTIYs are funny, informative anecdotes from recruiters and executives (hiring managers)about the things candidates say or do that ruin their chances of being hired, from the outrageous to the subtle and nuanced. Why, oh Why Gen Y? The Joys of Gen Y CandidatesOver and over as we try to place new grads with good educational background, we ask the question, "What are you looking for as you start your career?" Half the time from Gen Y we hear the following: Having just finished my MBA I need $70K to $80K to start OR I need at least 3 to 4 weeks vacation time OR I want a family friendly company who understands that my family time is my priority OR It has to be a company that will put me in a challenging role with visibility OR The company should understand that social networking is important to employees and encourage online social networking during the work day OR Flex time and the ability to work from home is a strong need. PAY ATTENTION: The unemployment rate is hitting 10% with experienced people out of work. You are 15 to 25K too high in expectation for salary in a recession. 2 to 3 weeks vacation is above average. Almost everybody has a family of some kind employers look for people who make their job a priority so they can provide for their family. If you want to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Myspace and eBay, do it on your own time: the workplace is not for socializing or online shopping or paying your personal bills online. Before you start asking for flex time and work from home it might be good to prove to an employer that you know something, can produce something and have some sort of work ethic. If you give a hiring manager that list of needs and wants your interview will be short, they will move on to someone with experience, a proven track record and who is not looking for more entitlements than the president and will not feel put upon if they are asked to work a 40 hour week in the office most of the year. NEXT! TJNTIY.
Candidate Goes to That Loving Place . . .With Himself1) I was interviewing one gentleman some time ago and in the middle of the interview he took out two bottles of massage oil and proceeded to first warm it in his hands and then massaged it all over his neck, back and front. He repeated the procedure with the second bottle. It was weird. (2) During an interview with another senior consultant, after offering him mine and my colleague's business cards, the gentleman proceeded to pick his teeth with both our cards, all the while talking about how his deep experience and professionalism will most definitely get him the contract. Ugh. TJNTIY.
Engineers Who Forget Their Decoder RingsDuring 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
Odd Proudest AccomplishmentI was interviewing a soon to be recent grad at Michigan State a few years ago who was by far the most stunning candidate on paper - student council, leader in numerous organizations on campus, volunteer work, 2 internships with top companies, 4.0 GPA.... when she walked in to the interview room she was poised and professional and spent the first half of the interview wow'ing me. Then, I asked her what here proudest accomplishment was (her resume was full of them) and in one of the most uncomfortably seductive way she uncrossed and recrossed her legs, licked her lips, tossed her hair back - then leaned in and (looking me right in the eye) stated "I am the only virgin left in my sorority" in a voice loud enough for everyone else in the room to turn and look. I was only 24 at the time and people weren't really sure which of us had just said that. I was shocked to say the least!
A Murderer for a Candidate . . .One of my favorites is when we told a young designer to "dress professional and wear a suit". He did wear a suit... with tennis shoes and eye brow piercings. He didn't get the job. Second favorite. Early in my career I worked for a company where the local prison would send their newly released job seekers. On open interview day sitting across from me was a 6'6, 250 lb man who had marked on his application that he had committed a felony. Not quite sure how to handle it I explained to him that we needed to know what he was charged with as there were positions that he would not qualify for (my thinking was cash handling or children). He replied "no Maam, I have no problem discussing that. I killed someone"! Needless to say I was a bit frightened. Then he told me the story of a bar room fight gone bad. Believe it or not I actually placed him with a friend who was a brick mason and willing to give him a 2nd chance. Which he later messed up by getting into another brawl. Thankfully it wasn't with me! TNJTIY.
Overdressed For SuccessI 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.
What Not To WearWhen working for a tech company, very casual environment, we interviewed a young woman for a software developer position. I happened to walk by the conference room where the interviews were taking place, and found the interviewer standing outside, looking stumped. After some prodding, he told me that the room grew warm during the interview. The candidate, in attempting to remove the sweatshirt she was wearing over a T-shirt, removed the T-shirt as well. Apparently she decided to go "au natural" that day. I won't say that the interviewer was "TJNTIY", as I believe he was into her, just not for the right reasons!
He Could Not Answer Simple Questions1. In a group interview setting where each person had a series of questions designed to elicit different characteristics of the role, the candidate aced the first 2 sections. When he came to me, my questions were far more abstract and asked for some application of his experience. He wasn't able to cope, and what seemed to have been leaning his way suddenly eliminated him from consideration.
Candidate Says Interview Is a Waste of Time--The interviewee was an older gentleman. He was looking for a collections position. As I was walking him back to my office for the interview he stated, “I don’t know what I’m doing here. I’m just wasting my time.” He repeated this three more times within the first five minutes at which point I stood up, stretched my arm out for a hand shake and said, “You know what? You’re right and we don’t want to waste any more of it. Thanks for coming in and have a nice day.” And I showed him the door. TJNTIY.
Politically Incorrect Not A Job RequirementAt 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.
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Candidate TJNTIYs are anecdotes from job candidates about the things potential employers do that suggest "they're just not that into you". When You Are Alone in the Interview Location and You Talk, Is There Anyone There To Listen?This was 20 years ago. I was invited to an interview at one of the large US automakers' Research Labs in Detroit. The recruiter had set up the interview on behalf of the hiring manager and made all the travel arrangements, Excellent flight arrangements and had ordered an airport pickup with one of their Stretch Limos (they had a Stretch Limo desk just for setting uop Limo rides!). Nice trip into the office, except there wasn't anyone at the other end to interview me! No Recruiter, No Hiring Manager! The poor front office people did not have a clue as to what to do with me and I did not know what else to do except keep trying to contact the Recruiter who could not be reached by office phone or home phone! This was pre-cell phone days and those were the only options! But the return Stretch Limo to the airport was ready and the flight back was excellent also. This one is going bankrupt and am I surprised at all? Not in the least bit! What a company! TJNTIY.
If These Walls Could Talk, He'd Talk BackAt one interview with a top 100 Company here in CT, the interviewer started talking to the wall. He was annoyed that he had to take the time to interview me. I thought that was completely rude and unprofessional. TJNTIY. link:prepaid kreditkarten
Non ConformistSo as a former body piercing professional at a tattoo shop i had naturally made some modifications to my body, no visible tattoos just piercings my ears are "gauged" which means basically i have a 1/2 inch diameter hole in my earlobes. I have decided to change professions, nothing specific in mind until I complete college. It seems that even though I remove all of my piercings before submitting an application or going to an interview the holes in my ears are still very noticeable. I could take them but even then it would take a long time for the holes to close and personally i don't feel my lifestyle should have to be changed since I feel taking out the piercings for work is enough. Any ways it seems potential employers are JNTIM, I think it is a shame because if someone were in a car accident and ended up with a permanent 1/2 inch hole in their earlobe it wouldn't be discriminated against but hey if you try to be different in this world i can say as far as an employer is concerned TJNTIY
A Sick Excuse for a Candidate InterviewerSeveral years ago, I interviewed for a job. When following up, I was told that I would be scheduled for a second interview. The person was always out sick. They called me back again for the interview. When I arrived the receptionist had no idea who I was and in an odd way asked if he was expecting me. She went off, then a few minutes later someone else came out and said that he went home sick. Then the person I had the first interview with said that he tried calling me on my cell phone about 30 minutes before the interview to let me know it needed to be rescheduled. I never received that call or voice mail, I would have been in transit during that time. The interview was never rescheduled. If they are not interested, don’t string me along and make me come in a second time for something that isn’t going to happen. Very odd. Because of the long time span, a couple of months, I suspect they hired someone that didn’t work out and were calling me back. They probably filled it again right before I got there and didn’t want to say anything. Less than a month later I found my next position. TJNTIY.
Boy oh Boy, the Old Boys' Network . . .This really did happen to me...in January 2009.....I was asked by the C-suite team .....if I was married, if I had children, how old I was, and did I vote for Obama .... I told the headhunter who recruited me that she needed to do some training with her client on illegal and inappropriate questions to ask candidates. I didn't get the job and I am not disappointed---if that was how the executive team was going to behave on interviews, I could only imagine what it would be like to work with them! TJNTIY.
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