I still get surprised by how bad some people are at interviewing

[OverVolt]

It is probably a high turnover hell hole job and his spidey sense picked up on it and he tactfully went back to his old job

 

[OverVolt]

I also hate that question, to the point that if I already have doubts about a place I will write them off after getting that stupid question. It reflects a lack of original thinking and a desire to see employees humiliate themselves, and it rewards bullshitters while punishing those that can't or won't bullshit. I'm the kind of employee bosses love, too. I get shit done, I don't play politics, I don't gossip, I don't avoid my duties, and I don't need my hand held. I go to work to accomplish something, not to play games with people.

Correct it doesn't matter if his list to interview is 100,000 long. They aren't getting any of the good employees. The good employees likely already knew not to apply if they know most of the jobs in the area with their skills. Its a small world out there.

It doesn't sound like the type of problem that can be solved by a FNG. Sounds like a broken department.

 

[Ruptga]

this is the corporate; bullshitting is a valuable skill.

I've noticed, but fuck that. It's something I refuse to do as long as I have a choice, and we always have a choice. Better to die on your feet than live on your knees, sucking some fat old white guy's dick.

 

[Ns1]

I've noticed, but fuck that. It's something I refuse to do as long as I have a choice, and we always have a choice. Better to die on your feet than live on your knees, sucking some fat old white guy's dick.

but the latter pays so much better. Besides, I aspire to be the fat old white guy.

 

[Insomniator]

Most people are unintelligent antisocial gremlins. You should be more surprised by the people who can interview well.

 

[MarkXIX]

I get the impression interviewing some of these folks that if they could just text the entire interview and if the interviewer were okay with that, they would be to.

We had a guy memorize our organization's mission statement, but after repeated requests before, during, and after the interview, failed to provide at least one supervisory point of contact for us to talk to.

Good job dipshit, you can memorize something off the internet, but your bosses hated you.

 

[lxskllr]

 

[Ns1]

hahahahahaha

 

[Ruptga]

Correct it doesn't matter if his list to interview is 100,000 long. They aren't getting any of the good employees. The good employees likely already knew not to apply if they know most of the jobs in the area with their skills. Its a small world out there.

That's another systemic problem, recruiters are always looking for the *right* people who check all their boxes, but the only people to ever go through a recruiter are entry-level and/or unconnected B-listers. The disconnect between the reality that practically everyone accepts and the expectations that practically everyone holds is incredible.

but the latter pays so much better. Besides, I aspire to be the fat old white guy.

For every despot there are a thousand serfs; you're more likely to die (not even retire) making 60k per year in a semiprivate cubicle than you are to "work your way up from the mail room." That's a discredited trope from a hundred years ago.

And I'm very low maintenance, as long as I can make enough to afford a good roof, PC, and ISP, with some left over for saving or going out, I'm fine. I don't need to whore myself out for the hope of living the life of a baller.

 

[MarkXIX]

For the record, I would hire that woman after I got done wiping the tears from my eyes.

I would look at the other panelists and be all "Well, I think we're done here. Welcome to the team. Send me your salary demands."

 

[disappoint]

The effectual realization for intent towards a broader consensus relies greatly on the inherent impetus for a satisfactory agreement.

Oh no! I understood that too! It's contagious! Run for your lives! It's an outbreak of bullshitunderstanditis! Run to your bunkers! DEFCON 1! Gah!

 

[who?]

Was this applicant male or female? People on this thread seem to be assuming male but you never said.

 

[Chaotic42]

I once interviewed a guy for a Unix datacenter position and he claimed to have ten years of Unix experience. I had created a little test asking for commands to perform certain tasks and he failed all of them.

After some arm twisting it turns out that he had worked in a place which used Unix, but hadn't done so himself.

He was a nice guy, but don't lie on your resume.

 

[sandorski]

That I'm gonna have to do all your Mom's, then after that your Wives/GFs too.

 

[zinfamous]

brilliant!

 

[rcpratt]

Was this applicant male or female? People on this thread seem to be assuming male but you never said.

How could this be relevant?

 

[glenn1]

I once interviewed a guy for a Unix datacenter position and he claimed to have ten years of Unix experience. I had created a little test asking for commands to perform certain tasks and he failed all of them.

After some arm twisting it turns out that he had worked in a place which used Unix, but hadn't done so himself.

He was a nice guy, but don't lie on your resume.

Half the jib descriptions I see are so generic and opaque that it's impossible to tell what the hiring manager is actually looking for. Let me guess, the job title was something ambiguous like "analysis specialist" and the requirements were for $10 years working in a UNIX environment" which is meaningless.

 

[Chaotic42]

Half the jib descriptions I see are so generic and opaque that it's impossible to tell what the hiring manager is actually looking for. Let me guess, the job title was something ambiguous like "analysis specialist" and the requirements were for $10 years working in a UNIX environment" which is meaningless.

Unix Computer System Operator, IIRC

 

[disappoint]

Those $10 years are the worst. Eating out of dumpsters, traveling for months, asking forum members to make it stop...

 

[Bob the Coder]

It doesn't sound like the type of problem that can be solved by a FNG. Sounds like a broken department.

I agree. This is a busted ass corporate structure that just needs shelved and rebuilt. Of course, pointy haired bosses being who they are, I'm sure they want a "guru" to come in and "manage" the existing mess, while bestowing upon him precisely zero empowerment to make changes. The measure of success will be the single criteria that the company feels zero pain moving forward.

Congrats to whomever gets the job: when you go to interview for the job after this one, you'll have to tell people that your job here was to tell people who to talk to. A human phone directory, if you will.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Meh, I dont like answering phone calls at all! But when I get a business user or DBA calling me, I answer the damn phone, and I am damn good at shmoozing when necessary. But, I am an introvert, and d'ont like shmoozing.

 

[Franz316]

"What do you think you would like least about this job?"

A: Working with the type of people that would ask me that question.

 

[MrDudeMan]

There are lots and lots of people in here who have never owned a business or had to hire someone. Case in point, the candidate badly answering an obvious question saved the OP the trouble of wasting more time on the interview.

I posted an administrative assistant position and got hundreds of responses. When you get that many people, you have to be picky. It amuses me slightly that most of you who think the question is THAT stupid are probably bad employees, or at least somewhat lazy and entitled. That type of mentality is exactly the type that fails the annoying questions such as the one posed in the OP. No interview is perfect and people are often good at lying, but if you can catch some of them when a silly question, why not? From my POV, it saves me time and money to have you fall flat on your face during the interview instead of 3 months later.

Hiring someone costs a significant amount of time, money, and energy. Hiring someone who can't separate their personal and mostly unjustified feelings about a simple question usually ends badly for the company. When I've been asked questions that sounded pointless, I gave a clear and concise answer so we could move on to the meat of the interview. Not having that skill or thinking you're too good for the question is telling.

 

[Ruptga]

^^ My takeaway:
When sorting through a pile of applicants I first eliminate as many people as possible, THEN I sort through what's left to find any good ones. People that take issue with playing my games would never work out anyway, so it's win win.

 

[sourceninja]

...