Really Bad Interview

[Drakkon]

So i went to interview for this job today....drove 200 miles for it but i was more than willing if i had a chance at this job. This is a programming position at a fairly large (rev in $1bill) book publishing company
So i get there and meet the guy that called me - he says he wont be the one conducting the interview - they stick me in an office with a "manager" - a guy wearing a dingy polo and a 3 day beard growth in a pair of dirty blue jeans.
The first question he asks me - right after he introduct himself - is "do you have any questions" - my first thought was isnt that your job...but i proceeded anyways cause i guessm maybe thats an interview tactic? told him what i knew about their company (more than he knew - some pretty vital stuff like who his company is a subsidiary of and what products they produce in addition to the one hes working on) and asked him what hes working on that i can be a part of.
He proceeded to show me a program that crashed immediately and wouldnt load up any data.
So we moved on to my education, where i had gone to school, I'm a math major and said i choose it cause i thought it was an interesting subject to whcih he says "So you must have been one of those trust fund kids then?" - no sir i got a 4.0 in high school getting me a tutition waiver - then if you look at my resume i worked my way through college at a 30+ hr a week position while maintaining a 3.5 GPA to keep my scholorship (i said it as nicely as i could)
Luckly at this point he gets a phone call - from his ex-wife or something - he picks it up and starts going back and forth with her something about their kid and picking him up from school and the kid is angry - i dont get it but he still let it interrupt the meeeting.
Then I wanted to know something about what i might be working on so how about a previous version. The product has been on the market for years so they must have version 1 working at least. So he proceded to try and load up version 1. It crashes. Then he logs in as an admin - it crashes again. He tries it on a different machine - it crashes again.

So maybe its just me but this just didn't seem to go well for him at all. Maybe from my perspective i was a little skewed but I've never started an interview asking my prospective employee if he has any questions. I've never taken a phone call during an interview. And i sure as hell make sure my software works when its loaded and being shown to people (which of course mine did when i showcased it to him). And then on top of all taht to insult my college experience calling me a trust fund kid - i was so ready to just get up and walk out right then.

So I want to write this recruiter guy (the guy that called me originally) and say thanks but I'm not sure how to say it without saying i still want the job. This obviously isnt a guy i want to work for and I'm sure not the way this company wanted itself presented to prospective employees. Do i mention this to the recruiter guy? or do i just let it slide and say thanks but no thanks if they offer me a job?

 

[jjzelinski]

Well if you're truly not interested in working for that guy and you think chances are pretty good that you would work for him if hired, then I'd say feel free to enlighten the recruiter as you'd be doing him a favor. He just lost what sounds like an intelligent and highly qualified candidate that would more than likely make him look good.

 

[novasatori]

why not tell him what happened and say you respectfully decline unless they can guarantee you wont be working with said individual lol

 

[jinduy]

wow that guy had some nerve...

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Do i mention this to the recruiter guy? or do i just let it slide and say thanks but no thanks if they offer me a job?

why bother? just move on!

makes a pretty funny story tho goodluck with your search

 

[DarkThinker]

If you are sure you can get a better position somewhere else, then politely inform the recruiter (no need to go into detail) that you realized after discussing it with the manager that this isn't an environment you would be comfortable in.

 

[fleshconsumed]

Well, the talking on the phone part is not really unusual. Had that happen to me plenty of times. Sort of annoying, but sometimes unavoidable if you interview during regular business hours.

 

[WildHorse]

Congratulations.

You've advanced one step forward on your path to your new better job!

Almost any experience in navigating your way through an interview is a good experience for knowledge gained.

Great talent is hard to find, so they blew it big time in the way they mishandled you. Laugh them off, their loss, they failed to prove they deserve you.

Document the expense of your round trip for income tax itemization.

 

[evident]

this guy sounds like a total douche. How unprofessional is it for him to ask you if you're a trust fund kid? at least in those words, you know?

 

[angminas]

Maybe the whole thing was a setup to see how you would handle working with a boor or a lousy product base.

If you really want the job, you could ask to talk to someone higher up. Tell them your concerns and ask them if you would be able to be part of the solution. Basically, tell the boss you're not interested in working with people like the interview guy and you want to make a difference in the company while advancing your own career...but do it very tactfully and humbly. It's just possible you could impress him enough to break him out of his cognitive dissonance, or pass his "work with a boor" test, or inform him of a situation he didn't know about, or whatever is actually going on.

The risk in doing so is that you might get the job and not get any of the promised help, sticking you with a crappy job that you won't be able to be sure is crappy for months. Also, if you're not able to handle this little talk like a pro, don't attempt it, as you may offend him, and he may spread the word. If the interview was straight up, the boss may be like that too.

 

[Kadarin]

Originally posted by: angminas
Maybe the whole thing was a setup to see how you would handle working with a boor or a lousy product base.

Could be, but if so it was a poor setup that left a poor impression of the company. Remember that interviews are two way; not only is the company interviewing you, you are also interviewing the company.

 

[angminas]

Originally posted by: Astaroth33

Originally posted by: angminas
Maybe the whole thing was a setup to see how you would handle working with a boor or a lousy product base.

Could be, but if so it was a poor setup that left a poor impression of the company. Remember that interviews are two way; not only is the company interviewing you, you are also interviewing the company.

Yup. I meant to cover this in my second paragraph, but maybe it didn't come across. He certainly doesn't want to pursue this if he's after a pretty standard job at a pretty standard company. Whatever is going on there, it's not standard.

 

[hdeck]

the last interview i had started with the guy asking me if i had any questions for them. that was a definite curve ball. this was for a law firm.

i don't know how common it is to start the interview that way, but the interviewer should always ask if you have questions for him.

 

[lokiju]

Thats messed up.

Just move on to the next one unless you're desperate.

 

[imported_Mike]

I would have said something there during the interview or nothing at all. At this point, looking back, you just have to thank them for the opportunity and move on.

 

[SearchMaster]

I often ask interviewees if they have any questions before we start. It can sometimes show how much research they've done about the company and if we're mutually clear about certain things. I can't believe you guys would be offended/put off by that.

I would never answer the phone while I'm interviewing though. That's rude and completely disrespectful. If you can't block out 30-60 minutes to speak with a potential employee, then find another time when you can.

OP, I would disregard the company altogether unless you got a kick-ass offer from them. If that's the best person they can find to interview you, they are probably unorganized from the top down.

 

[ppdes]

I don't understand how you can get offended by the trust fund kid question. You made yourself look like one and then he asked about it. It wasn't an insult.

Having a major that isn't needed for the job, advanced math simply isn't needed for most business programming, and saying you took it out of interest implies that you have time and money to waste. If your interest was serious you would have pursued a career involving the major or stayed in academia.

 

[imported_Mike]

Originally posted by: ppdes
I don't understand how you can get offended by the trust fund kid question. You made yourself look like one and then he asked about it. It wasn't an insult.

Having a major that isn't needed for the job, advanced math simply isn't needed for most business programming, and saying you took it out of interest implies that you have time and money to waste. If your interest was serious you would have pursued a career involving the major or stayed in academia.

Implying that someone is a trust fund kid brings the negative connotation that they have a weak work ethic, lazy, stuck up, and most likely immature. So, which implication or assumption is more offensive? It's subjective.

 

[SVT Cobra]

How is that a bad interview?

All my interviews have involved them trying to get you boiled up to see how you respond. Sounds like my typical interview. If he likes you, you get the job. If he does not, you do not get the job. That simple, who cares if the software crashed, might have done it on purpose, maybe he wanted you to offer suggestions. Who the hell knows.

I once had a guy challenge me to a fight during an interview (in front of a panel of people), and by not backing down I got the job. Granted our collars are certainly different , so our interview experience may be different. But it seems like to me he saw some young nervous kid and wanted to see how you responded, the fact that he called you a trust find kid made me think he saw you as a punk and was trying to provoke you. What makes you think you got the job anyway? Or that you will be working for this guy? But that's the real world for ya.

 

[SVT Cobra]

Originally posted by: Astaroth33

Originally posted by: angminas
Maybe the whole thing was a setup to see how you would handle working with a boor or a lousy product base.

Could be, but if so it was a poor setup that left a poor impression of the company. Remember that interviews are two way; not only is the company interviewing you, you are also interviewing the company.

Not at the places were people are itching to just get an interview.

Once again, it sounds typical. He sees you as a college kid, some geek maybe, who majored in math, and wants to see your other side, if you do have it that is.

 

[SVT Cobra]

Originally posted by: Mike

Originally posted by: ppdes
I don't understand how you can get offended by the trust fund kid question. You made yourself look like one and then he asked about it. It wasn't an insult.

Having a major that isn't needed for the job, advanced math simply isn't needed for most business programming, and saying you took it out of interest implies that you have time and money to waste. If your interest was serious you would have pursued a career involving the major or stayed in academia.

Implying that someone is a trust fund kid brings the negative connotation that they have a weak work ethic, lazy, stuck up, and most likely immature. So, which implication or assumption is more offensive? It's subjective.

Or the fact that your family was poor and you got financial aid? Not an insult to me, more like a prod to see how he would respond.

 

[imported_Mike]

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra

Originally posted by: Mike

Originally posted by: ppdes
I don't understand how you can get offended by the trust fund kid question. You made yourself look like one and then he asked about it. It wasn't an insult.

Having a major that isn't needed for the job, advanced math simply isn't needed for most business programming, and saying you took it out of interest implies that you have time and money to waste. If your interest was serious you would have pursued a career involving the major or stayed in academia.

Implying that someone is a trust fund kid brings the negative connotation that they have a weak work ethic, lazy, stuck up, and most likely immature. So, which implication or assumption is more offensive? It's subjective.

Or the fact that your family was poor and you got financial aid? Not an insult to me, more like a prod to see how he would respond.

k

 

[SVT Cobra]

Originally posted by: Mike

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra

Originally posted by: Mike

Originally posted by: ppdes
I don't understand how you can get offended by the trust fund kid question. You made yourself look like one and then he asked about it. It wasn't an insult.

Having a major that isn't needed for the job, advanced math simply isn't needed for most business programming, and saying you took it out of interest implies that you have time and money to waste. If your interest was serious you would have pursued a career involving the major or stayed in academia.

Implying that someone is a trust fund kid brings the negative connotation that they have a weak work ethic, lazy, stuck up, and most likely immature. So, which implication or assumption is more offensive? It's subjective.

Or the fact that your family was poor and you got financial aid? Not an insult to me, more like a prod to see how he would respond.

k

Sorry I forgot how you have to add IMO to everything on here or people act like you are arguing with them.

 

[imported_Mike]

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra

Originally posted by: Mike

Originally posted by: SVT Cobra

Originally posted by: Mike

Originally posted by: ppdes
I don't understand how you can get offended by the trust fund kid question. You made yourself look like one and then he asked about it. It wasn't an insult.

Having a major that isn't needed for the job, advanced math simply isn't needed for most business programming, and saying you took it out of interest implies that you have time and money to waste. If your interest was serious you would have pursued a career involving the major or stayed in academia.

Implying that someone is a trust fund kid brings the negative connotation that they have a weak work ethic, lazy, stuck up, and most likely immature. So, which implication or assumption is more offensive? It's subjective.

Or the fact that your family was poor and you got financial aid? Not an insult to me, more like a prod to see how he would respond.

k

Sorry I forgot how you have to add IMO to everything on here or people act like you are arguing with them.

Well, considering you already stated that fact you thought it was a test 3 times now I don't really know what you're doing. As I said it's subjective, but I've personally never met a kid from a poor family with time or money to waste...even if it wasn't his/her money.

 

[MrDudeMan]

wait so we are ripping on the OP for majoring in something he liked? So does that make me a "time and money waster" since I am majoring in EE? I get it now...if you major in something that interests you, you are wasting time and money when you should be majoring in something that doesn't interest you. Got it.

:roll: idiots