Have you been keeping up with horror story week at Keppie Careers? Where job seekers and hiring managers have a chance to share their tales of woe, in hopes that we can all learn something?
Today, thanks to Susan P. for some tidbits from her job searches:
Where do I start? I have had so many weird job interviews. I have had two that both lasted 8 hours where I was interviewed by everyone in the department and students too. Both of these were at universities. I can’t say that I was scared but it was intimidating. For one position, I started at the University, was driven to another location, then over to another place and back to the original place. And they did not even give me lunch or ask if I wanted a break for lunch. The questions I was asked were pretty typical. I did not get the job.
The other 8-hour interview had me speaking with professors, admin. assistants, students, and staff. I was given lunch, but was interviewed during the meal. I got this job but walked out (not my finest moment) after 4 months due to an extremely abusive supervisor.
But probably the strangest interview was for a temporary admin. assistant position at yet another university. The job involved being the admin. support for 11 student organizations and the entire programs department, plus filling in as front desk receptionist and answering the phone. The first interview took place in a conference room with 6 people asking me questions. One guy asked me what I had made in my last several jobs. I was also given a written problem to solve during the interview. I was called back in a week later for another interview with 4 more people in the department.
One asked what I thought one of my references would say about me in a recommendation. Another question was if the department head was told by someone in the department that I was overqualified for the job (which I was), how should she respond to this type of question. And on and on it went. All this for a $16/hour temporary position. The next day I called them to withdraw my name.
Horror story or par for the course? Having worked at a University myself, I am not surprised by the, ummm “in depth” nature of the interviews, even for a very entry-level type of job.
One good point to remember – if you are scheduling an interview – be sure to ask what to expect. Will it be an all-day affair? A half-hour meeting? Do you need to (literally) pack a lunch – or at least a snack – in your briefcase or purse? Asking what to expect makes you look like a planner and a detail-driven candidate.
If you are in an extremely long (all-day) interview process, it is important to request breaks as you need them, even if it means a long restroom break. If you need a drink of water, for example, be sure to ask for one. It’s also a good idea to use the breaks to jot down some notes you may use when you write thank you notes. It may be difficult to keep track of everyone’s name and what you discussed, so having some reminders is helpful.
How about the question about salary? Best to start out by avoiding stating a figure. “I am looking for a career opportunity, and salary is not my primary consideration.” If pushed, “I am sure you have a budget in mind for this position that would suitably compensate me for my skills and what I will contribute.” You get the picture! Click here for more about negotiating in a recession.
A theme in these stories – (don’t miss Part I, II and III), job seekers had a good sense that the opportunity might not be what they had hoped. I hope job seekers reading these stories will remember this the next time a red flag goes up at an interview!
So, what do you think? Is this a horror story? What’s YOUR story? Add it to the comments!
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I went to an 8 hour once for a no name company. You can read about my experience -
When you see the headline “Job Interview Tip: Google your Potential Boss”, you must be wondering what eBossWatch is referring to? Well, let me tell you about a personal experience from last year.
Given the current economic condition, we are in what is referred to as an employer’s market. I was invited into an interview in a major city and I when I saw the agenda, I could not believe the schedule. It was an all-day interview, which lead me to believe they were just using that time to find things wrong with candidates and to be overly critical. Nonetheless, I went to the interview and was appalled to discover that another candidate for the same role had been invited there for the same time – a big red flag and inappropriate.
I went through the all-day job interview without being offered lunch and was dying to get home. The potential boss seemed amiable, but I believe he went overboard for this easy position. His name was very distinctive and he told me where he used to live. When I returned home from the job interview, I Googled this boss and this is the headline that I found of an article about him from a major newspaper: “Candidate charged with indecent exposure in ‘97”
Anyway, I never heard back from that company, and it was probably a blessing in disguise.
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I had a client once who was beside himself on how to recover from a terrible interview. He was walking through the plant of a large production facility and remarked “You have an excellent setup here” to the manager who was taking him on the tour mid interview. Suddenly enraged, the manager turned on him, red in the face and bellowed two inches from my client’s nose, “If I wanted your opinion I would have asked for it!” My client was mortified and had no idea what to do. He mumbled an apology and followed the manager around the rest of the facility saying nothing. Upon return to the office, he was placed in a tiny room, no window, simply a desk and a chair, pen and paper and demanded to create his strategy for the production facility for the next 12 months based on what he had seen! He was given one hour. (He remarked that the paper was slapped down on the table like one of police shows on TV where they ask the person to write a confession!). He was so upset from being screamed at, that he was wracking his brains trying to come up with some sort of strategy but the more stressed he got, the hotter he got in this small room, and by the end of the hour, he was hot, sweating and miserable. He called me asking how he could turn this terrible situation around! I couldn’t conceive why anyone would even want to rescue such a situation where a complete stranger would think it is okay to yell and belittle an applicant! Who would want to work for such people? Whether this was deliberately a stress interview we’ll never know, but if it was, then they took it too far.