Advice for Job Interviewers

taichiliberal

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Aug 11, 2010
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Nothing is more annoying than having your time wasted by being interviewed for a job by someone who has no interest in hiring you.

The tip off is when they ask questions like, “why haven’t you achieved your goal by now?” or “this job isn’t what you went to school for, why would apply for it?”

Just once, you would like to answer, “Because people like YOU:

(1) Seem to think that you would never encounter one of those people that are affected by the bad economy you’ve read about all these years.
(2) Only hire those with experience…but if the economy is bad, and hiring is at a stand still, how does one get experience without a job.
(3) Don’t like people of my age, or gender, or race, or ethnicity, or religion, or economic class or political/social views.
(4) Read my resume and liked what you saw, but were put off when you actually met me because of .. (see number 3).

But instead, you go through the humiliating motions of justifying part of your life to some clown looking for any excuse not to hire you because (let’s face it) ain’t nothing going on but the rent!

So, in the interest of lowering stress levels and promoting good will in our society, people in the Human Resource/Personnel business with attitudes like the aforementioned should just stick to the basic Q & A interview. Make sure to finish with, “We’ve other applicants to interview, and will call you if we don’t find a better candidate”. That way, they don’t add insult to injury, the company doesn’t get bad mouthed in the streets, and they avoid a possible discrimination lawsuit.
 
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I am sorry you didn't get the job.

Thanks.

It's not just me.....in the last 30 years I've come across many friends and acquaintences that have experienced the same thing. Fortunately, I was looking to up-grade from the position I'm at now....God help those who are out there with NOTHING to fall back on going through this crap.
 
Nothing is more annoying than having your time wasted by being interviewed for a job by someone who has no interest in hiring you.

The tip off is when they ask questions like, “why haven’t you achieved your goal by now?” or “this job isn’t what you went to school for, why would apply for it?”

Just once, you would like to answer, “Because people like YOU:

(1) Seem to think that you would never encounter one of those people that are affected by the bad economy you’ve read about all these years.
(2) Only hire those with experience…but if the economy is bad, and hiring is at a stand still, how does one get experience without a job.
(3) Don’t like people of my age, or gender, or race, or ethnicity, or religion, or economic class or political/social views.
(4) Read my resume and liked what you saw, but were put off when you actually met me because of .. (see number 3).

But instead, you go through the humiliating motions of justifying part of your life to some clown looking for any excuse not to hire you because (let’s face it) ain’t nothing going on but the rent!

So, in the interest of lowering stress levels and promoting good will in our society, people in the Human Resource/Personnel business with attitudes like the aforementioned should just stick to the basic Q & A interview. Make sure to finish with, “We’ve other applicants to interview, and will call you if we don’t find a better candidate”. That way, they don’t add insult to injury, the company doesn’t get bad mouthed in the streets, and they avoid a possible discrimination lawsuit.

Sorry you didn't get the job. And I can't help with number 3 (although they know what your gender is when they call you in. know your age when they call you in. shouldn't know about your religion, political or social views during the interview at all.... perhaps that's the problem??? no one in the real world cares about your religion, or politics or social views.... so long as you keep them to yourself and don't try to challenge people with it during the interview. i wouldn't work with someone who did that either.

as for the quesiton... why do you want this job, it's not a) what you went to school for; b) at your career level; etc.... when i left my practice, i interviewed for a job (which i ultimately got) the guy didn't want to hire me b/c i'd worked for myself for a lot of years and kept asking "why do you want to do this"??? i gave him all kinds of answers about my son getting older, me not enjoying my practice anymore, yadda yadda.... finally, frustrated after two weeks of phone calls where it was clear he wanted to hire me but wouldn't.... he asked again, "why do you want to do this?"

i finally gave him the honest answer: "i need a life".

he said "oh... i understand that. can you start tomorrow?"

no kidding. but mostly, if you didn't get the job, it wasn't right for you. hang tough.
 
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Nothing is more annoying than having your time wasted by being interviewed for a job by someone who has no interest in hiring you.

The tip off is when they ask questions like, “why haven’t you achieved your goal by now?” or “this job isn’t what you went to school for, why would apply for it?”

Just once, you would like to answer, “Because people like YOU:

(1) Seem to think that you would never encounter one of those people that are affected by the bad economy you’ve read about all these years.
(2) Only hire those with experience…but if the economy is bad, and hiring is at a stand still, how does one get experience without a job.
(3) Don’t like people of my age, or gender, or race, or ethnicity, or religion, or economic class or political/social views.
(4) Read my resume and liked what you saw, but were put off when you actually met me because of .. (see number 3).

But instead, you go through the humiliating motions of justifying part of your life to some clown looking for any excuse not to hire you because (let’s face it) ain’t nothing going on but the rent!

So, in the interest of lowering stress levels and promoting good will in our society, people in the Human Resource/Personnel business with attitudes like the aforementioned should just stick to the basic Q & A interview. Make sure to finish with, “We’ve other applicants to interview, and will call you if we don’t find a better candidate”. That way, they don’t add insult to injury, the company doesn’t get bad mouthed in the streets, and they avoid a possible discrimination lawsuit.

Sorry you didn't get the job. And I can't help with number 3 (although they know what your gender is when they call you in. know your age when they call you in. shouldn't know about your religion, political or social views during the interview at all.... perhaps that's the problem??? no one in the real world cares about your religion, or politics or social views.... so long as you keep them to yourself and don't try to challenge people with it during the interview. i wouldn't work with someone who did that either.

Ahh, but if the INTERVIEWER brings up such things during the conversation, it's NOT the fault of the applicant. Also, you must remember that the vast majority of job interviews are arranged through a personnel agency. By law, a business HR cannot refuse offered candidates if they meet the criteria listed on the position description. And remember, some application forms do not require a birth date, racial or religious information, and most people do not list such on their resumes (nor do they date their college years). So to that degree, the interviewer is seeing YOU for the first time.

as for the quesiton... why do you want this job, it's not a) what you went to school for; b) at your career level; etc.... when i left my practice, i interviewed for a job (which i ultimately got) the guy didn't want to hire me b/c i'd worked for myself for a lot of years and kept asking "why do you want to do this"??? i gave him all kinds of answers about my son getting older, me not enjoying my practice anymore, yadda yadda.... finally, frustrated after two weeks of phone calls where it was clear he wanted to hire me but wouldn't.... he asked again, "why do you want to do this?"

i finally gave him the honest answer: "i need a life".

he said "oh... i understand that. can you start tomorrow?"

no kidding. but mostly, if you didn't get the job, it wasn't right for you. hang tough.

Your situation is NOT only unique, but extra-ordinary. You're a career/self employed person making a change. And God bless ya, kid...for making that change and getting that position.

The VAST majority of job interviews do NOT go on for two weeks, and are for people doing service, customer or administrative work that are NOT considered middle or upper management or executive level . So they usually cannot afford two weeks analytical time on one candidate. And don't forget the questions I related, "“why haven’t you achieved your goal by now?” This is a somewhat silly question when you have the type of up and down economy we've had for the last 30 years, and the position you are applying for has most certainly felt that pinch. If your resume is describing your employment history properly, one can easily deduce that things didn't work out, but the applicant adapted. Apropo, the question, “this job isn’t what you went to school for, why would apply for it?” is absurd when the applicant graduated from college 30 years ago.

Fortunately, I'm looking to upgrade and have something to fall back on....but I pity those that don't . Employers need to stop playing games just because it's a buyer's market in a bad economy. This is NOT a personal match game (I think this person should have done better in life, so despite being perfectly qualified for this job, I won't give it to them), it's to see if the applicant has the qualifications and is NOT an idiot. The job can be for you, but if the HR person interviewing you does NOT like you for some inane reason, you will not get that job. And that's annoying and sad.

But as the old song goes, "...we just keep on push'in!"
 
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The HR department where I work does a pretty good job of screening applicants before I ever interview them.
I do want to point out this first,
(3) Don’t like people of my age, or gender, or race, or ethnicity, or religion, or economic class or political/social views.
None of that ever comes into play when I interview somebody, the really funny part of that statement is "or religion, or economic class or political/social views", because I have absolutely no way of knowing any of that information about a job candidate.

Now, here is some advice for people seeking jobs where I am interviewing them.
1. We are a Fortune 500 company, if you haven't done enough research to know what our business model is, you are not smart enough to work for us.
2. We are a professional corporate office. If you show up for the interview in jeans and/or a T-shirt, you are not going to get hired. Your skills and experience have just become irrelevant if you are not smart enough to dress appropriately for a corporate office job.
3. You may be real proud of your new tongue stud piercing. Don't wear it during your interview and sit there and 'click it' against your teeth. It's rude and obnoxious, I'm not going to hire you.
4. I'm not going to ask you if you have children because that is irrelevant to the job qualifications. Don't ask me about local daycare facilities during your interview.
5. When I ask you to explain what you did at previous job X, don't regurgitate what is already on your resume. I already read it, I want more information. Don't make me pry information out of you.
6. Don't use the current fad buzz-words. That makes me think you went onto the internet and looked them up (i.e. agile, innovative, inspired). By the way, almost everybody that I interview uses the terms "self-motivated", "team player/oriented", "willing to learn", etc when describing themselves. That makes you sound just like everybody else, try to impress me.
7. I use the internet. If you have a common name like Bob Smith or Sally Jones, I can't find out anything about you, but if you have an uncommon name I'll find it on internet searches. What I find can either help or hurt you. Don't put stupid shit on the internet.

Bonus advice. If I am your last interviewer for the day, I'm going to walk out to your car with you. Personally, I don't give a shit what kind of car you have or how old it is. What I will notice is if it looks like a pig sty inside it. If the inside of your car is a filthy mess, I'm going to assume that you are a slob and will probably be a slob at work. I'm probably not going to hire you.

I've been interviewing and hiring people for almost 30 years. I've hired over a 1000 people in that time and conducted at least 10 times that many interviews. I can spot bullshit pretty quickly, don't try and bullshit me.
 
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The HR department where I work does a pretty good job of screening applicants before I ever interview them.
I do want to point out this first,
(3) Don’t like people of my age, or gender, or race, or ethnicity, or religion, or economic class or political/social views.
None of that ever comes into play when I interview somebody, the really funny part of that statement is "or religion, or economic class or political/social views", because I have absolutely no way of knowing any of that information about a job candidate.

Now, here is some advice for people seeking jobs where I am interviewing them.
1. We are a Fortune 500 company, if you haven't done enough research to know what our business model is, you are not smart enough to work for us.
2. We are a professional corporate office. If you show up for the interview in jeans and/or a T-shirt, you are not going to get hired. Your skills and experience have just become irrelevant if you are not smart enough to dress appropriately for a corporate office job.
3. You may be real proud of your new tongue stud piercing. Don't wear it during your interview and sit there and 'click it' against your teeth. It's rude and obnoxious, I'm not going to hire you.
4. I'm not going to ask you if you have children because that is irrelevant to the job qualifications. Don't ask me about local daycare facilities during your interview.
5. When I ask you to explain what you did at previous job X, don't regurgitate what is already on your resume. I already read it, I want more information. Don't make me pry information out of you.
6. Don't use the current fad buzz-words. That makes me think you went onto the internet and looked them up (i.e. agile, innovative, inspired). By the way, almost everybody that I interview uses the terms "self-motivated", "team player/oriented", "willing to learn", etc when describing themselves. That makes you sound just like everybody else, try to impress me.
7. I use the internet. If you have a common name like Bob Smith or Sally Jones, I can't find out anything about you, but if you have an uncommon name I'll find it on internet searches. What I find can either help or hurt you. Don't put stupid shit on the internet.

Bonus advice. If I am your last interviewer for the day, I'm going to walk out to your car with you. Personally, I don't give a shit what kind of car you have or how old it is. What I will notice is if it looks like a pig sty inside it. If the inside of your car is a filthy mess, I'm going to assume that you are a slob and will probably be a slob at work. I'm probably not going to hire you.

I've been interviewing and hiring people for almost 30 years. I've hired over a 1000 people in that time and conducted at least 10 times that many interviews. I can spot bullshit pretty quickly, don't try and bullshit me.

Note this response, which is apropo to what you state here:

http://www.usmessageboard.com/economy/226638-advice-for-job-interviewers.html#post5380499

The majority of your list is a head's up for the recent college grad....people like myself who have been the job field for over 30 years consider those tips a "given". ... and as you should know, in the last 30 years we've had TWO major recessions that put people out in the streets who had just as much if not more job/career experience as you.

What stood out to me about your reponse was #5 and the bonus. Here's a tip from the other side of the desk: If you want more information other than whats on the resume, then PLEASE STATE EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE APPLICANTS PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT THAT IS NOT STATED ON THE RESUME. Neither the interviewer or the interviewee are clairvoyant and neither have time for games.

As for the bonus: So you "ASSUME" something based on the state of the car? Excuse me, but no one is asking to LIVE with you, and quite frankly there may be something about YOU that is not personally appealing to the interviewee (bad breath, BO, over-use of perfume or cologne, REALLY bad taste in clothes, too much paper clutter indicating a badly needed secretary or too much on your plate, which can lead to a cranky, impatient boss, etc, etc.) In other words, unless you call up a reference and they state, "YEAH, HE'S A SLOB ON THE JOB", your pre-conceived notion is irrelevent to the job.

This is PRECISELY the type of BULLSHIT I talking about with regards to HR/Personnel folk out there. Inadvertently, you've proven my point.
 
A job interviewer is not allowed to ask about or discuss issues of race religion, political views, etc.
 
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A job interviewer is not allowed to ask about or discuss issues of race religion, political views, etc.


Newsflash for ya, IT HAPPENS! With regards to race, it may not be on the application, but 9 times out of ten you sure as hell can SEE if someone is of a different "race" than you.

And during an interview, ANY subject or topic can come up. Personal example: Years ago I was on an interview, and had to fill out an applicant form in the outer office (in addition to my resume and what the personnel agency sent over). On the application they asked for my high school and address, which was a CATHOLIC high school (Saint blah, blah Cathedral High). This was a point of reference with the interviewer, who happened to come from a neighboring town and was a Catholic. Now apply this to anyone who has gone to attended a theological based school, and you'll get the idea. And if one of your previous employments was with a civic/municipal office, politics are revealed or implied.
 
A job interviewer is not allowed to ask about or discuss issues of race religion, political views, etc.


Newsflash for ya, IT HAPPENS! With regards to race, it may not be on the application, but 9 times out of ten you sure as hell can SEE if someone is of a different "race" than you.

And during an interview, ANY subject or topic can come up. Personal example: Years ago I was on an interview, and had to fill out an applicant form in the outer office (in addition to my resume and what the personnel agency sent over). On the application they asked for my high school and address, which was a CATHOLIC high school (Saint blah, blah Cathedral High). This was a point of reference with the interviewer, who happened to come from a neighboring town and was a Catholic. Now apply this to anyone who has gone to attended a theological based school, and you'll get the idea. And if one of your previous employments was with a civic/municipal office, politics are revealed or implied.

I am not saying they all go by the rules.
some open themselves up to legal actions.
 
The HR department where I work does a pretty good job of screening applicants before I ever interview them.
I do want to point out this first,
(3) Don’t like people of my age, or gender, or race, or ethnicity, or religion, or economic class or political/social views.
None of that ever comes into play when I interview somebody, the really funny part of that statement is "or religion, or economic class or political/social views", because I have absolutely no way of knowing any of that information about a job candidate.

Now, here is some advice for people seeking jobs where I am interviewing them.
1. We are a Fortune 500 company, if you haven't done enough research to know what our business model is, you are not smart enough to work for us.
2. We are a professional corporate office. If you show up for the interview in jeans and/or a T-shirt, you are not going to get hired. Your skills and experience have just become irrelevant if you are not smart enough to dress appropriately for a corporate office job.
3. You may be real proud of your new tongue stud piercing. Don't wear it during your interview and sit there and 'click it' against your teeth. It's rude and obnoxious, I'm not going to hire you.
4. I'm not going to ask you if you have children because that is irrelevant to the job qualifications. Don't ask me about local daycare facilities during your interview.
5. When I ask you to explain what you did at previous job X, don't regurgitate what is already on your resume. I already read it, I want more information. Don't make me pry information out of you.
6. Don't use the current fad buzz-words. That makes me think you went onto the internet and looked them up (i.e. agile, innovative, inspired). By the way, almost everybody that I interview uses the terms "self-motivated", "team player/oriented", "willing to learn", etc when describing themselves. That makes you sound just like everybody else, try to impress me.
7. I use the internet. If you have a common name like Bob Smith or Sally Jones, I can't find out anything about you, but if you have an uncommon name I'll find it on internet searches. What I find can either help or hurt you. Don't put stupid shit on the internet.

Bonus advice. If I am your last interviewer for the day, I'm going to walk out to your car with you. Personally, I don't give a shit what kind of car you have or how old it is. What I will notice is if it looks like a pig sty inside it. If the inside of your car is a filthy mess, I'm going to assume that you are a slob and will probably be a slob at work. I'm probably not going to hire you.

I've been interviewing and hiring people for almost 30 years. I've hired over a 1000 people in that time and conducted at least 10 times that many interviews. I can spot bullshit pretty quickly, don't try and bullshit me.

Note this response, which is apropo to what you state here:

http://www.usmessageboard.com/economy/226638-advice-for-job-interviewers.html#post5380499

The majority of your list is a head's up for the recent college grad....people like myself who have been the job field for over 30 years consider those tips a "given". ... and as you should know, in the last 30 years we've had TWO major recessions that put people out in the streets who had just as much if not more job/career experience as you.

What stood out to me about your reponse was #5 and the bonus. Here's a tip from the other side of the desk: If you want more information other than whats on the resume, then PLEASE STATE EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE APPLICANTS PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT THAT IS NOT STATED ON THE RESUME. Neither the interviewer or the interviewee are clairvoyant and neither have time for games.

As for the bonus: So you "ASSUME" something based on the state of the car? Excuse me, but no one is asking to LIVE with you, and quite frankly there may be something about YOU that is not personally appealing to the interviewee (bad breath, BO, over-use of perfume or cologne, REALLY bad taste in clothes, too much paper clutter indicating a badly needed secretary or too much on your plate, which can lead to a cranky, impatient boss, etc, etc.) In other words, unless you call up a reference and they state, "YEAH, HE'S A SLOB ON THE JOB", your pre-conceived notion is irrelevent to the job.

This is PRECISELY the type of BULLSHIT I talking about with regards to HR/Personnel folk out there. Inadvertently, you've proven my point.

Actually, it is up to the candidate to impress me. Said candidate has competition that will impress me.

Yep, everybody that conducts interviews makes assumptions. We have 30 to 60 minutes to form an opinion about the candidate based upon that limited time with them. I'm sorry you don't like that, but it is a cold hard fact of reality. Calling references is a waste of time, candidates don't list a person as a reference that say anything negative about said candidate, that's another reality. It's not a "preconceived notion", it's an assessment based upon observed facts.

I'm not HR/Personal. In the past I've been the hiring supervisor. Today, I am interviewing potential peers. I don't want somebody hired that isn't going to fit into our culture or our team dynamics, it would be a disservice to the company and to the candidate to hire the wrong person.

I've been on both sides of the interview. I've been interviewed for jobs and interviewed others for jobs. Your posts sound like you've only been on one side of that equation.
 
A job interviewer is not allowed to ask about or discuss issues of race religion, political views, etc.


Newsflash for ya, IT HAPPENS! With regards to race, it may not be on the application, but 9 times out of ten you sure as hell can SEE if someone is of a different "race" than you.

And during an interview, ANY subject or topic can come up. Personal example: Years ago I was on an interview, and had to fill out an applicant form in the outer office (in addition to my resume and what the personnel agency sent over). On the application they asked for my high school and address, which was a CATHOLIC high school (Saint blah, blah Cathedral High). This was a point of reference with the interviewer, who happened to come from a neighboring town and was a Catholic. Now apply this to anyone who has gone to attended a theological based school, and you'll get the idea. And if one of your previous employments was with a civic/municipal office, politics are revealed or implied.

I am not saying they all go by the rules.
some open themselves up to legal actions.

ONLY if they do something as foolish as to OFFICIALLY DECLARE THE AFOREMENTIONED AS A CRITERIA TO BE HIRED. My point is that when you're being interviewed, these issues come-up for those applicants to which the situation applies to. And if that interviewer starts asking stupid, inane questions, you jolly well can be sure they're doing what I described in the OP.
 
Newsflash for ya, IT HAPPENS! With regards to race, it may not be on the application, but 9 times out of ten you sure as hell can SEE if someone is of a different "race" than you.

And during an interview, ANY subject or topic can come up. Personal example: Years ago I was on an interview, and had to fill out an applicant form in the outer office (in addition to my resume and what the personnel agency sent over). On the application they asked for my high school and address, which was a CATHOLIC high school (Saint blah, blah Cathedral High). This was a point of reference with the interviewer, who happened to come from a neighboring town and was a Catholic. Now apply this to anyone who has gone to attended a theological based school, and you'll get the idea. And if one of your previous employments was with a civic/municipal office, politics are revealed or implied.

I am not saying they all go by the rules.
some open themselves up to legal actions.

ONLY if they do something as foolish as to OFFICIALLY DECLARE THE AFOREMENTIONED AS A CRITERIA TO BE HIRED. My point is that when you're being interviewed, these issues come-up for those applicants to which the situation applies to. And if that interviewer starts asking stupid, inane questions, you jolly well can be sure they're doing what I described in the OP.

Umm it is an interview for a job, any question asked by the interviewer can legally be considered a qualifier for employment.
As I said they are opening themselves up to litigation.
My second wife was an HR manager.
 
Newsflash for ya, IT HAPPENS! With regards to race, it may not be on the application, but 9 times out of ten you sure as hell can SEE if someone is of a different "race" than you.

And during an interview, ANY subject or topic can come up. Personal example: Years ago I was on an interview, and had to fill out an applicant form in the outer office (in addition to my resume and what the personnel agency sent over). On the application they asked for my high school and address, which was a CATHOLIC high school (Saint blah, blah Cathedral High). This was a point of reference with the interviewer, who happened to come from a neighboring town and was a Catholic. Now apply this to anyone who has gone to attended a theological based school, and you'll get the idea. And if one of your previous employments was with a civic/municipal office, politics are revealed or implied.

I am not saying they all go by the rules.
some open themselves up to legal actions.

ONLY if they do something as foolish as to OFFICIALLY DECLARE THE AFOREMENTIONED AS A CRITERIA TO BE HIRED. My point is that when you're being interviewed, these issues come-up for those applicants to which the situation applies to. And if that interviewer starts asking stupid, inane questions, you jolly well can be sure they're doing what I described in the OP.

In my 37 years in the workforce I've never seen questions/discussion of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, familial status, politics, national origin, gender or any other prohibited interview questions come up during the interviewing and hiring process.
 
The HR department where I work does a pretty good job of screening applicants before I ever interview them.
I do want to point out this first,

None of that ever comes into play when I interview somebody, the really funny part of that statement is "or religion, or economic class or political/social views", because I have absolutely no way of knowing any of that information about a job candidate.

Now, here is some advice for people seeking jobs where I am interviewing them.
1. We are a Fortune 500 company, if you haven't done enough research to know what our business model is, you are not smart enough to work for us.
2. We are a professional corporate office. If you show up for the interview in jeans and/or a T-shirt, you are not going to get hired. Your skills and experience have just become irrelevant if you are not smart enough to dress appropriately for a corporate office job.
3. You may be real proud of your new tongue stud piercing. Don't wear it during your interview and sit there and 'click it' against your teeth. It's rude and obnoxious, I'm not going to hire you.
4. I'm not going to ask you if you have children because that is irrelevant to the job qualifications. Don't ask me about local daycare facilities during your interview.
5. When I ask you to explain what you did at previous job X, don't regurgitate what is already on your resume. I already read it, I want more information. Don't make me pry information out of you.
6. Don't use the current fad buzz-words. That makes me think you went onto the internet and looked them up (i.e. agile, innovative, inspired). By the way, almost everybody that I interview uses the terms "self-motivated", "team player/oriented", "willing to learn", etc when describing themselves. That makes you sound just like everybody else, try to impress me.
7. I use the internet. If you have a common name like Bob Smith or Sally Jones, I can't find out anything about you, but if you have an uncommon name I'll find it on internet searches. What I find can either help or hurt you. Don't put stupid shit on the internet.

Bonus advice. If I am your last interviewer for the day, I'm going to walk out to your car with you. Personally, I don't give a shit what kind of car you have or how old it is. What I will notice is if it looks like a pig sty inside it. If the inside of your car is a filthy mess, I'm going to assume that you are a slob and will probably be a slob at work. I'm probably not going to hire you.

I've been interviewing and hiring people for almost 30 years. I've hired over a 1000 people in that time and conducted at least 10 times that many interviews. I can spot bullshit pretty quickly, don't try and bullshit me.

Note this response, which is apropo to what you state here:

http://www.usmessageboard.com/economy/226638-advice-for-job-interviewers.html#post5380499

The majority of your list is a head's up for the recent college grad....people like myself who have been the job field for over 30 years consider those tips a "given". ... and as you should know, in the last 30 years we've had TWO major recessions that put people out in the streets who had just as much if not more job/career experience as you.

What stood out to me about your reponse was #5 and the bonus. Here's a tip from the other side of the desk: If you want more information other than whats on the resume, then PLEASE STATE EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE APPLICANTS PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT THAT IS NOT STATED ON THE RESUME. Neither the interviewer or the interviewee are clairvoyant and neither have time for games.

As for the bonus: So you "ASSUME" something based on the state of the car? Excuse me, but no one is asking to LIVE with you, and quite frankly there may be something about YOU that is not personally appealing to the interviewee (bad breath, BO, over-use of perfume or cologne, REALLY bad taste in clothes, too much paper clutter indicating a badly needed secretary or too much on your plate, which can lead to a cranky, impatient boss, etc, etc.) In other words, unless you call up a reference and they state, "YEAH, HE'S A SLOB ON THE JOB", your pre-conceived notion is irrelevent to the job.

This is PRECISELY the type of BULLSHIT I talking about with regards to HR/Personnel folk out there. Inadvertently, you've proven my point.

Actually, it is up to the candidate to impress me. Said candidate has competition that will impress me.

You state moot point, which in on way, shape or form changes the accurate points above in highlighting the flaws of your interview tactics.

Yep, everybody that conducts interviews makes assumptions. We have 30 to 60 minutes to form an opinion about the candidate based upon that limited time with them. I'm sorry you don't like that, but it is a cold hard fact of reality. Calling references is a waste of time, candidates don't list a person as a reference that say anything negative about said candidate, that's another reality. It's not a "preconceived notion", it's an assessment based upon observed facts.

Sorry, but restating your irrelevent, preconceived personal bias based on the condition of a car does NOT justify it. Again, NO ONE IS ASKING YOU TO LIVE WITH THAT PERSON, and unless YOU have CONCRETE EVIDENCE that the applicant is a "slob" at work, then you're essentially and potentially throwing out a perfectly good worker because they have messy car! That's a bias based on a preconceived notion on your part, because last time I checked, one does not drive ones car onto the office floor to work out of. Hell, in the last few years we've seen CEO's and various upper and white collar management types go to jail for all sorts of theft, debauchery, etc. Now the conditions of their cars didn't give them away, did it now? So your "assumptions" based on your LIMITED "observed facts" wouldn't have been worth a piss in the wind, now would it?

I'm not HR/Personal. In the past I've been the hiring supervisor. Today, I am interviewing potential peers. I don't want somebody hired that isn't going to fit into our culture or our team dynamics, it would be a disservice to the company and to the candidate to hire the wrong person.

YOU STILL CANNOT JUSTIFY WHAT YOU PREVIOUSLY STATED, as I've aptly demonstrated above. And if indeed you are not hiring someone for a "job", you're hiring someone to hang out with and play into the pretentious "culture" trappings & games that are required for some upper management/executive type position, then that would explain how out of touch your original response was.

I've been on both sides of the interview. I've been interviewed for jobs and interviewed others for jobs. Your posts sound like you've only been on one side of that equation.

Again, you STILL cannot logically refute or disprove the points I've made. Touting your personal success means NOTHING to those who have been victims of the nonsense I've described in the OP. Once again, you've given an example of PRECISELY what I'm talking about. What's disappointing is that you stubbornly defend your erroneous ways with nothing more than repetition and moot points.
 
I am not saying they all go by the rules.
some open themselves up to legal actions.

ONLY if they do something as foolish as to OFFICIALLY DECLARE THE AFOREMENTIONED AS A CRITERIA TO BE HIRED. My point is that when you're being interviewed, these issues come-up for those applicants to which the situation applies to. And if that interviewer starts asking stupid, inane questions, you jolly well can be sure they're doing what I described in the OP.

Umm it is an interview for a job, any question asked by the interviewer can legally be considered a qualifier for employment.
As I said they are opening themselves up to litigation.
My second wife was an HR manager.

Um, please justify how asking a question WHICH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR QUALIFICATIONS, JOB HISTORY OR TEST SCORES ranks as a "qaulifier" for employment? Because if that is true, then YOU are justifiying the very things that borderline illegal? But as I said, unless it's OFFICIALLY STATED OR IMPLIED, there's no grounds for a suit. So essentially your repeating yourself despite the statement already having been addressed. I suggest you let your 2nd wife read my OP so she can explain it to you, as we've already done this dance http://www.usmessageboard.com/5380921-post9.html
 
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I am not saying they all go by the rules.
some open themselves up to legal actions.

ONLY if they do something as foolish as to OFFICIALLY DECLARE THE AFOREMENTIONED AS A CRITERIA TO BE HIRED. My point is that when you're being interviewed, these issues come-up for those applicants to which the situation applies to. And if that interviewer starts asking stupid, inane questions, you jolly well can be sure they're doing what I described in the OP.

In my 37 years in the workforce I've never seen questions/discussion of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, familial status, politics, national origin, gender or any other prohibited interview questions come up during the interviewing and hiring process.


Here's how I answered a similar statement:

http://www.usmessageboard.com/5380921-post9.html
 
Well I have intervied parhaps 100 people for jobs in my career and been interviewed and have never asked the questions outlined above nor been asked them.

Perhaps you are somehow triggering the questions by some action or implication?
 
Note this response, which is apropo to what you state here:

http://www.usmessageboard.com/economy/226638-advice-for-job-interviewers.html#post5380499

The majority of your list is a head's up for the recent college grad....people like myself who have been the job field for over 30 years consider those tips a "given". ... and as you should know, in the last 30 years we've had TWO major recessions that put people out in the streets who had just as much if not more job/career experience as you.

What stood out to me about your reponse was #5 and the bonus. Here's a tip from the other side of the desk: If you want more information other than whats on the resume, then PLEASE STATE EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE APPLICANTS PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT THAT IS NOT STATED ON THE RESUME. Neither the interviewer or the interviewee are clairvoyant and neither have time for games.

As for the bonus: So you "ASSUME" something based on the state of the car? Excuse me, but no one is asking to LIVE with you, and quite frankly there may be something about YOU that is not personally appealing to the interviewee (bad breath, BO, over-use of perfume or cologne, REALLY bad taste in clothes, too much paper clutter indicating a badly needed secretary or too much on your plate, which can lead to a cranky, impatient boss, etc, etc.) In other words, unless you call up a reference and they state, "YEAH, HE'S A SLOB ON THE JOB", your pre-conceived notion is irrelevent to the job.

This is PRECISELY the type of BULLSHIT I talking about with regards to HR/Personnel folk out there. Inadvertently, you've proven my point.

Actually, it is up to the candidate to impress me. Said candidate has competition that will impress me.

You state moot point, which in on way, shape or form changes the accurate points above in highlighting the flaws of your interview tactics.

Yep, everybody that conducts interviews makes assumptions. We have 30 to 60 minutes to form an opinion about the candidate based upon that limited time with them. I'm sorry you don't like that, but it is a cold hard fact of reality. Calling references is a waste of time, candidates don't list a person as a reference that say anything negative about said candidate, that's another reality. It's not a "preconceived notion", it's an assessment based upon observed facts.

Sorry, but restating your irrelevent, preconceived personal bias based on the condition of a car does NOT justify it. Again, NO ONE IS ASKING YOU TO LIVE WITH THAT PERSON, and unless YOU have CONCRETE EVIDENCE that the applicant is a "slob" at work, then you're essentially and potentially throwing out a perfectly good worker because they have messy car! That's a bias based on a preconceived notion on your part, because last time I checked, one does not drive ones car onto the office floor to work out of. Hell, in the last few years we've seen CEO's and various upper and white collar management types go to jail for all sorts of theft, debauchery, etc. Now the conditions of their cars didn't give them away, did it now? So your "assumptions" based on your LIMITED "observed facts" wouldn't have been worth a piss in the wind, now would it?

I'm not HR/Personal. In the past I've been the hiring supervisor. Today, I am interviewing potential peers. I don't want somebody hired that isn't going to fit into our culture or our team dynamics, it would be a disservice to the company and to the candidate to hire the wrong person.

YOU STILL CANNOT JUSTIFY WHAT YOU PREVIOUSLY STATED, as I've aptly demonstrated above. And if indeed you are not hiring someone for a "job", you're hiring someone to hang out with and play into the pretentious "culture" trappings & games that are required for some upper management/executive type position, then that would explain how out of touch your original response was.

I've been on both sides of the interview. I've been interviewed for jobs and interviewed others for jobs. Your posts sound like you've only been on one side of that equation.

Again, you STILL cannot logically refute or disprove the points I've made. Touting your personal success means NOTHING to those who have been victims of the nonsense I've described in the OP. Once again, you've given an example of PRECISELY what I'm talking about. What's disappointing is that you stubbornly defend your erroneous ways with nothing more than repetition and moot points.
Ok, I'm done with you.
We obviously have a difference of opinion about how the real world works.
I haven't "touted" anything, I've merely mentioned my experience.
I'm not trying to "justify" anything, again, merely mentioning real world facts and experiences.
You seem almost as if your entire purpose is merely to pick a fight.
You can't seem to respond without making your posts inside my quotes. I don't want people to think I've said what you've posted inside those quotes.
 
Well I have intervied parhaps 100 people for jobs in my career and been interviewed and have never asked the questions outlined above nor been asked them.

Perhaps you are somehow triggering the questions by some action or implication?

Your last sentence makes your first claim here dubious at best.

We've already done the dance regarding HOW the questions or why the questions are brought into the conversations....are you suggesting that my being black "triggers" the questions? Or my age? Because if those are the "triggers", then there are a plethora of your bretheren who are doing things WRONG!
 

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