interview at the same place twice

dhay13

Well folks, about 6 months ago I applied for and made it to the 2nd round of interviews for a position at a local regional bank. I blew the second interview for various reasons but bottom line is I wasn't happy with how I did. The manager asked at the interview what I was looking to make and he said he was not able to go that high based on my experience (I didn't have the CISSP yet and stumbled over some questions that I knew). He also indicated he didn't feel I would be able to pass the CISSP (which was about 3 weeks after this interview). I passed and sent him a nice email letting him know that I had passed and said that hopefully we could work together in the future. Well a few weeks ago I applied for another position there and received a call the other day from the HR department. She wanted to set up a phone interview with her this morning. I told her I had previously interviewed with the manager and she said he told her to call me (wasn't sure if it was because he remembered me or just liked my resume). Phone interview went well this morning and she said that the manger did remember me. So I guess it didn't go as bad as I thought it did last time. This position pays slightly more than the last one I interviewed for and is in my range. She did tell me the max for the last one I interviewed for and it was a little lower than what I told them my bottom line was. She then asked my availability for another in person interview so we will see what happens.

Thoughts? Any advice or tips so I don't blow it again? lol

NetworkNewb

dhay13 wrote: »

He also indicated he didn't feel I would be able to pass the CISSP

Who says that to someone they are interviewing?? :P

Best of luck, at least you should have an idea of the personality of the person who is interviewing you and the questions they might ask.

jcondon

I would do whatever Jeff advises you. He seems pretty smart.

PCTechLinc

Maybe I'm being cynical or looking a gift horse in the mouth, but I'm not sure I'd want to work with or for someone that asks me a few questions and says something like "I don't think you'll pass." He does not work for ISC2, nor is he an evaluator on the question set. If I took the test and passed, I would move on to somewhere that appreciated my professional challenges, and offer encouragement. I can't stand people that think they are the authority for something just because "that's what I think." /rant

JasminLandry

I had a similar situation last year. The first 2 interviews went well and the last one was with the CEO of the company. He really wanted me to have an OSCP which I didn't have back then and that if he'd hire me he would give me 10K less of what I was asking for. He also said that since I didn't have an OSCP I should break up with my girlfriend and not have kids in the next 5 years because I won't have time for a family because of all the training and studying I'd have to do to catch up with the other guys from the team. At the end of the interview he told me that they would give me 6 months to pass the OSCP and that he thought I wasn't ready and would fail. Funny thing is before I left he said he would hire me but 10K less plus the cost of what the training would be so a total of ~15K less of what I was asking for. A few days later I received an email from the hiring manager saying they wouldn't hire me because it would cost the company too much and because I didn't have that cert they were asking for.

As you might have figured, that motivated the hell out of me and got my OSCP 5 months later!

josephandre

that's awesome. I went through something similar when I got my CISSP

dhay13

jcondon wrote: »

I would do whatever Jeff advises you. He seems pretty smart.

Yeah, he is

The guy didn't come straight out and say I wouldn't pass. He said 'well I had 10 years of experience in this sector when I took it and I barely passed'. We will see how it goes if I get called back.

networker050184

I'd go see what they had to say. What can it hurt?

Nowhereman

Take the job if you need it. You have illustrated a situation where there appears to be a lack of leadership. This is unlikely to go away by itself and my impact your career. If you do decide to take the job, then I recommend that you use them as a stepping stone. Find another company that believes you provide them with a competitive advantage and value your development.

NetworkNewb

dhay13 wrote: »

Yeah, he is

The guy didn't come straight out and say I wouldn't pass. He said 'well I had 10 years of experience in this sector when I took it and I barely passed'. We will see how it goes if I get called back.

ahhh sounds like old timer giving a young guy a little guff.

volfkhat

JasminLandry wrote: »

I had a similar situation last year. The first 2 interviews went well and the last one was with the CEO of the company. He really wanted me to have an OSCP which I didn't have back then and that if he'd hire me he would give me 10K less of what I was asking for. He also said that since I didn't have an OSCP I should break up with my girlfriend and not have kids in the next 5 years because I won't have time for a family because of all the training and studying I'd have to do to catch up with the other guys from the team. At the end of the interview he told me that they would give me 6 months to pass the OSCP and that he thought I wasn't ready and would fail. Funny thing is before I left he said he would hire me but 10K less plus the cost of what the training would be so a total of ~15K less of what I was asking for. A few days later I received an email from the hiring manager saying they wouldn't hire me because it would cost the company too much and because I didn't have that cert they were asking for.

As you might have figured, that motivated the hell out of me and got my OSCP 5 months later!

Good Lord man...

what an AssJack!!
:]

TreySong

JasminLandry wrote: »

I had a similar situation last year. The first 2 interviews went well and the last one was with the CEO of the company. He really wanted me to have an OSCP which I didn't have back then and that if he'd hire me he would give me 10K less of what I was asking for. He also said that since I didn't have an OSCP I should break up with my girlfriend and not have kids in the next 5 years because I won't have time for a family because of all the training and studying I'd have to do to catch up with the other guys from the team. At the end of the interview he told me that they would give me 6 months to pass the OSCP and that he thought I wasn't ready and would fail. Funny thing is before I left he said he would hire me but 10K less plus the cost of what the training would be so a total of ~15K less of what I was asking for. A few days later I received an email from the hiring manager saying they wouldn't hire me because it would cost the company too much and because I didn't have that cert they were asking for.

As you might have figured, that motivated the hell out of me and got my OSCP 5 months later!

That is very inspiring. Well done you!

Danielh22185

I wouldn't take it totally to heart him mentioning his own hardships passing the CISSP. Sounds like he isn't as emerged in the tech side of things as other technical managers may be.

Seems they are impressed with you enough to want you to come back and interview again. I would follow through and see what they have to offer. If you are really needing the experience / income then definitely go for it. Like previously mentioned. If the company / mgmt turns out to be an egg you can jet out after a year or 2, after gaining further experience and becoming even more marketable for a better position.

Blucodex

dhay13 wrote: »

Yeah, he is

The guy didn't come straight out and say I wouldn't pass. He said 'well I had 10 years of experience in this sector when I took it and I barely passed'. We will see how it goes if I get called back.

I think people sometimes get tunnel vision trying to check off boxes instead of finding the right person.

powerfool

NetworkNewb wrote: »

Who says that to someone they are interviewing?? :P

Best of luck, at least you should have an idea of the personality of the person who is interviewing you and the questions they might ask.

I had someone once tell me that they were only interviewing me because "so and so" said to and knows me. Honestly, I think that he was confusing me with someone else... I had no clue who that person was... So, maybe everything fell apart because they thought I was a different person.

But I was ready to leave at that point. I didn't stick around. I guess he either had someone else's resume or didn't read mine because I met at least 80% of their obscure requirements, and all of the "must haves".

canito487

JasminLandry wrote: »

I had a similar situation last year. The first 2 interviews went well and the last one was with the CEO of the company. He really wanted me to have an OSCP which I didn't have back then and that if he'd hire me he would give me 10K less of what I was asking for. He also said that since I didn't have an OSCP I should break up with my girlfriend and not have kids in the next 5 years because I won't have time for a family because of all the training and studying I'd have to do to catch up with the other guys from the team. At the end of the interview he told me that they would give me 6 months to pass the OSCP and that he thought I wasn't ready and would fail. Funny thing is before I left he said he would hire me but 10K less plus the cost of what the training would be so a total of ~15K less of what I was asking for. A few days later I received an email from the hiring manager saying they wouldn't hire me because it would cost the company too much and because I didn't have that cert they were asking for.

As you might have figured, that motivated the hell out of me and got my OSCP 5 months later!

Awesome stuff! You're better off without them. It seems like that's the type of attitude of a company you don't want to be associated with.

I'm lucky to be around awesome co-workers that believe in innovation and cooperation. Above all, building each other up instead of tearing each other down.

Good job on the OSCP, I'm planning on doing that cert next. Its funny, my ops manager said he didn't believe in IT certifications. He said if they help you answer the questions I give you then great. He said the only certification is worth getting is the OSCP. Therefore, that's my next cert and goal.

TreySong

canito487 wrote: »

Awesome stuff! You're better off without them. It seems like that's the type of attitude of a company you don't want to be associated with.

I'm lucky to be around awesome co-workers that believe in innovation and cooperation. Above all, building each other up instead of tearing each other down.

Good job on the OSCP, I'm planning on doing that cert next. Its funny, my ops manager said he didn't believe in IT certifications. He said if they help you answer the questions I give you then great. He said the only certification is worth getting is the OSCP. Therefore, that's my next cert and goal.

I come across several individuals who do not think certifications add serious value. I personally find Certifications to be awesome and I think that is the defining difference between the US and other countries in Europe. In the US, certifications are taken seriously by employers, while here in Europe we have more of an apprentice mentality i.e learn on the job. The challenge with on the job learning is that as you incrementally learn from others around you, when you come across previously un-encountered problems or difficulties, you become stuck as you lack the principles and theories that underpin that area of speciality. But with certifications (in whatever field, by the way), you learn the principles and theories that underpin your area of specialism. When you bring that knowledge to work, you expand the frontiers of knowledge in that area as you apply the principles to new challenges!

jelevated

I interviewed twice at one place, thought I completely bombed the first interview. Reapplied to a different req and was hired on the second interview.

Asked a member of the first panel how I could improve, they said I came in second and that the first guy had more knowledge of a specific tool they were working on . Fair.

What I'm saying is, treat the second interview as a clean slate.

dhay13

Thanks all. My first time around I interviewed with the Manager of Risk Management, then a week later with her boss (Director of Cyber Security). He was the one that seemed to think I would struggle with the CISSP. I actually liked his philosophy and outlook on cyber security. He seemed like the person that would go to bat for you if you said you needed something (training, software, whatever). I think he would have been a good person to learn under.

I still have not heard back but who knows what they might do. Will he interview me again or go off my initial interview? According to the recruiter from the first go-round he really liked me, just couldn't pay what I wanted for that particular position. The second position pays more and is in my range so we will see. I don't think the interview last week could have went any better so I would think I would either get called back in or get an offer...lol

ande0255

Long ago I got laid off when CenturyLink bought out Qwest in the Twin Cities, and once the realized they needed at least a few english speaking people on their support staff, they started interviewing for my position again.

I went in and interviewed with an old coworker and a new CL goon, and the goon called me later in the week to tell me I wasn't qualified to work the job I did there for almost a year.

I heard from my inside sources they hired someone who's daddy worked there with no IT experience, of course he failed the background check, and they closed the position back up after that.

I really, really despise CL for that reason, I will literally base where I live to not receive my internet from CenturyLink ever again (and take every outage for customers as an opportunity to talk them out of going through any carrier but CenturyLink as well).

Up yours CL

PCTechLinc

Ande, that reminds me perfectly of when I wanted to supplement my income by working part-time at Geek Squad again. I used to work there for 3 months part-time as my only job, but jumped ship when I got offered my first SysAdmin position. When I went back to interview, it was with a new GM, and he wanted to start me in PC sales to "prove that I have enough knowledge to fix computers." WTF??? I was the ONLY person on staff with A+, and I also had 3 Associate's Degrees at the time. He still wouldn't budge, and I pretty much told him to shove it.

TreySong

ande0255 wrote: »

Long ago I got laid off when CenturyLink bought out Qwest in the Twin Cities, and once the realized they needed at least a few english speaking people on their support staff, they started interviewing for my position again.

I went in and interviewed with an old coworker and a new CL goon, and the goon called me later in the week to tell me I wasn't qualified to work the job I did there for almost a year.

I heard from my inside sources they hired someone who's daddy worked there with no IT experience, of course he failed the background check, and they closed the position back up after that.

I really, really despise CL for that reason, I will literally base where I live to not receive my internet from CenturyLink ever again (and take every outage for customers as an opportunity to talk them out of going through any carrier but CenturyLink as well).

Up yours CL

Oh my days! I haven't laughed this loud for a whole week. Thanks for sharing, Ande!