Phone Interview Story

Mishra

I had a phone interview today with me just asking questions about the job. I hate the recruiter/HR side of things... It's always so much easier when talking to the actual IT staff.

Pretty funny because at the beginning of the phone interview they were all about selling me the job. I was asking them questions and they were saying yeah it's a PART of the job and different things like that. It's always so hard to judge a job when the person on the other side of the phone is just answering the question and not actually addressing the concern.

Right near the end of the interview they told me they are looking to hire right away and don't want to waste anytime. I told them that I don't just jump into jobs. If I'm looking for a long term job (like the rest of my life) I'm going to take time, ask a lot of questions and give it some time to think about. She said that they are looking for a quick 30 minute interview, 1 hour in person, then offer. Right there, she basically ended the interview saying I wouldn't be a good fit and the phone call ended.

Just really funny how people ask you if you want to be long term then expect you to make brash and irrational decisions about your career. It's in their best interest if I'm totally satisfied and am ready to hunker down and go for the long hall. Silly.

hex_omega

Just play along. It's not like you're tied to a contract. You do the job, take what you get from it, and move on.

GamingCrazy

Mishra wrote: »

I had a phone interview today with me just asking questions about the job. I hate the recruiter/HR side of things... It's always so much easier when talking to the actual IT staff.

Pretty funny because at the beginning of the phone interview they were all about selling me the job. I was asking them questions and they were saying yeah it's a PART of the job and different things like that. It's always so hard to judge a job when the person on the other side of the phone is just answering the question and not actually addressing the concern.

Right near the end of the interview they told me they are looking to hire right away and don't want to waste anytime. I told them that I don't just jump into jobs. If I'm looking for a long term job (like the rest of my life) I'm going to take time, ask a lot of questions and give it some time to think about. She said that they are looking for a quick 30 minute interview, 1 hour in person, then offer. Right there, she basically ended the interview saying I wouldn't be a good fit and the phone call ended.

Just really funny how people ask you if you want to be long term then expect you to make brash and irrational decisions about your career. It's in their best interest if I'm totally satisfied and am ready to hunker down and go for the long hall. Silly.

I'm glad you saw the rational side of it

Mishra

According to the recruiting company, if HP gives you an offer letter and you refuse, you go on their "naughty list". They won't consider you for any other position in the future... Anyone ever experienced this?

sambuca69

Mishra wrote: »

According to the recruiting company, if HP gives you an offer letter and you refuse, you go on their "naughty list". They won't consider you for any other position in the future... Anyone ever experienced this?

I think a lot of places do that, to be honest.

Devilsbane

hex_omega wrote: »

Just play along. It's not like you're tied to a contract. You do the job, take what you get from it, and move on.

You might want a job for the rest of your life, but is that the most important thing to you? Are you willing to job search for 6 months and find a job you can stay with forever, or would you rather take this job now and in 6 months resume your search. Might seem silly to take the job that isn't number 1 on your list, but your bills are going to need paid somehow. If your financial situation allows you to be picky then go ahead and hold out.

earweed

humble2007 wrote: »

You might want a job for the rest of your life, but is that the most important thing to you? Are you willing to job search for 6 months and find a job you can stay with forever, or would you rather take this job now and in 6 months resume your search. Might seem silly to take the job that isn't number 1 on your list, but your bills are going to need paid somehow. If your financial situation allows you to be picky then go ahead and hold out.

+1 If you're already employed and just looking around then you might be well justified in your response to them. If you're looking because you're out of work you should have at least waited until talking to IT people at the company to really form an opinion.

Mishra

The situations will always be relative. But even in a tight situation, taking a permanent job and job hopping 6-12 months later is not good on your resume.

For my situation, I am looking for a great company to work for that I can apply my skills with. I have 7 years of experience in IT and have started to gain a bit of a reputation. I have been conservative with my finances so I am able to be picky with my selections.

The purpose of the thread was to focus more on how some companies like to rush and make bad decisions in hiring. Even if you were desperate and needed to push for the job; the company should be more cautious on making sure that the interviewee is right for the job. If that takes an extra week for the person to make up his mind, then so be it. You want to make sure the potential employee is as excited as possible to ensure a higher chance of them wanting to stay with your company.

RobertKaucher

I would be worried about any company that is more concerned about filling a slot with a body than actually getting someone who is a fit. Companies that can only react to situations and are not able to plan and execute a strategy rarely do well when times get rough. When there is an economic boom and any idiot can make a buck, they might be fine. But if you cannot plan and execute, only react to trends, this is due to the way the company is managed and is an aspect of its culture. So sounds like they were right, you were not a good fit.

Devilsbane

Mishra wrote: »

The purpose of the thread was to focus more on how some companies like to rush and make bad decisions in hiring. Even if you were desperate and needed to push for the job; the company should be more cautious on making sure that the interviewee is right for the job. If that takes an extra week for the person to make up his mind, then so be it. You want to make sure the potential employee is as excited as possible to ensure a higher chance of them wanting to stay with your company.

According to one of my college instuctors that I also know on a personal level, the company he works for in his day job (Large medical company) lets go 80% of their IT staff within the first 6 months. This is why companies typically hire from agencies, takes care of almost all of the red tape about letting someone go. Part of the contract says that the job can end at any time for any reason, even if it is expected to be a 6 month or 12 month gig.

I really don't think companies screen people well enough, and it boggles me. For my current job they did a background check which included contacting various local police departments and contacting my high school to verify dates of enrollment and that I did get my degree. (Didn't contact college since I don't graduate for another month.)

However they didn't check out any of my certs. I had my CompTIA cards on me and links to my CompTIA and Microsoft transcripts but they didn't ask for them. Now if it would have been for a server admin roll or something maybe they would have, but from what I have heard from other colleagues in different IT industries, they virtually never verify certs. So why high school?

If they did a little bit more work and research up front they could easily cut that 80% in half, which might not save any money but it should make your organization more efficient since you have put people in the rolls that know what they are doing.