Obnoxious job interviewers

I guess there's been thread like this one before but I'm really interested to know of others experiences in similiar situations to mine.

I went for an interview a couple of days ago, now I've been to plenty of interviews but this one was to me rather an odd one.

The position is at a small IT shop which involves co-ordinating/supervising the work schedule of other field technicians and doing a variety of other tasks as is typical for a small IT shop.

I was there for nearly two hours and was interviewed by two people, one the general manager who was a great guy, asked good questions and a very positive person who I liked the moment I met him. But the other dude the owner was the most boorish person I've ever been interviewed by for a job.

His people skills are poor and throughout the whole interview he was bent on asking very negative questions and making unflattering comments. He never smiled once and frowned and look grumpy throughout the whole interview. When I asked about his company's approach and attitude to staff sitting further exams (a common question at IT job interviews) he told me it was a silly question!! I got the strong impression from the moment I shook his hand that he took an instant dislike to me for no reason.

As for my own performance I think I did reasonably well in the circumstances and would mark myself at 7 out of 10. It was rather difficult to nail the interview dealing with this guy. Naturally I have no desire to work for this company as I point blank refuse to work for people who don't have good people management skills.

Any comments welcome

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LCA

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

Fortunately, he seems to have taken it in stride, and I hope he and others understand that my initial response was not what I felt to be a statement of fact about his character, but my perception based on the situation presented.

You're right on the money with those remarks.

Forsaken_GA

apr911 wrote: »

I dont think this debate has anything to do with being thin or thick skinned individual. I consider myself to be reasonably thick skinned. I can calmly listen to some one rant and rave to me all day long and can quite respectfully tell them where they can get off and stick it (if they deserve it) but the key in that statement is the respect.

Well, it certainly evolved past that point. My initial reaction was that it was poor form to go complain about someone else's professionalism on the internet. I felt the initial post was a bit childish.

From the sounds of this interview, the owner did not even have the ability to show that minimal level of respect and instead belittled questions asked by the OP that I think most people who are serious about their careers, especially in IT, would ask.

Im all for testing a person under pressure but there is pressure and then there's what this interviewer did to the OP.

Well, again, I don't have any disagreement with that, however after being on both sides of the table, I've learned that any situation like this, you have to take with a grain of salt. The anonymous nature of the internet tends to lend itself to overexaggeration, so I'm careful about taking statements at face value.

Granted that wasnt what the lawsuit was "really" about but there is a lot of truth in there as well about the state of our medical system that something like that would be allowed to pass as medical malpractice.

Well, sure, there are other social issues (the main one being the opportunistic and often deceitful nature of humanity), but that's a whole other discussion. The point being made was that highly skilled folks wouldn't put up with not being fawned over, and I'm of the opinion that being really good at what you do doesn't automatically entitle you to special treatment and consideration. Highly skilled individuals are perfectly capable of having massive character flaws and screwing up by the numbers, just like anyone else.

I think in IT we actually have an inverse effect. Unlike sports where, when you're the best, you know it. In IT it seems when you're the best, you know you're not... I tend to see the newer people to the industry as the cocky ones who think they know everything there is to know about xyz and they are the best.

Your seasoned and skilled IT workers tend to be more humble, or at least usually (there are some people out there who think they are the be all end all because they wrote a book or some other thing). You get to a point where you realize, hey I am the best at technology ABC but Im certainly week in DEF and tomorrow there might be somebody who know more about ABC than I do and even if they dont, there might be someone who know something about ABC that I dont.

I'd agree with this as well. The veterans tend to have a good head on their shoulders, because they've been around the block a few times and know how the game works. But there are still the 'elite' folks who think they're god's gift to IT, and when I encounter those across the table, I can't help but wonder if they're so badass, why they happen to be unemployed at the moment. That's just a passing concern of mine, however, as it's not my place to determine that. Folks with decision making power have decided they're worth talking to, and my only role is to vet them and give an opinion on whether or not they're capable and would make a good fit.

I think the big issue is the manner in which you went about it. There's a big difference between talking down to the interviewee, being dismissive and rude versus putting someone on the spot and under pressure.

Yeah, as I've said, I'm aware that I've probably given the wrong impression. I'm perfectly capable of acting as others would regard as 'professional', but those aren't my marching orders. I am to the degree I can be, but my natural demeanor is far more effective at making people uncomfortable than playing nice and lying to their faces. I regard honesty as one of the hallmarks of professionalism, and that means you sometimes have to say things that others are going to find unfavorable or offensive. Most folks would rather hear a pretty lie than an honest truth, but that's just not something I can do. I would much rather an interviewer tell me exactly what they think instead of just smiling, nodding, and thanking me for my time.

These arent always mutually exclusive ideas but Id have to imagine if you ran the entire interview being dismissive i.e. "That's silly" then you'd have a tough time filling positions.

Oh, I agree. I answer questions as honestly as I can. Again, sometimes those aren't pleasant answers, but I've always subscribed to the theory that the only stupid questions are the one's not asked. In the case of the OP's question and the interviewers response, it's not nice, it's not polite, but I can certainly understand the employer's viewpoint on certification and training being silly.

As much as we all may disagree, not everyone holds certification in high regard, and there are employers who belive OTJ is all the training you need. If I'm hiring you for an entry level position, and you're asking me about highly advanced training, I think that's a little silly - you haven't proven yourself capable of that advancement yet, nor do I have any comfort that you won't use it as a stepping stone to your next job. But asking if training is available and to what degree would certainly not be a silly question. It's all a matter of perspective.

MickQ

apr911 wrote: »

I think in IT we actually have an inverse effect. Unlike sports where, when you're the best, you know it. In IT it seems when you're the best, you know you're not... I tend to see the newer people to the industry as the cocky ones who think they know everything there is to know about xyz and they are the best.

Your seasoned and skilled IT workers tend to be more humble, or at least usually (there are some people out there who think they are the be all end all because they wrote a book or some other thing). You get to a point where you realize, hey I am the best at technology ABC but Im certainly weak in DEF and tomorrow there might be somebody who knows more about ABC than I do and even if they dont, there might be someone today who knows something about ABC that I dont.

It's pretty much the same in all things.
A little after when you start off in something, you think you know it all.
A good while later, you realise that you don't know much about it, but you know quite a lot.
At your "veteran" stage, you'll know that you know so little compared to what's really out there, and that you'll have to rely on the knowledge of others.

LCA

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

Well, it certainly evolved past that point. My initial reaction was that it was poor form to go complain about someone else's professionalism on the internet. I felt the initial post was a bit childish.

I'm ROFL all over again!!

In this thread you've at times sounded more wound up about my meeting with this guy than I was. Heck it was nearly two weeks ago and I've already made alternative plans for my immediate future. In my mind its all in the past now. I've thought about the interview and what could be learnt from it and moved on.

Anyway this thread is done for me so back to SQL Server........

RobertKaucher

YouTube - Silly Job Interview - Monty Python

Still does not top this...

Forsaken_GA

LCA wrote: »

I'm ROFL all over again!!

In this thread you've at times sounded more wound up about my meeting with this guy than I was. Heck it was nearly two weeks ago and I've already made alternative plans for my immediate future. In my mind its all in the past now. I've thought about the interview and what could be learnt from it and moved on.

Anyway this thread is done for me so back to SQL Server........

Well, yeah, like I said, it started one way, and then took on a life of it's own in another direction. Believe me, nothing I had to say in relation to you was directly personal, and the bits that may have been personal had nothing to do with you

I don't believe in shying away from conflict. I prefer to get things out in the open and dealt with, as opposed to having a running gunfight.

I will admit, though, that meeting things head on all the time does result in an annoyingly large amount of headaches!

buzzkill

So did you end up being offered the job then?