Curse

Borealis · Jul 13, 2005, 07:45 PM // 19:45

Just had a job interview yesterday for a job at a mortgage middleman company, anyone else have the problem when they're being interviewed by multiple people and just freeze up in the middle of it? I had everything on my mind and ready to say to make myself look good, then for some reason I dunno maybe it was that they kept writing on their lame little pad, I just completely froze and lost everything I was going to say.

Then what was even better afterwards it was about 10:30am, went to start my car and the SOB wouldn't start for the life of me......THEN to top that off it was 90 degrees outside and I was stuck sitting in the heat for over an hour in some horribly uncomfortable dress clothes....

I really need to start my own business instead of working for some schlup (is that a word? lol)

Bore needs a beer right about now...

Vengeance · Jul 13, 2005, 08:03 PM // 20:03

Yeah ... Bore should grab a beer ...

Last meeting I had was with two 'upper' peoples ... and I was sitting in this tiny little office, and just like you, crammed into my best suit ... they kept me there for an hour and a half ... asking the same damned question again and again ...

'So ... a server stops routing mail ... what do you do?'
'Hmmm ... Good answer ... so ... a server stops responding ... what do you do?'
'Excellent ... good to hear that ... so ... a user isn't getting any e-mail ... what are the steps you take?'

GAAAAHHH!!! Why couldn't they just ask me something like why are manhole covers round? At least I know that one ...

EchoSex · Jul 13, 2005, 08:04 PM // 20:04

Hah, my gal just went for a job interview that seemed promising enough.. That is untill the guy started checking her out and make hidden gestures >.> I had a little talk wih him after that. Working sucks, espcailly when your not in charge.

Dumb Quixote · Jul 13, 2005, 08:25 PM // 20:25

^^ I hope your little chat included props...

I have been interviewed by panels of people as well as one job where I had to meet with damn near everybody. My rule of thumb is the better I think it went the least likely I am to get the job...

My best advice to you is shift the conversation over to something personally important to your interviewer... let them talk about it endlessly and nod your head. In the end they'll be left with a great impression of you because they did all the talking. Ha!

Dreamsmith · Jul 13, 2005, 08:29 PM // 20:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Borealis

I really need to start my own business instead of working for some schlup (is that a word? lol)

Been there, done that, and gone back to working for someone else.

Don't let me discourage you, the perks are awesome, but it takes more work and discipline than I was willing to do or able to muster. After doing the CEO's job for a while, I've decided you can't pay me enough to do that job...

As for interview tips, the one about shifting the conversation over to them is a great one. I quizzed my new employer extensively about their company during the interview. They like that, it shows you're interested. Ask them a lot of intelligent questions that show you know what you're talking about and that you're as interested in them as they are in you. Particularly if you're interviewing for a position higher up the totem pole, because at that point you're interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you -- I'm essentially stepping into the current CTO's position (he's going to be out by the end of the year), so I want to know the company who's operations I'm taking over is worthy of my effort, or else I'll find a better company to go work for instead. Maybe that isn't as applicable for entry level positions or the like, but any job interview is two-way, they need a new employee as much as you need a new employer, or they wouldn't be wasting their time interviewing people. Asking them about who their customers are, how they make their money, what kind of problems they have, etc., shows a curiosity and (hopefully) genuine interest in the welfare of the company you want to work for, and interviewers will appreciate that, regardless of the position you're interviewing for. The fact that it keeps them talking and gives you a breather is just gravy.

Think of it this way: at the end of the interview, they have to be satisfied that you are worth hiring, and you have to be satisfied that they're worth working for. It's a 50/50 situation. Go into it with the understanding that you're the interviewer as well as an interviewee, and make sure you're holding up your end by asking all the questions you need to have answered before you'll consider working for them. Make them intelligent questions that demonstrate you know what you're talking about, and you both get your answers and demonstrate to them that you really are a worthwhile employee.

Borealis · Jul 13, 2005, 11:25 PM // 23:25

Just seems like a waste of time working for someone else when you can do it yourself, I know it's possible, hell I've seen it happen more than enough times.

I just don't know where to start.

Yesterday might not have been so bad if it weren't for the car dying afterwards, I should have taken that as a bad omen. I'm currently considering pushing it off a cliff seeing as how it got towed to the shop, started up just fine for them and have searched high and low and can't find a friggin thing wrong with it

Ten pounds of topping on the cake...

Aetherfukz · Jul 13, 2005, 11:55 PM // 23:55

Strangely I never had any problems on job interviews. That is probably because I don't try to act as someone that they would hire, but just as me. If they didn't want to hire me, they didn't deserve me anyway.

12eckoning · Jul 14, 2005, 01:04 AM // 01:04

I wish that drinkin coke durina job interveiw was acceptable.Then id be the man who has perfect job interveiws and always gets the job

midnyte13 · Jul 14, 2005, 01:25 AM // 01:25

when u find the perfect job, the interview will be easy as pie. until then you'll just keep selling what you dont have to a job you dont want

12eckoning · Jul 14, 2005, 06:55 AM // 06:55

well well well seems nobody likes job interveiws so lets every1 just keep 2 playin pc games and stuff like that untill we find a job interveiw that doesnt suck

Vengeance · Jul 14, 2005, 02:16 PM // 14:16

Well put Dreamsmith ... as you say, on entry level positions it's not so important that the company be a fit for you ... but at higher levels ... oh hellz yeah ...

For instance ... after that interview I was talking about above ... I was actually SHOCKED by the answers I got back from the interviewers ... I won't drop a name but it was a LARGE company up here in Canada, and one which is even considered a bit of Canadian symbol ... and when I discovered that their server infrastructure was not even a third of what I was dealing with currently? Big time dissapointing. There's something to be said to go from directly supporting 20 servers with about another 80 indirectly under you ... to supporting SIX.

Anyway ... it is possible to have a good job interview ... after all, that would be what determines who gets the job, right?