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I haven't looked down on the people I've interviewed. Obviously they're in the interview because there was some quality about them that impressed me enough to ask them in. Not only that, with Oregon's economy like it is, it's really the luck of the draw who get's laid-off and who stays. It would be completely unfair to judge them harshly for being out of work.
As an interviewer, you have to have a certain amount of objectivity and detachment with the people you interview because you're looking out for the best interests of the company and department. I recently interviewed several people to replace me as I moved on to other things, and my biggest concerns were (1) How quickly can the pick-up the software? (2) Are they a good fit for the corporate culture? (3) What kind of experience do they have? I had very little time to train them, so I needed to see that they would be able to get the basics and be resourceful enough to find their way with the tools I gave them.
It's hard to accept and comprehend (because I've been on the other side too), that you shouldn't take it too personally. It's personnel, not personal--if that makes sense. There were several candidates that I personally liked, but it didn't mean they were a good fit. The individual we ended up hiring was a little more stand-offish, but everything else was right, and he warmed-up during the training process.
That's also why I think it's critical to give a potential employee a chance to work (paid, of course) for a few hours or a day before they're hired so that you get a better sense of who they will be as an employee, and they get a better sense of the company.
One final thought: in my case, I work for a manufacturing company. We take pride in our products, and the skills that go into producing it. It's highly specialized, niche-work, and I also want to see from potential employees that they're interested in what we do. I don't expect employees to devote their whole lives to work, but they should be there because they like it and believe in the company, not just because they need a job. The comments made earlier about being a "team player," are spot on. Are you willing to put in the effort when it's required? The little things add up over the long term.
I've had to go on countless interviews before getting my current job.
And I've had to interview new candidates at my current company.
So I can see it from both perspectives.
As an interviewer, I generally take a negative view of any sort of "window dressing". I highly appreciate simple, direct answers. Any resume that looks too "perfect" is worthy of more close scrutiny.. I've chosen to interview candidates with unsophisticatedly laid out resumes (but free of spelling/grammar errors) to those that are professionally written but lack substance after a closer glance.
And I've always hated answering technical questions on a phone interview but for a technical job, it's essential and a good way to weed out "window dressers". Being pressured for an answer or being constantly interrupted when you're stuck or deep in thought over a technical question was never a pleasant experience for me so I tried not to interrupt unless the candidate was taking extra long.. and even then I'll give them a "hint", usually a wrong answer but something close and see if they can figure it out.
Reminds me that someone advised a job seeker to keep calling a company. Just bug them about the job (I'm serious). It would show that you're interested and tenacious. Well, that "advice" was given "back in the day" (won't say which decade ). Today, it would show the company that you are crazy.
I am from that other decade and I have to agree. Nowadays, we discourage people from calling,, even the agencies. But I don't agree that the agencies or companies think you're crazy; they just know how tough it is for people trying to get a job in these trying times. However, on the other side of the fence, I've been told by recruiters not to encourage applicants to call and follow up b/c they are so inundated with calls, they can't handle them all. The agency who does the hiring for my company says to allow up to 3 weeks on average for a response from the agency. By the time they pull all the resumes, go over them and discard the ones that are definitely not a fit and then read over the ones they initially think are potential candidates, it can take a good couple of weeks. You have to realize that they can receive over 1,000 resumes a day. The agency we use never posts on Indeed or any of the others b/c it would just be too overwhelming. But a word of encouragement, the DEFINITELY DO search CareerBuilder and some of the other boards looking for candidates it they don't have someone who fits what they are looking for in their database already. I am proof of that. They contacted me. So don't get discouraged if they tell you apply online and DO post your resume public on CareerBuilder. Just be careful and use common sense. Took 19 months, but 10 days after I finally put my resume out there public, I got the magical call. There is hope.
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). Today, it would show the company that you are crazy. 
