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OK, I finally got a Human Resources person to tell me why I was not hired into a job that I put so much effort into the application process. I put together lots of supplemental information; tried to create a link between the job description and my background and studied lots of interview books.
So here is the reason they said I was not hired: Likability. They did not like me.
Is this a good reason? I was hired to work not put on a coffee party, right?
I was interviewed for an Office Manager job.
It's huge. The last thing a business owner/manager wants is an employee who doesn't get along with co-workers, vendors, or worse yet, an employee who is disliked by customers.
Maybe you do but most people don't like chatty people. :-) People like those who can listen to them.
Your political view, marriage status, etc. shouldn't come up during interview. If they do because you volunteered the info, your interview skill sucks because employers are forbidden to ask those questions due to discrimination issues.
I specifically said I *don't* like overly chatty people - please read my posts... as for the *interesting* notion that employers will never ask questions they are not allowed to ask in a job interview (such as questions about religion, politics, etc.) I suggest that you do some research online - that type of stuff does happen in certain areas, and it has nothing to do with "sucky" interview skills... Obviously, no candidate is going to volunteer that type of information, but what are they to say if asked? Responding with "you're not allowed to ask that question!" is a sure-fire way to get your resume tossed.
I specifically said I *don't* like overly chatty people - please read my posts... as for the *interesting* notion that employers will never ask questions they are not allowed to ask in a job interview (such as questions about religion, politics, etc.) I suggest that you do some research online - that type of stuff does happen in certain areas, and it has nothing to do with "sucky" interview skills... Obviously, no candidate is going to volunteer that type of information, but what are they to say if asked? Responding with "you're not allowed to ask that question!" is a sure-fire way to get your resume tossed.
No candidates is going to volunteer? How many people have you interviewed? This is why "Tell me about yourself" is my favorite question. When I ask that, the candidate would go "I am father of 7 and divorced and have to pay alimony etc..."
You don't need to respond "You aren't allowed to ask that..." You can say "I really have great family. As I was saying, my responsibility...."
No candidates is going to volunteer? How many people have you interviewed? This is why "Tell me about yourself" is my favorite question. When I ask that, the candidate would go "I am father of 7 and divorced and have to pay alimony etc..."
You don't need to respond "You aren't allowed to ask that..." You can say "I really have great family. As I was saying, my responsibility...."
You're missing the point:
1) I don't care if people volunteer that information. You said in an earlier post that if politics, religion, or marital status comes up in an interview, than clearly it is the fault of the person being interviewed and they "have sucky interview skills." That is not the case - companies can and have asked such questions in interviews before. Again, look it up online.
2) Even if you answer their partisan question with something vague, that is not going to get you the job if they are looking for a specific political view, religion, martial status, etc. That's like being a white guy who answers the "what race and gender are you?" question with "I chose not to respond." Sorry, that doesn't fool anyone.
I have no idea why you are arguing this point - it seems to me to be another case of employers can do no wrong - they'd *never* ask an illegal question, nor would they *every* look for a specific answer to that question... nor would they ever hire or retain staff based on anything but qualifications... If you want to believe that, fine, but the facts don't support that viewpoint.
I never ask an "illegal" question during an interview, but just like in a court of law, once a candidate brings it up, it's open season. Someone who tells me that their last job didn't work out because they had ongoing daycare issues and had to come in late or leave early as a result had better be able to reassure me that they've got that situation well under control. If they told me that they left because they wanted to find a job with better work-life balance, I wouldn't assume that children or daycare issues had anything to do with it and that would be the end of it.
Whether or not someone skis is not a 'company culture', it is a specific activity. Being a more sports-oriented person, for example, is the culture more than just skiing.
An office of all skiiers/active people would be much less likely to hire someone who never exercises and does nothing but play video games, for example. The specific sport (such as skiing) is not the culture at all
But I am trying to make 2 points that you are missing:
1. What activities one chooses outside of work should not have anything to do with hiring, since it is not relevant (as long as one doesn't choose activities that are illegal or immoral).
2. It is not a good idea for a company to only hire skiiers, since then there is a problem if overtime is ever needed on a winter weekend. Even if you want to, for whatever reason, primarily hire skiiers, you should hire at least a few non-skiiers who will work overtime on winter weekends. But when the summer comes, the skiiers should be expected to work overtime so that someone who prefers swimming or other summer activities can enjoy their weekends, just as the skiiers were able to enjoy their winter weekends without ever being expected to work overtime.
As far as fit goes, some of you have it all wrong. I went on an interview and the two interviewers started talking about how all the employees went to some wineries and enjoyed the wine tasting. I smiled and nodded and then brought the interview back to discussing the job I was interviewing for. Immediately after I got the convo back on course, one of the interviewers excused himself saying he had heard all he needed to hear. I didn't get that job and I got the impression it was because they assumed I wouldn't fit with the wine tasting crowd. There were a few other comments that were not job related that lead me to this conclusion. So, I know from first hand experience that all this talk about fit and likeability is subjective and oftentimes has nothing to do with getting along with customers or the public or being a positive contributor to the workplace. Many of these hiring managers use "fit" as an excuse to not hire who they deem to be personally undesirable.
Everything but you actual ability to do the job seem to matter
Not so. Those invited for an interview have the skills to do the job. The resumes of people without the required skills, end up in the trash. They never even meet with an interviewer.
But I am trying to make 2 points that you are missing:
1. What activities one chooses outside of work should not have anything to do with hiring, since it is not relevant (as long as one doesn't choose activities that are illegal or immoral).
This is where we disagree. What a person chooses to do outside of work is extremely relevant to the job.
Quote:
2. It is not a good idea for a company to only hire skiiers, since then there is a problem if overtime is ever needed on a winter weekend. Even if you want to, for whatever reason, primarily hire skiiers, you should hire at least a few non-skiiers who will work overtime on winter weekends. But when the summer comes, the skiiers should be expected to work overtime so that someone who prefers swimming or other summer activities can enjoy their weekends, just as the skiiers were able to enjoy their winter weekends without ever being expected to work overtime.
And it is also not a good idea to hire someone who hates sports when everyone at the office loves them. Group cohesiveness is very important.
Quote:
Originally Posted by L'Artiste
Everything but you actual ability to do the job seem to matter
Actual ability to do the job is assumed. There are dozens (if not more) of people who can do the exact same job as you. There are also dozens (if not more) of people who would be a good team player from a social aspect. Finding the intersection of those two things is the hard part. Nearly every interviewing process comes down to other skills. At the end of the day, realistically, ability to do the job is half of what goes into the hiring decision and this other stuff is the other half.
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