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So I had an interview today. I got the impression that they had their "ideal candidate" lined up and interviewed already and were just crossing the t's.
I walk in. After usual pleasantries the president of the company asks me whether I am done with my degree yet. My resume was in front of him all along before the interview and it is obvious he did not give it much thought. I hand him my college transcripts (they requested those). He never asked me "to tell me about yourself" what my career goals are strengths/weaknesses and the usual suspects. I would say a dead fish would show more enthusiasm than he did in that interview. I don't expect to get that position but I would not even care since I doubt I ever had an interview as lame as that one.
The hiring process for that position involved taking a short accounting (pen and paper) test and then talking to president of the company. I applied to it through my college career website.
It is also possible that they did not have the ideal candidate lined up but for some reason something about you (presence, demeanor, way you were dressed, could be a lot of things) made them decide prior to the interview that you would not be a good candidate. If that is what happened, you missed your chance to prove otherwise.
The job I have now has a President and a VP in charge of hiring. The VP loved me (the President actually told me this during our interview) however, and he also told me this, he had some reservations because I did not have direct experience in the industry. Instead of becoming discouraged, I proceeded to prove to him why he was wrong.
I got the job. And I am fairly certain, although I have never asked for sure, that I was able to change his mind during the interview.
Still another possibility does occur, that is when we may have 5-10 interviews lined up, candidate one wows us. We still conduct all interviews, as we are not going to make an offer without seeing everyone, since perhaps someone will do even better. But the first man or woman sometimes raises the bar.
In general, most decisions are made, but not cemented, within the first 15 minutes. It is not about showing one can do the job, it is about showing no one else could do it as well.With so many available, every single candidate could likely do the job well.
Still another possibility does occur, that is when we may have 5-10 interviews lined up, candidate one wows us. We still conduct all interviews, as we are not going to make an offer without seeing everyone, since perhaps someone will do even better. But the first man or woman sometimes raises the bar.
In general, most decisions are made, but not cemented, within the first 15 minutes. It is not about showing one can do the job, it is about showing no one else could do it as well.With so many available, every single candidate could likely do the job well.
Agreed. I got the job, and this is funny, because I am planning my wedding in Ohio. I live in CA. They wanted me to give an example of my ability to be organized and to coordinate a task that involved a bunch of people, differing needs, challenges, and still keep it together. I looked right at him and said "I am planning a wedding in Ohio. Without the luxury of being able to travel there until the week of. I am organized within an inch of my life". At that point, he never asked another question about organization.
It is also possible that they did not have the ideal candidate lined up but for some reason something about you (presence, demeanor, way you were dressed, could be a lot of things) made them decide prior to the interview that you would not be a good candidate. If that is what happened, you missed your chance to prove otherwise.
The job I have now has a President and a VP in charge of hiring. The VP loved me (the President actually told me this during our interview) however, and he also told me this, he had some reservations because I did not have direct experience in the industry. Instead of becoming discouraged, I proceeded to prove to him why he was wrong.
I got the job. And I am fairly certain, although I have never asked for sure, that I was able to change his mind during the interview.
Not knowing whether I am a college graduate or not when my resume was in front of his face before I came is kind of inexcusable don't you think?
You should never let the attitude of the interviewer affect your performance. If you came in with enthusiasm despite of their attitude, you might have landed the job already.
You should never let the attitude of the interviewer affect your performance. If you came in with enthusiasm despite of their attitude, you might have landed the job already.
Another one of those comments. If the man in charge does not seem to care about my candidacy, nothing I could do. If I was a sea lion he would probably talk to me exactly the same.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I do think that it's unfortunate when hiring managers treat people that way. They should not interview people that are not really be considered possibilities on paper. I may interview only 5-10 of 100 applicants for that reason, and can always add a few more if none of them demonstrate suitability in the interview. I also will review each resume/application just prior to the interview, to be more familiar with each candidate when they come in.
I've been through this a few times recently in interviews. The dead give away that they've already chosen another candidate is if they don't even ask to see any examples of your work if they haven't seen any yet. In more than one of the last few interviews I went to the interviewer did not ask to see my work and it was dead obvious that they were just trudging through the motions by holding up their end of the deal by appearing at the scheduled interview and giving you the run-down.
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