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I once traveled to an interview in another state, at my own expense since it was for a non-profit and I really wanted the job. (I also made it clear to them I would move at my own expense since I wanted to move to that area anyway.) I was asked to make a formal presentation at the interview on the topic of how I would improve their organization if I were hired to be their executive director. I was told it would be in front of the organization's board of directors and AV tech would be available.
I put a lot of research into the presentation, prepared excellent visual aids, and had hand-outs for the audience. I arrived at my slotted time, following two other presenters. I was introduced by the board chairman, who had done the pre-interview with me on the phone. She let me go through my entire presentation and I took many questions from the group (who seemed very interested). When I wrapped up, the chairman stood and said, "Thanks for coming in. We really aren't going to hire you because you would have to move here and we don't have time for that. I just wanted to hear what you were going to say because you ARE, obviously, very well qualified. Please leave your presentation with me."
I felt like she slapped me. Luckily, I had plenty of time to regroup because a fight immediately broke out in the audience. Several people started yelling at the chairman about how she could be so rude to me when I was being so generous to them. So I gathered up my things, turned to the audience and thanked them sincerely for their attention and good questions. I wished their organization much success and good luck. I then turned to the chairman and said, "As for you, I feel you brought me here under false pretenses. I'm very insulted and I think you represent your group very poorly. I have no intention of leaving my presentation behind because you've already stolen enough from me today." A couple of people in the audience clapped. One person walked me out to my car, apologizing the whole way. Later in the week, two other people from the audience called me at the number that was on my resume and also apologized. One of them assured me the chairman was no going to be reelected. I still think I would have done a good job.
I once traveled to an interview in another state, at my own expense since it was for a non-profit and I really wanted the job. (I also made it clear to them I would move at my own expense since I wanted to move to that area anyway.) I was asked to make a formal presentation at the interview on the topic of how I would improve their organization if I were hired to be their executive director. I was told it would be in front of the organization's board of directors and AV tech would be available.
I put a lot of research into the presentation, prepared excellent visual aids, and had hand-outs for the audience. I arrived at my slotted time, following two other presenters. I was introduced by the board chairman, who had done the pre-interview with me on the phone. She let me go through my entire presentation and I took many questions from the group (who seemed very interested). When I wrapped up, the chairman stood and said, "Thanks for coming in. We really aren't going to hire you because you would have to move here and we don't have time for that. I just wanted to hear what you were going to say because you ARE, obviously, very well qualified. Please leave your presentation with me."
I felt like she slapped me. Luckily, I had plenty of time to regroup because a fight immediately broke out in the audience. Several people started yelling at the chairman about how she could be so rude to me when I was being so generous to them. So I gathered up my things, turned to the audience and thanked them sincerely for their attention and good questions. I wished their organization much success and good luck. I then turned to the chairman and said, "As for you, I feel you brought me here under false pretenses. I'm very insulted and I think you represent your group very poorly. I have no intention of leaving my presentation behind because you've already stolen enough from me today." A couple of people in the audience clapped. One person walked me out to my car, apologizing the whole way. Later in the week, two other people from the audience called me at the number that was on my resume and also apologized. One of them assured me the chairman was no going to be reelected. I still think I would have done a good job.
One man who ran a small advertising agency (I was interviewing for a copywriter job) asked me, "Do you have any children, or do you plan on having children?" to which I responded, "It is illegal to ask me that, but it's not illegal for me to answer, so I will. I don't have children. I don't have plans to have children right now." I just narrowed my eyes at him and the rest went downhill from there, ending fairly soon after.
Similar to what a previous poster noted, a woman who was interviewing me for a news desk editor on a smallish-town newspaper let me go through all kinds of spelling, vocabulary, computer skills, and related tests, in addition to filling out a very long application only to tell me that, after all this, she would like to hire me, but I would "be required to move there"! I had spent about three hours with her, and I just about dropped my briefcase. I wasn't rude (though now I wish I had been), but I did say something like, "I wish you had mentioned earlier that this was a prerequisite; I just bought a house in the next city and certainly can not and do not want to move."
I also remember my heels were killing me that day. What a waste!
I once traveled to an interview in another state, at my own expense since it was for a non-profit and I really wanted the job. (I also made it clear to them I would move at my own expense since I wanted to move to that area anyway.) I was asked to make a formal presentation at the interview on the topic of how I would improve their organization if I were hired to be their executive director. I was told it would be in front of the organization's board of directors and AV tech would be available.
I put a lot of research into the presentation, prepared excellent visual aids, and had hand-outs for the audience. I arrived at my slotted time, following two other presenters. I was introduced by the board chairman, who had done the pre-interview with me on the phone. She let me go through my entire presentation and I took many questions from the group (who seemed very interested). When I wrapped up, the chairman stood and said, "Thanks for coming in. We really aren't going to hire you because you would have to move here and we don't have time for that. I just wanted to hear what you were going to say because you ARE, obviously, very well qualified. Please leave your presentation with me."
I felt like she slapped me. Luckily, I had plenty of time to regroup because a fight immediately broke out in the audience. Several people started yelling at the chairman about how she could be so rude to me when I was being so generous to them. So I gathered up my things, turned to the audience and thanked them sincerely for their attention and good questions. I wished their organization much success and good luck. I then turned to the chairman and said, "As for you, I feel you brought me here under false pretenses. I'm very insulted and I think you represent your group very poorly. I have no intention of leaving my presentation behind because you've already stolen enough from me today." A couple of people in the audience clapped. One person walked me out to my car, apologizing the whole way. Later in the week, two other people from the audience called me at the number that was on my resume and also apologized. One of them assured me the chairman was no going to be reelected. I still think I would have done a good job.
I probably have been pretty direct when I got the impression the person didn't want me. Years ago, on 2 occasions I interviewed with several people, and it became clear that one person did not want me for whatever reason. They asked stupid questions which were clearly so minutia-specific they wanted to have a reason not to hire me (maybe they already had picked someone, who knows).
I am a scientist. When a fellow scientist asks me a stupid question, I typically am fairly pointed in my response.
Of course, as has been pointed out, you won't get the offer if you are rude. But I already knew I wasn't the frontrunner in these situations.
In fact, after the second one, in my 30's, I decided that if I ever was in an interview like this again, I would just get up and tell the person I was no longer interested. Why waste my time? It irks me that someone would waste my time and my 1/2 vacation day if they already knew they didn't want me...
I once traveled to an interview in another state, at my own expense since it was for a non-profit and I really wanted the job. (I also made it clear to them I would move at my own expense since I wanted to move to that area anyway.) I was asked to make a formal presentation at the interview on the topic of how I would improve their organization if I were hired to be their executive director. I was told it would be in front of the organization's board of directors and AV tech would be available.
I put a lot of research into the presentation, prepared excellent visual aids, and had hand-outs for the audience. I arrived at my slotted time, following two other presenters. I was introduced by the board chairman, who had done the pre-interview with me on the phone. She let me go through my entire presentation and I took many questions from the group (who seemed very interested). When I wrapped up, the chairman stood and said, "Thanks for coming in. We really aren't going to hire you because you would have to move here and we don't have time for that. I just wanted to hear what you were going to say because you ARE, obviously, very well qualified. Please leave your presentation with me."
I felt like she slapped me. Luckily, I had plenty of time to regroup because a fight immediately broke out in the audience. Several people started yelling at the chairman about how she could be so rude to me when I was being so generous to them. So I gathered up my things, turned to the audience and thanked them sincerely for their attention and good questions. I wished their organization much success and good luck. I then turned to the chairman and said, "As for you, I feel you brought me here under false pretenses. I'm very insulted and I think you represent your group very poorly. I have no intention of leaving my presentation behind because you've already stolen enough from me today." A couple of people in the audience clapped. One person walked me out to my car, apologizing the whole way. Later in the week, two other people from the audience called me at the number that was on my resume and also apologized. One of them assured me the chairman was no going to be reelected. I still think I would have done a good job.
I don't like interviews that require that you present. You are really advising them for free--they should pay for the presentation. I won't do these anymore either!
I was once asked if I planned to have kids (illegal question) and I called him to the mat on it then wrote to the company President with details of the incident, explaining why I couldn't work for a company that did that, and to have my resume removed from their records.
I have come very close on a few occasions to telling the interviewer exactly what I think of them and their idiocy, but it would rarely make any positive difference. When a company culture is dysfunctional, pointing it out accomplishes little because the rot is so deep and everyone is used to it - or even likes it, as strange as that may seem.
Worst cases:
1) Somehow, it's never their fault: This idiot medical supply company wanted an engineer and I applied for the job. They skipped out on both phone interviews and, despite me contacting them afterwards in both cases to reschedule, tried to turn it around to look like I "wasn't interested." The on-site was just more of the same, with the HR bimbo "forgetting" to give me some paperwork I should have had before the on-site, etc. Obviously, I didn't get that job and I so badly wanted to tell them what I thought of their incompetence.
2) You never had a chance: Interviewed for another engineering job through a staffing company. The on-site seemed to go well, and then everyone cuts off contact and actually refuses to return phone calls or emails. More than a month later, I get in touch with a different person at the staffing company who comes up with some BS reason I didn't hear back - and who then admits that I was competing with internal candidates for the job. I never had a chance!
3) Thanks for wasting my time: This one was great. I apply to a job and hear nothing for over a year. Then, I get a phone call about it asking me to ignore the automatic email rejection I may have received because apparently the automated system was set up to basically reject everyone who applied - which confirms what I've suspected for years about how that process works. The phone interview goes well, the on-site lasts for 4+ hours... and that was it. I never heard another thing from them and the job still gets reposted regularly on the company's website 4 years after I first saw it... and I bet the automated filter is still set to reject all applicants.
Those are perhaps the most annoying, but nearly every company I've interviewed at has done a lousy job presenting themselves as organized or in any way competent.
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