Had first interview and the potential boss turned me off immediately! (company, office)

[MJ7]

Yes, it happens to me as well. I just finished up an interview at the end of March and immediately felt like it wasn't going to work. The manager of the group had zero years of experience in my niche field, but sat there trying to act like he was going to be telling me how to do my job (with grad schooling and years of experience in the position). Immediately I knew there was going to be a conflict of interests. At the end of the interview someone asked me if I liked what I was hearing, I replied "to be honest, I like what I hear, but I'm not impressed." Then I simply got up and walked out.

It's best that you don't work in those situations anyways, there's no worse place to work when you can't get along with the boss/manager.

[D. Scott]

As far as interviews go, Not all people "click" the first time they meet but there should be a feeling of basic comfort in talking to the interviewer. While not 100% foolproof in figuring out a person due to the fact that workplace situations can often vary as well as someone's responses to them, A candidate should not have to feel the need to bolt from the room either. (Not counting basic anxiety that interviews often produce.)

I recall an interview where I felt I was very wooden, And did not click with the interviewer though he was professional but very serious and that "Click" was not there. But the key word is professional, And not intimidating where I wanted to leave the room. I ended up working at the company for 8 and a half years eventually moving up to the position of management-The same position of the man who interviewed me years later. He taught me a lot about business and was strict for sure but I enjoyed working for him. Had he made faces, And rolled his eyes history would have been different for sure. Sorry OP that man was such a jerk, But there are plenty of people who can conduct an interview to match the company with a great candidate vs a circus sideshow. Keep moving forward.

[JoblessinNYC]

OP, what you described here is just horrible. You should have left immediately after he started staring at your breasts. Seriously, you don't want to work with somebody like that. Totally agree with STT Resident about finishing an interview with such a person early.

[jzeig104]

OP, consider your "radar" intact, LOL!! You picked up on something many people would push under the rug just to get a job. I know what you mean, because it's so striking when they behave like this. I had a similar experience when interviewing for a job as an admissions rep for a college. This interview had both a male and female interviewer and the difference between them was striking. The woman was pleasant and professional. The guy was a total jerk, rolling his eyes, looking down at the floor, and dismissing my qualifications. After about twenty minutes, I told them I wasnt interested and left. Trust your instincts. You know whats best for you, and you dont want to waste their time or yours.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by I am unemployed

You want more specifics: Incredibly intimidating. Smirked, rolled his eyes, disgusted looks, long silences, talked down to me, acted like I was lying to him, angry tone to his voice, looked at my breasts, criticized my actions and career choices, etc.

I would have stopped off at the HR dept before leaving and relayed this information to them.


The problem today is people think they have to put with anything in order to get a job.

I know someone who after having a similar experience to yours, which also included being told they wouldn't get the job because the were unemployed(than why call them in for an interview) took her complaints to the corporate office and got the jerk in trouble.

If more people spoke up, less of this would go on.

[BigDaveyL]

Originally Posted by seain dublin

I would have stopped off at the HR dept before leaving and relayed this information to them.


The problem today is people think they have to put with anything in order to get a job.

I know someone who after having a similar experience to yours, which also included being told they wouldn't get the job because the were unemployed(than why call them in for an interview) took her complaints to the corporate office and got the jerk in trouble.

If more people spoke up, less of this would go on.

You are correct.

[timberline742]

I think people are being a bit harsh here. Questioning of my career choices is a standard interview line, and I've had to learn to defend them and explain the path I was on and how I believe my choice at that time aided me in my path.

Questioning qualifications should be the norm. For instance, I've been called out on (not as often as I should be) for items in the resume along the lines of "Cooridinated XYZ", "Supervised a team of X in conducting event Y", etc etc. Some of the better bosses I have dismissed those out of hand or curtly stated (even cut me off and barked) "Coordinated doesn't tell me anything; what did you do, how did you do it, what was the result, what would you do different, what resources did you have in doing it" etc etc. Lots of people use meaningless terms in resumes (me included) and a good interviewer will want to cut to the chase fast and directly. As a candidate I need to be able to not take this personally and answer the questions posed without being shaken.

The OP also had a poor first impression so likely it painted everything asked and how it was asked in a poor light.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by I am unemployed

When I told people I trust about this interview they said it was likely a stress interview and he may or may not be a total jerk but acted like one to see if he could rattle me. Maybe there is extreme pressure in that job and only people with an incredibly thick skin could survive. Maybe there is more pressure than just from a tough boss, maybe the other people I would interact with in the job would be even worse.

If it was a C level executive then I think this is a probably the case. I've been in those roles both as an EA and a COS. You get people trying to manipulate you, yell at you (scream at you), complain about you / mock in front of your face to others, try to go behind your back, ... you see emails to your boss that put you down or lie about what you said.. the entire time you have to be able not to react and take it personally (at least visibly) and maintain complete professionalism. Heck, I had to (at times) be able to stand there and be thrown under the bus (blamed) for something I didn't do wrong or incorrectly in order to make my principal look better.

It isn't for everyone. But it is why good top level EAs make decent money.

[Hemlock140]

Stay and get through it, knowing that if you get an offer you can always turn it down. While the person makes you uncomfortable and you would not want to work for him, the experience of the interview, especially with such severe stress will make the next one that much easier.

[hojobojo]

After you cited the specifics, it reminded me of an interview I attended where the interviewer kept checking her e-mail while I was trying to talk. I should have told her to shove it in retrospect, but I couldn't believe the sheer hypocrisy of it.