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While that sounds like the consumate safety textbook 101 answer, in the make-believe world of interviews & Im sure you rattled that off after 3 seconds of thinking behind the computer screen but, out in the real world, when your boss has 25 more years experience than you, your working in a non-union shop, making damn good $ & can be fired for flagrant insubordination, that answer definitely isnt going to fly. Not for a minute. Afterwards, when you went to the safety manager & "loosely" snitched on your senior foreman for doing something unsafe, 1 way or the other, your going to get your walking papers.
While what I just typed was definitely not the answer I gave, my round table of interviewers at this job were all superintendents / senior lead foremen whom, if I had to guess, didnt just fall off of the back of a turnip truck yesterday. Im confident that an answer like that would simply wreak of google search syndrome to them. Sorry
If that answer wasn't acceptable to them they can find someone else who is willing to risk life and limb.
I don't see it as flagrant insubordination. Going to your safety person and saying "hey I'm not sure about this, can you show me the safe way to attempt this job?" isn't throwing anyone under the bus.
Also, if you were fired, state unemployment and the EEOP would be interested in your statement of how you were fired because you refused to do something that went against safety guidelines.
For those tagging along, Im obviously referring to the " infamous" STAR method of interviewing / interview questions.
47 years old & had the 3rd interview of my entire work career today. Now, Its not that I COULDNT answer the ?s but, when ?s they ask sometime pertain to an actual event that happened to you at work, lets say, 10-15 years ago ( which half the ?s DID), I kinda felt like an imbecile sitting there among a panel of 4 glaring eyes w/ pencils tapping on their clipboards, trying to recollect things from the distant past. Next thing you know, your mildly stumbling through words / blurry memories.....well, you get the jist of it.
Just curious what is the census' take around here, on these types of interviews / interview questions?
They're dreadfully intimidating. I remember my first only too well - the decision what to wear, the long drive, the psychological pumping up.
Then it was the waiting and being ushered into a stark room with the seasoned elders all sitting behind a long table and little ol' me totally exposed in my uncomfortable chair. The whole set-up seemed to be designed to make me feel as psychologically uncomfortable as possible.
I was as sure of my stuff as only a newbie can be but inside my comfort level was sinking by the moment and I kept scanning for a sign, anything, for a hint of encouragement from that row of poker faces. Then about halfway through I caught the faintest wink of an eyelid from the woman on the end and from there on out I knew I was going to be okay.
I hope everyone is as fortunate to have a perceptive person with compassion on their panel. It's not something I'd want to do as a regular event.
It's amazing the hoops you have to jump through anymore for a job making eight dollars an hour.
This is so true. A while back I considered getting part time job at Lowes, just on weekends or a few evenings to save a little extra for Christmas or vacation money.
The phone interview was the longest, most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I have 15 years of prior retail management, most of that in management, which was clearly stated on my application, and am more than qualified for a minimum cashier job at Lowes. The interview was longer than my interview for my well-paying full time job. Half way through I told the phone interviewer to just forget it, that I didn't have time for all that. This was just a phone interview to see if they wanted to then bring you in for further interviewing! I didn't need the job that bad, and it was such a turn off. All of this for a part-time peanuts paying, peon job with no benefits. Their loss.
I'll often times just use stories other co-workers have shared with me....
like when they ask "describe a time you encountered an issue with a client and how did u resolve the issue?"
I'll just spit out a story that happened to someone else and make it look like mine, when in reality it wasn't.
How would they know anyway? I feel like im just playing this ridiculous game and I wanna win it.
They're dreadfully intimidating. I remember my first only too well - the decision what to wear, the long drive, the psychological pumping up.
Then it was the waiting and being ushered into a stark room with the seasoned elders all sitting behind a long table and little ol' me totally exposed in my uncomfortable chair. The whole set-up seemed to be designed to make me feel as psychologically uncomfortable as possible.
I was as sure of my stuff as only a newbie can be but inside my comfort level was sinking by the moment and I kept scanning for a sign, anything, for a hint of encouragement from that row of poker faces. Then about halfway through I caught the faintest wink of an eyelid from the woman on the end and from there on out I knew I was going to be okay.
I hope everyone is as fortunate to have a perceptive person with compassion on their panel. It's not something I'd want to do as a regular event.
Very true on all points. Personally, I think my sincerity & honesty worked in my favor as, I locked into all eyes at the table, through every waning second & seen a few smiles / nods but, at the end of the day, its all just a crap shoot.
For those tagging along, Im obviously referring to the " infamous" STAR method of interviewing / interview questions.
47 years old & had the 3rd interview of my entire work career today. Now, Its not that I COULDNT answer the ?s but, when ?s they ask sometime pertain to an actual event that happened to you at work, lets say, 10-15 years ago ( which half the ?s DID), I kinda felt like an imbecile sitting there among a panel of 4 glaring eyes w/ pencils tapping on their clipboards, trying to recollect things from the distant past. Next thing you know, your mildly stumbling through words / blurry memories.....well, you get the jist of it.
Just curious what is the census' take around here, on these types of interviews / interview questions?
1 of the ?s I was asked was : "Tell me about a time when your boss was working right along side of you, asked you to do something unsafe & even though you knew was unsafe, you still did it because the boss told you do it & insisted it was the safe & efficient way to do it?"
Personally, Id like to see anybody answer this question truthfully,eloquently & within a matter of seconds, without stumbling through it. IMO, its a total bull**** question
I actually could answer this question because it has happened to me. The supervisor wasn't working right along side me, but he was close enough that he could see everything I did and how I did it. I quickly looked at the jobs and evaluated how it could be done safely and then did it in a way that I felt was safe. The safe way only took about 2 minutes longer than the unsafe way that my boss wanted me to do.
I do agree though that the question is too specific and that it probably wouldn't apply to 99.9% of the people that a company would interview. A more common question would be, "Tell me about a time when a supervisor asked you to do something unsafe." Or, "Tell me about a time you witnessed somebody doing something unsafe." Both of these questions will let a hiring manager see how you handle safety in the workplace.
I actually kind of enjoy behavioral interviews. Maybe it's because my skillset alone won't make me stand out compared to other applicants so I feel these questions give me a legitimate chance to get the job instead of the company just going by work experience. Maybe it's because the normal interview questions, such as "I see you've been with X company for almost 10 years, what did you like least about working there?" seem boring to me and I also feel it's a trap since I've always been taught to not put down my former employers in an interview, but not a company is basically asking me to do that in a way. The last interview I had was all behavioral, which I don't agree with that either. I do think the interview needs a balance of questions to determine somebody's ability to do the job in the way the company wants it done and behavioral questions to determine that somebody is a good fit for the team.
If a job requires a behavioral interview, I decline the interview and move on with my job search. A behavioral interview is unacceptable in 2014.
Not when you are in a service line, such as nursing or therapy, or as a receptionist (just a few examples). How you behave with patients or potential clients who walk in the door is one of the key factors in whether you should get the job. It's not just based on technical merit.
Not when you are in a service line, such as nursing or therapy, or as a receptionist (just a few examples). How you behave with patients or potential clients who walk in the door is one of the key factors in whether you should get the job. It's not just based on technical merit.
So you mean like 50% of the work force? People today crack me up.
I can see it now. You are applying for a job as a cashier.
"Who cares if you are nice to customers? All that matters is do you know how to work a register!!"
Technical requirements are all that should matter!!
Not when you are in a service line, such as nursing or therapy, or as a receptionist (just a few examples). How you behave with patients or potential clients who walk in the door is one of the key factors in whether you should get the job. It's not just based on technical merit.
Goodness, yes.
One of the questions that made me inwardly squirm was, "A patient has just told you he's suicidal but your boss wants to see you immediately. What do you do?"
I answered in favor of the patient, obviously, along with the additional message to the boss that I would be in her office as soon as I had secured suitable services for the patient.
And then. . .
I went to work in a place where the boss I ended up with would have been incensed at being put on hold.
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