Being part of an interview panel is really shocking and sad! (collect, unemployment)

[DTL3000]

Now this is why I hate HR.

Someone can come in with all the requisite skills required of the job and loads of relevant experience and some irrelevant(unless you're actually hiring a bricklayer) question such as "If I gave you a brick, what would you do with it?" throws them off guard.

Ask questions pertaining to the actual job. Attempt to draw these people out so that they share whatever experiences they have had that may be relevant. Stop with the lame, cliche questions. You're looking for people who can do a specific job. Not beauty pageant contestants.

[jertheber]

Ahh, the old "hiring Team", a flat out job shirking exercise on the part of upper management carried out by inexperienced people who love to have a tad bit of power to chew on. I owned my own business and managed for others for years, I hired and fired, no team needed, no lengthy interview needed, no need to string out the process for three or four (and more) attempts to interview the same person. If a company can't hire in an efficient manner what are the chances it can operate any differently in the daily business realm?

I call this "the kid in the candy store syndrome," hemming and hawing, hoping to find that "just right" piece of sweetness that triumphs over all the rest of the equally sweet stuff in sight. Most jobs require a new hire to acclimate to the basic-task specific- training for their position, one can have the same job title for years, through many different companies--- but not necessarily the same tasks in that capacity. I think the real question of importance here why the OP is deemed to be an adequate resource for this task..

What happened in America that has made us into a bunch of helpless chumps who find the hiring process to be an invitation to put others through the wringer in a series of grueling interviews and STILL end up with the inadequate, unproductive, people that I'm forced to deal with as a customer on a daily basis? Good grief, grow up and hire the person who looks to be a decent candidate and stop thinking of yourself and your petty critiques as the stuff of heavy intellectual matter. It's an office manager job, not the guy who's going to run the Nuclear power plant...

[fishbrains]

Originally Posted by Honey Badger Mentor

I must be the only person left, who asks candidates about their past job responsibilities. I also ask how they would handle a problem directly related to the job. My co-worker asks the technical questions, but he interviews the same way.

OP didn't give us a lot of details. While the question s/he listed weren't great, others may have been.

All I care about is can they do the job, will they bring in the sales numbers and will they show up on time.

Of course. That is really all most people care about. The trick is in how you determine that. A candidate can say that they were part of a team that brought in revenues exceeding plan by 30%. Great. First, I can't really verify that, secondly, I don't know why they succeeded. The candidate might not know either. My followups are likely to be:

1. Was sales plan overly conservative?
2. Mature market or new?
3. Did your product mix change, or was there a eealignment in sales regions?
4. What was your role in the team?
5. Specifically, how did you contribute to this increase?
6. Were you able to duplicate it the following year? Why or why not?

So you are looking still looking for someone after 10 interviews, because they didn't stand out? You need reevaluate what your needs are for the position.

Probably true.

By the way, I have been an office manager and many times the people interviewing me have no clue what the job entails. One job I was hired into, the office mgr was basically doing things no one had any idea had to do, so I had to teach myself everything.

We have no way of judging OPs ability to do an office manager job. In a committee setting, it may not matter. OP is likely there to weigh in as a subject matter expert in one area of interaction with the office manager.

[coschristi]

Interesting!

As an adult with Aspergers I have spent the majority of my life "scripting". I anticipate almost every single potential conversation I could have & will re-do it over & over in my head until I feel I have it "right" to avoid looking stupid or "deer-in-the-headlights"-ish.

I have thousands of scripted conversations in my head from people-watching & reading. I can't use media such as TV or You-tube videos because they are already scripted vs "real" interactions.

Everything; from doctors appointments or potential encounters with law-enforcement down to a 20 second exchange with a cashier is scripted.

Scripting "marathons" such as two days to fit in parent-teacher conferences are brutal on me, especially with middle or high-schoolers because that is 6-7 conferences for each child. One year that meant 23 conferences in 2 days. It was awful.

If you want to throw me off; knock on my door unannounced. For me that is scary stuff.

Now I'm wondering if as far as interviewing this has given me some sort of advantage; I've never NOT gotten any job I've ever interviewed for.

[blueherons]

Originally Posted by Just Plain Curious

I have been invited to be part of an interview panel looking for a new Office Manager at the company I work at. This is the first time I have got to see job applicants from a hiring perspective. In the past, my only contact with the hiring process has been me applying for jobs.

After a week of phone and in person interviews, here are my observations:

1) The average person is really sad when it comes to being interviewed for a job. They seem scared to death, are stiff and boring and don't sell themselves well at all.

2) If I hear one person tell us they are: "Hard working, well liked, good with people, well trained, etc." ---- I am going to die. Some how job applicants seem to think that if they throw out all kinds of broad statements about themselves saying how wonderful they are, they have won the game. After the applicants say all these wonderful pluffy things about themselves, our next question is: "tell us more, why is this true?" The applicant will be just stare at us, they don't know what to say.

3) So few people are really memorable and don't have anything about them that the interview panel will remember ten minutes after they leave. People are so average and unremarkable.

4) The standard interview questions of: "Tell us about yourself" and "what are your weaknesses," really trip people up.

After a week of interviewing ten people, no one has stood out and we are going to have to re-advertise and start over.

They should probably remove you from this panel.

[Eevee17]

Are interviewing people straight out of college or changing careers? They sound like beginner mistakes. I thought everyone knew you don't just say things. You have to back it up and give examples. You can't just say "I have experience using keynote.". You should said "I've been using keynote since 2010. I made x,y, and z presentations using it. I also frequently use X/program/app".

[Bo]

Originally Posted by tassity22

I would never participate in an interviewing panel. Period.

Then you should never criticize the decisions made by people who do.

Having been a hiring manager is often helpful to my own perspective as an interview candidate. Interviewers love it when candidates are informed, prepared and enthusiastic. When you interview people who are none of those three, it gives you a resolve to never be that kind of candidate.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Personally, If I wanted a manager, I'd come up with a couple of scenarios that the manager would have to deal with in real life at my company and ask "what would you do if...?"

Then some questions about style of managing recalcitrant employees.

Then I'd want to know what job experience he had in a similar type job or what skills he could bring from a previous job that could be applied to my job.

I don't care what the employee thinks is his best personality trait. I want to know how he is going to manage the different aspects of the job I expect him to do.

[Candyphd]

[quote=RamenAddict;45603752]The interview is a two-way street. The applicant is interviewing the company just as much as they are interviewing him/her.


Thank you. I just had a panel interview last week and by the time it was over, I realized I would not want to work there. The place was an under-construction dump and the interviewers looked burned out and virtually comatose. I did not see one person on the panel who looked excited, sharp or enthusiastic. Even if they call back and offer it to me, I am not going to take it. I left feeling kind of gross. It would not be a cheerful place to work, and I am kind of happy I figured that out at the interview and not down the line. A panel interview reveals a lot about the institution as well, and if they look bored or like they are expecting to be entertained, then that tells you a lot. So in a way, if you are paying attention, a panel gives you a big glimpse into your future at the workplace. I actually like panel interviews for that reason. Also, they are taking a long time to get back to me (9 days so far), which has also worked in my favor. I was really excited at first and would have taken it if they had offered it to me within 48 hours, but now that I've really had a chance to think carefully, I know it's just not a good fit.

[CapsChick]

If poor candidates are being brought in to interview, that is the fault of whomever is doing the recruiting and screening.