Awkward or Abrasive People Conducting Interviews (alternative, interview, job, company)

[Tekkie]

Okay, so I just finished up a brief phone interview with a company that I applied with a couple days ago. The man conducting the interview sounded a bit off, and at times came across as abrasive and sarcastic. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but that was the impression he left. It reminded of last summer when I interviewed at a company in person and two gentleman that interviewed me also came across as abrasive. I felt that they were tag-teaming me the entire time; they were blunt, had expressionless faces, and did not come across as friendly at all. A day after the interview, I emailed them to notify them that I wasn't interested in working for them.

Do you think this is a result of a poorly managed recruiting department? Are you noticing this as well? To be honest, I'm going to be more prone to accepting a position with a company that appears to have a friendly environment with happy people. That said, you'd think a company would make sure that they have bright, welcoming people acting as the face of their company to outside candidates. Do you agree?

[EzPeterson]

Yes, it's a sign of poor organization and planning. It's very likely that they have "passed" too many resumes through to the phone screen and the interviewer is flat out burnt out - or they ran too many back-to-back.

I caught myself doing this about 6 years ago when I was on a hiring blitz and realized I had to limit to 4 phone interviews, or 3 face-to-face, per day to keep the experience fresh and give the interviewee the proper opportunity. It really drove it home when one lady I interviewed while slightly burnt out ended up going to a competitor and performing at a very high level. 3 years later, I was practically begging to get her on board - no dice.

Lesson learned.

[cdubs3201]

Like EzPeterson said it could be that the person conducting the phone interviews is just tired of doing them.

There's also the chance they already have some favorites and they're just doing their due diligence on other people. I'd say it's usually a sign that you just don't have a real shot at the job because of circumstances that have nothing to do with you. They're just going through the motions even though they found the right person or they already referred their friend, etc. Keep in mind recruiters try to push their person they find because 1. it makes them look good at their job, and 2. they may get compensation for referring a friend/family member to the company like a referral bonus.

[statisticsnerd]

I went into one interview where the guy was a complete a-hole to me the whole time I was there, from the minute I showed up until the minute I left.

They were replacing about half of the office (he admitted that!). I thought to myself, "gee, I wonder why"...

[Teckeeee]

Originally Posted by Tekkie

you'd think a company would make sure that they have bright, welcoming people acting as the face of their company to outside candidates. Do you agree?

No, in fact the best interviews I have had recently were a two way conversation where both parties spoke to each other as business professionals. There was no glee, just what can you do for me and how can you help my business.

It's normal to expect that each party in an interview would be slightly upbeat, but beyond that I start to wonder why are they so excited about their opening, maybe cause it's a crap place to work and they need to diminish the negatives because there are so many?

Enthusiasm is good, but beyond that you run the risk of being perceived as some desperate ass kisser.

[Tekkie]

Originally Posted by Colorado xxxxx

It's normal to expect that each party in an interview would be slightly upbeat, but beyond that I start to wonder why are they so excited about their opening, maybe cause it's a crap place to work and they need to diminish the negatives because there are so many?

This is a good alternative view. But I'm referring to interviewers that come across as abrasive or sarcastic in interviews. It's one thing to not be overly enthusiastic. Like you said, it'd make one wonder why they are acting that way. Does the job possibly suck and they're overcompensating? There is an observable difference between being professional (what can you do for me?) and coming across as condescending (this is your experience? Er...). I guess my point is, why not just leave me off your call list if you're not interested in the first place. Don't waste my time, don't waste yours.

[purehuman]

It's just a job to them Tekkie, they don't care if they sound/are rude to you, they know they can pick and choose who they want.