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I am sorry as this may come off as a rant, as I have been interviewing people for the last 2 weeks, and I am frustrated.
Over the last few years I have been interviewing and hiring people for jobs in mortgage banking and accounting, and almost every set of interviews I have people that I interview that just do not seem to get it. Now I am not talking about showing up a few minutes early or dressing nicely, but instead I am talking about attitudes and ways some approach interviews.
Things I wish people would understand when interviewing.
While your college education or background can be very important, and you may be able to bring a new approach to the way things are done, it is never a good idea to tell the interviewer that the way they do things is out of date and have to be changed. Sorry but sometimes there are reasons that things are done certain ways, things are done different in the real world and even in different areas than others simply due to client expectations or business climate.
While the job title may lead you to believe you understand exactly what the job is, read the job description and take the time to listen to the interviewer to figure out if it is a job you want and can do. Job titles are different between companies and while the basic job maybe the same, the overall duties can and do range pretty drastically.
Understand that most of us do not like to interview a bunch of people, we do not have the want or time to spend getting to know people to find what we hope will be a good employee. Just like you we find it a chore, and most of us have been through the process numerous times on both sides and do not like being the one to say no. We would love if the 1st applicant we got was the perfect fit, but it does not work that way, instead we have to spend way to many hours sorting through everything to ensure we make the right hire.
Personality is important, like it or not if we do not like you or do not believe what you are telling us you will not get the job. That being said do not be fake, be yourself, usually most of us have been interviewing long enough that we can tell when you are fake, and that means no job anyways.
Be careful how you treat people, in mortgages often the receptionist also acts as a personal assistant to the managers when they need help. The person calling you could be the manager, it could be the owner, it could be the receptionist, it could be an HR rep, you do not know, but if you treat that person badly or have an attitude, than your job prospects could take a serious hit.
Be clear to yourself and to your interviewers on what you are looking for, saying I just need a job does not cut it. Saying it will work for now is a terrible idea, and even worse saying that you parents say you need a job right now is even worse. Saying you just want to get into that career field is also not a great idea. Even if the job is an entry level job, we want to believe that you will be happy coming in and working hard.
Understand even if you do know everything we do not believe that you know everything, otherwise why would you be looking for a job, this is my biggest pet peeve. Believe it or not that to me is a red flag, which indicates a person who does not think they have anything to learn, or even worse someone who really does know everything they need to but has a bad attitude that caused them to be looking for a job today. I do not know everything there is to know about my job, nobody does, but I have hired and will usually prefer to hire those that are not even fully qualified but can show they understand their weaknesses and convince me that they will put in the work to fix those weaknesses.
Maybe even others in a hiring position can add to this, as I wish people would stop reading articles on the internet and go back to learning basic interview skills. Personally it makes me laugh when I see someone that is sitting out in the parking lot because they are 12 minutes early and the experts tell them to only be 10 minutes early, it also drives me crazy when I can pick up that someone has read too many of those articles.
Do not take interviewing advice from your teachers/professors
I would say take any interviewing advice with a grain of salt. Some will be good, some will be okay, and some will be terrible. The hard part is determining what category it fits in before you try it.
I will say don't go on interviews you have no interest in 'just for practice'
Don't tell me your skill since I can read that off your resume. Tell me about how you have utilized those skill showing that you do possess and understand them.
It is nice to hear opinions/observations from the other side of the table. But you also have to consider a few things when in a hiring position, especially in OUR field.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jwiley
I am sorry as this may come off as a rant, as I have been interviewing people for the last 2 weeks, and I am frustrated.
Over the last few years I have been interviewing and hiring people for jobs in mortgage banking and accounting, and almost every set of interviews I have people that I interview that just do not seem to get it. Now I am not talking about showing up a few minutes early or dressing nicely, but instead I am talking about attitudes and ways some approach interviews.
Things I wish people would understand when interviewing.
While your college education or background can be very important, and you may be able to bring a new approach to the way things are done, it is never a good idea to tell the interviewer that the way they do things is out of date and have to be changed. Sorry but sometimes there are reasons that things are done certain ways, things are done different in the real world and even in different areas than others simply due to client expectations or business climate.
Listen to YOUR interviewees, they are telling you how the market is. If you find that people are telling you that you are out of date then you need to listen. The job MARKET will have a problem filling your role because you are not current....just as you would expect potential employees to stay up to date, they expect you too. I have turned away jobs before that still use DOS and Green screen systems because in the long run it would hurt my prospects to not stay current. The younger generation will actually have to work harder to revert back to older technology. Listen to the job market.
Quote:
While the job title may lead you to believe you understand exactly what the job is, read the job description and take the time to listen to the interviewer to figure out if it is a job you want and can do. Job titles are different between companies and while the basic job maybe the same, the overall duties can and do range pretty drastically.
This is a huge issue in the job market today. Employers are no longer willing to train employees. Every job is different and odds are your business doesnt function like any other business out there. Each system is unique, and even the same ERP system can be set up differently between companies. Finance/Accounting people are very intelligent and our analytic abilities allow us to learn new systems quickly. If I were you I would focus on their ability to learn/adopt new concepts rather than their experience alone. You may be turning away amazing candidates simply because their work experience doesnt sound like your desired role.
Quote:
Understand that most of us do not like to interview a bunch of people, we do not have the want or time to spend getting to know people to find what we hope will be a good employee. Just like you we find it a chore, and most of us have been through the process numerous times on both sides and do not like being the one to say no. We would love if the 1st applicant we got was the perfect fit, but it does not work that way, instead we have to spend way to many hours sorting through everything to ensure we make the right hire.
This is just the nature of hiring.
Quote:
Personality is important, like it or not if we do not like you or do not believe what you are telling us you will not get the job. That being said do not be fake, be yourself, usually most of us have been interviewing long enough that we can tell when you are fake, and that means no job anyways.
Welcome to the finance industry. We have stereotypical personalities for a reason. We arent salesmen, customer service, Psychologists for a reason. We crunch numbers and analyze transactions. If you are trying to hire people that would be good drinking buddies then youre wasting everyone's time.
Quote:
Be careful how you treat people, in mortgages often the receptionist also acts as a personal assistant to the managers when they need help. The person calling you could be the manager, it could be the owner, it could be the receptionist, it could be an HR rep, you do not know, but if you treat that person badly or have an attitude, than your job prospects could take a serious hit.
Ok? What does this have to do with interviewing?
Quote:
Be clear to yourself and to your interviewers on what you are looking for, saying I just need a job does not cut it. Saying it will work for now is a terrible idea, and even worse saying that you parents say you need a job right now is even worse. Saying you just want to get into that career field is also not a great idea. Even if the job is an entry level job, we want to believe that you will be happy coming in and working hard.
9/10 employees out there are going to apply for your job because they just want a job. Good luck finding that 1 person who really wants to grow your business for you. Thats just a fact of life.
Quote:
Understand even if you do know everything we do not believe that you know everything, otherwise why would you be looking for a job, this is my biggest pet peeve. Believe it or not that to me is a red flag, which indicates a person who does not think they have anything to learn, or even worse someone who really does know everything they need to but has a bad attitude that caused them to be looking for a job today. I do not know everything there is to know about my job, nobody does, but I have hired and will usually prefer to hire those that are not even fully qualified but can show they understand their weaknesses and convince me that they will put in the work to fix those weaknesses.
People are probably over emphasizing their abilities because theyre worried you arent willing to train. So you are saying that you know people dont know everything, therefore you are willing to train people for this role? In which case why worry that candidates past roles arent perfectly in line with what you are hiring for?
Quote:
Maybe even others in a hiring position can add to this, as I wish people would stop reading articles on the internet and go back to learning basic interview skills. Personally it makes me laugh when I see someone that is sitting out in the parking lot because they are 12 minutes early and the experts tell them to only be 10 minutes early, it also drives me crazy when I can pick up that someone has read too many of those articles.
The job market sucks and people are wondering why they cant land a job. Of course they are going to seek advice from people on how to interview better. You sound like the exact type of manager that causes people to come on these boards to vent.
One mistake I made many, many years ago was that I took interview advice from someone (who was very insistent) about a job in a field he was completely unfamiliar with. That was a huge mistake, and my own intuition would have suited me a lot better.
So if you're applying to a welding job, don't take interview advice from a tax lawyer. If you're applying to be an art director at a magazine, don't take interview advice from a test pilot. Your own educated guess will probably suit you a lot better.
Personality is important, like it or not if we do not like you or do not believe what you are telling us you will not get the job. That being said do not be fake, be yourself, usually most of us have been interviewing long enough that we can tell when you are fake, and that means no job anyways.
Personality is not important, good behavior is. You should be able to work with anyone who is able to behave in a resonable and professional manner. It doesn't mater of they are fake or not fake nor whether you would like to hang out and watch football with them after work. Stop trying to be one of the analysts from Criminal Minds. If they can show up on time dressed professionally and behave themselves, then focus on their competence.
Personality is not important, good behavior is. You should be able to work with anyone who is able to behave in a resonable and professional manner. It doesn't mater of they are fake or not fake nor whether you would like to hang out and watch football with them after work. Stop trying to be one of the analysts from Criminal Minds. If they can show up on time dressed professionally and behave themselves, then focus on their competence.
When you hire, you can use whatever criteria you want.
When other people hire, they will use their criteria. There have been studies done where hiring managers clearly indicated that personality is an informal criteria. If there are 2 candidates who can do the job but one of them creeps you out, guess who will get the job?
Hiring managers are still people and human interaction is still somewhat important.
Personality is not important, good behavior is. You should be able to work with anyone who is able to behave in a resonable and professional manner. It doesn't mater of they are fake or not fake nor whether you would like to hang out and watch football with them after work. Stop trying to be one of the analysts from Criminal Minds. If they can show up on time dressed professionally and behave themselves, then focus on their competence.
Sure, maybe on the line at some factory personality is not important, but in many settings, personality is extremely important, and even more so than actual objective skills to a certian point because skills can be taught, whereas personality cannot be changed.
A person with a poor personality, no matter how skilled and talented, is a poison to a work group.
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