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Most people naturally believe they're the best person for whatever job they've applied to. HR serves as a buffer between them and hiring managers who'd otherwise waste a lot of valuable time explaining to dozens (sometimes hundreds) of other applicants why they weren't hired. Those who don't take rejection well can be annoying - to put it mildly.
Last edited by Scratch33; 10-04-2015 at 12:47 PM..
I was asked an illegal question regarding what my age was and my plans on getting pregnant or not.
It caught me off guard so much I sputtered and said "Wha--? That'a illegal to ask that."
She said, "I know." She was a lawyer btw.
Plus cant you figure out someone's approximate age by their grad dates, years of employment and what they look like in front of you?
I did get the job. She is much more interested in ppl's personal lives and their families than actual work. I dont have kids so I serve no purpose, but I was very qualified for the job, and few in the state are, so here I am.
Offered a job over the phone, came in and guy rejects me because I lived in the wrong neighborhood for the two days I was in town. It was nice selling him a warehouse many years later when he had to downgrade because his business was failing. And funny it's in the same neighorhood he rejected when I was told I lived in a bad neighborhood and he had too many issues with people from there.
When I was applying for a cruddy McJob as a teen, the application asked if I was pregnant, was planning to get pregnant, or had children. Sexist pigs! If I had known they were illegal questions at the time, I would have reported them.
I was rejected by my only fast food attempt because I did not have a family to support. In the Mississippi Delta region women with children beat out college student on summer break.
I took a state civil service exam and was the top scoring candidate. I was contacted for an interview in a community some distance away and during that interview, the interviewer implied that they had already decided to promote from within and were just interviewing to comply with state rules. I was just graduating from an MA program, had little money and a very old car and this guy had no idea how much it had cost me to come for the interview.
Years later, when interviewing job candidates, the nuttiest question I was ever asked was by a guy who wanted to be able to bring his gun to the office! I sure didn't want to be his supervisor!
I had an interview for a summer internship. It went well but it was a popular opportunity and I didn't get it. I applied again the next year, and they brought me back for another interview. They treated me as if I had worked there the prior year - all kinds of people saying "oh, it's great to see you, how have you been? So and so is out to day but wanted to make sure to say hello for him" I have no idea if they thought I was someone else or what. And the kicker, I didn't get the internship that second year either!
I haven't had any really crazy experiences, but I did one time interview for a position that was advertised as receptionist. Well the interview ending up being a group one (about 6 people) and we all took a turn standing up and selling ourselves as the best candidate. Surprise, it was a primarily sales position!
Then..the managers (a husband/wife team) each took individual candidates for one on one interviews. The wife took me right away and once we sat down she stared intently at me and then commented on how beautiful my eyes were. A bit shocked I laughingly thanked her but the interview was just off. I knew I didn't want the (apparently sales) job anyway and I sensed a strange vibe from the woman interviewer. But I will say, they had the decency to email a rejection letter a week or so later! And I see them advertising regularly for that "receptionist" position still.. now 2.5 years later.
Unfortunately she is correct. Work is like a social club and being fun to hang out with and talk crap with is more important than doing you job and adding value to the company. That form of shallowness and crap psychology has spread like a cancer. No need to be a professional and deal with others professionally whether you personally like them or not if they aren't someone you want to be buddy buddy with don't hire them or start trying to get them fired/quit. This is because life is all about you and what you like.
I agree. And sure, while I do think it is good to have a personality fit in addition to a person being capable of doing the job, I really doubt that the crap psychobabble and personality tests these companies use tell them a single useful thing at all.
One of the best jobs I've ever had - I interviewed once. Not 4-5 times back and forth with different people. No battery of BS personality tests or skittles on a desk. No BS "What are your greatest weaknesses?" questions.
It was a wonderful fit and I stayed there 10 years. The company had a great way of weeding out weirdos - by acting like normal human beings and treating employees fairly- a concept lost on so many places today. That's why the good people stayed for a long time. The weirdos weeded themselves out, either quit or were fired (for not doing their jobs.)
Strangest interview I had was when I showed up on time, the interviewer had forgotten about our appointment and the receptionist had to call him. From her end of the phone conversation, I learned he was still in bed. He showed up 20 minutes later, unshaven, bed head hair all over the place, and bad morning breath.
I didn't get the job. I think that was due to embarrassment on his part more than anything. The job itself didn't sound that great either and I really didn't want it after all that.
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