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You can be mediocre at your job but that's perfectly tolerated as long as you know how to instantly start a conversation about random stuff and make your team members laugh.
+1. As long as a person is likeable, even if it's a facade, others are more willing to let that person get away with more like being mediocre, for example. This is true in all aspects of life.
Regarding the OP's point, I agree with other posters who say that it's good that the interviewer was honest and admitted experience is not required since the employer is willing to train. I also don't think that having the "right" personality means that the employee has to be funny, gregarious, or quick-witted; rather it means that the employer wants a worker who does not cause unnecessary problems.
Sounds like a low skill job. Otherwise this work is a social club attitude is very pervasive and damaging to companies. Despite what HR thinks with their minute brains skills and qualifications do matter and should be the primary consideration when hiring. A mature professional should be able to work with anyone who is not completely toxic not just people they would want to be buddies with. Unfortunately there are a lot of shallow, narcissistic, workers and managers out there that think the world and company should revolve around them.
It's very true. People think they are the center of the universe and it revolves around them. That's why its important to have a skill where you can earn and not have to rely on these people. They have zero power over you then. when these people know this they are incredibly nice to you then , fakery at its finest hour.
I was told this about govt jobs as well and it makes a lot of sense. Unless you are Enrico Fermi or Robert Oppenhimer or Einstine your not all that and people want to work with other people who are pleasant. There are even cranky people who can be good to work with, its typically the back stabbing condescension that people want to stay away from.
That's how I hire, and my team is far from low skilled.
You have to have a certain level of experience/qualification/education to get through the door. Once that's done, I want someone that the team can trust, be counted on, and have the same kind of attitude that I'm trying to cultivate.
It has nothing to do with being funny, or some other superficial thing. You have to know your stuff, fit my management style, the team's work ethic, and the "nicer" person will always have a leg up. No one wants to work with a jerk all day, regardless how skilled they are.
management is so into soft skills these days that no matter how you excel on your hard skills (technical expertise, productivity, etc), if you don't have the aptitude of "kissing a#%", then you're seen as mediocre, poor performing, not worth their time, etc
i'm a generally nice coworker, but i don't socialize with the younger coworkers outside of work (too much drinking) and i don't share a lot of interests with them, so no matter what i do, i don't get a leg up. i never get voted as employee of the month as i don't do "buddy buddy" with them. i don't do buddy buddy with the team leaders and managers too, so again, my contributions don't get noticed
It has nothing to do with being funny, or some other superficial thing. You have to know your stuff, fit my management style, the team's work ethic, and the "nicer" person will always have a leg up. No one wants to work with a jerk all day, regardless how skilled they are.
It isn't about being nice or a jerk. Not all, but A LOT of managers, want someone who will fit in socially and regularly schmooze with himself and his pets. My boss at an old job said that he hired a guy for an accounting job because he was "personable" (the guy was an extrovert who spent a lot of time in the boss's office chatting). Yet the accountants who were polite but sat at their desks all day and just did their jobs quietly weren't valued nearly as much. It was obvious in the way different people were treated at the job. We weren't salesmen, so I don't see how being "personable" was important, unless it's because the manager just wanted a buddy. If that's the case, the manager was incompetent and should have been fired.
Last edited by statisticsnerd; 08-23-2016 at 05:35 PM..
It isn't about being nice or a jerk. Not all, but A LOT of managers, want someone who will fit in socially and regularly schmooze with himself and his pets. My boss at an old job said that he hired a guy for an accounting job because he was "personable" (the guy was an extrovert who spent a lot of time in the boss's office chatting). Yet the accountants who were polite but sat at their desks all day and just did their jobs quietly weren't valued nearly as much. It was obvious in the way different people were treated at the job. We weren't salesmen, so I don't see how being "personable" was important, unless it's because the manager just wanted a buddy. If that's the case, the manager was incompetent and should have been fired.
ironic isn't it? i once had a coworker who was so good at sucking up to management (greeting our bosses vivaciously, chatting in the office during busy work hours, "hey bro!"-ing everyone) that even when he was violating a lot of policies and rules (studying for a certain certification during work hours instead of sufficiently supervising his patients, cutting patient treatment sessions short so he can leave early, not bothering to make up missing patient times, etc), they just let him slide by. he was lucky that he came into the US with a green card (company sponsored) that he was able to leave in just one year of working with us, essentially breaching his contract of supposedly staying for three years. and he came from a country of severe corruption and scamming, what can you say?
Somewhat normal for job interviews, nothing to stress out over.
What the interviewer said was absolutely correct when it comes to many job positions.
It's ultimately not about what you know, but how you fit with the group.
In my past jobs, anyone could be trained to do what we did. That's the easy part. The challenge is to see if the applicant fits with the group.
And by fit, there's nothing nefarious about it. It's simply seeing if the applicant is the type of person that likes to work hard, no drama, does whatever is asked of and volunteers to do more instead of sitting at their computer looking at City Data forum and bitching, things like that.
management is so into soft skills these days that no matter how you excel on your hard skills (technical expertise, productivity, etc), if you don't have the aptitude of "kissing a#%", then you're seen as mediocre, poor performing, not worth their time, etc
i'm a generally nice coworker, but i don't socialize with the younger coworkers outside of work (too much drinking) and i don't share a lot of interests with them, so no matter what i do, i don't get a leg up. i never get voted as employee of the month as i don't do "buddy buddy" with them. i don't do buddy buddy with the team leaders and managers too, so again, my contributions don't get noticed
that's why I like Stem fields. Just shut up and work. It seems as if no one really cares whether you're personable.
People really do seem to make the jobs like their leisure time and their home/leisure time like their jobs. *smh*
Quote:
Originally Posted by statisticsnerd
We weren't salesmen, so I don't see how being "personable" was important, unless it's because the manager just wanted a buddy. If that's the case, the manager was incompetent and should have been fired.
Agreed. Accounting wouldn't be the profession where I'd think this issue would arise.
that's why I like Stem fields. Just shut up and work. It seems as if no one really cares whether you're personable.
People really do seem to make the jobs like their leisure time and their home/leisure time like their jobs. *smh*
Agreed. Accounting wouldn't be the profession where I'd think this issue would arise.
because you only get one life and if you can make your job not suck then why wouldn't you do that? Unless you are making such an exuberant amount of money that you can punch out at 30 and retire. Otherwise your going to be working most of your life, why would you want to make it hell on earth and only enjoy a smigen of time between end of work and sleep?
Sounds like brain washing from oligarcy bosses who want to pad their share holders pockets a little more. There is a line between healthy work ethic and turning what could be an enjoyable dignified job into a form of slave like labor and drudgery. Very very little tasks in and of themselves are aweful its the personalities and schedules that can make for an aweful day.
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