A question for you job interviewers

[Amasov]

I have something I wanted to ask those of you in here who interview potential candidates for jobs.

I think some of you have gotten to know me a little bit since I've been on the boards (ten years!) and I tend to worry a little too much about little, trivial things. I'm sort of doing it now, but I don't think it's a big deal.

I was interviewed for a potential job. I met with three people. All who were really cool and very nice. I felt like it went well. They asked me some questions and I answered them. I answered them well. At one point I was asked a question (I can't recall what the question was), but I feel I messed it up a little bit. I was having some trouble putting together my answer and there was a slight (and I think awkward) pause mid-sentence. Then I was able to continue and I hope they got what I was saying.

Aside from that slight error, I felt the interview went well. I think I was affable, likable, and friendly and proved I have the skills they require. I'm just a little scared that the slight error I made will cost me. Maybe I set the bar too high, but I always feel that job interviews need to be absolutely perfect and flawless. I'm always scared one little thing will ending up costing me the position.

I know some of you have experience interviewing candidates for jobs. If you're talking to someone who you get a good feeling about, do you overlook and slight error they made? Does it matter to you?

Thanks!

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I interview people all the time and I don't expect anyone to be perfect. The skills on your resume are what got you the interview. The interview itself is more to gauge what kind of person you are--and yes, we expect you to be nervous and probably slip up a bit. I also test people's technical skills to make sure they know what they're doing, programming-wise. However I also spend some time just making smalltalk and getting a feel for the candidate's personality, as I think that's very important.

If you just made a little mistake I would really not worry about it. I would never bomb someone out over a small mistake and neither do the other people who do the interviews where I work.

 

[Leviathan]

Actually, an interview without an error is one I reject.

An average worker performs "flawlessly", a good worker makes mistakes and adapts, a great one can admit them to others and pass on the lesson...

...basically I wont hire anyone that can't handle themselves when they don't know the answer.

 

[Amasov]

Really... that's pretty cool.

One thing I always try to communicate is that I am always wanting to learn new things, because I don't know it all. Additionally, I have to express my enthusiasm. I'll ask more about the position and when they go into detail about it, if there are things I find particularly exciting, I immediately tell them how excited and fun it sounds.

 

[Canadave]

I've done a few interviews, and a single mistake is never enough to disqualify anyone. As others have mentioned, it probably just serves to make you seem more "human," if you will.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Most of my interviews have gone like this.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP0sqRMzkwo[/yt]

 

[FPAlpha]

Additionally i've also heard that interviewers like to lead people onto mistakes to see how they can handle themselves under pressure.. they already know your skills and degrees but being able to work under pressure and not make many mistakes/correct them fast is sometimes way more important that what numbers you got on a degree (which may have opened the door but there's much more).

 

[DBR]

All I can say is that the current corporate HR-led recruitment processes is garbage, and I think a lot of good people are passed over.

There's phone interviews/conference calls followed by an interview with HR people, then an interview with the person hiring and his/her with superiors and someone in "the team," which unfortunately sometimes has to be me. This whole process can take a few weeks--I'm certain a lot of good people will have been scooped up or move on in that time.

I get that companies want to be careful before investing in someone, but Jesus Christ, it gets ridiculous.

When I'm involved, I mostly base recommendations on my gut instinct. Do I like this person? Are they sharp and witty? Confident? Do they like hockey? Do they smell nice? Are they charming? Do they seem like one of those people who want everyone else to have a bad day when they're having one? First impressions go a long way with me. So does cleavage.

I hate looking at resumes, I hate small, stuffy rooms, I don't think 'the process' serves either the hirer or hiree for the better. More emphasis should be placed on the person, not the process.

One thing I will say about 'the process,' though: The questions that the person being interviewed ask are vital for their success. I'm looking for well thought out questions based on two things:

One, questions based on any information gleaned from the interview process. I have to be there, so I hope you were at least paying attention. If all we get is "what's the next step in the hiring process?" then you have been written-off before the interview is over. If you can't think critically enough to come up with something useful, you probably won't be much use.

Second, salary-related questions. May sound odd, but people who realize they are an asset to the company, rather than an employee, or 'a number,' score big points in my book. I especially like it when I think someone is trying to leverage us by stating they need to know by X-date because thy have another offer on the table. They might be full of shit, but good on them; I like people with balls.

I don't care if you have three degrees and a PhD in Astromath, or what kind of experience you possess: like Robert Maxwell said, your resume already got you in the door. A monkey could probably learn to do my job [trade secret,] so impress me and I put gold stars on your report card.

*I am not an HR person.

 

[RoJoHen]

One, questions based on any information gleaned from the interview process. I have to be there, so I hope you were at least paying attention. If all we get is "what's the next step in the hiring process?" then you have been written-off before the interview is over. If you can't think critically enough to come up with something useful, you probably won't be much use.

I always have a problem with this when I go for interviews (and in general, really). They always ask me if I have any questions, and I really struggle to come up with something. It's usually because I just don't know enough about the job to even know what to ask.

Second, salary-related questions. May sound odd, but people who realize they are an asset to the company, rather than an employee, or 'a number,' score big points in my book. I especially like it when I think someone is trying to leverage us by stating they need to know by X-date because thy have another offer on the table. They might be full of shit, but good on them; I like people with balls.

I have a huge problem with these kinds of questions, too. I just got my first salaried job back in February. Before that, I had been going on interviews and kept getting asked, "What kind of starting salary are you looking for?" And I honestly had no clue! For the last 5 years I had been a bartender working for tips. I can tell you how much I'd like to be making, but I have no idea if that's in any way a reasonable or realistic number.

 

[FPAlpha]

That's one many are struggling with including me. Every once in a while there's an article somewhere on the net writing up average wages in certain jobs, i.e. age and approx. income per year.

However when i compare them to the average wage in my job and everyone else i know of it always turns out at least 20-30% less. That question is a minefield for most people.. ask too much and you probably won't get the job (happened recently in my company where i overheard my teamleader who's building up a new department that she turned down a person because she's asked too much in salary). Ask for less and you may get the job but are not really comfortable with your salary.

Apart from highly sought specialists or people with huge experience and skills a normal person applying for a job (especially when they need it urgently because they're unemployed) will almost always undervalue themselves (or they truly have huge balls and are ready to play chicken with the HR rep).

 

[MANT!]

I have one rule, I NEVER ask salary based questions until the offer is made...

everytime I did before, I didn't get the job..so if prompted, I answer with the following..

" I'm entering into this with the intention of bettering myself so an acceptable offer needs to be made before I can agree to it." after all, they require salary history on my resume for positions of my kind and if they know my salary, they know I'm not going to settle for less than what I'm currently earning so..often it's the same as what I'm earning...

BTW 2 weeks ago, I managed to land a position in the S.F. Bay Area at the exact same pay rate I had at my old job in the Gold Country..

So now I'm a BAP.....living on the edge of the San Francisco Bay...

 

[Holdfast]

I've been on interview panels for a large organisation, hired people for my own little projects, and I teach interview skills. One mistake doesn't sink anyone, unless the single mistake is a dealbreaker (something offensive, or dangerous, or indicative of incompetence). Pausing once mid-sentence to compose yourself and formulate your answer hardly qualifies as that!

What I would say is that sometimes people who get rejected (and either don't get feedback, or ignore it) may decide to focus on a tiny/irrelevant mistake instead of focusing on the major issues that actually disqualified them from the job. From what Amasov is describing, it doesn't sound like that is the case here either, so I wouldn't fret in his position. Just wait & see what transpires.

Anyway, good luck!

(by the way, on the salary question, one of the most useful things to have is an intermediary to negotiate that independently, or at least to get rough ballpark concordance before you get involved. Of course, that's only an option open to certain in-demand professional groups).

 

[Robert Maxwell]

There is a rule about salary negotiation: whoever throws out the first number loses. Another rule is not to tell a prospective employer what you're making currently, or made in the past. The position you're seeking will have its own unique requirements and responsibilities and your agreement with previous employers is irrelevant to any agreements you make with future ones. Therefore, how much you made in the past doesn't matter. They might think you are a smartass for explaining it that way but what the hell, it worked for me. I just know the outplacement service I went through said not to discuss your past salary with prospective employers. Some people even put salary requirements on their resume! Don't do that.

I will also speak up for the value of asking the interviewer questions. I'm always intrigued to know what questions someone has about the position, company, etc. I will rate someone more highly if they seemed genuinely engaged and interested in the job and the company, by way of asking questions about it. You should always come prepared with at least a couple questions to ask, but feel free to ask others that occur to you as the interview progresses. It's always a bad sign to me when someone has absolutely nothing to ask me at the end of an interview.

 

[RoJoHen]

Some people even put salary requirements on their resume! Don't do that.

Several of the jobs I have applied for have specifically said to include salary requirements when submitting a resume. I always thought that was weird.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Some people even put salary requirements on their resume! Don't do that.

Several of the jobs I have applied for have specifically said to include salary requirements when submitting a resume. I always thought that was weird.

That's irritating. I still wouldn't do it. It's a sign of a company of cheapskates, which means they will likely pay you poorly.

 

[DonIago]

I always thought it was a sign that they didn't want to waste everyone's time by interviewing someone who wouldn't accept what they were willing to pay.

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

I always have a problem with this when I go for interviews (and in general, really). They always ask me if I have any questions, and I really struggle to come up with something. It's usually because I just don't know enough about the job to even know what to ask.

In my interview confirmation, I direct candidates to the website, specifically the careers microsite.

When I meet with them, I ask them if the reviewed the website and what questions it raised. Since it's specifically designed to raise more questions than it answers, if the candidate doesn't have any questions they either didn't look at the website or didn't look at it critically or deeply. Either way, it doesn't help their candidacy.

Most companies have websites. Review the website, look for questions; search google for their competitors. If a candidate doesn't want to put in any effort to come up with a few basic questions, how much effort are they likely to put in on the job?

 

[Amasov]

Now see all of you are giving some good examples and great pointers. I'm going to find out early next week on what the outcome of this will be. Going over what I talked about, I laid out my skills, I gave examples of what I did with those skills in my previous position and how I handled certain situations.

I am scared about what I mentioned in the original post. I didn't have many questions for them. The only thing I did request was more information on the position itself even after the gave me a brief description of it in the beginning of our conversation.

It's little things that always get me scared. Things that are so minute that I am afraid they will cost me the job.

My fingers are crossed. I'm hoping to god I get this.

 

[TheGrandTrekMaster]

I had an interview for a company a few weeks ago, and the interview went much better than expected. They ended up offering me a position.

What seemed to clinch it was the Interview itself, or more specifically, me demonstrating my loathing of my prior company's methods and management, and a statement of how I would do things; which, by sheer luck, was exactly how this new company wants me to do things.

 

[RoJoHen]

Most companies have websites. Review the website, look for questions; search google for their competitors. If a candidate doesn't want to put in any effort to come up with a few basic questions, how much effort are they likely to put in on the job?

That's just never been the way my brain works. If "basic questions" are what you're looking for, chances are I've already inferred the answers to them in my head either before or during the interview.

I ask questions when I stumble across something that I don't understand. I have a really hard time thinking critically about something I haven't done yet. In fact, when I start a new job, I usually spend the first week or two just being quiet and observing things until I figure out what needs to be asked.