• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • We would like to welcome House of Huntington as an official Affiliate Vendor. Shop past season Drake's, Nigel Cabourn, Private White V.C. and other menswear luxury brands at exceptional prices below retail. Please visit the Houise of Huntington thread and welcome them to the forum.

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Idiots in job interviews

Eason

Bicurious Racist
Joined
Feb 20, 2007
Messages
14,276
Reaction score
1,882
So, if you are interviewing for a position, let me give you some tips:

* Don't hit on the other employees or students if it's a school
* Don't ask the interviewer how old he is
* Don't ask the interviewer if it's his first academic position
* Send a thank you email. Out of 20 people I've interviewed, only 1, the 1 we already decided to go for, sent a thank-you email.
 

L'Incandescent

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Messages
16,270
Reaction score
7,539
Wow! Here are couple from my experiences with interviewing candidates.

1. Do not lie to me about trying out a new pedagogical innovation. Or at least if you lie, be prepared for the obvious follow-up question: how did it work out? "Umm, ahh, I didn't really do it, but I thought of doing it" is not a good answer.

2. When you see me getting into my car, do not say "Hahahaha! No way! That's not your car! Hahahaheeheeheehohoho!"

3. Do not tell me my question is stupid. Do not sigh deeply as you condescend to answer my stupid question. Your sigh actually counts as your answer, and it's not a good one.

4. Do not lecture me about my own area of specialization. You will look stupid. (Most likely because you are.)

5. Do not express your lack of interest in doing the job we're hiring for. Do not give me to understand that there is some other job, already done very well by me, that you would prefer to do once you're hired.

I swear, more than half the trick of interviewing well is just refraining from saying or doing something stupid.
 
Last edited:

sinnedk

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Nov 15, 2010
Messages
17,104
Reaction score
5,116

Perhaps you guys need better phone screeners.


THIS

Wow! Here are couple from my experiences with interviewing candidates.
1. Do not lie to me about trying out a new pedagogical innovation. Or at least if you lie, be prepared for the obvious follow-up question: how did it work out? "Umm, ahh, I didn't really do it, but I thought of doing it" is not a good answer.
2. When you see me getting into my car, do not say "Hahahaha! No way! That's not your car! Hahahaheeheeheehohoho!"
3. Do not tell me my question is stupid. Do not sigh deeply as you condescend to answer my stupid question. Your sigh actually counts as your answer, and it's not a good one.
4. Do not lecture me about my own area of specialization. You will look stupid. (Most likely because you are.)
5. Do not express your lack of interest in doing the job we're hiring for. Do not give me to understand that there is some other job, already done very well by me, that you would prefer to do once you're hired.
I swear, more than half the trick of interviewing well is just refraining from saying or doing something stupid.


why do the people see you getting out of the car? are you interviewing them in an abandoned warehouse?

So, if you are interviewing for a position, let me give you some tips:
* Don't hit on the other employees or students if it's a school
* Don't ask the interviewer how old he is
* Don't ask the interviewer if it's his first academic position
* Send a thank you email. Out of 20 people I've interviewed, only 1, the 1 we already decided to go for, sent a thank-you email.


you know the whole thank you email is overrated
 

L'Incandescent

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Messages
16,270
Reaction score
7,539

why do the people see you getting out of the car? are you interviewing them in an abandoned warehouse?


At my place of business, all interviews are conducted in my car. It can be hard to schedule rooms for interviews, but it is never hard to schedule my car. (Because I own it all by myself.) Interviewees always sit in the back seat so that they don't play with the steering wheel or turn the lights on and off. Or the windshield wipers for that matter.
 

Eason

Bicurious Racist
Joined
Feb 20, 2007
Messages
14,276
Reaction score
1,882
It's interesting, I'd say you can get the job (in my area) either by having an incredible educational/publication/scholarship record even though you have NO experience when you show you're obviously smart, by having lots of experience but not much in education/publications/professional development, OR by being meh in many areas but interview exceptionally well (less likely to get an interview this way though) So many people screwed up by just coming across not so well in the interview.

What's with people (often business majors, if I may generalize) who try to crush you with their handshake?

you know the whole thank you email is overrated


Well when it's down to 3-4 people and you really can't choose, the thank you email might be the tipping point.
 
Last edited:

Gibonius

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Nov 27, 2009
Messages
24,991
Reaction score
37,242

Wow! Here are couple from my experiences with interviewing candidates.
3. Do not tell me my question is stupid. Do not sigh deeply as you condescend to answer my stupid question. Your sigh actually counts as your answer, and it's not a good one.


I went to an American Chemical Society interview prep seminar, and a significant fraction of the attendees (who were all there very much voluntarily) were constantly expressing how stupid and insulting the faux interview questions were. Now I understand why so many industry professionals are wary of academically trained candidates.
 

L'Incandescent

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Messages
16,270
Reaction score
7,539

. What's with people (often business majors, if I may generalize) who try to crush you with their handshake?


I know! I think they think they're coming across as alpha males or something, but for Christ's sake if you injure me in the interview, I'm not left with a good impression of you. I don't think of you as a hyper-competent alpha male, I think of you as an uncivilized ape.
 

sinnedk

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Nov 15, 2010
Messages
17,104
Reaction score
5,116

At my place of business, all interviews are conducted in my car. It can be hard to schedule rooms for interviews, but it is never hard to schedule my car. (Because I own it all by myself.) Interviewees always sit in the back seat so that they don't play with the steering wheel or turn the lights on and off. Or the windshield wipers for that matter.


creepy man, straight creepy, consider an office or something

It's interesting, I'd say you can get the job (in my area) either by having an incredible educational/publication/scholarship record even though you have NO experience when you show you're obviously smart, by having lots of experience but not much in education/publications/professional development, OR by being meh in many areas but interview exceptionally well (less likely to get an interview this way though) So many people screwed up by just coming across not so well in the interview.
What's with people (often business majors, if I may generalize) who try to crush you with their handshake?
Well when it's down to 3-4 people and you really can't choose, the thank you email might be the tipping point.


the less qualified person who sent email will get hired over the really qualified guy who didnt send email...
 
Last edited:

Mr. Moo

Boxercise Toughguy
Joined
Nov 25, 2008
Messages
18,364
Reaction score
17,382
I recently had 7 (SEVEN) rounds of interviews at a firm and only sent one thank you e-mail (to the owner of the company, after our lunch). I got the job. :nodding:
 

L'Incandescent

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Messages
16,270
Reaction score
7,539

creepy man, straight creepy, consider an office or something


I know, it is kind of creepy that the candidates often want to play with the steering wheel. As I say, that's why we put them in the back seat!
 

sinnedk

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Nov 15, 2010
Messages
17,104
Reaction score
5,116

I know, it is kind of creepy that the candidates often want to play with the steering wheel. As I say, that's why we put them in the back seat!


just fyi i would never interview with anyone who says "hey lets meet in a parking lot, i'll be in the big black van"

I recently had 7 (SEVEN) rounds of interviews at a firm and only sent one thank you e-mail (to the owner of the company, after our lunch). I got the job. :nodding:


moo i am 100% sure the thank you email was not the tipping point, your shoes on the other hand :D
 

L'Incandescent

Stylish Dinosaur
Joined
Mar 10, 2010
Messages
16,270
Reaction score
7,539

just fyi i would never interview with anyone who says "hey lets meet in a parking lot, i'll be in the big black van"


Not in a parking lot; it's in an unused airplane hangar. Helps keep the mind focused on the task at hand.
 

Featured Sponsor

How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

Forum statistics

Threads
505,162
Messages
10,579,102
Members
223,885
Latest member
chalky
Top