Fun With Job Interviews
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Kevin Marois wrote:
I've had this happen to me more than once
Most people learn after the first time, others take a bit longer. If a company needs more than a single interview, they did not prepare and are wasting time and money. The answer for a second interview is always "no" :thumbsup:
Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)
Totally disagree. Many times they have multiple candidates that they like, so they're reinterviewing to narrow down the list. Also, many companies do a first phone interview with the manager, then of you pass that they do a face to face. Nothing wrong with that. Also, many times you start with the totally useless interview with the equally useless recruiter - then on to the company itself. You really have to play along, especially if you want the gig. Now if it was like the article, 6 interviews, then yes, they're jerking you around
If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.
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Yep, I had four interviews and a test with one place - two phone interviews, two meetings and a psychometric test. I didn't even have a technical test. I picked up off the grapevine that the place had pissed off a few recruiters doing the same thing to other candidates. Incidentally I remember back in the 80's and 90's, when in the UK a company would actually pay your travel costs to get you to the interview. Times have certainly changed.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
I actually walked out of an interview. They never even discussed programming or my resume. It was all "What's your favorite color" and "How would you handle someone who farts in the office" nonsense. After an hour of sitting in a room with 3 women who were not developers listening to this crap I just said "You know, I don't think this is for me" - and I left.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.
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Totally disagree. Many times they have multiple candidates that they like, so they're reinterviewing to narrow down the list. Also, many companies do a first phone interview with the manager, then of you pass that they do a face to face. Nothing wrong with that. Also, many times you start with the totally useless interview with the equally useless recruiter - then on to the company itself. You really have to play along, especially if you want the gig. Now if it was like the article, 6 interviews, then yes, they're jerking you around
If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.
Kevin Marois wrote:
Many times they have multiple candidates that they like, so they're reinterviewing to narrow down the list.
They'll always have multiple candidates, otherwise they're doing something terribly wrong.
Kevin Marois wrote:
Also, many companies do a first phone interview with the manager, then of you pass that they do a face to face. Nothing wrong with that.
That's a policy-choice; I don't do phone-interviews. In that case, I'd simply have to pass.
Kevin Marois wrote:
Also, many times you start with the totally useless interview with the equally useless recruiter - then on to the company itself. You really have to play along, especially if you want the gig.
Recruiters are expensive, and usually not worth the premium for the level of service provided. Mail the company directly, include a resume for pre-filtering and wait for the invitation. No, wouldn't want to do seventeen useless phone-interviews on a day while working, just because some recruiter wants to look busy and interested. You have the details, come with an offer or don't.
Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)
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I certainly wouldn't let it get to six interviews. 2 or 3 Maybe. After that I'd tell them to decide or cancel me.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.
That might depend upon how hungry you are or plan to be.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010
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Kevin Marois wrote:
Many times they have multiple candidates that they like, so they're reinterviewing to narrow down the list.
They'll always have multiple candidates, otherwise they're doing something terribly wrong.
Kevin Marois wrote:
Also, many companies do a first phone interview with the manager, then of you pass that they do a face to face. Nothing wrong with that.
That's a policy-choice; I don't do phone-interviews. In that case, I'd simply have to pass.
Kevin Marois wrote:
Also, many times you start with the totally useless interview with the equally useless recruiter - then on to the company itself. You really have to play along, especially if you want the gig.
Recruiters are expensive, and usually not worth the premium for the level of service provided. Mail the company directly, include a resume for pre-filtering and wait for the invitation. No, wouldn't want to do seventeen useless phone-interviews on a day while working, just because some recruiter wants to look busy and interested. You have the details, come with an offer or don't.
Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)
Would you get in the car and drive an hour or so only to find out you're not qualified? Or That there's something about the company that you don't like? I had a phone interview with the Manager of Developers and a recruiter. I don't remember the subject but he asked me about some skill I needed, and when I asked him a question back he said "I'm asking the questions here!" I promptly hung up. Would you get into your interview clothes and drive to their office only to have something like that happen? To say I don't do phone interviews is silly and arrogant. Neither you nor they can make a solid decision without more than one talk. Both parties need time to think it over and follow up.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.
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I actually walked out of an interview. They never even discussed programming or my resume. It was all "What's your favorite color" and "How would you handle someone who farts in the office" nonsense. After an hour of sitting in a room with 3 women who were not developers listening to this crap I just said "You know, I don't think this is for me" - and I left.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.
:thumbsup: good on you! In one interview I was asked some 'quick fire'(that's how she put it) questions by the HR representative. The one which really did it for me was - "Which is more important - getting it done right or getting it done quickly?" I didn't know whether to ask if she was being serious in her questioning. As for "how would you handle someone who farts?", at that stage I would have been tempted to say that I would turn it into a competition and see if I could fart more loudly than them.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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That might depend upon how hungry you are or plan to be.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010
I've got 32 years experience. I don't need multiple interviews. When I'm looking for work I always have 2 or 3 companies I'm interviewing with. If it takes more than 2 then I assume something's wrong.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.
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I've got 32 years experience. I don't need multiple interviews. When I'm looking for work I always have 2 or 3 companies I'm interviewing with. If it takes more than 2 then I assume something's wrong.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.
Kevin Marois wrote:
I've got 32 years experience. I don't need multiple interviews.
I'm forced to rely upon my divine inspiration.
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010
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I actually walked out of an interview. They never even discussed programming or my resume. It was all "What's your favorite color" and "How would you handle someone who farts in the office" nonsense. After an hour of sitting in a room with 3 women who were not developers listening to this crap I just said "You know, I don't think this is for me" - and I left.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.
You know, if you had made it through that interview, those were going to be the people managing your projects and giving you requirements :wtf: "The UI isn't my favorite color" "I want the logo to be bigger" "I feel like it should do something else" "This program doesn't validate that our internal DBA isn't maliciously altering our data"
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:thumbsup: good on you! In one interview I was asked some 'quick fire'(that's how she put it) questions by the HR representative. The one which really did it for me was - "Which is more important - getting it done right or getting it done quickly?" I didn't know whether to ask if she was being serious in her questioning. As for "how would you handle someone who farts?", at that stage I would have been tempted to say that I would turn it into a competition and see if I could fart more loudly than them.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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I've got 32 years experience. I don't need multiple interviews. When I'm looking for work I always have 2 or 3 companies I'm interviewing with. If it takes more than 2 then I assume something's wrong.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.
Kevin Marois wrote:
If it takes more than 2 then I assume something's wrong.
I feel the same way about that topic. :thumbsup:
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:thumbsup: good on you! In one interview I was asked some 'quick fire'(that's how she put it) questions by the HR representative. The one which really did it for me was - "Which is more important - getting it done right or getting it done quickly?" I didn't know whether to ask if she was being serious in her questioning. As for "how would you handle someone who farts?", at that stage I would have been tempted to say that I would turn it into a competition and see if I could fart more loudly than them.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
I had a recruiter (woman, young, 23ish, california flower child "like wow man") ask me how much WPF experience I had. I said something like "5-6 years. She then asked how much XAML experience I had, to which I said "That's WPF. Same thing" She said "No, they're not the same". After 10 more minutes of explaining it to her she said "The client sent me these questions. Could you help me understand them so I can do a better job interviewing" When I finally got the client on the phone I told him about it and he just laughed. I didn't take the job.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.
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Yep, I had four interviews and a test with one place - two phone interviews, two meetings and a psychometric test. I didn't even have a technical test. I picked up off the grapevine that the place had pissed off a few recruiters doing the same thing to other candidates. Incidentally I remember back in the 80's and 90's, when in the UK a company would actually pay your travel costs to get you to the interview. Times have certainly changed.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
The color of the database Dilbert Comic Strip on 1995-11-17 | Dilbert by Scott Adams[^] :cool:
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Would you get in the car and drive an hour or so only to find out you're not qualified? Or That there's something about the company that you don't like? I had a phone interview with the Manager of Developers and a recruiter. I don't remember the subject but he asked me about some skill I needed, and when I asked him a question back he said "I'm asking the questions here!" I promptly hung up. Would you get into your interview clothes and drive to their office only to have something like that happen? To say I don't do phone interviews is silly and arrogant. Neither you nor they can make a solid decision without more than one talk. Both parties need time to think it over and follow up.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.
Kevin Marois wrote:
Would you get in the car and drive an hour or so only to find out you're not qualified?
There is a vacancy and a description thereof. There is a resume. Compare both and you can find out without starting the car.
Kevin Marois wrote:
Or That there's something about the company that you don't like?
Aw, yes, very important. If there is a theoretical match, then I will be wanting to see the IT-department, and talk to some of the people there.
Kevin Marois wrote:
I had a phone interview with the Manager of Developers and a recruiter. I don't remember the subject but he asked me about some skill I needed, and when I asked him a question back he said "I'm asking the questions here!" I promptly hung up.
Like I said, a phone interview is a waste of time.
Kevin Marois wrote:
Would you get into your interview clothes and drive to their office only to have something like that happen?
Having a phone-interview does not protect you much from that happening in the interview that would follow. I've had some strange interviews, and a share of strange employers.
Kevin Marois wrote:
To say I don't do phone interviews is silly and arrogant.
Yes, that was what one of the recruiters said.
Kevin Marois wrote:
Neither you nor they can make a solid decision without more than one talk. Both parties need time to think it over and follow up.
I've had five or six different employers, none of them needed more than one single talk. Sorry, but you make it sound like a woman who is shopping for shoes. It's not like dating where you need to make up your mind who you like more; we're in it for the money, not the general likeableness.
Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)
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Kevin Marois wrote:
Would you get in the car and drive an hour or so only to find out you're not qualified?
There is a vacancy and a description thereof. There is a resume. Compare both and you can find out without starting the car.
Kevin Marois wrote:
Or That there's something about the company that you don't like?
Aw, yes, very important. If there is a theoretical match, then I will be wanting to see the IT-department, and talk to some of the people there.
Kevin Marois wrote:
I had a phone interview with the Manager of Developers and a recruiter. I don't remember the subject but he asked me about some skill I needed, and when I asked him a question back he said "I'm asking the questions here!" I promptly hung up.
Like I said, a phone interview is a waste of time.
Kevin Marois wrote:
Would you get into your interview clothes and drive to their office only to have something like that happen?
Having a phone-interview does not protect you much from that happening in the interview that would follow. I've had some strange interviews, and a share of strange employers.
Kevin Marois wrote:
To say I don't do phone interviews is silly and arrogant.
Yes, that was what one of the recruiters said.
Kevin Marois wrote:
Neither you nor they can make a solid decision without more than one talk. Both parties need time to think it over and follow up.
I've had five or six different employers, none of them needed more than one single talk. Sorry, but you make it sound like a woman who is shopping for shoes. It's not like dating where you need to make up your mind who you like more; we're in it for the money, not the general likeableness.
Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)
Eddy Vluggen wrote:
I had a phone interview with the Manager of Developers and a recruiter. I don't remember the subject but he asked me about some skill I needed, and when I asked him a question back he said "I'm asking the questions here!" I promptly hung up.
Like I said, a phone interview is a waste of time.
That example was a classic reason to have a phone interview. It saved me a trip all the way down there to find out the manager was a jerk.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.
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Eddy Vluggen wrote:
I had a phone interview with the Manager of Developers and a recruiter. I don't remember the subject but he asked me about some skill I needed, and when I asked him a question back he said "I'm asking the questions here!" I promptly hung up.
Like I said, a phone interview is a waste of time.
That example was a classic reason to have a phone interview. It saved me a trip all the way down there to find out the manager was a jerk.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is. Everything makes sense in someone's mind. Ya can't fix stupid.
Kevin Marois wrote:
That example was a classic reason to have a phone interview. It saved me a trip all the way down there to find out the manager was a jerk.
Yes, one trip saved, versus continuously being called by recruiters. Would have cost me a trip, but also the satisfaction of calling out the manager on the spot.
Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)
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Yep, I had four interviews and a test with one place - two phone interviews, two meetings and a psychometric test. I didn't even have a technical test. I picked up off the grapevine that the place had pissed off a few recruiters doing the same thing to other candidates. Incidentally I remember back in the 80's and 90's, when in the UK a company would actually pay your travel costs to get you to the interview. Times have certainly changed.
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
I once travelled 3 hours for a job interview in Peterborough only to find the interviewer had called in sick and there was no one else to do the interview. I sent them an interview for 6 hours and refused to re-interview till they paid the invoice. They actually paid the invoice but by then I had taken another position.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH