Rude interviewers
Discussion
Has anybody walked away from an interview and decided the role advertised was still compelling and interesting yet the people you've been interviewed by were just dam rude.
I had an interview yesterday (not heard yet) for a FTSE100 firm and one of the interviewers was visibly bored, yawned, was on his phone and just looked like he wasn't on this planet. He went from drilling me with condescending tones to me having to wake him up by engaging him in conversation through a role play.
He certainly wasn't doing the silent observational assessment as far as I could see.
I have worked in the corporate jungle for donkeys years and I get the impression maybe the org is changing a bit or this in-particular is "moving on" anyway....and this is also sometimes a defence mechanism on interviews and generally all part of the bravado game.
If they do say no I think I'll actually tell them how it is with this one.....it actually wound me up a bit and threw me off track.
I had an interview yesterday (not heard yet) for a FTSE100 firm and one of the interviewers was visibly bored, yawned, was on his phone and just looked like he wasn't on this planet. He went from drilling me with condescending tones to me having to wake him up by engaging him in conversation through a role play.
He certainly wasn't doing the silent observational assessment as far as I could see.
I have worked in the corporate jungle for donkeys years and I get the impression maybe the org is changing a bit or this in-particular is "moving on" anyway....and this is also sometimes a defence mechanism on interviews and generally all part of the bravado game.
If they do say no I think I'll actually tell them how it is with this one.....it actually wound me up a bit and threw me off track.
vaud said:
A good interview is a two way dialogue, not an interrogation.
Far too many interviewers think the idea is to see if the candidate is suitable for the job and if they are up to the required standard. They completely forget that the interviewee might end up with several offers, or might not need the job that badly, so needs to see if the company conducting the interview is a firm they want to work for. I went for a nightmare interview years ago, late 80s. 10 mins in I knew there's no way I would be working for them. When he asked me at the end of the interview when I could start, if I was lucky enough to get offered the job, and I told him that unfortunately they had failed the interview and I wouldn't be joining them regardless, he was genuinely very angry!
Oh yes. Interviewed for Arthur Anderson consulting many years ago - was an assessment day full of rude, patronising and generally unpleasant, overbearing people. They offered me a job which I declined and they phoned me twice after that as ‘no one turns down AA’. I’ve still got the dress code which came with the offer letter somewhere which was ridiculous even then (length of skirt to within an inch, weight of shirt fabric etc)
I remember taking an interview for an IT Service Manager role at the DWP a few years ago. My role at the time was more Head of IT but I had the same IT Service Manager job title. When I showed up to the interview I had a panel of three women interview me. One was nice, one silent and off putting and the other was from HR and playing the bad cop. It was quite laughable. After a few minutes it became quite clear that the job had very little responsibility and I was currently more senior than the role they were offering. In fact, I was far more senior than all of the interview panel. I was expecting to be interviewed by a Head of IT similar position.
Anyway, I gave a good interview and continued to show my achievement's in spite of the ridiculous triple act routine. Once the salary was revealed, the smirk on my face told them everything. I was expecting less being public sector but we're talking £15k less. We shook hands and I left feeling frustrated at the total waste of time and they way the held the interview. I'm a grown up and it should have been a 2 way conversation about my suitability for the role and their suitability as an employer. Instead, it was a show for the panel.
Anyway, I gave a good interview and continued to show my achievement's in spite of the ridiculous triple act routine. Once the salary was revealed, the smirk on my face told them everything. I was expecting less being public sector but we're talking £15k less. We shook hands and I left feeling frustrated at the total waste of time and they way the held the interview. I'm a grown up and it should have been a 2 way conversation about my suitability for the role and their suitability as an employer. Instead, it was a show for the panel.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Far too many interviewers think the idea is to see if the candidate is suitable for the job and if they are up to the required standard. They completely forget that the interviewee might end up with several offers, or might not need the job that badly, so needs to see if the company conducting the interview is a firm they want to work for.
I went for a nightmare interview years ago, late 80s. 10 mins in I knew there's no way I would be working for them. When he asked me at the end of the interview when I could start, if I was lucky enough to get offered the job, and I told him that unfortunately they had failed the interview and I wouldn't be joining them regardless, he was genuinely very angry!
I had a bit of this recently for a role/industry I'm interested in. First interview and my would be boss conducted it all from his own interests. Actually didn't tell me all that much about the role or its context other than generically what that sort of role does (which I know, I've 15 odd year experience at it). We got to the end and he asked the other interviewer who didn't say anything all through if she had any questions, then said we were out of time. So no opportunity for me to ask questions. I went for a nightmare interview years ago, late 80s. 10 mins in I knew there's no way I would be working for them. When he asked me at the end of the interview when I could start, if I was lucky enough to get offered the job, and I told him that unfortunately they had failed the interview and I wouldn't be joining them regardless, he was genuinely very angry!
The job is less than I'm paid now but potentially in a more interesting (to me) context. I've agreed to a second interview after they gave we specific positive feedback (which I wasn't expecting to be given after a first stage?!) but I'll need to change the dynamic, them thinking it's all about assessing me wasn't right at all in terms of how it felt.
I had one interview where the feedback from the exec was "Vaud is interesting... after the interview I was sure who was interviewing who..." - I had asked lots about how/where the business was going, timelines, how they were going to compete in some areas, their commercial appetite for risk, etc
I got the job but later declined it.
I got the job but later declined it.
I've been really interested in the job, but put off by the interviewers.
A tale of a bad interview: 1997 for a (then) major investment bank.
One of the people interviewing me I 'knew' from phone call dealings even up to the day prior. She used to call and ask for me by name. and we'd talk through the event, how our customers wished to act, etc (dull securities lending, corporate actions stuff....)
At the beginning of the interview I said, "it's nice to finally meet you, Lisa." She replied that she had no idea who I was.
The interview questions from her were rude, at best.
The next day I got an offer from them. I immediately told the agency I wasn't interested and recounted what happened.
The same afternoon, Lisa called me for corporate action instructions from our customers ... I simply talked to her as if I'd had no dealings with her ever before.
Looking back, that was the best thing that happened in my professional life. I avoided working for Lehman Brothers in operations.
A tale of a bad interview: 1997 for a (then) major investment bank.
One of the people interviewing me I 'knew' from phone call dealings even up to the day prior. She used to call and ask for me by name. and we'd talk through the event, how our customers wished to act, etc (dull securities lending, corporate actions stuff....)
At the beginning of the interview I said, "it's nice to finally meet you, Lisa." She replied that she had no idea who I was.
The interview questions from her were rude, at best.
The next day I got an offer from them. I immediately told the agency I wasn't interested and recounted what happened.
The same afternoon, Lisa called me for corporate action instructions from our customers ... I simply talked to her as if I'd had no dealings with her ever before.
Looking back, that was the best thing that happened in my professional life. I avoided working for Lehman Brothers in operations.
Edited by RC1807 on Friday 24th June 10:54
As said, it's a 2 way street.
If I was in an interview where the interviewer was yawning, visibly bored and not interested, I think I'd politely skirt the conversation around to a finishing point, shake their hands, thank them for their time and leave. I've no time or inclination for people like that.
If I was in an interview where the interviewer was yawning, visibly bored and not interested, I think I'd politely skirt the conversation around to a finishing point, shake their hands, thank them for their time and leave. I've no time or inclination for people like that.
This did feel like quite a patronising act tbh, I actually think the other two interviewers were slightly embarrassed.
New head of department comes in and he's interviewing them alongside the person he is replacing.
Certainly felt a bit like there was some chest beating going on.
Maybe I've not noticed this in corporates and maybe I've even been doing it myself after being in corporates too long.... it really is a horrid jungle out there!
New head of department comes in and he's interviewing them alongside the person he is replacing.
Certainly felt a bit like there was some chest beating going on.
Maybe I've not noticed this in corporates and maybe I've even been doing it myself after being in corporates too long.... it really is a horrid jungle out there!
One sticks in my mind:
The interview was years ago for a position working in property appraisal and disposals for a large housing association. Regeneration work. That kind of thing.
I was asked to put in for the job by a senior manager who I had worked with a few times and we got on really well. He was extremely good at his job and a really nice bloke. He suggested I was the ideal candidate, and hence him asking me to apply.
With that in mind I felt fairly confident going into the interview, but as soon as it started, I was thinking WTF?!? It was a panel of 3. There was this chap I mentioned, plus 2 ladies doing the interview who I didn't know very well and hadn't worked with.
They made it very clear via their questions, tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions that they absolutely hated me and I wouldn't be getting the job under any circumstances. They were rude, demeaning, constantly going off script with questions to catch me out. All whilst the other chap looked on in horror and tried to ask me 'normal' interview questions.
I walked out feeling battered and wondering what on earth just happened. An hour later the he phones me apologising profusely for what went on, and basically told me off the record that these two ladies had a friend/colleague of theirs lined up for the job, and had therefore decided to absolutely savage anyone else who went for the interview.
Their friend duly got appointed for the role, even though she was wholly unsuitable.
I had the last laugh though because the person appointed was utterly s
t at the job, and went off on long term sick with stress after 5 months, while the experience of not getting that particular promotion (and the culture within that place generally) caused me to kick myself up the arse, resign, and go on to much better things.
The interview was years ago for a position working in property appraisal and disposals for a large housing association. Regeneration work. That kind of thing.
I was asked to put in for the job by a senior manager who I had worked with a few times and we got on really well. He was extremely good at his job and a really nice bloke. He suggested I was the ideal candidate, and hence him asking me to apply.
With that in mind I felt fairly confident going into the interview, but as soon as it started, I was thinking WTF?!? It was a panel of 3. There was this chap I mentioned, plus 2 ladies doing the interview who I didn't know very well and hadn't worked with.
They made it very clear via their questions, tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions that they absolutely hated me and I wouldn't be getting the job under any circumstances. They were rude, demeaning, constantly going off script with questions to catch me out. All whilst the other chap looked on in horror and tried to ask me 'normal' interview questions.
I walked out feeling battered and wondering what on earth just happened. An hour later the he phones me apologising profusely for what went on, and basically told me off the record that these two ladies had a friend/colleague of theirs lined up for the job, and had therefore decided to absolutely savage anyone else who went for the interview.
Their friend duly got appointed for the role, even though she was wholly unsuitable.
I had the last laugh though because the person appointed was utterly s
t at the job, and went off on long term sick with stress after 5 months, while the experience of not getting that particular promotion (and the culture within that place generally) caused me to kick myself up the arse, resign, and go on to much better things.vaud said:
Nightmare said:
Oh yes. Interviewed for Arthur Anderson consulting many years ago - was an assessment day full of rude, patronising and generally unpleasant, overbearing people.
Accenture aren't much different now, aside from the dress code. 
That being said , the training was good and it did help to clarify my work goals.
My worst interview was for a CFO role in a branch of a large US company. The CEO spent most of the time telling me about his achievements and asked me “how I would fit”.
The answer of course was “not at all”. Egomaniac and I would have hated to work for him.
Not long after I qualified I entered the job market and did a fair number of interviews.
After a few I got a bit confident and knew what I wanted so if I knew it wasn’t for me I’d say and end the interview. No point wasting anyones time.
The arrogance of some interviewers was astonishing but I did learn a lot about interviewing.
After a few I got a bit confident and knew what I wanted so if I knew it wasn’t for me I’d say and end the interview. No point wasting anyones time.
The arrogance of some interviewers was astonishing but I did learn a lot about interviewing.
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