OT: Unorthodox interview

[SubbaBub]

You people are confirming two things for me. 1. I am an atypical interviewer, never asking any of this nonsense. 2. I am glad that I can proudly say the last and only time that I got a job I interviewed for was 1993. A summer job at a law firm. Never before, never since.

No one is saying you have to ask standard everyone look up the answer on google. (Don't do this btw, interviewers know the canned answer.)

A good interview/interviewer tries to verify the depth of skills and experience on the resume and get a sense of the candidates character and personality (which are two different things).

Yes, watching how they treat the receptionist is a valid data point but hardly determinate. Though my assistant gives me a full report on anyone walking through the door whether I want it or not.

I would much rather hear you talk about your past work, anything you are passionate about, professional goals, and what you think you can bring to the table.

You have the option of following up if you hear something that might suggest they have an attitude problem or other potential toxic behaviors.

One I like is, "Tell me about the last time you had to teach someone something."

Possible follow ups:

Did they get it at first?
Why do you think they were having trouble?
What did you do next?
What questions did they ask?

 

[M.S.G.]

Had the goshdarn interview of my life yesterday, have been desperately trying to transition from teaching in CT my whole career to MA, but I just haven't been getting bites on my CV because.......? I don't know if they think I cost too much, or since I've never taught in MA I am a leper.. It's been a frustrating process - and don't even get me started on what a chore it was to get the full certification in MA, ugh.. First interview was Friday, 2nd interview is Monday, I'd say that's a good sign... Cross your fingers..

 

[Edward Sargent]

HR are usually neither human or a resource. My favorite interviewee was for a secretary position. I had to interview the youngest, oldest and several diversity candidates for which I never found out what their diversity was. I wanted the temp we had for the position but was obligated to interview - something I though was a big waste of time. Anyway the oldest candidate pulled a Sharon Stone imitation along with the line "I will do anything - I repeat - anything to further my bosses career".

 

[Improviser]

HR are usually neither human or a resource. My favorite interviewee was for a secretary position. I had to interview the youngest, oldest and several diversity candidates for which I never found out what their diversity was. I wanted the temp we had for the position but was obligated to interview - something I though was a big waste of time. Anyway the oldest candidate pulled a Sharon Stone imitation along with the line "I will do anything - I repeat - anything to further my bosses career".

So which one did you hire?

 

[CL82]

HR are usually neither human or a resource.

[chuckle]

 

[CL82]

So which one did you hire?

Which one do you think?

"I will do anything - I repeat - anything to further my boss' career".

 

[Improviser]

Just making sure.

 

[the Q]

HR are usually neither human or a resource. My favorite interviewee was for a secretary position. I had to interview the youngest, oldest and several diversity candidates for which I never found out what their diversity was. I wanted the temp we had for the position but was obligated to interview - something I though was a big waste of time. Anyway the oldest candidate pulled a Sharon Stone imitation along with the line "I will do anything - I repeat - anything to further my bosses career".

Correct. It is one of the biggest wastes of a department.

It is not a value add

 

[Madmannsucks]

Yikes.

I once had a candidate think it was good idea to spontaneously tell a racist joke. That's not the worst part. People defended hiring him after that.

So taking this to a side track. Within the 3 years, a woman I worked with wore African Head Dress. The boss said to her, You remind me of Aunt Jemima. Needless to say he is now an Uber driver.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Just had a very strange interview. We’ll see what it means. Circumstances were unusual because it’s an internal position and I just unsuccessfully interviewed for a similar position a couple weeks ago. HR director told me “they loved me but hired someone with more experience. Apply to the next one.” So today I interviewed for the position of the guy who got the other job.

Obviously they know me well and I recently answered most of the questions but it was still strange for a school administrator position.
-“who inspires you?”
-“do you believe in Bigfoot? Why or why not?”
-“if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?”
- “what three words describe you?”
Only asked me a couple questions Pertinent to the position.
Does this bode well or bad? Definitely felt like a formality but I’m not sure if it was a formality because they have someone else.

Share funny interview encounters

I got stuck in an elevator and had to jump out in a suit and tie and go into the interview room. Nailed interview, but was too expensive for them.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Correct. It is one of the biggest wastes of a department.

It is not a value add

Disagree here. HR and sourcing works, but the question about Bigfoot etc is ridiculous. biggest problem with HR and recruiting is they don’t take risks.

Btw, above, Those are fundamentally unserious questions. There is nothing that can be learned by those questions.

 

[dogpause]

Next time you get asked, "What three words describe you?" Try this: Litigious, Litigious and Litigious.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Long story short: did not get the job. The place where I have worked for 6 years didn’t even call me to tell me. I found out I didn’t get it when they announced who got the job on a zoom town hall. Pretty messed up. I’m a finalist for a better job and should hear on Monday.

 

[husky429]

Long story short: did not get the job. The place where I have worked for 6 years didn’t even call me to tell me. I found out I didn’t get it when they announced who got the job on a zoom town hall. Pretty messed up. I’m a finalist for a better job and should hear on Monday.

If you interview someone and don't even send an email to let them know they're going in a different direction, you're a . I interviewed SO many times for my first teaching position and it is exhausting the waiting, waiting, waiting until it just sort of wears off.

If it's an INTERNAL hire, you absolutely need to give that person a call or meet in person. Administrators can be such cowards about delivering bad news. I'm sorry that happened.

At the very least it's a good lesson for what you won't do when you pull in this job on Monday

 

[Chin Diesel]

Correct. It is one of the biggest wastes of a department.

It is not a value add

Disagree here. HR and sourcing works, but the question about Bigfoot etc is ridiculous. biggest problem with HR and recruiting is they don’t take risks.

Btw, above, Those are fundamentally unserious questions. There is nothing that can be learned by those questions.

HR by it's very nature is to mitigate risk and loss. So, no, it's not value additive, it's risk minimization. All those questions and processes they make you go through with hiring are designed to avoid lawsuits as well as prevent crappy hires which can kill an organization.
No different than the legal department. They don't generate any revenue for an organizations (Unless I guess you are a law firm). You have a legal department to watch your six while you are watching everything else.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

If you interview someone and don't even send an email to let them know they're going in a different direction, you're a . I interviewed SO many times for my first teaching position and it is exhausting the waiting, waiting, waiting until it just sort of wears off.

If it's an INTERNAL hire, you absolutely need to give that person a call or meet in person. Administrators can be such cowards about delivering bad news. I'm sorry that happened.

At the very least it's a good lesson for what you won't do when you pull in this job on Monday

I’ve had 14 interviews since mid May. Really hoping I’m done

 

[CL82]

I got stuck in an elevator and had to jump out in a suit and tie and go into the interview room. Nailed interview, but was too expensive for them.

Haha That’s composure.

 

[NEforceUConn]

I lucked out.. I said "a cat". It turns out she was a cat person. But I didn't get the job anyway.
[/QUOTE

 

[NEforceUConn]

I have interviewed many younger people for a beginner FX trading job.

The only weird question I would ask is, “How many times in a day does the hour hand (the little hand) on a clock pass 12 o’clock?”

Best answer I received was four?

 

[Jaker]

Long story short: did not get the job. The place where I have worked for 6 years didn’t even call me to tell me. I found out I didn’t get it when they announced who got the job on a zoom town hall. Pretty messed up. I’m a finalist for a better job and should hear on Monday.

Wow, Your own company "Ghosted" you??? Talk about unprofessional.

 

[M.S.G.]

I've had that happen a handful of times - not my own company or school - but an interview in which I wasn't a finalist, I never even received a call back letting me know. I think someone mentioned it a few posts ago, so beyond unprofessional and cowardly for administrators to just not even give a courtesy call.

 

[Apollo]

I’ve had 14 interviews since mid May. Really hoping I’m done

Post/ Handle

 

[husky429]

I’ve had 14 interviews since mid May. Really hoping I’m done

Wow, I didn't realize that many positions even opened up. Good luck!

 

[M.S.G.]

Wow, I didn't realize that many positions even opened up. Good luck!

I’ve applied to about a dozen positions between CT and MA since the end of May, I expect that next week my phone will ring off the hook.. but it appears this school is probably going to offer me next week, hope it’s the right pick!

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Wow, I didn't realize that many positions even opened up. Good luck!

I have my special ed cert which expands it widely.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Wow, Your own company "Ghosted" you??? Talk about unprofessional.

It was for a school district administrator position. Summer makes it easy for them to hide

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I’ve applied to about a dozen positions between CT and MA since the end of May, I expect that next week my phone will ring off the hook.. but it appears this school is probably going to offer me next week, hope it’s the right pick!

It’s not in Cromwell is it? LOL

 

[husky429]

I’ve applied to about a dozen positions between CT and MA since the end of May, I expect that next week my phone will ring off the hook.. but it appears this school is probably going to offer me next week, hope it’s the right pick!

Fwiw in both schools I've worked in tje admin is on vacation every year from July 4th to the beginning of August. Idk if that's true everywhere, but if we weren't done with hiring before school ended, we won't do any more until the first week of August.

 

[M.S.G.]

It’s not in Cromwell is it? LOL

haha nah, my sights are set on MA only, there’s one school right over the border that has me intrigued, but I think this is the one… I applied at the HS right down the street, legit a 5 minute commute, 4 if I get a green light… but teaching where you live is a little weird…

I was up early so I took a drive to the school I interviewed at yesterday, 23 min drive ALL backroads, very curvy and bendy, but that beats 45 mins on the interstate

 

[SCNCHuskie]

I once drove two hours to interview for a teaching position. I considered it to be a really good 45 minute interview, although I considered the majority of the questions rather odd. There was almost no classroom or content specific questions asked. Finally, at the end of the interview the principal asked me why I wanted to be a vice principal? When I stated that I had absolutely no desire to ever be an administrator, they asked me why I had applied for the assistant principal position. I explained that I had not, that I was there for the math teacher position. They had mixed up the interviews and thought I was applying for an assistant principal position, even though I confirmed the interview that morning before driving there. The math one had already been filled. We all had a really nice laugh. And, then I drove back two hours.

About a week later I was hired at another school in the same district primarily based on the recommendation of the first principal. Turns out that the first time principal called the other principal for advice and the first one recognized my name and was primarily responsible for me getting the job.

I was kind of glad I hadn’t knocked everything off of her desk and storm out like I imagined doing the first time. (Joking)