Interview red flags

[BolshieBastard]

True. I always ask to the agent how many interview stages there are before I agree to have my cv sent over. For contract roles, I say no to any roles where the process is more than 1 interview. For permanent roles, I say not to any roles where the process is more than 2 interviews.

Years ago, there wasnt this bollocks of having more than 1 interview for contract work. So imagine my horror at turning up to this place in Crewe and having an interview for a role. At the very end the guy says 'Righto, I'll contact the agent and see about getting you back for the next interview'!

You what?! I said I might not be on the market by then and in any case, you'll have to pay my travel costs for a 180 mile round trip and time. He thought I was kidding! Told the agent sorry, Im not interested.

[TheDude]

True. I always ask to the agent how many interview stages there are before I agree to have my cv sent over. For contract roles, I say no to any roles where the process is more than 1 interview. For permanent roles, I say not to any roles where the process is more than 2 interviews.

I always ask the agent where the hiring manager plays his golf.

If it is not a private members club then I am not interested.

[Chris Bryce]

There is a story about an MD at a bank I used to work at. He asked a candidate for a desk position what the hardest thing he had done was and he said he parachuted into a lake Afghanistan, swam one mile to shore, hiked to location xyz and with his team rescued three hostages after a firefight.

The MD had failed to read the candidates CV and did not know he had just left the US Navy SEALs.

This might well be true. This one is definitely true, because I was there to witness it, having delivered the tech side of the interview:-

Permie Manager: "So, Fred, we're supporting trading desks in an investment bank. That can be a high stress environment, do you think you could cope?"

Fred: "Mmm. let me see. The most stressful thing I've done to date was circle over Moscow in a Vulcan bomber with my finger on the release switch for a nuclear bomb waiting to be given clearance to release the weapon. So, yes, I think I could cope."

"Fred" was hired and turned out to be bloody good.

[SueEllen]

I always ask the agent where the hiring manager plays his golf.

If it is not a private members club then I am not interested.

There as in my case if the hiring manager played golf I would decline the contract.

Any other sport you can talk about in polite company is completely fine.

[quackhandle]

"We work the job, not the hours." (this was a permy interview)


Mentally I left the room there and then.

qh

[WTFH]

"We work the job, not the hours." (this was a permy interview)


Mentally I left the room there and then.

qh

Perfect, I'll do enough of a job to fill 9am to lunch.

[lecyclist]

"We're partnered with HCL"

"You'll be working alongside the code monkeys"

"Contractors are not allowed desks by the window"

"That is my jaguar over there <pointing>. And see, that is my personal parking space"

"She is returning next week.. had some kind of breakdown.. we want you to get up to speed and work on some tickets asap"

"We're a boutique consultancy. We do the work that other consultancies are afraid to do"


Do enough of this tulip and you'll go crazy.

[PCTNN]

"We work the job, not the hours." (this was a permy interview)

Tell me you did respond "oh great to hear, someone has to do it since I work the hours and not 1 minute longer"

[TheDude]

"We work the job, not the hours." (this was a permy interview) qh

I made the mistake of working for a company that made no secret of its long hours culture and it was a huge mistake. I made the second mistake of assuming that annual bonus was my overtime payment without realising that technology was somewhere down the queue when it came to handing out bonuses. My bonus varied between 40% on good years to 2% on slightly less good years.

[ResistanceFighter]

I had a young kid interview me a few years ago and his first question was "so why are you a contractor?"