Things said in interviews that p*ss you off...

[chris79]

Further to my adverts thread.. any good stories from interviews where they have been so far up their own a*se they could literally disappear like a black hole?

A recent one:-

Q: "So how would you feel about being able to handle not one project, but say twenty projects all at once?"

A: "Yes, I've had experience of running with multiple workstreams previously, I'm good with time management I don't see it being a problem.

The answer I really wanted to give: "Well actually, the project I last worked on was a full-time job, so either 1) The projects you are managing are very small, 2) They all **** up because not enough consideration for proper management of them is given, or 3) You expect me to work 80 hours a week, not 40 and still have them all f**k up.


Another recent one:-

Q: How do you deal with frustrations in the workplace?

A: Through diplomacy and good communication to resolve the cause of the frustration.

The answer I really wanted to give: "By telling the nob jockeys to FRO and do their job, what do you think?".

[Moscow Mule]

We can only pay you £500 a day.

That pisses me right off.

[pmeswani]

We can only pay you £500 a day.

That pisses me right off.

Especially when you are after £501 a day.

[BrowneIssue]

Q: "So how would you feel about being able to handle not one project, but say twenty projects all at once?"

An Electricity company asked me that.

I said "Then all 20 will fail".

"Well, that is the minimum we would expect a junior project manager to be able to handle. If you cannot handle that then you can't be any good. Have you never done real project management?"



I wonder if they confused 'project' with 'support call'?

[chris79]

An Electricity company asked me that.

I said "Then all 20 will fail".

"Well, that is the minimum we would expect a junior project manager to be able to handle. If you cannot handle that then you can't be any good. Have you never done real project management?"



I wonder if they confused 'project' with 'support call'?

Yup - 20 projects... "as if..." ... Sorry but unless you want me to just delegate 95% of the work and turn up for sign-off then yes, I am perfectly capable of operating 20 projects within a normal working week.

I think there is going to come a point where I just turn up to interviews and tell them the way things are, if they don't like it then they can get someone else. I hope one day when my war chest is big enough I can put this into practice.

[deckster]

An Electricity company asked me that.

I said "Then all 20 will fail".

"Well, that is the minimum we would expect a junior project manager to be able to handle. If you cannot handle that then you can't be any good. Have you never done real project management?"



I wonder if they confused 'project' with 'support call'?

Had this one just last week, and my answer was 'drugs'. They laughed and want to see me again, so I guess it was the right answer

[Turion]

We can only pay you £500 a day.

That pisses me right off.

Yes, that's a measly 550 Euros thanks to Mr Brown. He thinks he saved the world. No chance, but definitely fvcked the pound.

[mailric]

its a classic... "can you give me an example of when you have had to deal with conflict?"

they never want to hear about the guy who once tried to pinch a chip from me at 3am on a sat night out

[Pogle]

"Do you have any children?"

I've lost count of the number of times I've been asked that - yes I know they're not supposed to, but they do.

[The Agents View]

"Do you have any children?"

I've lost count of the number of times I've been asked that - yes I know they're not supposed to, but they do.

For this, read: "are you going to bugger off halfway through this programme and leave us in the lurch because you're pregnant".......

And the rules for interviewing a service provider (which is what a contractor is - the client is actually interviewing the company - not you essentially) are very different I think you'll find..... Some of the things I've got away with hearing people say are shocking!!