Had my first 'bad' interview in years yesterday

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

That's a lot of interviews - an average of one every six weeks. By contrast, I've only had about twenty interviews in the past twelve years, but I got most of the jobs they were for, and some of them were toughies. Just not my day this time.

Forgot to mention - including Phone Interviews.

[Gentile]

It's Americanisms like that which lost you the role.

Try Cool Britannia in the future.

One of the places I got a gig in the past was the FCO (where my DV comes from), which is full of Old Wykehamists and only about 1-in-250 get through, so I think I might be alright with trotting out the odd Americanism for comedic effect.

[Mich the Tester]

One of the places I got a gig in the past was the FCO (where my DV comes from), which is full of Old Wykehamists and only about 1-in-250 get through, so I think I might be alright with trotting out the odd Americanism for comedic effect.

Winchester College; that's produced some top class foreign office chaps. The last Rajah of Sarawak, who did a fine line in slaughtering headhunters while calling them murderers. Sir Oswald Mosley. One of the founders of the IRA. Lovely place.

[Gentile]

Winchester College; that's produced some top class foreign office chaps. The last Rajah of Sarawak, who did a fine line in slaughtering headhunters while calling them murderers. Sir Oswald Mosley. One of the founders of the IRA. Lovely place.

Wikipedia's great, *innit?










* comedic effect again.

[BolshieBastard]

That's one of the reasons I dislike coffee shop interviews too. They're generally not great environments to discuss ClientCo's confidential business requirements, or your private work history. This particular instance wasn't too bad, since it was the client's own on-site facility, and there was nothing from their end being discussed that should have needed to be kept confidential from other users of the facility. And, they stuck to asking me about my technical skills, and didn't venture into more private matters like day rate. I still find that coffee shop interviews wrench you out of that "professional" zone that more private settings facilitate, though. It's easy to allow yourself forget you're discussing a business proposal with a client and not having a casual conversation with your pals, when the people at the next table are doing exactly that. I guess that's part of what coffee shop interviews are designed to do: so the interviewers can see you as more than a CV and a skillset. Whether that's a valuable insight to obtain or not is open to debate.

I dont disagree with what you say but, I think it shows a certain lack of respect for you \ me \ us. I may want to discuss some things permie's may not like such as I'll do my own time management and start \ finish the day when tasks I've set myself are complete and not when one of your managers says it ok for me to leave.

I can think of a whole host of other things I may want to discuss in confidence and not have every tom dick and harriet catching snippets here and there.

Maybe next time I'll decline an interview in such surroundings!

[Mich the Tester]

Wikipedia's great, *innit?









* comedic effect again.

Excellent indeed. But then I knew to look up Wykehamists as even in the weird surroundings of my crap public school, Wykehamists were reputed to be pervs, fascists and terrorists.

[BolshieBastard]

I am the type of person who actually enjoys going for interviews (perhaps one of the reasons I am more suited to contracting).

LOL!

Over the last 8 years I believe I have attended in excess of 70 interviews although a fair few of them were for industrial placement at uni and Grad jobs.

Kinell, why am I not surprised! 70 ******* interviews!

[Spacecadet]

I don't mind where the interviews are, I even had one outside sat on a picnic table at a busy service station (and that was my suggestion!)

I leave details like working from home and the rest till after the interview. I might mention them during the interview but I prefer to discuss those with the upper hand of having an offer on the table.

[Gentile]

Excellent indeed. But then I knew to look up Wykehamists as even in the weird surroundings of my crap public school, Wykehamists were reputed to be pervs, fascists and terrorists.

I went to one of the roughest Comprehensives in the West of Scotland myself, so I wouldn't know. With regard to your observations about the less salubrious alumni of Winchester College, though, do you think it's a good or a bad thing for FCO officials to be exposed to international despots at a young age, whilst they're still at school? Personally, I think it can only be a good thing; it's not like the FCO only has to know how to deal with nice people you know.

There's a thing – ironically known as the "Wykehamist Fallacy" in diplomatic circles – whereby if you've only ever got experience of dealing with people from your own limited social, economic and ethical sphere, you're more likely to underestimate and misperceive the intentions of others. It's that inability to get into people from other background's heads that can make diplomats ineffective.

[doodab]

There's a thing – ironically known as the "Wkyehamist Fallacy" in diplomatic circles – whereby if you've only ever got experience of dealing with people from your own limited social, economic and ethical sphere, you're more likely to underestimate and misperceive the intentions of others. It's that inability to get into people from other background's heads that can make diplomats ineffective.

I believe this applies to recruitment consultants as well.