Reply to: Smart arsed interviewers

[muppet]

I got the usual 'what are your weaknesses?'

I was so annoyed I said 'beer and women'. They offered me the job, I worked there for 2 years, turns out the guy was not half bad, he just wasnt good at interviews!

Muppet

[expat]

...They assured me that there only a few problems to overcome and that the 6 week contract would be sufficient to fix the problem. I didn't believe them and could barely imagine what horrors may lie beneath, thought they were looking for a scapegoat, gave my apologies and left.

Only possible response. Never believe a hirer with a system written by an incompetent who has now left without it ever having worked, who says that there isn't much work needed.

[expat]

I got called to a contract interview a couple of years back for some outsourcing company. We went through the whole 50 minutes with everything being tickety-boo then the manager on the interview board said
"You're a liar."
"Sorry?"
"So you should be. You're a liar. All contractors are liars."
"I can provide a referee for every entry on my CV and will give you phone numbers now so you can check everything I have said."
"No point. They will be liars too. I only called you here to see how you defended that pack of lies you call a CV. You're good, I'll give you that. You can go now."

Admittedly, their HR did pay the invoice I sent for the mileage + £250 for my time.

Look on the bright side. You found out in time.

[daviejones]

I got called to a contract interview a couple of years back for some outsourcing company. We went through the whole 50 minutes with everything being tickety-boo then the manager on the interview board said
"You're a liar."
"Sorry?"
"So you should be. You're a liar. All contractors are liars."
"I can provide a referee for every entry on my CV and will give you phone numbers now so you can check everything I have said."
"No point. They will be liars too. I only called you here to see how you defended that pack of lies you call a CV. You're good, I'll give you that. You can go now."

Admittedly, their HR did pay the invoice I sent for the mileage + £250 for my time.

I would have been tempted to lay the twat out...

[Cowboy Bob]

Went to an interview at a design agency where they told me they wanted me to help them finish off their new client/server accounting system. They told me that it was written by their accountant who had no programming experience and that the first thing it did in test was to fall over when a second person logged in and that the "developer" had been unable to fix it. They assured me that there only a few problems to overcome and that the 6 week contract would be sufficient to fix the problem. I didn't believe them and could barely imagine what horrors may lie beneath, thought they were looking for a scapegoat, gave my apologies and left.

[TheVoice]

Admittedly, their HR did pay the invoice I sent for the mileage + £250 for my time.

Nice to see I'm not alone in dealing with fsckwit companies by invoice. Recently a large NHS IT Supplier in NI wanted to see me, wouldnt do it over the phone, so I told the agent once it was booked it couldnt be cancelled as I was currently working in England & flights are expensive - voicemail on my phone after I landed saying its cancelled...Funny enough they paid the invoice i sent them but only after I copied it to their Chief Exec after a fortnight of denials.

I was once interviewed by a Delphi developer for a Wintel engineer gig...go figure...he was a bit of a arse but I got the gig, only to be told 6 months later "oh, we also wanted you to develop our new intranet but dont think you can now, so we wont be renewing" - he was the feckin' developer! Hey ho, life happens.

There's some funny bu$$ers about, let's be careful out there!

[RichardCranium]

stories of interview questions that made you want to reach over the table and punch them?

I got called to a contract interview a couple of years back for some outsourcing company. We went through the whole 50 minutes with everything being tickety-boo then the manager on the interview board said
"You're a liar."
"Sorry?"
"So you should be. You're a liar. All contractors are liars."
"I can provide a referee for every entry on my CV and will give you phone numbers now so you can check everything I have said."
"No point. They will be liars too. I only called you here to see how you defended that pack of lies you call a CV. You're good, I'll give you that. You can go now."

Admittedly, their HR did pay the invoice I sent for the mileage + £250 for my time.

[RichardCranium]

FT left me waiting for 45 minutes, I left

AstraZenica did that to Mrs Cranium.

After 45 minutes she told Reception she wasn't waiting any longer and left.

This was for an agency role.

Next day she got a phone call from the agency to tell her she didn't get the gig because she was rude.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Dang feel such a fool now.

[EternalOptimist]

Whassat? Google didn't turn up anything..........

An Ammer if for knocking nails in, they obviously wanted to know if you were looking after a small child would you hit their thumb wif an 'ammer. like


Timber wolf

[TimberWolf]

Whassat? Google didn't turn up anything..........

You know what a amer is four?

[Peoplesoft bloke]

.........the concept of Amer four

......

Whassat? Google didn't turn up anything..........

[EternalOptimist]

I was once asked when going for a permie job as an Operations Analyst - "if you were looking after a small child and they hit their thumb with a hammer, what would you do?"
Must have answered ok as I got the job offer but I've no idea what they were trying to get at in terms of IT.

S.

I think they might have been trying to establish whether you understand the concept of Amer four

you obviously passed, well done

[SteveCo]

I was once asked when going for a permie job as an Operations Analyst - "if you were looking after a small child and they hit their thumb with a hammer, what would you do?"
Must have answered ok as I got the job offer but I've no idea what they were trying to get at in terms of IT.

S.

[Lucy]

Another one succumbs to the "Churchill Charm"...

Awwww....