Reply to: Doing the Gig (interview)

[Lucifer Box]

Sometimes I feel like they wanted me to act like Forrest Gump in an interview, hire me, then blame me.

Lucifer Industries specialise in what we like to call "Blame Consultancy". If you are a project or programme manager who is in a bit of hot water (you know the thing, cowboy contract developers have been pulling the wool over your eyes about how much "progress" they've made) and are going to seriously compromise your annual appraisal after the next meeting with the project sponsor, we have the answer.

For a fixed, one off fee, we will send a consultant to your next stakeholders' meeting who will tell them that "it's all his fault". You are off the hook, the blame and the buck is neatly passed to an outside agency and everybody is happy. For an additional fee, a "senior consultant" can also be provided to describe how you are one of the most competent programme/project managers we have ever worked with.

[mcquiggd]

Over the last 6 years, my telephone interview rate is about 3 out of 4, face to face interview rate ever so slightly higher.

Technical questions - no problem, scored higher than 97% of people on a C# Brainbench test that Logica CMG put me through (I get the results, and ironically knew the girlfriend of a lady HR person there - just dont ask!)

Have my MCSD in .Net, have been given Transcenders to do, always do well... now 14 years in the industry... Dev Manager, Lead Dev, etc etc....

But, its down to 'how well you'll fit in' - if the permie techie who is brought in to ask you questions can only mumble 'I have nothing to add really' after youve talked through your CV, you know your fecked, as he doesnt want you to make him look stupid and will bad mouth you to his boss.

Sometimes I feel like they wanted me to act like Forrest Gump in an interview, hire me, then blame me.

[n5gooner]

Writing good policy for AB - Even I am not that rare an animal, I think that would have endangered species status

but very well paid!

[FrankScribe]

Writing good policy for AB - Even I am not that rare an animal, I think that would have endangered species status

[n5gooner]

I have the advantage of being a relatively scarce resource,

doing what ?

writing good policy for Blair ?

[FrankScribe]

I have the advantage of being a relatively scarce resource, the only problem is that the market place is also fairly small (and incestuous) - Having said that, over the last fifteen years I have only failed on three formal interviews, and one of those led to an offer from another group within the same company - though I didn't take it in the end cos it would have meant working in Town (I'll happily drive for an hour or more but commute by train, yeughhh!)

[Joe Black]

Well thats when you're meant to send Rebecca along in your place. If you get the job, when you turn up, you just tell them you've had another sex change.

Joe in "it always works for me"

[AlfredJPruffock]

has images of a Montey Python schetch...

Blimey N5

Been rumbled at last, thats me and the Gumby Bros , Im the good looking one in case you are wondering ... oddly enough altough I never fail to impress with telephone interviews yet when I turn up for face to face interview I am always immediately escorted off the premises.

Life is so unfair.

[The Lone Gunman]

funny - stop it tring to concentrate on fixing a server in Brazil and I just have to keep coming back to thinking of your short skirt!

She has that effect on me too, as do the other girlies on this site.
They should all do the decent thing and send us the pictures we want to see.

[darmstadt]

Me too, I always dress in my string vest and wellingtons whilst doing phone interviews ...

And having worked with said gentleman, I can vouch for him going to work like that as well

[n5gooner]

Me too, I always dress in my string vest and wellingtons whilst doing phone interviews ...

has images of a Montey Python schetch...

[n5gooner]

Don't like phone interviews cos' it doesn't make a difference then whether I wear a short skirt or not

funny - stop it tring to concentrate on fixing a server in Brazil and I just have to keep coming back to thinking of your short skirt!

[Jabberwocky]

Fail most interviews actually, then again the interviews I attended, they failed virtually everybody who turned up, readvertised several times and took several months to find the "right person".

Sometimes I passed the written test and failed the verbal test, sometimes I passed the verbal test and failed the written test...sometimes passed both but got pipped by a "better" candidate.

Confidence doesn't help when faced with a battery of trick questions, either you can annswer them or you can't.

The only "positive" thing I've found is that I'm put forward for 90% of the roles I apply for, but then the agent seems to be desparate to find somebody who can pass the tests.

I fail 90% of interviews, anywhere, although I can get an interview at nearly any company in the UK. Getting interviews is easy if you have a good CV. However, I usually only get the job if there is a good reason why they should pick me. Like BB, I am in a buyer's market and it turns into a beauty competition the greater the supply of candidates.

[FrankScribe]

I've done several phone interviews this week (as interviewer) - If only people would realise how important it is to sound confident and, at the same time, not to fill in the gaps with waffle. Don't wander off down blind alleys - I'm not in the least bit interested in how some team got on in some kind of ball game somewhere.

On the other hand, when it turns out we have a mutual acquaintance .........

[AlfredJPruffock]

I promise you that every phone interview you have had with a bloke you have been wearing a very short skirt and a low cut top, you may even have done the interview in your sexiest underwear.

HTH

Me too, I always dress in my string vest and wellingtons whilst doing phone interviews ...