Went for a job interview, failed but I'm concerned about how i was treated?

BennyBlanko

Hi,

I went for a job interview for a job I'm every experienced in, no question. There was a panel of 4. One said nothing throughout the meeting, 2 asked some questions but 1 expecially gave me a very hard time.
So much so, one of the panel remarked how hard a time he was giving me:(.In this interviewers eyes, every answer i gave was wrong (even though they were right), their body language and tone towards me was negative and some of the questions he put to me were not pertinent to my ability to do the task or job.All in all, I'm very disappointed but would like to address the matter as i feel quite strongly about it.Question is , what are my options?who can i complain to?Can i complain to a government dept?I think i read somewhere that questions can only be asked that is pertinet to your ability to do the job - nothing else. advice please?

Trampas

What questions did he ask and what did he say

BennyBlanko

Stuff like - am i a gambling man?Do you have a good relationship with your parents - BS like that.

Bill-e

Ya, what were these irrelevant questions?

TBH an interviewer is well entitled to ask you anything. As long as it's not inappropriate like: "Are you single?" etc...

I'm a software developer and one time in an interview I was asked what I think would be an appropriate method for solving the water problem in Galway... It put me well out of my zone. I think I did OK with it I got the job.
They do it to put you off and into an uncomfortable place, to see how you act in such a position. If the interviewer just asked you about topics you are sure of then they wouldn't really get to know you.

I don't think I'd bother complaining about it tho. There's not much point.

Bill-e

BennyBlanko wrote: »

Stuff like - am i a gambling man?Do you have a good relationship with your parents - BS like that.

I think the gambling is fine. Trying to gauge if you will risk project deadlines and so forth/risk assesment...

But asking about your relationship with your parents... w.t.f That's a funky one

Wolff

have had interviews like that before im afraid - gods only knows what he thought asking those questions- best thing to do is get on with other interviews and dont dwell too much - chalk it up to experience.

Remember he was recruited by the same company so do you really want to work with an idiot like that.

Panel interviews are always hard going as a lot of the interviewers are trying as much to impress/stress each other as to actually interview you for the job

What type of job was it for ?

Zascar

How big is the company? Is there a HR department you can complain to? Was this through a recruiter? Definitely take this as far as you can. Write a very detailed lettter and send it to all of his seniors copying all the people on the Panel.

Let it known that there is no way you would want to work for a company that behaves like this. No one should be subjected to this type of abuse in an interview.

Can I ask what sort of job it is, and what kind of company etc?

Please keep us updated as to what happens

seamus

I would make a complaint to their HR department or to your recruiter if you dealt with one.

If going for the former option, best to do it in a letter, addressed to someone specifically (not just "HR Dept") and be civil and clear about what you're complaining about.

Some people have this ridiculous idea that the way to guage a good candidate is to see how well they do with strange or irrelevant questions.
Microsoft were apparently the first to introduce this, back when they could do no wrong. Because MS were huge, every other wannabe company in the world copied the technique. Microsoft realised that gauging someone on their ability to think about absurd questions in a 30 second time slot was in fact, not the way to get the best candidates and promptly abandoned the technique.

But a whole host of HR idiots still think it's a good idea.

PurpleBerry

I'm sorry to hear that you didn't get the job. The only positive spin that could possibly be put on this is at least you won't have to work with/for these nutters. But I know that doesn't help when you have bills to pay.

Congratulate yourself for not losing your head and take what you've learned from this interview and apply it to your next similiar one. In an interview situation it's normal to feel that you have to answer all questions but if you are asked personal or intrusive questions then don't answer if you feel uncomfortable. Ask politely "May I ask how this is relevant to the position?"
You don't have to be rude about it.

Nolanger

That's nothing - I went to an bank graduate interview a few years ago.
The waiting room was full of candiates but I got called first - strange, got asked was I on medication, got told they don't believe my answers. The hotel receptionist then told me they were all Garda. Never got the results from the interview. Without a doubt the strangest and funniest experience ever been through.

BenjAii

Benny, if the company is large enough to have a HR department, I would write a calm and respectful letter outlining the shortcomings in their recruitment technique. Any HR person worth their salt would be grateful for this information; its in no ones interest that the company is doing such a terrible job with interviewing.

But I would echo others here, you got off lightly. Imagne having to work for these dysfunctional idiots ? There is nothing worse than that, far better to wait a bit longer to end up somewhere you can work productively, with people you can like and respect.

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

easyontheeye

i think had i been in that situation the direction of that interview would have went as follows... (taken from a film )


Interviewer:
Tell us about Rachel Banks.



We keep in touch. We-We toss one another some work every once in awhile. That's it.

Did you have an affair with her four years ago?


applicant
You ever beat off in the shower, Brian?

Hmm? You ever have any homosexual thoughts?


interviewer- Bobby, that is...

applicant- None of my ****ing business! You're damn right it's not!

kmick

I'd move on with your life. Do you really want to waste any more time on a company as crazy as that? Writing letters to HR departments is a time wasting exercise akin to chasing your tail.

macaroni+cheese

Everyone here has better advice than I could hope to give. Its too bad, but imagine working for the dinks. Nothing worse than being in a bad job, with horrible employers. Count your blessings.

BennyBlanko

Thanks for all the replies and support. to answer some questions, it was a GM role for a large organistation.
The panel that interviewed were not from the company itself, they were hired in/contracted in to conduct the interviews and make their recommendation.
It was a GRILLIN' session looking back. Never was I made so uncomfortable with the tone and line of questioning, most of which was not pertinet to the ability to do the job. It was a competency based interview or at least was meant to be as at application stage i had to submitt my competencys in key areas to get to interview stage.
I feel really hard done by.Re; macoroni and cheezes remark "Nothing worse than being in a bad job, with horrible employers. Count your blessings" WELL, i would'nt have been working for the interviewers, they were drafted in and i still do want to work for that co as it would be brilliant. Is there a Gov body to complain to? Employment rights commissioners etc?

flash harry

FIRST and foremost if you havent been rejected yet(?) do nothing in caase you handled it.....

If they are external consultants Im guessing they were from a large well known business consultancy if there were 4 of them....

BennyBlanko

No, sorry Flash, I did'nt get the job regrettably.
I got the dear John letter Yesterday.

and no, they were from 4 seperate other co's - i researched/googled their names etc.

ntlbell

count your blessings and move on

in future if your not happy with the questions tell them that tell them to stop wasting your time and you wont waste theirs and walk out

utter nonsense.

dudara

You really should contact the HR department of the company you applied to. They have a right to expect a certain level ofservice from any external contractors that they hired, and it doesn't sound like that was the case here.

Zascar

I totally disagree with the people who have said move on and forget about it. If you do not make a serious complaint then you can bet that several others will probably go through exactly the same experience you did, and I'm sure you would not want that. If someone before you had made a complaint, maybe you would not have been treated with such disrespect.

An interview for a high end job such as GM of a company should be conducted appropriately.

dats_right

Most of us will face a grilling type interview at some stage in our careers. You must remember that you were interviewing for quite a senior role and many of the questions were probably as much to gauge your ability to think/act under pressure and how you conduct yourself than hearing the usual pre-prepared answers about why you want to work for their organistaion or what you think you can bring to the role.

Really the only legal requirements for an interview are that they don't discriminate against you on any one of the nine unlawful grounds (gender, marital status, sexual orientation, family status, religion, age, disability, race and membership of the travelling community). Unless you think that your treatment was based on one of these grounds, well then essentially the interviewers can take a dislike to you on any other ground whatsoever. There is no legislation that says interviewers have to be polite or nice.

It is a fact of life that, for whatever reasons, not everybody is going to like us. That doesn't mean we can sue them becuase our feelings are hurt. In this life thick-skin is often required, you should probably just move on, unless of course you've been discriminated against on one of the above grounds.

albert-bundy

did you ask about the relevence of the question,it may have been designed to get a responce it may be a sbt...sneeky bastards test

gerrycollins

do you know why you were rejected for the post?

do you feel that a complaint will return anything?

if you do want to take it further talk to a legal eagle in employment law because challenging your rejection based on a bad/funny interview can be tricky. alot of records should have been kept and requires careful scrunity. they can ask what they want so long as they dont offend your equal status rights or ask a certain personal questions.

Dont go shouting your mouth off or contacting them.

If however u just want to let rip then write to them but keep a record.

pickarooney

dats_right wrote: »

Really the only legal requirements for an interview are that they don't discriminate against you on any one of the nine unlawful grounds (gender, marital status, sexual orientation, family status, religion, age, disability, race and membership of the travelling community).

To ensure that they don't discriminate on these grounds, they're not really supposed to ask questions related to them (although, gender, race and age are kind of out in the open).

Darragh29

Name & shame OP, so others won't have to suffer the indignity of that nonsense. I'd say you'll see more of this type of crap emerging now with it being an employers market, especially within companies that are not well run. I had a similar situation happen to me once and I got the job but had a gut feeling about one person interviewing me and it turned out that after I took the job, which was in hindsight, a big mistake, I had to throw it in because I couldn't do what I had been hired to do because this individual who I had a funny feeling about in the interview, kept obstructing everything I tried to move forward. It's a blessing in disguise that you didn't get the job, just imagine what those people would be like to work for...

Darragh29

Zascar wrote: »

I totally disagree with the people who have said move on and forget about it. If you do not make a serious complaint then you can bet that several others will probably go through exactly the same experience you did, and I'm sure you would not want that. If someone before you had made a complaint, maybe you would not have been treated with such disrespect.

An interview for a high end job such as GM of a company should be conducted appropriately.

The most appropriate form of response is for the OP to name & shame that company.

Ivory

I have interviewed many people as part of an interview panel. You don't know what a questioner's agenda is and you are not privy to the conversation after you leave. The panel member that bothered to go after you with all the tough questions was possibly the only one that thought you were worth the effort. Don't jump to conclusions about people.
Questions at interviews are often not relevant to the job in hand. Let's face it, the candidate usually doesn't have a clue about the job, the question is whether s/he is suitable and trainable. Thence the seemingly irrelevant questions. Maybe they just wanted to generate a general conversation to see if you all like each other. That's perfectly legitimate.
Lastly, and I assume you are looking for frankness since you have posted publicly about this problem: maybe it is yourself that is the problem, not the interviewers. I don't know you and maybe your post doesn't illustrate what you are really like, but if it does, you are a whiner and I wouldn't want you working with me. I suggest an attitude adjustment. Sorry.

BennyBlanko

Ivory wrote: »

I have interviewed many people as part of an interview panel. You don't know what a questioner's agenda is and you are not privy to the conversation after you leave. The panel member that bothered to go after you with all the tough questions was possibly the only one that thought you were worth the effort. Don't jump to conclusions about people.
Questions at interviews are often not relevant to the job in hand. Let's face it, the candidate usually doesn't have a clue about the job, the question is whether s/he is suitable and trainable. Thence the seemingly irrelevant questions. Maybe they just wanted to generate a general conversation to see if you all like each other. That's perfectly legitimate.
Lastly, and I assume you are looking for frankness since you have posted publicly about this problem: maybe it is yourself that is the problem, not the interviewers. I don't know you and maybe your post doesn't illustrate what you are really like, but if it does, you are a whiner and I wouldn't want you working with me. I suggest an attitude adjustment. Sorry.

Total B0llox. I have'nt logged on for a while and just saw that reply. How the hell can you offer up all this insight when you were not there to witness the body language, pure guess work on your part and comment worth nothing.

ALFIET

seamus wrote: »

I would make a complaint to their HR department or to your recruiter if you dealt with one.

If going for the former option, best to do it in a letter, addressed to someone specifically (not just "HR Dept") and be civil and clear about what you're complaining about.

Some people have this ridiculous idea that the way to guage a good candidate is to see how well they do with strange or irrelevant questions.
Microsoft were apparently the first to introduce this, back when they could do no wrong. Because MS were huge, every other wannabe company in the world copied the technique. Microsoft realised that gauging someone on their ability to think about absurd questions in a 30 second time slot was in fact, not the way to get the best candidates and promptly abandoned the technique.

But a whole host of HR idiots still think it's a good idea.

As a HR practitioner ( and hopefully not an idiot) I find that any contrived Interview Questions are prob not the best approach to recruitment.

That covers questions like you were posed or even the stereotypical "so where do you see yourself in 5 years" mallarkey!!!

A down to earth chat can throw up more about the candidate without the candidate even knowing half of what they have revealed to me has served me fair better over the years.

Thats not to say I havent made some bad hiring decisions.. we all do... but all in all I am proud of my hiring record and my interview style.

Having said that I would never ask about someones relationship with their parents... whatever the motivation behind this it was ill advised to ask...

A simple well versed and unemotional letter to either the HR dept or recruiter to state that we felt let down by the process in terms of some of the questions asked and felt it gave a overall poor reflection on the company would be ok but i certainly would not go overboard. I would still thank them for their time in taking the interview and wish them the best in the future. Its a small world out there... everyone knows everyone. Dont blacken your name too much.... and take it on the chin... put it down to experience and count your lucky stars .....

it could have been worse... they could have hired you!!!

BennyBlanko

ALFIET wrote: »

As a HR practitioner ( and hopefully not an idiot) I find that any contrived Interview Questions are prob not the best approach to recruitment.

That covers questions like you were posed or even the stereotypical "so where do you see yourself in 5 years" mallarkey!!!

A down to earth chat can throw up more about the candidate without the candidate even knowing half of what they have revealed to me has served me fair better over the years.

Thats not to say I havent made some bad hiring decisions.. we all do... but all in all I am proud of my hiring record and my interview style.

Having said that I would never ask about someones relationship with their parents... whatever the motivation behind this it was ill advised to ask...

A simple well versed and unemotional letter to either the HR dept or recruiter to state that we felt let down by the process in terms of some of the questions asked and felt it gave a overall poor reflection on the company would be ok but i certainly would not go overboard. I would still thank them for their time in taking the interview and wish them the best in the future. Its a small world out there... everyone knows everyone. Dont blacken your name too much.... and take it on the chin... put it down to experience and count your lucky stars .....

it could have been worse... they could have hired you!!!

Thanks for the measured and informed comment ALF.
It can't be much worse, i could have done that job standing on my head and excelled in it and i needed it too - i got commitments, family,mortgage,loans,bills, the works. Still, we move on....or try to in this recession......

AARRRGH

BennyBlanko wrote: »

Is there a Gov body to complain to? Employment rights commissioners etc?

What are you going to say - the interviewer was rude?!

Unless they asked questions along the lines of gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, membership of the Traveller community there is little you can do.

ALFIET

BennyBlanko wrote: »

Thanks for the measured and informed comment ALF.
It can't be much worse, i could have done that job standing on my head and excelled in it and i needed it too - i got commitments, family,mortgage,loans,bills, the works. Still, we move on....or try to in this recession......

I know it cant have been easy to go through and it will never be easy as you go back through the whole experience in your mind once you have left the interview. This is natural process.

I take it you didnt apply through a recruitment agent? They would normally be your first point of call re an interview

It is unfortunate when companies utilise these outside consultants to spear head their recruitment but it is common practice at snr mngt level.
It is also common practice for these level interviews to be more demanding and emotionally tougher.. For some reason it is considered fair game to conduct a personally challenging interview to see how the candidate responds to tough situations. There is some validity to this approach but still I would never advocate the use of questions like how you get on with your parents...

I would challenge people based on their competencies and ability to cope with difficult situations but even i feel sorry for the candidate when i conduct these type of interviews as there is no let up. It is pretty intense and i will come across like i dont like the person.

This does nothing to make you feel better and i am sorry for the experience you have had but i also know that at GM level, it wouldnt be appropriate to complain too much unless there was a breach of prevailing legislation.

My mum used to say if its for you it wont pass you.... there is some truth in that... just get yourself mentally prepared for the next door as it opens... dont carry this interview experience with you into the next or it will sour the impression you make...

BennyBlanko

AARRRGH wrote: »

What are you going to say - the interviewer was rude?!

Unless they asked questions along the lines of gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, membership of the Traveller community there is little you can do.

AARRRGH, please tell us something we don't know. Now go away.

Alun

ALFIET wrote: »

As a HR practitioner ( and hopefully not an idiot) I find that any contrived Interview Questions are prob not the best approach to recruitment.

That covers questions like you were posed or even the stereotypical "so where do you see yourself in 5 years" mallarkey!!!

A down to earth chat can throw up more about the candidate without the candidate even knowing half of what they have revealed to me has served me fair better over the years.

+1000

I'm not an "HR practitioner" but in the past I've conducted a good few interviews, and am in complete agreement with you that people reveal their true selves much more readily and accurately (without realising it) when they're at ease than if you put them under pressure with contrived questions seemingly plucked from the pages of "Interviewing Techniques for Dummies".

mark renton

I would just simply make a note to the company about the interview process. One thing to note though, interviewers minds are generally made up before they even know it....

AARRRGH

BennyBlanko wrote: »

AARRRGH, please tell us something we don't know. Now go away.

Nice person.

BennyBlanko

ALFIET wrote: »

I know it cant have been easy to go through and it will never be easy as you go back through the whole experience in your mind once you have left the interview. This is natural process.

I take it you didnt apply through a recruitment agent? They would normally be your first point of call re an interview

It is unfortunate when companies utilise these outside consultants to spear head their recruitment but it is common practice at snr mngt level.
It is also common practice for these level interviews to be more demanding and emotionally tougher.. For some reason it is considered fair game to conduct a personally challenging interview to see how the candidate responds to tough situations. There is some validity to this approach but still I would never advocate the use of questions like how you get on with your parents...

I would challenge people based on their competencies and ability to cope with difficult situations but even i feel sorry for the candidate when i conduct these type of interviews as there is no let up. It is pretty intense and i will come across like i dont like the person.

This does nothing to make you feel better and i am sorry for the experience you have had but i also know that at GM level, it wouldnt be appropriate to complain too much unless there was a breach of prevailing legislation.

My mum used to say if its for you it wont pass you.... there is some truth in that... just get yourself mentally prepared for the next door as it opens... dont carry this interview experience with you into the next or it will sour the impression you make...

Thanks ALF. Warming words there - appreciated.

ntlbell

BennyBlanko wrote: »

Thanks ALF. Warming words there - appreciated.

why didn't you just start a thread asking for a cuddle?

you would of got a much better response

AARRRGH

ntlbell wrote: »

why didn't you just start a thread asking for a cuddle?

you would of got a much better response

(Made me laugh)

mark renton

Hey NTLBELL... get your chaps into this
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055468059

BennyBlanko

AARRRGH wrote: »

(Made me laugh)

Does'nt take much to amuse you.

BennyBlanko

ntlbell wrote: »

why didn't you just start a thread asking for a cuddle?

you would of got a much better response

Do you understand Karma, Bell? Well, look it up - and stop being such a smart arse.

Harris

Did you get another job since, Benny?
Hope so. Do tell.

And could you find out what poor sucker got the job you originally went for, and see if they got the same treatment at the interview?

Xiney

Did you ever write a letter or get any answer on why the interview was so odd, Benny?


Oh, and don't mind ntlbell and AAARGH. The former is a troll and the latter used to be a recruitment agent (and god knows there's a special place in hell for the recruitment agents)

eth0_

BennyBlanko wrote: »

AARRRGH, please tell us something we don't know. Now go away.

Cop on or I will ban you.

Mrs OBumble

WTF: the OP was applying for a General Manager's job in a large organisation, and didn't expect an interview that was tough, personal, and involved difficult questions and personalities??? And then they're using boards.ie as an appropriate forum to seek opinions on what to do about it.

Yeah, right.

Any serious candidate for the position would be well versed in handling difficult situations and people, would understand enough about employment law to know what is and isn't allowed, and would have far better professional networks to consult.

Either the interviewers gave you a go on a very vague off chance, or this entire thread is trolling. I'm picking the latter.

BennyBlanko

JustMary wrote: »

I'm picking the latter.

whatever Mary/:rolleyes:

RMD

Well the gambling one isn't totally irrelevant, it's gauging how trustworthy you could be or how much of a risk are you willing to take.

The parents question is a bit odd, he could have been checking what your relationship is like with a form of authority but even for that it's still quite odd.

thebman

I wouldn't complain TBH. It will most likely just paint you as a whiner and the company won't pay any attention to your remarks anyway.

Would you if you got a letter from someone who didn't get a job in your company saying they weren't happy with the interview?

Nothing to be gained from complaining TBH. Better off to just apply else where and forget about the nonsense questions.

I don't understand some of the questions you were asked. I mean who in their right mind would actually answer that their personal relationships are in the crapper, even if that was the case? It wouldn't make any sense to say that. It could have been a test to see if you'd tell them to back off or just take it. Or they could have wanted to see if you had a stable situation so that you won't have more stress at home building up on top of work stress.

Are any of the posters who agree with the OP employers? I think you might have a different opinion if you saw it from an employers perspective.

If your the GM of a company the fate if the company is largely in your hands. Your personal life will have a big impact on your performance. If I was employing a GM to run my company damn right I would ask tricky questions like are you a gambler.

Benny, if I were you I wouldnt be so sensitive about it. If someone asked me about my parents in an interview Id say they are great people and I get on well with them, that would be a good answer. If they asked me was a gambler Id say no. But maybe its not worth getting upset about it.
Perhaps nailing down the reasons you didnt get the job and improving for your next interview should be what you take from this