Horrid Interview question

DEmeant0r

I was just in an interview, it was short and unpersonal. Well one of the questions he asked me was why amn't I working right now... I didn't really know how to answer that so I just said it is because I'm in University right now.

Well really, if I already had a job, why would I be going to an interview... crappy interviewer/boss

Karl Hungus

Well a lot of people try and get a job lined up first, and go to interviews before quitting their previous jobs.

luckat

Not a place you want to work....

Though it might give you a pointer - perhaps you should do a placement for a few weeks in a firm of the kind you're training to work in? Hmm. Saturday-morning grammar.

DEmeant0r

luckat wrote:

Not a place you want to work....

Though it might give you a pointer - perhaps you should do a placement for a few weeks in a firm of the kind you're training to work in? Hmm. Saturday-morning grammar.

No, it is a place where I'd want to work, whether or not it's an unpersonal workplace. It's KC Blakes in Galway, and since it's always packed it means they can afford to give high wages, but yeah, that didn't go so well.

Funny thing is these employers all look for well experienced staff, and if you're just starting out you haven't got a blind bat's eye's chance of getting it. How can you get experience without a job, when every job requires experience?

Zaph0d

Some interviewers ask questions they expect you to find difficult to answer so that they can see how you cope with stress. As most of these questions are predictable (eg what are your weaknesses?), if you have prepared answers for them it shows that you cared enough about the job to get ready for the interview. It helps to narrow down the candidates if the job is oversubscribed. Most interviewers prioritise those who are available right now so the interviewer is just giving you some rope to hang yourself with and expects you to answer with something like 'I took a few months off to look after an elderly relative'.

A classic question designed to get you to hang yourself is to ask whether you've ever had a bad experience with a boss. Any anwer that comes anywhere close to criticising a former boss automatically excludes you as a troublesome type, and someone without the cop to lie when needed.

other standard questions:
where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
how do you explain the gaps in your CV?
why did you leave your last job?
how much do you want to earn?
how do you think you are doing so far?
how many other jobs have you applied for?

the interviewer just wants to see how you handle these questions rather than gain any information about you.

Kobie

While a lot of what Zaph0d says is true, in my experience most interviewers haven't got the faintest idea what they're doing and would much rather be somewhere else. They don't have any defined strategies & ask particular questions because they heard someone else ask them.

I had a gap in the CV a couple of years ago and had countless interviews with smug little sh!ts who treated it like a black mark on my soul. I hope it keeps fine for them. Personally I was just honest about it - what can you do when you're trying your best & it's people like them that are the reason for the gap?

Interviewing is just one of those things in life where you just have to grin and bear it.

Good Luck.
K.

DEmeant0r

Yup, the interviewer seemed smug, and I don't like his tone either, it was very unpersonal and seemed like he was angry at me...

Our man in Havana

name and shame

WhiteWashMan

its called a stress test interview, and it is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable.
looks like it worked.

its not a widely used technique, and i have never employed it, but i have been on the recieiving end of it. to be honest, if you have workled over your cv, know most of the types of questions you will be asked and can talk about any part of your cv comfortably, there really shouldnt be any problems.

when you go into an interview underprepared, then even the simplest question like 'what where you doing in this time that is not represented on your cv' can make you feel awkward and get you defensive.

its true that most interviewers dont have ac lue about interviewing, but you should use that to your advantage. they are asking questions they feel are relevent to the job. if you can answer those, youve got yourself a job. if you come across a professional interviewer, the questions will be more mixed and varied, and they will try to engage you on a range of questions to get various responses and emotions from you.

but if you are not prepared on your cv, then prepare to fail.