View Full Version : Interview questions
Please post an interview question that you've had at an interview. It can be anything you want.
-One that you weren't prepared for and really stumped you.
-One that you are ALWAYS asked in every interview you've ever had.
-Your favorite one to answer.
-The one you hate the most.
-The one you've always wondered how to answer.
You get the idea. Let's hear it.
-One that you weren't prepared for and really stumped you.
-One that you are ALWAYS asked in every interview you've ever had.
-Your favorite one to answer.
-The one you hate the most.
-The one you've always wondered how to answer.
1. If you could name your own salary and worth, what would it be?
2. What can you bring to this organization?
3. When can you start?
4. #2. (Didn't you read the damn resume, etc?)
5. Why should we hire you over so and so? (I don't want to badmouth people, etc.... but I never know if they are looking for the agressive or passive....)
The strangest one I've ever been asked was "what would you do if someone was bleeding in front of you and you suspected they had AIDS?" In hindsight, it was a job at a prison, but I wasn't expecting it. The correct answer was "assume everyone has AIDS" which kind of makes me glad I didn't get the job in the end.
Worst one was when I was asked to give an example of time management. My mind went blank (despite having a perfect example from the week before at my then current job) and I mumbled something about cooking a meal and having to ensure everything was ready at the same time. I started kicking myself the second I finished speaking.
The easiest 'interview' I've had was for my current job. My boss gave me the job because I amused her by quoting from the movie Highlander. My career path has taken me in some weird directions.
trlcavscout
08-09-2010, 13:00
THEM: Why should we hire you?
ME: Because I have already shot my quota of people so you don't have to worry about me going postal.
THEM: We will be calling for second interviews in a couple days, don't wait for the call.
ME: Can I take some of those cookies home with me?
Question I hated the most (both when I was interviewed, and when I was administering them): Assume I'm hiring you to replace me, so I can be promoted. What can you do that relates to the job, that you can do better than I can?
Never really have had an interview, but when I was underwater welding the super gave a little saftey speech
" don't worry about sharks, they Will find you.
Sharks like people in black wet suits.
You and your partner are responsible for your saftey, if a shark comes close swim, the faster one of you wil probably make it.
OK hit the water."
CrufflerSteve
08-09-2010, 13:23
As an engineer, I've been given a white board and told to show how I'd solve a problem.
There's also the BS questions like 'Name your faults." If they're handing out BS I'll give it back. "I'm a perfectionist and I try too hard getting ti right."
Steve
"It's hard to be humble,, when your perfect in everyway"
Bailey Guns
08-09-2010, 14:06
JeffCo Sheriff's interview in 1989. Little, short corporal named Ron R. asked this question of me:
Q: What's the strangest thing you've ever done sexually?
A: Uhhh...you mean like with animals or people? Ha, ha, ha!
(Nervous laughter from other board members...I'm not sure they were prepared for the question/answer)
I got hired.
Zundfolge
08-09-2010, 14:14
The easiest 'interview' I've had was for my current job. My boss gave me the job because I amused her by quoting from the movie Highlander.
Is her name Candy?
A riddle: How would you file an ax?
If we got you this modeling job would you be able to pay the $600 fee today?
If 42 is the answer to the question. What is the question?
Answers.
I would file it under "a".
I'm here to make money not loose it. That's why I'm looking for a job. BTW the modeling job wasn't guaranteed.
The greatest question in the universe has to be "How many times they say bup in the surfing bird song." I didn't know for sure if that helped but it showed I have quick recall of trivial facts.
funkfool
08-09-2010, 14:54
At the end of the interview for my current job... (programmer) I was asked to solve "the river" math problem...
And provide the answer to the relative effect of the motion.
If you've never heard of it...
Rowing upstream, a man dropped a hat into the river. Ten minutes
later, he reversed direction, rowed downstream, and retrieved the
hat 1 km downstream from where he had dropped it. If the river
flows at a constant rate, and Pat rows at a constant rate (relative to
the river), what is the river’s rate, in km/hr?
But - I did get it right... took 2 minutes...
funkfool
08-09-2010, 15:10
kashmir
lol So what was the answer to the river question? And how did you do it? I always like algebra but I haven't got to use it yet to save my life. Like Tom Hanks did in Castaway.
Is her name Candy?Nope, Heather :D
Question I hated the most (both when I was interviewed, and when I was administering them): Assume I'm hiring you to replace me, so I can be promoted. What can you do that relates to the job, that you can do better than I can?
This is a strange question, as you wouldn't know anything about how that person does his/her job unless you are interviewing for an internal promotion. I'd probably get myself into trouble and say something like, "Well, I don't know anything about how you do your current job, but I probably wouldn't run an interview off of a pre-printed form like you're doing now."
There's also the BS questions like 'Name your faults." If they're handing out BS I'll give it back. "I'm a perfectionist and I try too hard getting ti right."
Steve
Trap question. Both you and the interviewer know that it is a trap question, but I'd advise against giving the answer you suggested. It is lame and what many people say. Instead, I plan to give a more true, but less related answer. For example, "Well, I wish I could solve complex math problems in my head. I had friends in school that could solve calculus problems in their head and I always admired that ability."
That answer is honest and specific, but not really related to the job (not the one I'm applying for anyway).
I find that off the top of my head I tend to struggle with "Name a time that...." questions. I'm sure I have examples, but since those scenarios are just part of the job, nothing ever stands out for me. In the past I've never really prepared for interviews (I never had any career jobs before) and did okay. Now I'm finally in a place that I can better answer questions though.
I'm actually excited to answer the "What can you bring to the company?" question, because for the first time in my life, I feel like I finally have something to bring to a company.
Story time. At my first corporate, big boy job out of college, I was asked about a time that I had to solve a problem at work, but didn't have anyone to turn to for help. I told them the story of the time I was the opening delivery drive at Papa John's. The opening driver and a manager open the store, so it is only those two people there until about noon or 1 o'clock. If an order came in, the driver would deliver it and the manager would stay in the store to run the till, take calls, etc. The problem was that my manager came in hung over from the night before. So hung over in fact, that he was still drunk and passed out in his office shortly after the first few orders came in. I couldn't leave the store with him sleeping on the floor (under the desk with his feet on the chair) of the office, but I had to make the deliveries at the same time. Fortunately, as I was looking for the number of another person to call, his friend just happened to stop by the store for a visit. I convinced the friend to hang out in the store at the register and tell people that the system was down and take orders by hand. This guy came around a lot and could make the food just fine. He protested, but I convinced him to just stay while I made the two deliveries and we'd figure out what to do when I got back. I left the story at that and I got the job. They really liked that answer.
The rest of the story is that when I got back, my manager was awake and in the bathroom. His buddy was mopping the clean floor however. When I asked why he was mopping my clean floor, I found out that the manager had pissed himself while he was passed out in the office. He came out of the bathroom and said that he needed to move his truck to the back of the building. I told him that I'd do it. He reached in his pocket and handed me his keys with a soaking wet leather key fob on it. I cringed as I took them and he said, "Hey Stu! Have you been pissing in my pocket?!" I told him that even though that was funny, I wasn't in the mood for his drunk bullshit.
StagLefty
08-09-2010, 16:00
I was too pissed to post this a few weeks ago but I went through an interview process recently that took about 2 hours. Job was to manage a facilities team. Interview was going well - I thought-until I was asked if I spoke Spanish. That is a requirement for this position I was told. My response was why wasn't this on the job posting or at least why wasn't it brought up during phone conversation. I was pissed to say the least. I had just wasted 2 hours and I pretty much lost it with the interviewer. I'm an American in my own homeland so why should I have to speak Spanish ? I don't respond to jobs that say being bi-lingual is a plus because I'm not and have no intention of becoming bi-lingual. WTF [Rant1]
I was working on becoming bi-lingual a while ago, but fell off the bandwagon (have to do Rosetta Stone every single day and it wears on you). I totally agree that they should have posted up immediately that the position required you to be bi-lingual. They wasted a lot of both of your time.
I find that off the top of my head I tend to struggle with "Name a time that...." questions. I'm sure I have examples, but since those scenarios are just part of the job, nothing ever stands out for me. In the past I've never really prepared for interviews (I never had any career jobs before) and did okay. Now I'm finally in a place that I can better answer questions though.
Those are crappy questions. Most of the time it's about things you do on a daily basis and oughtn't remember specifically. A lot of the questions are really meaningless, but people feel like they must ask something, and don't realize they'd be better off setting up a test instead. Like for IT stuff, you take some computers or an environment, create a few failures and require some tasks to be executed, but nothing specific to the environment that they couldn't know.
That's why networking (not the computer kind here!) is so important -- you can reduce the impact of "I don't know them, don't know what they want, they don't know me" and maybe that whole dance of how much do you want to get paid vs. what is the pay range they are offering. I've had a pretty good glib answer on the last lately. I tell them I won't expect the same salary I had at my last company if they promise not to make me live in a dusty crappy desert and won't shoot at me.
funkfool
08-09-2010, 16:23
River answer...
Forget about the river...
Just forget about it...
http://www.randall.k12.wi.us/gifs/canoe.gif
He didn't notice for ten minutes... had to go back ten minutes...
20 minutes total....
so...
1km in 1/3 of an hour.
1*3=3
The rate of change of position, or v = 3km per hour.
http://www.gifs.net/Animation11/Sports/Canoes_and_Sailboats/Canoe.gif
Displacement over time.
The river is a distraction from the equation...
You start thinking about the river and all the implications - when they specifically state: "the river flows at a constant rate".
Ignore it.
[Tooth]
Jumpstart
08-09-2010, 16:26
Questions I hate:
1.What are your strengths/weaknesses?
2. When was the last time you "thought out of the box".
Number 2 is an ironic question if they are reading it off of a sheet of paper.
I also don't know what to do with questions about achievements and times that you saved the company millions of dollars. I haven't done that. I show up to work and do my job. Those questions are in the same class as any questions about management. The corporate world is very focused on having a company full of managers and weeding out everyone else.
What am I supposed to say if I DON'T want to manage people? I've noticed that when I apply for claims positions, it goes over fine if I tell them that sales is not my cup of tea, they totally understand. If it was, I wouldn't be applying for the position. I kind of feel the same way about entry level positions as well. I was talking to the Regional VP of a company we sold insurance with, and the only question he asked me was, "Are you looking to get into management?" I wasn't sure how to answer that question. I want to be honest and tell them that if I was interested in managing people, I'd apply to be a manager, and that right now I'm interested in managing my own files. Unfortunately, saying that you haven't wanted to run a company and be a manager since you were five years-old makes you sound unmotivated.
I hate "What is your biggest weakness?", I don't want to tell you what sucks about me...
Not necessarily a question but part of management jackassery, I have had two different jobs not pan out because HR people decided to not forward my concerns higher up but instead say "Oh, it'll be fine not a problem"
Also just watched this again and thought it was just about right for this thread
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZeJlUD68Hc
BPTactical
08-09-2010, 18:07
Easiest interview I ever had was when I applied to be a weldor for a vendor for Burlington RR. The foreman saw me ride up on the Harley I had at the time and checked it out for about 15 minutes. He finally asked me why I wanted to work there. I simply told him that some day down the road I wanted his job. He hired me on the spot and a year or so later when he went to the front office I was given his job.
I quit 3 months later to go to work for the State[Tooth]
Richard K
08-09-2010, 18:22
JeffCo Sheriff's interview in 1989. Little, short corporal named Ron R. asked this question of me:
Q: What's the strangest thing you've ever done sexually?
A: Uhhh...you mean like with animals or people? Ha, ha, ha!
(Nervous laughter from other board members...I'm not sure they were prepared for the question/answer)
I got hired.
I was a Captain at Jeffco in '89. I probably chaired that board.
Track records and achievements. Talking about track records and achievements questions are one of the hardest for me.
Number 2 is an ironic question if they are reading it off of a sheet of paper.
I also don't know what to do with questions about achievements and times that you saved the company millions of dollars. I haven't done that. I show up to work and do my job. Those questions are in the same class as any questions about management. The corporate world is very focused on having a company full of managers and weeding out everyone else.
What am I supposed to say if I DON'T want to manage people? I've noticed that when I apply for claims positions, it goes over fine if I tell them that sales is not my cup of tea, they totally understand. If it was, I wouldn't be applying for the position. I kind of feel the same way about entry level positions as well. I was talking to the Regional VP of a company we sold insurance with, and the only question he asked me was, "Are you looking to get into management?" I wasn't sure how to answer that question. I want to be honest and tell them that if I was interested in managing people, I'd apply to be a manager, and that right now I'm interested in managing my own files. Unfortunately, saying that you haven't wanted to run a company and be a manager since you were five years-old makes you sound unmotivated.
Zundfolge
08-09-2010, 19:09
I was asked if I spoke Spanish. That is a requirement for this position I was told. My response was why wasn't this on the job posting or at least why wasn't it brought up during phone conversation.
I wonder if HR people get some sort of bonus for wasting peoples' time.
I recently replied to a help wanted ad with my resume and salary history/requirements (just like the ad requested).
Well after a long drawn out interview (full of the latest corporate psychobabble "behavioral interviewing" crap) at the end I caught a glimpse at the HR lady's info sheet on the position and I noticed the top figure on the pay range was a hair over half of what I make now. I didn't say anything at the time but got a nice "thanks but no-thanks" letter a few days latter. Apparently they decided not to offer me the job because they couldn't come close to my salary requirements. [Bang]
Half Live
08-09-2010, 19:25
Once I was asked if I had my own gun.
Byte Stryke
08-09-2010, 19:38
I love it when they have a Bilingual requirement.
I apply and when they call me for an interview if I'm not doing anything that day I go.
"Was Meinst du dep? I kann Einfluss auf Deutsche Gesprächen. möglicherweise meine Grammatik ist nicht perfekt, aber ich kann Deutsche Sprechen.
Verdammten Rassist.
Ausländer RAUS!"
[LOL]
As far as the miss-communication about salary and bi-lingual and crap, I've noticed that many companies have become very "Hands Off" with a lot of stuff that they do now. What happens is they hire a "talent acquisition consultant," and that person goes through all the resumes, picks people they think fit, schedules all the interviews, and just tells the managers when the interviews will be held. This means that the person doing the interview has no clue who you are, and probably just realized that they were going to interview you earlier that week. I've seen, and experienced first hand, how easily this can screw up all kinds of communication. With that middle man in there, hardly anyone has a 100% idea of what is going on.
At the last place I worked, they got rid of the in office HR representatives, and now all HR complaints go to the "home office" half way across the country. I guess the idea is that no one knows anyone, so it's easier to avoid picking sides. Personally, I think it'd be better to have someone in the office all the time to be familiar with the people who might make potential complaints. Anyone who has problems "picking sides" should be relieved of duty.
Combine those two elements of "hands off" and this is what recently happened at the company I used to work for.
There was a job opening in the commercial lines department, and several people from the personal lines department applied. The job was posted both to the public and for internal promotions. Everyone submitted their applications and started waiting. After a while, one girl got an email saying that her interview was scheduled for that Friday. The problem was that the commercial managers had not yet spoken to her manager, as per usual. On Tuesday, this girl went directly to the commercial lines department to confirm with the commercial managers about the interview. They had no idea what she was talking about and told her that they would see what was going on. Turns out, the "talent acquisition consultant" had scheduled the interview, but neglected to tell the commercial department. In the mean time some one else decided to close the position altogether, so by the time the commercial department found out about the interview for Friday, there was no longer a position. So what did they do? They went and grabbed the guy who USED to be the HR guy (he no longer does anything related to HR) and told him to go explain to the girl who had been told that her interview was Friday, that "they" changed their mind altogether about the position, and now no one was getting any interviews. This girl went back to her desk crying, and then told the rest of the applicants from the department that everyone wasted their time because the opening was closed. Who knows if they even bothered to tell the people who were applying from the general public. I feel the worst for the HR guy. I'm sure he wanted to remind him that he isn't HR anymore and to clean up their own mess.
Soooooooooo, all these attempts to "stream line" office flow can lead to some MAJOR fuck ups. Don't even get me started on the new method of customer service surveys (that are outsourced to a call center in another country) and are 50% of employee's performance review.
Any way, you guys have had some good input and I would love to see a few more tonight before I manage to derail the thread any further.
Thanks for the input so far.
Zundfolge
08-09-2010, 21:03
Stuart, thanks for reminding me why I work for a small company.
The problems I have with HR folk are usually compounded by the fact that I'm a Creative and we just do not speak the same language.
I really like that HR guy that I spoke of; he was always fair to everyone. He was such a great HR guy apparently, that they still make him do that position sometimes, only for free now.
Byte Stryke
08-09-2010, 21:27
I really like that HR guy that I spoke of; he was always fair to everyone. He was such a great HR guy apparently, that they still make him do that position sometimes, only for free now.
Ahem, in the Post-Tarp era we call that a "Supplemental Tasking"
Let's not have anymore literary infractions, shall we?
/sarcasm
:D
mrfish83
08-09-2010, 21:54
I've heard: "If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?"
My response: "If I were already a tree, then I didn't have much of a choice, did I?"
It was an odd questions to say the least. Didn't want to work for them anyway!
Yeah, fortunately, I haven't been asked any weird "creative" questions like that. I don't think I'd respond well to one though.
Seamonkey
08-09-2010, 23:49
Please post an interview question that you've had at an interview. It can be anything you want.
-One that you weren't prepared for and really stumped you.
-One that you are ALWAYS asked in every interview you've ever had.
-Your favorite one to answer.
-The one you hate the most.
-The one you've always wondered how to answer.
You get the idea. Let's hear it.
For my current position I was already in Iraq and working for another company. I applied online and received a phone call for the first interview. Turned out the person doing the interview was someone I worked with on circuits before so he already knew my competency levels since we had worked together for a couple months (he was my counter part on another base). He had no clue I applied for the position and I had no clue he worked for that company.
So far the jobs I've applied for are technical so I don't get any of the questions anyone else has mentioned so far. My questions relate to the equipment I work on and it's pretty clear if someone knows it or not.
With that being said, there are a lot of good points being brought up here. If you are in a bind and need to get a job to pay for food then you can't be as picky. If you have a choice and don't have to take the job right away then take the mind set of using the interview to determine if THEY are a good match for you. It's your turn to ask questions of them and you can gauge them by their responses. I understand not everyone has the option to pick and choose but if you do some research into the company, talk to other employees, read their press releases, corporate statements and such you "should" be able to get a feel for them. Do they at least try to take care of their employees or are you just a piece of meat?
In one class the teacher kept talking about Disney and how you have to watch a video before even applying for a job with them. They explain their culture and values to try and make it clear to potential candidates where they are coming from. Personally there are a couple companies that I will never in my life work for yet they are "highly respected" and I'm not going to name them since I don't want to be sued for defamation.
There are a few questions that I want to ask, but I won't because it will make me sound negative.
StagLefty
08-10-2010, 06:54
I've heard: "If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?"
I'm a tree-trees don't talk !!! [Coffee]
funkfool
08-10-2010, 09:55
I also had to diagram op-amps and show a 'correctly functioning' Vt curve and explain how it relates to transconductance (Gm).Interview was a bear... but then they intro'ed me to they other folks in the lab on the team and they were gun guys... so I fit right in!!
Turns out - that was a MAJOR requirement...
Still work there and so do the other guys...
We go shooting together about once a month in the summer...
again next Saturday AM.
[Beer]
[Shotg]
I 'wood' be a Giant Sequoia... or maybe a 'circus tree'...
I have a few questions that I ask during interviews that have served me well in evaluating candidates.
What are you most proud of in your work career?
What are you least proud of in your work career?
If I were to call you last boss, what would he say about you?
How do you rate your skills vs. your peers?
What frustrates you?
What does this job take to do successfully?
Tell me about the last person that you fired?
Tell me about the last person that you hired?
What questions do you have for me?
At the end of the day what one thing do you want me to remember about you?
I have a few questions that I ask during interviews that have served me well in evaluating candidates.
What are you most proud of in your work career? That I was able to make myself a candidate for this position by all the schooling I put myself through.
What are you least proud of in your work career? At my last job, I was trying to make the lateral move into the property position, but the department was so small there were never any openings.
If I were to call you last boss, what would he say about you? He would reflect that I was always in a positive mood, never called in sick, and always picked up new work flow procedures the quickest on the team.
How do you rate your skills vs. your peers? Again, I always seem to be at the top of the learning curve when it comes to new concepts or material.
What frustrates you? When other drivers make lane changes without using their turn signal.
What does this job take to do successfully? The ability to prioritize, stay on task, and stream line work flow. There are often periods of high volume. If you fall behind during slow periods, you will be sure to drown if there is ever a storm or other high volume catastrophe. If you don't finish all your work today, you may not have time tomorrow if a hail storm or tornado rolls through town tonight.
Tell me about the last person that you fired? N/A
Tell me about the last person that you hired? N/A
What questions do you have for me? What system do you use to measure how successful employees are?
How'd I do? Not all of them are the best, but I tried to go off the top of my head.
What kind of questions do you like to hear from the applicant? I don't like to ask about the pay, benefits, or hours because if I thought that they weren't adequate, I wouldn't be applying for the position.
Well done!
The above questions tell me a lot about the applicant's self perception, how articulate they are, how quickly they think and certain personality traits.
You would be surprised how many applicants don't ask questions. That is a fail in my book.
Questions that impress me are related to:
What are the Company politics like?
Tell me about the most successful people in the Company?
What happened to the previous person in the job?
Tell me about the planning and budgeting process in the Company?
Tell me about the products in the Company. Which are most profitable and why? How long are the life cycles?
What is the financial condition of the Company?
How has the economy affected the Company?
blackford76
08-10-2010, 12:07
After establishing my 28 years experience as a mechanic/welder/operator, they ask if I have my own tools, everytime.
"Didn't we just discuss my private service truck? The one with 2 welders, air compressor and crane? Yes, I have my own tools!"
bellavite1
08-10-2010, 12:30
Best answer I got from a candidate (older dude):
"Where do you yourself in five years"
"Well, hopefully above ground...)[ROFL1]
I love it when they have a Bilingual requirement.
I apply and when they call me for an interview if I'm not doing anything that day I go.
"Was Meinst du dep? I kann Einfluss auf Deutsche Gesprächen. möglicherweise meine Grammatik ist nicht perfekt, aber ich kann Deutsche Sprechen.
Verdammten Rassist.
Ausländer RAUS!"
[LOL]
How about Klingon (it's a lot like German).....
Well the interview went pretty well and I should hear something by early next week. It was a different lay out than any other interviews I've done. I was even interviewed by a "peer," just some guy doing the job. Basically so I could ask him questions I might not feel comfortable asking the higher ups (NARK!). lol
Seamonkey
08-11-2010, 00:19
Well the interview went pretty well and I should hear something by early next week. It was a different lay out than any other interviews I've done. I was even interviewed by a "peer," just some guy doing the job. Basically so I could ask him questions I might not feel comfortable asking the higher ups (NARK!). lol
Break a leg!
At least with a peer it's someone doing the job asking the questions, not reading off a clip board.
[Beer]
Oh they all browsed off a clip board. The Peer guy didn't actually ask me about anything.
Everyone I interviewed with had actually done the job at one point. The last guy (and highest up) would read the paper and say stuff like, "Well it says this, but that's bullshit." He was pretty cool.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU UUUUUU
Just venting my frustration from not having heard anything yet. It's really probably not that big of a deal that they told me to expect a call by Monday or Tuesday, and I haven't heard anything. It just feels like a big deal to me because I'm pretty pumped at this opportunity.
For those of you who hire people, do you think it's a big deal if I call them tomorrow? They set specific expectations and then didn't meet them. I need to know asap as I've gone ahead and applied at other places that have already contacted me. However, I want THIS job, so I'd like to know so I can plan my next move.
ChunkyMonkey
08-18-2010, 21:20
Nothing wrong with pursuing a position you want aggressively - just don't sound desperate. I started out my last two jobs as a free - pro bono position because they simply didn't have any openings. Once they see what value I could bring in, they offered me full time etc.
I also love to interview the interviewer. Pre-emp any question they might have and stay in control of the conversation.
gcrookston
08-19-2010, 07:11
Please post an interview question that you've had at an interview. It can be anything you want.
-One that you weren't prepared for and really stumped you. If you were an animal, what animal would you be? -- from a leasing company in GA
-One that you are ALWAYS asked in every interview you've ever had. I see by your resume you've moved around a lot...
-Your favorite one to answer. Compensation requirement (A: I'm sure you have a matrix with a range for this position. I feel confident the offer you make based upon my experience and ability will receive my most sincere consideration).
-The one you hate the most. Ever been fired?
-The one you've always wondered how to answer. Where do you want to be in 5 years...
You get the idea. Let's hear it.
Zundfolge
08-19-2010, 08:39
For those of you who hire people, do you think it's a big deal if I call them tomorrow?
I doubt it would, its been long enough that you don't appear over eager and as long as you don't call and pester them a lot you won't come off as too needy.
Its probably been too long, but when I was interviewing for some minions one of them (that I hired) really impressed me by sending me a thank you note after the interview.
That's a trick I plan on using next time I interview for a job.
I sent out my first thank you note to another company that I had a phone interview with a few months ago. I felt pretty good doing it. I realize this is just an excuse, but this time around, I interviewed with 4 different people, tested with another, and was contacted by yet another. So not including all the different people I met with for various orientations, I met with 6 different people. I wrote down all their names, but had difficultly even finding their office numbers. It is a shitty excuse though, because I could have figured it out.
Byte Stryke
08-19-2010, 11:14
-The one you hate the most. Ever been fired?
I have been terminated from a position, However I would like to think of it as more of a learning curve error on my part. Please let me explain.
I failed to understand the full scope of the office politics involved and the specific goals and means to which my colleagues would devise to ensure their own survival with the company.
it wasn't anyone's "Fault" so much as it was an error on my part to foresee collaborative events and adjust accordingly.
I gave that answer(not exactly verbatim) at an interview for Lockheed-Martin.
the HR Manager sat there with a Blank look, the IT Department guys were trying as hard as they could not to burst out laughing
ChunkyMonkey
08-19-2010, 12:01
-The one you hate the most. Ever been fired?
Hehehe..good one.
What about a simple No. They may not ask it to your previous employer(s) anyway.
I've said, "Does getting laid off count?" The lady laughed and said "no, that's fine."
ChunkyMonkey
08-19-2010, 12:06
... or I got fired for trying to quit.
Zundfolge
08-19-2010, 13:35
-The one you hate the most. Ever been fired?
If you haven't been fired from any of the jobs you list on your resume or on the application, I'd say either "no" or talk about how I got fired from my first job at Wendy's at 16 because I couldn't work past 11pm on weekdays.
HAHA. I got fired from a Wendy's back in highschool too! I about burnt the place down when the fry pit caught on fire!! The manager was sued (or whatever happened) by the firechief because the built in fire system wasn't working and we had no extinguishers! HAHA. So, they fired me.
No, I have no clue how the fire started. I hated the job anyways.
At the bottom here is a puzzle you have to solve in order to figure out what email address you send the resume to.
http://blog.reddit.com/2010/08/reddit-is-hiring.html
Off the top of my head I can tell you that B is 86400 and D is 22, the others I'd have to look up or calculate.
Thankfully, I can't work a job that requires an office presence in SF. I already work for a company that's like ten blocks away from them, and SF is a nice place to visit, I couldn't live there.
Anyway, that's the most riddle filled interview question I've seen.
H.
Byte Stryke
08-19-2010, 14:42
At the bottom here is a puzzle you have to solve in order to figure out what email address you send the resume to.
http://blog.reddit.com/2010/08/reddit-is-hiring.html
Off the top of my head I can tell you that B is 86400 and D is 22, the others I'd have to look up or calculate.
Thankfully, I can't work a job that requires an office presence in SF. I already work for a company that's like ten blocks away from them, and SF is a nice place to visit, I couldn't live there.
Anyway, that's the most riddle filled interview question I've seen.
H.
I Love the embedded link on the left side of that Page...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFUlAQZB9Ng
as far as the job I hope I got it right.
I would live in SF if it meant landing a good Job,
Hell I would move to the northern reaches of ND for a good job ;)
See what I did there?
Besides... after working in Kuwait for 3 years at 60-80 hours a week.. it cant be That bad...
I Love the embedded link on the left side of that Page...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFUlAQZB9Ng
as far as the job I hope I got it right.
I would live in SF if it meant landing a good Job,
Hell I would move to the northern reaches of ND for a good job ;)
See what I did there?
Besides... after working in Kuwait for 3 years at 60-80 hours a week.. it cant be That bad...
You applied? Good luck to you. It'd be a pretty awesome job, I think. The guns subreddit is fun, http://reddit.com/r/guns/
H.
Well, they just told me today that they didn't select me. I applied June 30th and today is August 27th. Almost two months for a "no thanks" is pretty disappointing. Thank goodness I've been doing other interviews.
ChunkyMonkey
08-27-2010, 13:50
Well, they just told me today that they didn't select me. I applied June 30th and today is August 27th. Almost two months for a "no thanks" is pretty disappointing. Thank goodness I've been doing other interviews.
Sorry to hear that.. Good luck to you!
We had some really good info going on in here with all the new members. I took the advice about writing a cover letter and wrote one for a job I applied for tonight. I added one little funny tidbit to see if the person reading it was paying attention.
Just wanted to update this thread. I got a job and start soon. It will be a great change I think.
Veyr very cool man CONGRATS!
Troublco
08-31-2012, 17:14
Congrats, Stirving! Hope it's something you like.
"So.. Tell me about yourself.."
That one seem simple but is often the first question. If you nail it, it can control the outcome of the rest of the interview.
You need a "2 minute me" where you talk about your strengths relative to the job. And obviously you want to keep it to about 2 minutes so you don't seem long winded or you also give the appearance of lack of personality.
Crap, just read that you got the job. Congrats and I hope it works out for you.
Crap, just read that you got the job. Congrats and I hope it works out for you.
Glad you responded. This thread had a lot more input from people before the crash. Thanks everyone who responded. Very good input from you guys.
Delfuego
08-31-2012, 18:34
_O6bWb7oEuE
I'm a bit of a perfectionist...
jerrymrc
08-31-2012, 21:53
I think in a few years when I retire IF I decide to get a job for a few years I can imagine the questions.
When I got my last promotion my current boss asked for my current resume.
It was a short notice type of thing since most of us supposedly did not qualify for the job. I just kind of looked at him. He was like, No I need one today. I just laughed. Then I explained that he was 7 years old the last time I put one together. [LOL]
So can we talk to your boss two jobs ago? No, he's dead.[Flower]
I think an interview would be fun at this point in life. ;)
What are you going to be doing now Stu?
I think a big part of me getting the job was that I was practically floating on clouds when I interviewed because I was so pumped up about another opportunity in my life. Having the confidence is a very big factor when interviewing. I've bombed interviews before when the interviewers could tell that I didn't really want the job.
What are you going to be doing now Stu?
I don't want to post where I work anymore, but same thing I was doing before. This place will have better health plan, and I guess they have 401K AND pension. I don't contribute to 401k anymore, and have never, nor will ever expect a pension, but for other people I imagine that is alluring.
Snowman78
08-31-2012, 23:44
I am happy to hear you got a job that you want to do!
DD977GM2
09-01-2012, 12:28
I nterviewed with Baker Hughes INTEQ, got the job BTW, and they asked me the following......
"When you say you will do everything that can possibly done to getdirectional drilling equipment up
and working, what do you mean? Do you violate safety procedures that are inplace or violate JSAs?"
My answer was simple, "Without violating any established safety rules or potential violation to create
a new safety rule/issue, I would go back a few steps to when the issue was not an issue and retry several
things. Sometimes things happen due to PFM (Pure F*cking Magic) and if you go back a few steps sometimes
things will come back online or start working again." Electricians will understand what I mean by this.
I couldnt beleive they asked this as it to me is a question that was a set up by the retard that asked it.
That guy ended up being my boss, I was not excited of his lack of knowledge of directional drilling and field experience.
Also in the same interview they asked me, "Are you ok with traveling and being gone?"
I was switching from an MWD to a DD and it involves being gone the exact same amount of time.
I didnt stay with them for to long as I didnt like how the leadership was.
Time for this thread to be bumped again. We have new members with new experiences and members who need work.
JM Ver. 2.0
01-29-2014, 03:27
Well, they just told me today that they didn't select me. I applied June 30th and today is August 27th. Almost two months for a "no thanks" is pretty disappointing. Thank goodness I've been doing other interviews.
I just read this..... Try nearly 10 months. Then get told "No thanks" because of a MySpace page post from 2005 and that hasn't had any activity in 8 years.
For the record, the agency was concerned about my ability to keep my temper...
5 years with a Sheriff's Office.
No arrests, ever.
No drug use.
No alcohol use.
No school issues.
CCW.
FBI clearance.
Favorable Federal Background Investigation.
4 favorable polygraphs.
2 favorable voice stress analysis tests.
Yet, a MySpace rant from 2005 overshadowed all of that.
And yes, the MySpace page is gone now.
Sent from my teepee using smoke signals.
- How do you feel about frontal male nudity?
OneGuy67
01-29-2014, 09:16
I just read this..... Try nearly 10 months. Then get told "No thanks" because of a MySpace page post from 2005 and that hasn't had any activity in 8 years.
For the record, the agency was concerned about my ability to keep my temper...
5 years with a Sheriff's Office.
No arrests, ever.
No drug use.
No alcohol use.
No school issues.
CCW.
FBI clearance.
Favorable Federal Background Investigation.
4 favorable polygraphs.
2 favorable voice stress analysis tests.
Yet, a MySpace rant from 2005 overshadowed all of that.
And yes, the MySpace page is gone now.
Sent from my teepee using smoke signals.
They are never gone. A person can still pull up closed accounts if you know how.
JM Ver. 2.0
01-29-2014, 10:07
They are never gone. A person can still pull up closed accounts if you know how.
Oh no.... I made sure... Wrote letters and everything.
Sent from my teepee using smoke signals.
OneGuy67
01-29-2014, 10:14
Oh no.... I made sure... Wrote letters and everything.
Sent from my teepee using smoke signals.
Take it from me, they can be resurrected. MySpace itself isn't the only place where the information is stored.
JM Ver. 2.0
01-29-2014, 10:20
Take it from me, they can be resurrected. MySpace itself isn't the only place where the information is stored.
Are you trying to pee in my cereal?
Sent from my teepee using smoke signals.
OneGuy67
01-29-2014, 10:33
Are you trying to pee in my cereal?
Sent from my teepee using smoke signals.
Nope. Just putting it out there for people like yourself and Ronin, who put unfiltered thoughts out into the vastness of the internet. There is a chance if the background investigator is any good, that they might come back to bite you in the ass.
JM Ver. 2.0
01-29-2014, 10:35
Nope. Just putting it out there for people like yourself and Ronin, who put unfiltered thoughts out into the vastness of the internet. There is a chance if the background investigator is any good, that they might come back to bite you in the ass.
I'm not worried about it now. Got my email from the feds the other day..... Everything cleared favorably.
Sent from my teepee using smoke signals.
HoneyBadger
01-29-2014, 10:42
I'm not worried about it now. Got my email from the feds the other day..... Everything cleared favorably.
Sent from my teepee using smoke signals.
Good news!
Unfortunately, what OneGuy67 said is very real... Even if you take something down from Facebook, Twitter, your blog, etc, it is perpetually archived in a data-mining server somewhere and it WILL be found if someone is willing to look deep enough.
This means Joe Shmoe may have some explainin' to do when it comes time for a security clearance, a new job, or maybe even that big day to meet your future in-laws (like in Meet the Parents [LOL]).
Thanks for bumping this. I'm currently looking for new employment and haven't had an interview in 17 years. This definitely gave me some things to consider.
james_bond_007
01-29-2014, 12:08
Job interview in a technical field:
Worst Question: If you were a bagel, what flavor or type would you be and why ?
At one interview I got asked one typical logic question which lead to another that I hadn't been asked before. First is can you explain why a circle is the ideal shape for a man-hole cover. Pretty easy since it can't fall into the opening no matter how you turn it. Then the question that was new to me, is you can't use a circle what is the next best shape. I answered a sphere assuming you didn't need traffic passing over the cover :) The interviewer said no one had ever gone to a 3D object to answer it though what he was looking for was an equilateral triangle.
Leapfrogger2
01-29-2014, 17:45
One weird one that I got was, "if a penguin wearing a sombrero walked into the room, what would he say and why?"
Luckily one of my friends had interviewed with the company before me so I had a slight advantage.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)
-One that you weren't prepared for and really stumped you.
So, is Linda HOT or what? Seriously, that was the first question I got asked at an interview, and Linda was NOT hot.
-One that you are ALWAYS asked in every interview you've ever had.
Do you work better alone or in teams? I always answer: Alone, unless the other team members are also driven and smart, then I can do a team.
-Your favorite one to answer.
NA
-The one you hate the most.
Why do you want to work here? For the money moron!
-The one you've always wondered how to answer.
NA
GunsRBadMMMMKay
01-29-2014, 18:18
A question I was asked at an interview that I hated (because it seemed ridiculously stupid to me) was "What do glow plugs do (in a diesel engine application)"? I started laughing till I realized he was serious............and I did end up getting that job, for what it was worth LOL.
Job interview in a technical field:
Worst Question: If you were a bagel, what flavor or type would you be and why ?
Answer: If I was a bagel, why would I care? Do bagels have a conscience? I was not aware that bagels have become sentient and self-aware. Do any of you believe you are bagels?
hollohas
01-29-2014, 18:48
I actually had to sit down with a shrink for a few hours for a job a took a couple years ago. Mandatory for anyone short listed. Before we sat down to "chat" he gave me a set of cards to sort. Each had some sort comment or idea. He left the room to give me time to sort and said he'd be back in a few. Took me 10 minutes or so to sort the cards into piles that "described me". He didn't come back for like an hour. I think it was some kind of test to see how I would handle sitting in tiny room without any clue what I was supposed to do.
After our chat he gave me a math test and reading/writing test. A week later he called me up because he had some questions about the results...turns out I got like a 98th percentile on the math test and "only" 80th on the reading. He was confused as to why my math score was so much better than my reading...he asked if I had a reading disability. Since when does a 80th percentile equal a ride on the short bus? I explained once again to the guy that I had an engineering degree with the subsequent 6 semesters of advanced math which explained my good score and that my reading score was way better than average so he shouldn't he concerned.
All of that was followed by 6 interviews with executives, (the one with the president was over 2 hours), a hair drug test, credit check, online history check and background check. The online social media check yielded an off the record question about my "dancing". I said "what!?!?!?" I was worried they found some picture I didn't know about that I was super drunk in and didn't remember or something. Turns out another dude with my name is a ballet dancer and had a bunch of pictures online. I cleared up that confusion right away!
That was one weird interview process but I ended up getting the job. With all that you may be thinking the job was in the white house or something. Nope, it was selling light fixtures.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Worst answer:
I am planning to learn everything I can and become your bosses' competitor.
I will dump my product/service into the market to retain more market share, in order to shine my company's top line guidance.
I am very competitive person.
\[LOL]
I don't like the "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" question because I hope to be self employed in that time frame.
XC700116
01-29-2014, 22:29
One of the strangest that I heard was "In the 1980 Winter Olympics, the USA's Mens Hockey team won the gold medal and it was known as the "miracle on ice". Who did they beat in the final round to win the gold?"
This was in Texas and was supposed to stump me, in which case the answer was supposed to be "I don't know but I'll find out and get back to you on it." or worse get me to blurt out the wrong answer as "the miracle" was beating Russia in the previous round. I'm from MN and happen to have a friend who's brother in law that was on that team, so of course I knew the answer was Finland.
So of course I answer the question correctly, which kinda threw the guy asking the question off his game, he replied "I've never had anyone actually know that off the top of their head."
cableguy11
01-30-2014, 01:35
I am from TX and for job interview in Pennsylvania...Are you a Dallas Cowboys Fan? My answer no....which is true! Got the job offer on Monday...
Worst answer:
I am planning to learn everything I can and become your bosses' competitor.
I will dump my product/service into the market to retain more market share, in order to shine my company's top line guidance.
I am very competitive person.
\[LOL]
Nope I was looking for "Doing your wife."
blacklabel
01-30-2014, 19:54
I don't like the "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" question because I hope to be self employed in that time frame.
God, I hate that question.
Kraven251
01-31-2014, 08:53
Questions I loathe:
"Do you have any problem working with homosexuals?"
A: I don't have a problem with anyone as long as they do their job.
Good news!
Good for whom?
Delfuego
01-31-2014, 09:48
One of the strangest that I heard was "In the 1980 Winter Olympics, the USA's Mens Hockey team won the gold medal and it was known as the "miracle on ice". Who did they beat in the final round to win the gold?" Finland! When do I start!!!
Honestly, I think Hollohas was vetted more thoroughly than most of our political candidates.
Nope I was looking for "Doing your wife."
it reminded me of this bit. The real answer for me was "Debt free and still working here."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mny0zkq_goM<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mny0zkq_goM" target="_blank">
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mny0zkq_goM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mny0zkq_goM)
Nope I was looking for "Doing your wife."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mny0zkq_goM
Whenever I've interviewed for an internal position, at pretty much every company I've worked for, a packet of interview questions that the company uses for that level position, magically appears on my desk at some point. I've found it is best (for me) to actually write out answers to real questions, rather than just browse the questions. I happened to have saved (thank God) one of these packets that I had written on recently, so tonight I'm going through it and re-typing both the questions and answers into a word document that I can easily bring up and edit/add to in the future. For me, typing stuff out always helps me retain it, and going through it again tends to prime my memory for the actual interview.
I've interviewed the best by using this method, first because you don't have to strain to memorize anything, and second, even when the questions are different, they are usually similar enough that you can pull from your same bank of answers that you've already written. You don't have to memorize because you've put in the work to come up with the answers ahead of time, and as long as the interview is within a week or so of your pre-work efforts, the information will still be relatively fresh. This still works well when the questions are different, because you have an answer ready, and you have to spend a little mental time making your answer fit the question better, and it makes it look like you are thinking about the answer, instead of just pulling from a script you memorized.
Anyway, that is just one method that works for me in the corporate world where there are no technical or extremely specific questions for interviews. It is sooo much easier to prepare for an interview when you can start by reading things you've already answered, instead of starting from scratch every few years. Plus it's nice to see how your answers develop over time. Good luck anyone who is currently interviewing.
Madeinhb
05-15-2014, 00:35
Lucky that you get the questions. All mine - we get none.
USMC_5-Echo
05-15-2014, 07:09
Anything is easy when you "magically" get the questions ahead of time. I would honestly hope you get the job if you get the questions ahead of time and have prep time. Cause there is something wrong if you still can't get the job
To be accurate, just because you see a packet of questions (that everyone seems to have a copy of) doesn't mean those are the questions they ask you. I've yet to be asked an exact question from something I've already seen.
You guys missed the point completely though. Anytime you do an interview, or even prepare for an interview, you should save your efforts somewhere, in the event that you'll ever have to go through the process again.
kawiracer14
05-15-2014, 08:43
Ok I had three interviews of the past two weeks. The best question I got out of all of them was:
For an exempt position you're expected to work 40 or more hours per week. Out of those 40 hours, how many of them would you say you are actually doing work?
Sounds like a trick question. How did you answer?
ChadAmberg
05-15-2014, 10:15
"Define 'Work'? Doing just what's in my job description? Or including dealing with the bureaucracy and other corporate issues, not being able to get to sleep at night because my brain is still stuck on solving work issues for hours?"
USMC_5-Echo
05-15-2014, 10:16
I have never prepared for an interview by studying questions, that has never seemed to be a good use of time to me. I always study up on the company and find out as much about them as I can. From that information I also prepare my own questions for the interviewers. It is an interview after all, it's your time to see if THEY are a good fit for YOU, not just YOU for THEM. I've found that most people don't understand that. Folks that I've talked to over the years are usually appalled that I quiz the people that are interviewing me because they seem to think that you can't ask questions for some reason.
kawiracer14
05-15-2014, 10:39
Sounds like a trick question. How did you answer?
It's a project management roll so I said it depends on the phase of the project that we are in. Sometimes you're working 50 hours and barely have time to go to the bathroom, other times it may be slow and you have some time to sit and BS with your coworkers about what's going on in their world.
This is the best interview advice I've seen I am 100% if I get an interview I get the job
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URtQAa3Y-ns
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