Interview issues - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

PDOUBLEOP · 04-12-2005, 11:29 AM

I went for a job interview a couple of weeks ago. Everything went well. He let me know that I was a good candidate for the position. I asked when they would be making a decision. He said they had just begun the search process and would try to have an answer within 30-60 days. I asked if I should expect him to contact me and he told me to give him a call. Doesn't that sound like a really long time to expect someone to wait??? I couldn't take it any longer and called today. I got his voice mail and left a message. I'm really excited about this opportunity but I'm a bit confused. What do you guys think??? Am I paranoid?

Master_Shake · 04-12-2005, 12:03 PM

I don't think you're paranoid, you just sound really excited about the job. If your interview was 14 days ago and he expected to make a decision within 30-60 days your call might be premature, so if he doesn't return it, don't call back right away. At this point, put a pin on day 45 from your interview and call back then, not before.

Also, did you write a follow-up letter thanking him for the interview? 2 weeks is a while, but it might not be too late if you haven't done so.

PDOUBLEOP · 04-12-2005, 12:25 PM

Yes I did. I waited about a week to send it though because I didn't want him to forget about me since he had such a long time frame. Doesn't 30-60 days seem like a long time?

Cynthetiq · 04-12-2005, 12:35 PM

not really in the corporate landscape... 30-60 can be the right amount of time.

skogafoss is currently going nuts waiting for information about a job, they aren't sure when or anything and it's hitting the 30 day mark just by indecision not by plan.

greeneyes · 04-12-2005, 02:51 PM

I'm currently in Interviewing Hell myself. I've been in the interviewing process for almost 45 days now and they have had my resume for a little over four months.

This shit takes awhile, I guess. *shrug*

PDOUBLEOP · 04-13-2005, 05:05 AM

Good luck greeneyes, I've read what you're going through and I hope mine doesn't turn out like that.

This is a really small company that's growing like crazy. The person that interviewed me runs several different departments so that might be a reason why this will take so long. I've heard people say to refuse their first offer and bump it up a little. This may work in big companies where the H.R. dept. handles the offers but I have my doubts about trying this with a smaller company that doesn't really have an H.R. "department".

Rodney · 04-13-2005, 08:00 PM

It never hurts to call back, even if it seems awkward, because 1) it tells him you're serious wanting the job, and 2) the second time you check back it tells him you're _still_ interested in the job. You're doing him a favor, really, because you're keeping him up to date on how you feel and on your availability. He'll be more interested in considering a candidate he _knows_ is currently available.

f6twister · 04-14-2005, 08:10 AM

I agree with Rodney, calling back is a great way to show your interest in a position but if they told you 30-60 days, calling back before that may annoy them instead of helping. They gave you a time frame for a reason. Like Master Shake said, wait about 45 days then call (well, for your 2nd time).

c172g · 04-14-2005, 10:08 AM

My two cents as a business owner, maybe it will help in some future interviews (and these may sound REALLY strange to some of you):

1. If you are sending me a resume to look over, do something to make it different. Put a snappy phrase under your name like many of you do with your ID's here. This won't work with all employers, but I really like to laugh. If somebody put "insane" under their name in small letters (or next to it) or anything different than a white or manilla peice of paper in the standard format of every resume I see (and they all come straight out of MS Word's formats) I'd be calling the person way before anybody else. I joke with my customers and vendors, and anybody who works here best not be a stiff. I imagine there are some employers who will see it and pitch immediately, but something different will set you apart from the rest.

2. I'm 35 but any guy that applies here best not have their nose ring, tongue stud, or fifteen earrings in when they show up. It WILL be the shortest interview you've ever had, and you won't go away wondering if you did or didn't get the position. I'll notice you have the holes, but don't even think about having them in during the interview. I'll also make sure you know not to wear them to work if you're planning on accepting the job. The tongue & nostril studs go for the women as well. A single pierced ear for the guys is fine (or both sides if it's your thing), or a pair for the ladies. Aside from that, leave the pierced jewelry at home.

3. Don't bother showing up if you were smart enough to get "O-Z-Z-Y" tatooed on your fingers when you were in college. Automatic out. Tattoos are fine, but get them somewhere you can hide them with clothing. If you're an ex-military where that was common to do, I'm fine with it. Got your division on your arm, no problem. Van Halen belongs in the CD player, not on your wrist.

4. Dress based upon where you are interviewing. We have a manufacturing facility, but everybody who does sales also gets their fingers dirty once in a while. Business casual is fine for any interview here. I don't know how many others would agree with me, but a suit for an interview is way more than you need to do. A snappy tie might get some attention however...

5. Ask me just as many questions as I'm asking you. There isn't any way I can put an all-emcompassing name on the position you might get here, because you will be doing other things as well. Ask about what you might be required to do. Ask about the other workers, ask about my family & my interests. What we have in common (or what we don't) is what will sway my decision about you, not your grade point average in college. Look around my office & ask about the things on the wall, I've put them there because they have a significance to me, they make great conversation starters. If you're asking too many questions, the interviewer will let you know to clam up.

6. Make yourself noticable. We don't interview 50 people for a position, we usually have it slimmed down to 2-3 before, but some places may interview a hundred people for a position. Everyone is going to give the same info, birthdate, college GPA, high school GPA, experience. Unless your experience is with one of my competitors, it's probably not that much use here. Do something, anything, to make yourself stand out. Make it happen in the first two minutes of the interview. I've probably already got my mind made up by then.

7. Don't pull up in your 2004 Tercel with the subwoofer smacking out a rap song at battery-draining levels. I don't like what you're listening to in most cases, and the people in my office don't want to hear it either. If business is good, they should be on the phone or talking to a customer. Don't mess with the process.

8. Most importantly, don't be late. If you want to sit in our office for an hour before, that's fine with me. I'll get you in as soon as I can, and if I'm doing a load of interviews, getting somebody in a little early is great. Do not, in any circumstance, be late. I don't care who died or what light wasn't working or what happened to your ride, don't show up late. Don't show up at all (call first at least 15 minutes before to explain why you won't be there) but DO NOT SHOW UP LATE!

Some of these things may sound elementary but I've seen every one of them in the last 10 years. Above anything else, do something to make yourself stand out with your personality or your paperwork. I think most smaller companies would enjoy different as opposed to "standard" resumes & interviewees.

Hope I helped some of you out, and no, we're not currently hiring. Best of luck to you all...

greeneyes · 04-14-2005, 10:57 AM

Just a word on c172g's comment regarding resumes that stand out...

Nearly everyone uses the Microsoft Word template for their resume, so definantly don't use that under any circumstances. I like to create mine in Microsoft Publisher and then I just copy and paste it over to Word so that it can be sent out as an e-mail attachment. Publisher makes it really easy to manipulate everything to get it just the way you want it.

During every interview I have been to in the past two years someone always comments on how great and original my resume looks. It took me ten minutes and was a snap and yet people think it took me hours.

maleficent · 04-14-2005, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by c172g

1. If you are sending me a resume to look over, do something to make it different. Put a snappy phrase under your name like many of you do with your ID's here. This won't work with all employers, but I really like to laugh. If somebody put "insane" under their name in small letters (or next to it) or anything different than a white or manilla peice of paper in the standard format of every resume I see (and they all come straight out of MS Word's formats) I'd be calling the person way before anybody else. I joke with my customers and vendors, and anybody who works here best not be a stiff. I imagine there are some employers who will see it and pitch immediately, but something different will set you apart from the rest.

That will work for or against you. A lot of larger companies, particularly those with an HR department that resumes go thru, have software that scans in the resume, get fancy on the resume, and it won't read it cleanly, and now you've made someone actually work.. Thumbs down.

I see a lot of resumes for a variety of positions (usually at customer sites, who will ask me to look at resumes of people they are hiring for our software) Unless you arehiring for a graphics/design type position... Fancy schmancy doesn't impress me and I will ignore it because you are covering your inadequacies with a fancy face. You got skills -- show me the skills.. in black and white print.

maleficent · 04-14-2005, 11:40 AM

I was looking for something the other day, and came across a list of really good interview questions -questions you should be prepared to be able to answer on an interview..

http://www.datsi.fi.upm.es/~frosal/docs/25mdq.html

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. What do you know about our organization?

3. Why do you want to work for us?

4. What can you do for us that someone else can't?

5. What do you find most attractive about this position? What seems least attractive about it?

6. Why should we hire you?

7. What do you look for in a job?

8. Please give me your defintion of [the position for which you are being interviewed].

9. How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our firm?

10. How long would you stay with us?

11. Your resume suggests that you may be over-qualified or too experienced for this position. What's Your opinion?

12. What is your management style?

13. Are you a good manager? Can you give me some examples? Do you feel that you have top managerial potential?

14. What do you look for when You hire people?

15. Have you ever had to fire people? What were the reasons, and how did you handle the situation?

16. What do you think is the most difficult thing about being a manager or executive?

17. What important trends do you see in our industry?

18. Why are you leaving (did you leave) your present (last) job?

19. How do you feel about leaving all your benefits to find a new job?

20. In your current (last) position, what features do (did) you like the most? The least?

21. What do you think of your boss?

22. Why aren't you earning more at your age?

23. What do you feel this position should pay?

24. What are your long-range goals?

25. How successful do you you've been so far?

c172g · 04-14-2005, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maleficent

That will work for or against you. A lot of larger companies, particularly those with an HR department that resumes go thru, have software that scans in the resume, get fancy on the resume, and it won't read it cleanly, and now you've made someone actually work.. Thumbs down.

I see a lot of resumes for a variety of positions (usually at customer sites, who will ask me to look at resumes of people they are hiring for our software) Unless you arehiring for a graphics/design type position... Fancy schmancy doesn't impress me and I will ignore it because you are covering your inadequacies with a fancy face. You got skills -- show me the skills.. in black and white print.

I totally agree with this, as I said, we have a small company and I DO look for out-of-the-ordinary on the resumes I get. I'm sure if you typed in something I'd appreciate many employers would not. Take my advice with caution, it's just my two cents worth. I have been accused of being different many times.

maleficent · 04-14-2005, 11:49 AM

Honestly, that's the beauty of computers, that you can target a resume to the person that is receiving it. Back in the day.. I spent hundreds of dollars having my resume professionally typeset - it was really not possible to have a professional resume geared towards different markets. Now - -you can... You apply to a large corporation.. you keep it as professional as possible - let your personality shine in the interview, you appply to a mom and pop type shop -- go crazy.

PDOUBLEOP · 04-15-2005, 09:45 AM

They called me in to take one of those pre-employment tests. I guess that's a good sign. Hopefully, I didn't screw the test up. I've always done well on them before, I guess I shouldn't worry about it. Now I just have to find a way to be patient...

Schwan · 04-15-2005, 01:47 PM

30-60 days sounds about right. Sometimes it takes so much time to make space in the beurocracy for a new emplyee. Pension plans have to be approved and quarterly reports submitted. That's how it goes.

Jesus Pimp · 04-15-2005, 05:21 PM

30-60 days is killer. Too much time to be thinking about if you got the job or not. You should focus on interviewing for other jobs. I was fortunate with my current job to hear back a few days later. If you're confident you got the job, the wait can seriously mess with your mind.

04-12-2005, 11:29 AM	#1 (permalink)
PDOUBLEOP Insane	Interview issues I went for a job interview a couple of weeks ago. Everything went well. He let me know that I was a good candidate for the position. I asked when they would be making a decision. He said they had just begun the search process and would try to have an answer within 30-60 days. I asked if I should expect him to contact me and he told me to give him a call. Doesn't that sound like a really long time to expect someone to wait??? I couldn't take it any longer and called today. I got his voice mail and left a message. I'm really excited about this opportunity but I'm a bit confused. What do you guys think??? Am I paranoid? __________________ ef you-you effing ef

04-12-2005, 12:03 PM	#2 (permalink)
Master_Shake Addict Location: Pennsylvania, USA	I don't think you're paranoid, you just sound really excited about the job. If your interview was 14 days ago and he expected to make a decision within 30-60 days your call might be premature, so if he doesn't return it, don't call back right away. At this point, put a pin on day 45 from your interview and call back then, not before. Also, did you write a follow-up letter thanking him for the interview? 2 weeks is a while, but it might not be too late if you haven't done so. __________________ ------------- You know something, I don't think the sun even... exists... in this place. 'Cause I've been up for hours, and hours, and hours, and the night never ends here.

04-12-2005, 12:25 PM	#3 (permalink)
PDOUBLEOP Insane	Yes I did. I waited about a week to send it though because I didn't want him to forget about me since he had such a long time frame. Doesn't 30-60 days seem like a long time? __________________ ef you-you effing ef

04-12-2005, 12:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	not really in the corporate landscape... 30-60 can be the right amount of time. skogafoss is currently going nuts waiting for information about a job, they aren't sure when or anything and it's hitting the 30 day mark just by indecision not by plan. __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

04-12-2005, 02:51 PM	#5 (permalink)
greeneyes Insane Location: Charlotte, NC	I'm currently in Interviewing Hell myself. I've been in the interviewing process for almost 45 days now and they have had my resume for a little over four months. This shit takes awhile, I guess. shrug __________________ Put the blame on me So you don't feel a thing Go on and save yourself Take it out on me

04-13-2005, 05:05 AM	#6 (permalink)
PDOUBLEOP Insane	Good luck greeneyes, I've read what you're going through and I hope mine doesn't turn out like that. This is a really small company that's growing like crazy. The person that interviewed me runs several different departments so that might be a reason why this will take so long. I've heard people say to refuse their first offer and bump it up a little. This may work in big companies where the H.R. dept. handles the offers but I have my doubts about trying this with a smaller company that doesn't really have an H.R. "department". __________________ ef you-you effing ef

04-13-2005, 08:00 PM	#7 (permalink)
Rodney Observant Ruminant Location: Rich Wannabe Hippie Town	It never hurts to call back, even if it seems awkward, because 1) it tells him you're serious wanting the job, and 2) the second time you check back it tells him you're _still_ interested in the job. You're doing him a favor, really, because you're keeping him up to date on how you feel and on your availability. He'll be more interested in considering a candidate he _knows_ is currently available.

04-14-2005, 08:10 AM	#8 (permalink)
f6twister Addict	I agree with Rodney, calling back is a great way to show your interest in a position but if they told you 30-60 days, calling back before that may annoy them instead of helping. They gave you a time frame for a reason. Like Master Shake said, wait about 45 days then call (well, for your 2nd time). __________________ A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day. Calvin

04-14-2005, 10:08 AM	#9 (permalink)
c172g Crazy Location: Michigan	My two cents as a business owner, maybe it will help in some future interviews (and these may sound REALLY strange to some of you): 1. If you are sending me a resume to look over, do something to make it different. Put a snappy phrase under your name like many of you do with your ID's here. This won't work with all employers, but I really like to laugh. If somebody put "insane" under their name in small letters (or next to it) or anything different than a white or manilla peice of paper in the standard format of every resume I see (and they all come straight out of MS Word's formats) I'd be calling the person way before anybody else. I joke with my customers and vendors, and anybody who works here best not be a stiff. I imagine there are some employers who will see it and pitch immediately, but something different will set you apart from the rest. 2. I'm 35 but any guy that applies here best not have their nose ring, tongue stud, or fifteen earrings in when they show up. It WILL be the shortest interview you've ever had, and you won't go away wondering if you did or didn't get the position. I'll notice you have the holes, but don't even think about having them in during the interview. I'll also make sure you know not to wear them to work if you're planning on accepting the job. The tongue & nostril studs go for the women as well. A single pierced ear for the guys is fine (or both sides if it's your thing), or a pair for the ladies. Aside from that, leave the pierced jewelry at home. 3. Don't bother showing up if you were smart enough to get "O-Z-Z-Y" tatooed on your fingers when you were in college. Automatic out. Tattoos are fine, but get them somewhere you can hide them with clothing. If you're an ex-military where that was common to do, I'm fine with it. Got your division on your arm, no problem. Van Halen belongs in the CD player, not on your wrist. 4. Dress based upon where you are interviewing. We have a manufacturing facility, but everybody who does sales also gets their fingers dirty once in a while. Business casual is fine for any interview here. I don't know how many others would agree with me, but a suit for an interview is way more than you need to do. A snappy tie might get some attention however... 5. Ask me just as many questions as I'm asking you. There isn't any way I can put an all-emcompassing name on the position you might get here, because you will be doing other things as well. Ask about what you might be required to do. Ask about the other workers, ask about my family & my interests. What we have in common (or what we don't) is what will sway my decision about you, not your grade point average in college. Look around my office & ask about the things on the wall, I've put them there because they have a significance to me, they make great conversation starters. If you're asking too many questions, the interviewer will let you know to clam up. 6. Make yourself noticable. We don't interview 50 people for a position, we usually have it slimmed down to 2-3 before, but some places may interview a hundred people for a position. Everyone is going to give the same info, birthdate, college GPA, high school GPA, experience. Unless your experience is with one of my competitors, it's probably not that much use here. Do something, anything, to make yourself stand out. Make it happen in the first two minutes of the interview. I've probably already got my mind made up by then. 7. Don't pull up in your 2004 Tercel with the subwoofer smacking out a rap song at battery-draining levels. I don't like what you're listening to in most cases, and the people in my office don't want to hear it either. If business is good, they should be on the phone or talking to a customer. Don't mess with the process. 8. Most importantly, don't be late. If you want to sit in our office for an hour before, that's fine with me. I'll get you in as soon as I can, and if I'm doing a load of interviews, getting somebody in a little early is great. Do not, in any circumstance, be late. I don't care who died or what light wasn't working or what happened to your ride, don't show up late. Don't show up at all (call first at least 15 minutes before to explain why you won't be there) but DO NOT SHOW UP LATE! Some of these things may sound elementary but I've seen every one of them in the last 10 years. Above anything else, do something to make yourself stand out with your personality or your paperwork. I think most smaller companies would enjoy different as opposed to "standard" resumes & interviewees. Hope I helped some of you out, and no, we're not currently hiring. Best of luck to you all...

04-14-2005, 10:57 AM	#10 (permalink)
greeneyes Insane Location: Charlotte, NC	Just a word on c172g's comment regarding resumes that stand out... Nearly everyone uses the Microsoft Word template for their resume, so definantly don't use that under any circumstances. I like to create mine in Microsoft Publisher and then I just copy and paste it over to Word so that it can be sent out as an e-mail attachment. Publisher makes it really easy to manipulate everything to get it just the way you want it. During every interview I have been to in the past two years someone always comments on how great and original my resume looks. It took me ten minutes and was a snap and yet people think it took me hours. __________________ Put the blame on me So you don't feel a thing Go on and save yourself Take it out on me

04-14-2005, 11:40 AM	#12 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	I was looking for something the other day, and came across a list of really good interview questions -questions you should be prepared to be able to answer on an interview.. http://www.datsi.fi.upm.es/~frosal/docs/25mdq.html 1. Tell me about yourself. 2. What do you know about our organization? 3. Why do you want to work for us? 4. What can you do for us that someone else can't? 5. What do you find most attractive about this position? What seems least attractive about it? 6. Why should we hire you? 7. What do you look for in a job? 8. Please give me your defintion of [the position for which you are being interviewed]. 9. How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our firm? 10. How long would you stay with us? 11. Your resume suggests that you may be over-qualified or too experienced for this position. What's Your opinion? 12. What is your management style? 13. Are you a good manager? Can you give me some examples? Do you feel that you have top managerial potential? 14. What do you look for when You hire people? 15. Have you ever had to fire people? What were the reasons, and how did you handle the situation? 16. What do you think is the most difficult thing about being a manager or executive? 17. What important trends do you see in our industry? 18. Why are you leaving (did you leave) your present (last) job? 19. How do you feel about leaving all your benefits to find a new job? 20. In your current (last) position, what features do (did) you like the most? The least? 21. What do you think of your boss? 22. Why aren't you earning more at your age? 23. What do you feel this position should pay? 24. What are your long-range goals? 25. How successful do you you've been so far? __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.

04-14-2005, 11:49 AM	#14 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	Honestly, that's the beauty of computers, that you can target a resume to the person that is receiving it. Back in the day.. I spent hundreds of dollars having my resume professionally typeset - it was really not possible to have a professional resume geared towards different markets. Now - -you can... You apply to a large corporation.. you keep it as professional as possible - let your personality shine in the interview, you appply to a mom and pop type shop -- go crazy. __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.

04-15-2005, 09:45 AM	#15 (permalink)
PDOUBLEOP Insane	They called me in to take one of those pre-employment tests. I guess that's a good sign. Hopefully, I didn't screw the test up. I've always done well on them before, I guess I shouldn't worry about it. Now I just have to find a way to be patient... __________________ ef you-you effing ef Last edited by PDOUBLEOP; 04-15-2005 at 09:54 AM.. Reason: it didn't make sense.

04-15-2005, 01:47 PM	#16 (permalink)
Schwan A boy and his dog Location: EU!	30-60 days sounds about right. Sometimes it takes so much time to make space in the beurocracy for a new emplyee. Pension plans have to be approved and quarterly reports submitted. That's how it goes.

04-15-2005, 05:21 PM	#17 (permalink)
Jesus Pimp The Original JizzSmacka	30-60 days is killer. Too much time to be thinking about if you got the job or not. You should focus on interviewing for other jobs. I was fortunate with my current job to hear back a few days later. If you're confident you got the job, the wait can seriously mess with your mind. __________________ Never date anyone who doesn't make your dick hard.