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Why not go further in political science? Why not go to law school?
What does that have to do with me interviewing for an assistant position in the Fundraising department? And, if I had gone to law school, I think I’d be more than a tad overqualifed for this job. I wouldn’t be interviewing for this job at all.
Better yet, two words: Excuse me?
I think you’re too smart for this job – but I’ll hire you anyway.
Let’s not bring up the huge elephant in the room - OK? You’ll only make me feel worse.
I just want to know if you enjoy perfoming data entry for 8 hours a day.
Um, how does that translate on a resume? I’d like to meet the person, however, who actually does enjoy that.
How do you deal with difficult people?
Technically, this is a valid (but very stupid and poorly executed) interview question. It’s like asking people, “What do you do when you’re bored?” It’s too ambiguous and open-ended.
Also, it’s really suspicious - are we talking about someone in particular? (the answer: YES!)
I only want to interview people who have done external company communications for 5 years.
OK, that could be anything like email…or Facebook pages.
You need to have a 3.5 GPA in order to interview.
GPA is not the most effective screening measure. Also, if transcripts are a necessity just to talk to you, I’m less likely to apply (3.5 GPA or not).
Getting college transcripts is a real pain in the butt.
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Comments
03.31.09
Good thoughts - I think all of us can attest to some interview questions that made is cringe. What do you think is the best 'form' (for lack fo a better term) for interviewing a potential employee - do you think it's more important to have rigorous, intense interviews to weed out the 'weak links' or do you see more benefit in more friendly 'get to know the real you' types? I tend to side with the latter - so much so that I think the best environment to get to know the 'real' person your interviewing would be to go out for coffee or a couple drinks. I think this still gives you the ability to learn about a person's experience, but more importantly, it (should) put them at ease, it makes you look more human, and I think in the end, it is the best way for both parties to feel out if there is a mutual connection.
I think much more can be learned from a good interview rather than a good interrogation. What do you think?
03.31.09
Totally agree with this post. I often find that interviewers that like to give Jack Bauer style interrogation interviews do this because they are insecure and love to see people squirm. I worked with people who went out of there way to create questions that would make the person being interviewed feel uncomfortable. It is possible to conduct an interview that will give you insight into a person’s capabilities and personality without that person feeling like they are being interrogated (this is how I have conducted interviews in the past and will continue to do so in the future).
03.31.09
I think you have to ask yourself - if the person doing the hiring is asking me such stupid questions, am I going to be able to stomach working for them?
If the answer is yes, then I would quote Covey when you get the BS questions, because Boomers love Covey and Boomers love these questions.
Q: Why not go further in political science?
A: I feel a position like this allows me to "sharpen the saw" and learn new things.
Q: How do you feel about performing 8 hours of data entry every day?
A: I would begin each day with the end in mind. If I input well, it helps others output well.
Q: How do you deal with difficult people?
A: I seek first to understand, then to be understood.
Q: I only want to interview people with 5 years experience.
A: Bringing in someone newer to the workforce may create a new synergy!
Q: You need to have a 3.5 GPA to interview.
A: Well that's very proactive of you.
However, if I were you and I'm willing to do a data entry job, I'd look somewhere else.
03.31.09
@Matt
I think your approach to making the interview more casual is a great idea. I think sitting in a room blasting a series of questions at a person won't necessarily find you best (or right) candidate - but you will find someone who knows how to answer the questions and tell you what you think you want to hear.
A good interview and good interrogation are not one in the same - thanks for your thoughts!
@Latosha
You make such a great point - some interviewers like seeing folks squirm. Which is scary - what are they doing managing people (or working in HR?)?In that case, are they representing their company in the best light? Not a great image projector, in my opinion.
@Suzanne
I like your approach - perhaps I should have read Covey before going to some of these interviews. Although, I had a similar response (like yours) in the #1 question. The inteviewer would have none of it. It seemed like she wanted to insinuate that I wasn't "ambitious" since I hadn't gone to law school...?
03.31.09
I love the "you're too smart/overqualified/education for this position" comment. I have heard this in interviews too, and I just want to laugh. It's like you are stuck either way--either you don't have enough work experience to get the more advanced jobs in your field, or you have too much experience because you are taking a job that is at the same level or lower of your experience. Regardless, when you get asked this question, you have to provide a response that maintains your qualifications and capabilities while also somehow managing to impress that while you are motivated and ambitious you really want the job (despite being 'too qualified').
03.31.09
Agree with a lot of this post. My problem was the "What exactly is Political Science?" and "Why did you major in Political Science?" Neither of which had much to do with the job I was applying for or my experience for the job. But anything slightly off the path is going to throw most employers off a little and you just have to be ready for all the 'stupid' questions and try to answer them patiently without disparaging your degree too much or implying you think it means you deserve more. Fine line to walk for those of us who got liberal arts degrees and needed to get a job to pay the bills afterwards.
03.31.09
I agree with some of this, but with a question like "Why not go further in political science? Why not go to law school?", if you're thinking to youself "What does this have to do with the position?" then I think you're looking at it wrong. Good interviews will often ask questions that aren't strictly related to the job at hand -- they're trying to get more of a feel for who you are, in general. Interviews aren't just about seeing if you have the skills/experience -- if they were, we wouldn't need interviews; we could just go on resumes alone. They're about seeing if you're the right fit for that job, that culture, that manager, that team. And that means that you're going to get broader questions. That's a good thing -- you want to end up with a job where you're a good fit for the whole context.
03.31.09
I was asked, "can you mail merge?"
Even though I may (or may not have) known entirely how to do it off the top of my head, my response was interesting:
"I could figure it out, it's just Microsoft Word."
Since then (almost 2 years ago) I figured out how it works. But it was a very odd question, I was not expecting it.
03.31.09
@Ask a Manager
I think shaking things up in the interview is great. And, perhaps, I was looking at in the wrong way when it came to #1. However, after answering her question - she repeated it, several times (in different ways). At that point, I was on the defensive and wasn't sure what she was trying to do.
@Liza
That's funny. I was asked that once before, but I told them the same thing. I think as long as you can figure out to access the Help tool, you can probably figure out anything in MS word.
03.31.09
Ask a Manager is right - the question is not just about your specific qualifications but finding out more about you and how you might fit into an organization. The interviewer might have been hammering this home in particular because they were worried that you might be just looking for a very short term position and not a career in their organization or in non-profits in general.
It sounds like this person might have done a poor job of 'selling' you on the position though - it sounds like they were trying to get a feel for what you want to do, and try to let you know, not so gently, that this job might be a little boring sometimes. But I could be wrong. Anyway, it sounds like they probably should have been focused on telling you about the organization's mission and worthy of raising funds for, explaining that a lot of the work is unglamorous, and figuring out if you were a good person to to be a part of the organization.
And while there may be interviewers out there who like to see people squirm - I think there's a simpler explanation. They just don't know what to ask, or how. Interviewers hate interviews almost as much as interviewees. They just regurgitate the sort of questions they've been asked, and ask a lot of the usual interview type questions, even if they have no clue themselves what good the question will do.
08.03.09
It's has been 6 months since you published this post.
I fount it while Googling, preparing the coming interview.
As an interviewer I must say it was inspiring.
I just want to add another point: Candidates nowadays take courses in order to answer the qusestions successfully (or robotly, may I say).
So keep in your mind that the interview business is not so easy.
02.05.10
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03.11.10
If you have lost your job or are just having trouble making ends meet, a credit card is not the answer. A credit card may solve your problems in the short term, but it is really only making things worse for you down the track. If you don’t have enough money coming in to keep your household running, then you need to find another way. A way that isn’t going to add another bill to the list at the end of the month, and one which will not charge you interest, making it harder for you to ever pay off your credit card debt.HP0-J25
03.11.10
I disagree edenfor. Suze Orman write in her book, "The Young, Fabulous and Broke", that if you are tight on money and need to make ends meet, that you should use your credit card to do so-but not for luxury items. She then states that as soon as you don't need it to make ends meet, that you should pay it off as soon as possible.
10.22.10
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11.10.10
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11.10.10
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