The last blog was about what not to say in interview, you know, the NORMAL dumb questions. This week, I thought I’d write about the absolute silliest things ever that my colleagues have been told their candidates said on interview (not through Merit, I hasten to add)…
You sometimes read articles like this on msn home page, but I thought I’d write about examples that I can swear actually happened (well, unless my colleagues were lying to me, of course, but that would never happen). I’d like to say that I’m relating these so you can learn from them. But I’m really only writing them for entertainment value. If you feel you can learn from them, might I suggest you have a serious interview technique issue.
a) Candidate had gone back for third interview and was sitting in the HR office, being offered the position by the Human Resources Manager. “When do you think you can let us know?” asked the Manager. “Let me ask Snuffles,” replied the candidate. “Huh?” thought the Manager, as the candidate bent down to her large bag on the floor and produced a real, live, breathing (but tiny) dog. “What do you think, Snuffles?” (ok, I made the name of the dog up. I can’t honestly remember. But if you have a rat in a fright wig aka Yorkie, what else would you call it?) “Should I take the job?” I am here to tell you that the HR woman totally freaked and thought, “If I don’t get out of this one, I’m going to lose MY job.”
b) The nice candidate was shown into the HR Manager’s office, shook hands with the Manager politely and then said, “I have to re-arrange that painting. It’s not a good feng-shui position for it.” Whereupon she walked to the painting and tried to take it off the wall.
c) The candidate had passed the HR interview round on this one, and had finished her interview with the Managing Director of the Important Financial Institution. He shook her hand, said something like, “Thanks for coming in. HR will get back to you in a couple of days” and was about to walk her to the door. But the woman got out her sneakers, took off her interview shoes and proceeded to change into the sneakers. To make it easier to get into them, she put her feet up on his desk.
d) One woman brought her 10-year-old nephew along with her and wanted him to sit in with her during the interview, because she didn’t like to leave him outside in the waiting room.
e) Administrative assistant being interviewed for job in small but successful hedge fund. First interview, in answer to HR question, “Oh, sh*t, yes.” Do you know, the HR Manager forgave her and put her forward to the owner of the hedge fund. What a nice woman THAT HR person was. In answer to question by CEO, “What do you want as a career goal?” “Well, I don’t want to be a f*ing admin assistant all my life.”
You sometimes read articles like this on msn home page, but I thought I’d write about examples that I can swear actually happened (well, unless my colleagues were lying to me, of course, but that would never happen). I’d like to say that I’m relating these so you can learn from them. But I’m really only writing them for entertainment value. If you feel you can learn from them, might I suggest you have a serious interview technique issue.
a) Candidate had gone back for third interview and was sitting in the HR office, being offered the position by the Human Resources Manager. “When do you think you can let us know?” asked the Manager. “Let me ask Snuffles,” replied the candidate. “Huh?” thought the Manager, as the candidate bent down to her large bag on the floor and produced a real, live, breathing (but tiny) dog. “What do you think, Snuffles?” (ok, I made the name of the dog up. I can’t honestly remember. But if you have a rat in a fright wig aka Yorkie, what else would you call it?) “Should I take the job?” I am here to tell you that the HR woman totally freaked and thought, “If I don’t get out of this one, I’m going to lose MY job.”
b) The nice candidate was shown into the HR Manager’s office, shook hands with the Manager politely and then said, “I have to re-arrange that painting. It’s not a good feng-shui position for it.” Whereupon she walked to the painting and tried to take it off the wall.
c) The candidate had passed the HR interview round on this one, and had finished her interview with the Managing Director of the Important Financial Institution. He shook her hand, said something like, “Thanks for coming in. HR will get back to you in a couple of days” and was about to walk her to the door. But the woman got out her sneakers, took off her interview shoes and proceeded to change into the sneakers. To make it easier to get into them, she put her feet up on his desk.
d) One woman brought her 10-year-old nephew along with her and wanted him to sit in with her during the interview, because she didn’t like to leave him outside in the waiting room.
e) Administrative assistant being interviewed for job in small but successful hedge fund. First interview, in answer to HR question, “Oh, sh*t, yes.” Do you know, the HR Manager forgave her and put her forward to the owner of the hedge fund. What a nice woman THAT HR person was. In answer to question by CEO, “What do you want as a career goal?” “Well, I don’t want to be a f*ing admin assistant all my life.”
f) Legal secretary opened her tuna sandwich on the desk of the recruiter (huge law firm) and said “Well, this is my lunch hour, you know.”
g) Candidate sat in the corner of the CEO’s office and “meditated” while the CEO made a quick call so she could “get the aura of the previous administrative staff to ensure the non-toxicity of the office.”
h) Candidate sent a pair of old shoes (her Dad’s) to the recruiter prior to the interview in a vain attempt to indicate two things…a) going the extra mile and b) being able to “fill the shoes” of the former employee.