Went to an interview last Monday and they spent more time telling me about the company and benefits then letting me sell myself. Is that their way of being polite to me instead of telling me to leave immediately because they aren't interested? I was interviewed by three people back-to-back (not at the same time) the same day. One of them wanted to know why I wanted the job since it is below my education and experience. He gave me alot of dirty looks with these questions. I wanted to tell him because there are few quality jobs in America thats why dumbass and this one even though I'm a little over qualified. I was seconds away of telling him this. The other people were nice to me but still didn't let me speak that much.
2006-12-22 06:14:53 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Business & Finance ➔ Careers & Employment
Daniel, sad as it is, in todays economy job interviews are often just a courtesy and a requirement. The positions may already be filled by someone's nephew or son-in-law. Still one never knows. This could have been simply a first "look you over" interview and you may be called in later for a more in depth one. Do not give up hope, the right job will come along. LIB
2006-12-22 06:28:18 · answer #1 · answered by msliberalusa 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Sometimes it's better to let them talk and be a good listener. It takes up time and allows them to sell the company to you. And some people like to talk without interaction from their audience. It shows you can be diplomatic and know when to speak. Trying to inject something during a "speech" being made could be interpreted as pushy. The interviewer might not like the competition. I have had better experiences in getting a job when this happens than me doing the talking.
As far as the dirty looks and probing questions from the one individual, he was playing "bad cop". They probably chose him due to his devil's advocate type personality. It is temping to just go off on people like this, but he is looking for cues from you to see how you handle stress and why would you really want to take a job below your qualifications. If you go off, you will be out of the running instantly.
To explain the overqualification, state you are aware you may be, but that will benefit the company as you can bring more to the position. You are not about titles, but getting the job done and if allowed, improve....(you have to insert job specifics here).
I actually intimidated a person who was to be my boss if hired due to my experience and interview answers. He stated I had more experience than him and was afraid I was going to take his job! Needless to say, I didn't get the position, which was good as it was in the middle of a really bad neighborhood in Detroit.
2006-12-22 14:36:22 · answer #2 · answered by Joe S 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A good interviewer will be able to describe a bit about the company, and then ask you open ended questions that allow you to talk about yourself.
It sounds like you ran up against a bad interviewer. Since you can't do anything to fix this one (because it wasn't about your skills, it was more likely about the lack of skill of the interviewer), I would recommend the following if it happens again.
Listen to what they say and formulate questions to ask them that somehow revolve back to yourself. For example, if they are talking about a department, ask them how the new hire fits in. When they respond, tell them the skills you have that match what they need.
In the end, leaving a positive impression on an interviewer (even a bad one) might be as simple as being interested. Think of it like dating. When you want to make someone feel like they are having a great time, keep asking them questions about themself. People love to talk about themselves, and interviewers love to talk about companies.
Good luck!
2006-12-22 15:15:08 · answer #3 · answered by xtral8 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Below education and experience question. I HATE THAT ONE!! Research the company before you interview. Find out from New's releases what their accomplishments are. Check out their benefit structure and their direction moving forward. Research their cash flow, assets, investments and find out how secure of a company they are. Then, (ooohh, I'm going to get a backlash for this one)..SMOOZE THEM!! Let them know that you would like to work for their company because life isn't about your job title. It's about working for a company you can be proud of. It's about working for a company that inspires you. It's about being a part of something special and growing with it. Site examples. (i know, i'm getting a bit sick reguritating this, but use your own words). Rephraze the question to yourself-Why would I work for less, when I can get so much more? Hmmm-work vs. life, Nice people to work with, professional people, business casual enviornment, benefits, parking, management style (micro vs macro), freedom, and bonuses. These are all simple reasons why I word work for less. After 13 years in finance and corporate hell, the last finance position I held was a nightmare-The bearer of bad news evey day? How much is this going to cost me or I don't want to tell my client this riddled through the brokers, but the reason why I stayed was because of the perks, and the people. Even though my job hit the Sh*t list of everyone every day, it wasn't personal, it was just business and always professional, And always nice to see them everyday. And great to be part of something special! And I am the queen of run on sentences today..wooo hoo!
Good luck
2006-12-22 14:44:42 · answer #4 · answered by apesee 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A lot of times, people just don't know what to say during an interview. The Human Resources department used to do all the interviewing and hiring and now it's up to the individual department managers to do their own. But they really aren't given much training. So it probably had little to do with you and more to do with their being unsure what to talk about.
2006-12-22 14:23:40 · answer #5 · answered by glitterkittyy 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
glitterky is correct it seems
2006-12-22 14:27:51 · answer #6 · answered by michael f 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋