Re: Advice for Job Seekers

[Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>]

 Ruth Lundquist [SMTP:rlundquist -at- prosarcorp -dot- com] wrote:

>What kind of  behavior have you encountered in an interview that
made you sure you
>would not hire a candidate?

My favorite how-not to:

The candidate arrives in a heavy tweed suit. The suit smells of
cigareetes and (because it's a hot day), of sweat. His hair is
long and uncombed, and he's several days into growing a beard.
When he sits down for the interview, he pulls the chair away from
the table, and leans back with his hands behind his head.

The most memorable exchange:

ME (winding up a description of the company): ....So, you can see
that we're a startup, where everybody has to do a little bit of
everything. Around release dates, we have to work extra hours.
Now, how would you describe your ideal job?

CANDIDATE: Oh, about twenty or thirty hours a week. And I like to
concentrate on a single project by myself, preferably at home.

I asked a few more questions, to give him a chance to recover,
but he didn't. About halfway through, another manager joined me,
and got similar results. After ten minutes, the other manager was
so frustrated that he leaned forward, pointed a finger at the
candidate and said, "We're not going to hire you. Here's why." He
then spent ten minutes telling the candidate what was wrong with
his behaviour.

I'm still not sure whether this lecture was frustration or
charity, and the candidate didn't seem to care much. But I was
seriously considering sinking under the table in embarassment and
crawling to the door.

--
Bruce Byfield, Outlaw Communications
3015 Aries Place, Burnaby, BC V37 7E8, Canada
bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com 604.421.7189

"And standing there just as large as life,
A-smiling with his eyes,
He says, 'The part that they forgot to kill
Went on to organize.'"
-"I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night"