Strangest person you have interviewed ?
Discussion
i4got said:
zippy3x said:
i4got said:
As an ex contractor myself, my view is that most interviewers are pragmatic enough to understand that most contractors don't care who they work for as long as the money (and to an extent the tasks) are acceptable. They certainly won't be expected to get involved in the politics and with the ethos of the organisation in quite the same way that you'd expect from a permanent employee.
Its like the difference between marrying someone and just having a hook-up. I'd expect most people to want to know a bit more about who they plan to marry.
Again, I agree, but to continue your analogy, would you view a negative answer to a completely trivial question as a valid way of deciding not to marry?Its like the difference between marrying someone and just having a hook-up. I'd expect most people to want to know a bit more about who they plan to marry.
i4got said:
zippy3x said:
Would she really be happier if you'd spent 3 minutes googling for any old answer just in case it came up?
In my experience - yes.I interviewed a girl who told me she couldn't wait to work for us, and that she wants to work on the steam trains.
We make Gas turbines, and we're quite famous for it. Usually people confuse us for the car manufacturing arm. We have never made steam trains.
I remember interviewing a potential apprentice. It was actually a pleasure do so, mature, concise, knowledgeable. He was of course offered, but decided he'd rather go on touring the world with his religion/cult spreading the good word.
We make Gas turbines, and we're quite famous for it. Usually people confuse us for the car manufacturing arm. We have never made steam trains.
I remember interviewing a potential apprentice. It was actually a pleasure do so, mature, concise, knowledgeable. He was of course offered, but decided he'd rather go on touring the world with his religion/cult spreading the good word.
I interviewed a lad and asked him why there was a gap on his CV and he then told me how he'd beaten up a bouncer after being thrown out of a pub.
He then left but went back to the pub later that night/morning as he'd left his coat so he broke in got his coat and set the place on fire!!!!!
He'd got two years inside
He did also say if you're going to do a job might as well finish it off properly.
I didn't know what to say after that.
He then left but went back to the pub later that night/morning as he'd left his coat so he broke in got his coat and set the place on fire!!!!!
He'd got two years inside
He did also say if you're going to do a job might as well finish it off properly.
I didn't know what to say after that.
bad company said:
Dan_The_Man said:
I was a difficult interviewee once, I travelled down from the Scottish borders to Leeds the day after having my wisdom teeth out under general.
My mouth was swollen like a hamster and rammed with cotton wool and I was dribbling blood making it impossible to answer questions but I actually got the job and I'm still doing it 26yrs later.
Well you did show commitment.My mouth was swollen like a hamster and rammed with cotton wool and I was dribbling blood making it impossible to answer questions but I actually got the job and I'm still doing it 26yrs later.
zippy3x said:
techguyone said:
Hammer67 said:
When I interviewed for jobs I always asked candidates to tell me about the company they had applied to join.
All I was looking for was the very basics of who/where/why/what that could have been found by a quick Google.
This would utterly stump many of them, often they didn`t know the first thing about it.
I found it quite useful in sorting the wheat from the chaff on a few occasions.
Yes. I've done the same.All I was looking for was the very basics of who/where/why/what that could have been found by a quick Google.
This would utterly stump many of them, often they didn`t know the first thing about it.
I found it quite useful in sorting the wheat from the chaff on a few occasions.
Always a good method, and yes, so many fall at this hurdle.
Why is this a "good method" and what do you think this question actually demonstrates about a candidate?
Edited to add:- I see it already happened. Glad it's back on track now.
I was a candidate for a job at a UK company and had expressly said to the introducing recruitment agency that as I had a young family I would be Ok with Uk travel but wouldn't consider a job with overseas travel. The interview went well (4 on 1 IIRC), and they gave all the signals that I was in the running. Just as I got up to leave the room the 'senior interviewer' said "Oh, I have one more question" ala Columbo 
"If you were at a meal, how would you react if someone gave you a bowl of soup with a snake in it?" my reply...... "If you are asking If I'm looking to work in China, then I've already said to the agency that I'm not willing to work abroad" His response "Oh sorry, we didn't know, It's India actually - is the answer still no?"
He was quite ok when I said "If that had been the first question we could've saved a lot of time - maybe the agency need telling" and I subsequently got a job there (turned out to be a nightmare- totally disorganised chaos, and nobody stayed for long!)
"If you were at a meal, how would you react if someone gave you a bowl of soup with a snake in it?" my reply...... "If you are asking If I'm looking to work in China, then I've already said to the agency that I'm not willing to work abroad" His response "Oh sorry, we didn't know, It's India actually - is the answer still no?" He was quite ok when I said "If that had been the first question we could've saved a lot of time - maybe the agency need telling" and I subsequently got a job there (turned out to be a nightmare- totally disorganised chaos, and nobody stayed for long!)
zippy3x said:
Hammer67 said:
Whichever way you hang it, when interviewing multiple candidates for a role, you are in effect, finding ways to differentiate between them and find the best candidate.
This question was a valuable tool in that process.
I never marched anyone out of the door when they "failed" this question.
I think you're original quote was "wheat from the chaff", which would infer it's a fairly important question for you.This question was a valuable tool in that process.
I never marched anyone out of the door when they "failed" this question.
If I were you, I'd be looking for different, better ways to differentiate candidates, rather than a question that the vast majority will only pass because they've done basic googling
Recruitment is a filtering process, each stage reduces from the initial pool of prospective candidates, eventually you are left with a shortlist, these you interview, then further filtering applies until you end up (usually & hopefully) with the best fit for the job.
It's not rocket science or a huge expectation to suggest that any candidate whether new or experienced be expected to know a little something about the company they are applying to be part of.
techguyone said:
Luckily we are not you.
Recruitment is a filtering process, each stage reduces from the initial pool of prospective candidates, eventually you are left with a shortlist, these you interview, then further filtering applies until you end up (usually & hopefully) with the best fit for the job.
It's not rocket science or a huge expectation to suggest that any candidate whether new or experienced be expected to know a little something about the company they are applying to be part of.
I'd love to point out the flaws, but we're not allowed to talk anymoreRecruitment is a filtering process, each stage reduces from the initial pool of prospective candidates, eventually you are left with a shortlist, these you interview, then further filtering applies until you end up (usually & hopefully) with the best fit for the job.
It's not rocket science or a huge expectation to suggest that any candidate whether new or experienced be expected to know a little something about the company they are applying to be part of.
I had a female candidate in her early 20s turn up with her father. She was so nervous she shook visibly throughout the interview and could barely answer a single question before she burst into tears. As the role was customer service for a large online gaming company her inability to talk to anyone she didn't already know really well was always going to be an impediment.
Another, male, candidate, when asked to tell me about a work-realted interaction which hadn't gone well, told me how he once punched a student in his TESL class to resolve an argument. He didn't get the job either.
Another, male, candidate, when asked to tell me about a work-realted interaction which hadn't gone well, told me how he once punched a student in his TESL class to resolve an argument. He didn't get the job either.
Mexman said:
On the flip side, I did attend an interview as a candidate once, many moons ago, in an sales based role.
Very strange interviewee, who had a nervous twitch that really got to me, I couldn't stop giggling and laughing.
He kept on going Hmm, Hmmm, under his breath every few seconds, coupled with a jerk upwards of his left shoulder.
Sort of a Harry Hill impersonator, and that's all I could see when I looked at him, I was in stitches.
I was almost in tears throughout the interview, in the end, half way thru, I had to make an excuse to visit the toilet.
I was outta there, straight out the door, into the car and off as quick as possible.
That doesn't paint you in a particularly good light. Oh, and you were the interviewee...Very strange interviewee, who had a nervous twitch that really got to me, I couldn't stop giggling and laughing.
He kept on going Hmm, Hmmm, under his breath every few seconds, coupled with a jerk upwards of his left shoulder.
Sort of a Harry Hill impersonator, and that's all I could see when I looked at him, I was in stitches.
I was almost in tears throughout the interview, in the end, half way thru, I had to make an excuse to visit the toilet.
I was outta there, straight out the door, into the car and off as quick as possible.
I once interviewed a young guy for a fairly entry level position in a fraud team for a bank. He was from mainland China and had only been in the uk a few years, working as a cashier for a Bank of China branch.
We asked him if he could give us an example of where he’d highlighted suspicious activity in his current role. His answer was...
“We are bank of China, so I know our customers. So if a homeless man, or a black man came in, I know that they would be suspicious”
The bank he was interviewing for was an African bank...
I couldn’t look at my colleague who was interviewing with me, because I know if I caught his eye we’d both crack up in fits of laughter. But I think we both knew from that point, that this guy would not be progressing!
We asked him if he could give us an example of where he’d highlighted suspicious activity in his current role. His answer was...
“We are bank of China, so I know our customers. So if a homeless man, or a black man came in, I know that they would be suspicious”
The bank he was interviewing for was an African bank...
I couldn’t look at my colleague who was interviewing with me, because I know if I caught his eye we’d both crack up in fits of laughter. But I think we both knew from that point, that this guy would not be progressing!
Bathroom_Security said:
Doofus said:
Pit Pony said:
Thank God for recruitment consultants, who you can check the salary range with before you attend interview.
Let's not get started on the blatant lies recruitment consultants tell.I may be just slightly biased.
Funny username said:
I interviewed a girl who told me she couldn't wait to work for us, and that she wants to work on the steam trains.
We make Gas turbines, and we're quite famous for it. Usually people confuse us for the car manufacturing arm. We have never made steam trains.
I remember interviewing a potential apprentice. It was actually a pleasure do so, mature, concise, knowledgeable. He was of course offered, but decided he'd rather go on touring the world with his religion/cult spreading the good word.
Hopefully you’re not affected by the redundancies! Unfortunately me and the rest of my colleagues are as they’re closing our business up here in sunny Glasgow! We make Gas turbines, and we're quite famous for it. Usually people confuse us for the car manufacturing arm. We have never made steam trains.
I remember interviewing a potential apprentice. It was actually a pleasure do so, mature, concise, knowledgeable. He was of course offered, but decided he'd rather go on touring the world with his religion/cult spreading the good word.
I've never conducted an interview but often get candidates in the mess room, the place can be a little daunting for employees at the best of times and having been in the myself position it's far worse sitting there like a sore thumb in a suit.
One chap is *just.standing.there*. I cheerily ask him if he's here for an interview, try to calm a few nerves, distract him from the hour ahead. I direct him to the drinks machine, "help yourself mate, you may want to sit down, sometimes you can wait a while'
His response? "Nah, if I sit down i fall asleep'
He wanted to become a Train Driver.
One chap is *just.standing.there*. I cheerily ask him if he's here for an interview, try to calm a few nerves, distract him from the hour ahead. I direct him to the drinks machine, "help yourself mate, you may want to sit down, sometimes you can wait a while'
His response? "Nah, if I sit down i fall asleep'
He wanted to become a Train Driver.
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