"big tech" - are they all total A-holes?
Discussion
I've had 2 very surprising recruitment processes with 2 different 'big tech' firms. They are a total shambles! The experience as a candidate is awful. They just seem entitled, arrogant, and useless at the same time... i pulled out of the first one and stuck to it even though they kept coming back to me to not quite apologise for it... and the second i think i am about to be told i didn't get the job, but i wasted maybe 15 hours on interviews, prep, an assignment they ask you to do etc, and the final interview the guy says "i want this role to be X, that is the most important thing to me", and he shaped all his questions around that. At every step till then, everyone else had downplayed X, and was very happy with my experience. X is actually kind of the opposite to what i am good at, and if they wanted X they should just totally rephrase the job ad (which makes no mention of it) and rethink their entire recruitment process to f
king ask about it right up top and save everyone the hassle. No interviewer seemed to be aligned on what the role was meant to be, and also they just ask you endless generic copy/paste interview questions and expect you to come up with lots of different examples, don't use same examples between interviews, all have to be very recent examples, answer in a certain format.
They haven't actually told me i haven't got it, but i have a call this afternoon... i hadn't heard anything for days and days and then saw the fking ad re-published on linkedin, so poked the recruiter WTF is this? she says oh i emailed you did you not get it, maybe it went in your junk folder... fk off bh i'm not 4 years old don't say st like that to me.
so yea we have a call this afternoon... i'll have some feedback for her.
yea i know "worst 'i'm sore about not getting the job ever' post"
king ask about it right up top and save everyone the hassle. No interviewer seemed to be aligned on what the role was meant to be, and also they just ask you endless generic copy/paste interview questions and expect you to come up with lots of different examples, don't use same examples between interviews, all have to be very recent examples, answer in a certain format. They haven't actually told me i haven't got it, but i have a call this afternoon... i hadn't heard anything for days and days and then saw the f
king ad re-published on linkedin, so poked the recruiter WTF is this? she says oh i emailed you did you not get it, maybe it went in your junk folder... fk off bh i'm not 4 years old don't say st like that to me.so yea we have a call this afternoon... i'll have some feedback for her.
yea i know "worst 'i'm sore about not getting the job ever' post"
I had an interview with Huawei a few years ago, a combination of the working environment and their appalling attitude meant that I vowed never to talk to them again. Never went back despite the pleas from the recruiter as I was wanted for a second round.
I know a few excellent people that have gone to AWS and Google and they seem very happy,
I think it does depend heavily on the interviewer(s). The interview should be viewed as a two-way process; the hiring company wants to identify the best qualified candidate that will fit-in and the candidate should be determining if they want to work there and do the role.
I know a few excellent people that have gone to AWS and Google and they seem very happy,
I think it does depend heavily on the interviewer(s). The interview should be viewed as a two-way process; the hiring company wants to identify the best qualified candidate that will fit-in and the candidate should be determining if they want to work there and do the role.
I work in TA within a large international tech company (Trading Technology).
For sure interview processes are meant to run the same, they really vary and depend a lot on hiring managers have the willingness to put their 100% into it. Thus the communication to candidates can either be very smooth, or not depending on the managers preferences and thoughts.
I have even been in processes where managers do not want to make decisions before. It's horrible for the candidate experience.
Rest assured though, candidate experience is at the fore-front of every TA function's ambitions. We are working on it.
For sure interview processes are meant to run the same, they really vary and depend a lot on hiring managers have the willingness to put their 100% into it. Thus the communication to candidates can either be very smooth, or not depending on the managers preferences and thoughts.
I have even been in processes where managers do not want to make decisions before. It's horrible for the candidate experience.
Rest assured though, candidate experience is at the fore-front of every TA function's ambitions. We are working on it.
it's a weird one, i mean i am all for rigorous recruitment processes as long as they tap into the right things which success depends upon for that role. When I am recruiting i use a deliberately hampered case study which they don't have time to complete, that's deliberately vague and conflicting, and then the case study panel have a massive argument in character and one guy storms out etc... it's as much about checking someone's ability to perform under pressure, to handle conflict, to drive towards a goal, to make useful assumptions in order to progress, etc.
When I used to recruit for engineering roles I'd set them an unsolvable task to see their thought process, or a really simple one to see whether they over-engineer it, etc. Not all the measures are 'does it run'.
However asking me 60 questions of "tell me a time when you got something wrong and turned it around to a win" is just ste. Especially when they go on to ask 5 follow on questions about that example, when not all the questions are actually relevant... everything from a script.
Why get 5 non-technical people to speak to me first and waste time asking tedious pointless questions, if the most important need is a technical one...
why get me to waste my fking bank holiday weekend on a technical assignment which included LOADS of non-technical bits, which i think i absolutely aced, and then get no one to check it or give me any feedback. Not only pointless but also rude.
sigh
When I used to recruit for engineering roles I'd set them an unsolvable task to see their thought process, or a really simple one to see whether they over-engineer it, etc. Not all the measures are 'does it run'.
However asking me 60 questions of "tell me a time when you got something wrong and turned it around to a win" is just s
te. Especially when they go on to ask 5 follow on questions about that example, when not all the questions are actually relevant... everything from a script. Why get 5 non-technical people to speak to me first and waste time asking tedious pointless questions, if the most important need is a technical one...
why get me to waste my f
king bank holiday weekend on a technical assignment which included LOADS of non-technical bits, which i think i absolutely aced, and then get no one to check it or give me any feedback. Not only pointless but also rude. sigh
Blown2CV said:
When I am recruiting i use a deliberately hampered case study which they don't have time to complete, that's deliberately vague and conflicting, and then the case study panel have a massive argument in character and one guy storms out etc... it's as much about checking someone's ability to perform under pressure, to handle conflict, to drive towards a goal, to make useful assumptions in order to progress, etc.
There you go then, karma’s bit you in the arse 
Blown2CV said:
They haven't actually told me i haven't got it, but i have a call this afternoon... i hadn't heard anything for days and days and then saw the fking ad re-published on linkedin, so poked the recruiter WTF is this? she says oh i emailed you did you not get it, maybe it went in your junk folder... fk off bh i'm not 4 years old don't say st like that to me.
so yea we have a call this afternoon... i'll have some feedback for her.
yea i know "worst 'i'm sore about not getting the job ever' post"
Glad you said that last bit as until then I was struggling to why on earth somebody wouldn't want to hire you king ad re-published on linkedin, so poked the recruiter WTF is this? she says oh i emailed you did you not get it, maybe it went in your junk folder... fk off bh i'm not 4 years old don't say st like that to me.so yea we have a call this afternoon... i'll have some feedback for her.
yea i know "worst 'i'm sore about not getting the job ever' post"
rustyuk said:
I had an interview with Microsoft for a consultant role and it was the best interview ever. Had a chat with the interviewer and he just said look we are both professionals can you do the job. That was it!
The problem arises when the hipsters get involved!
The consulting side of Microsoft was always one of the best run parts of the company in my experience. The problem arises when the hipsters get involved!
deckster said:
Blown2CV said:
They haven't actually told me i haven't got it, but i have a call this afternoon... i hadn't heard anything for days and days and then saw the fking ad re-published on linkedin, so poked the recruiter WTF is this? she says oh i emailed you did you not get it, maybe it went in your junk folder... fk off bh i'm not 4 years old don't say st like that to me.
so yea we have a call this afternoon... i'll have some feedback for her.
yea i know "worst 'i'm sore about not getting the job ever' post"
Glad you said that last bit as until then I was struggling to why on earth somebody wouldn't want to hire you king ad re-published on linkedin, so poked the recruiter WTF is this? she says oh i emailed you did you not get it, maybe it went in your junk folder... fk off bh i'm not 4 years old don't say st like that to me.so yea we have a call this afternoon... i'll have some feedback for her.
yea i know "worst 'i'm sore about not getting the job ever' post"
head. I do have a fking job currently and somehow have managed to have a 20 year career in the same area. Blown2CV said:
it's a weird one, i mean i am all for rigorous recruitment processes as long as they tap into the right things which success depends upon for that role. When I am recruiting i use a deliberately hampered case study which they don't have time to complete, that's deliberately vague and conflicting, and then the case study panel have a massive argument in character and one guy storms out etc... it's as much about checking someone's ability to perform under pressure, to handle conflict, to drive towards a goal, to make useful assumptions in order to progress, etc.
When I used to recruit for engineering roles I'd set them an unsolvable task to see their thought process, or a really simple one to see whether they over-engineer it, etc. Not all the measures are 'does it run'.
Yes OP, I agree with you, it's really annoying when employers play games in an interview.When I used to recruit for engineering roles I'd set them an unsolvable task to see their thought process, or a really simple one to see whether they over-engineer it, etc. Not all the measures are 'does it run'.
Jakg said:
Blown2CV said:
it's a weird one, i mean i am all for rigorous recruitment processes as long as they tap into the right things which success depends upon for that role. When I am recruiting i use a deliberately hampered case study which they don't have time to complete, that's deliberately vague and conflicting, and then the case study panel have a massive argument in character and one guy storms out etc... it's as much about checking someone's ability to perform under pressure, to handle conflict, to drive towards a goal, to make useful assumptions in order to progress, etc.
When I used to recruit for engineering roles I'd set them an unsolvable task to see their thought process, or a really simple one to see whether they over-engineer it, etc. Not all the measures are 'does it run'.
Yes OP, I agree with you, it's really annoying when employers play games in an interview.When I used to recruit for engineering roles I'd set them an unsolvable task to see their thought process, or a really simple one to see whether they over-engineer it, etc. Not all the measures are 'does it run'.
hole customers with their st half-baked ideas, dhead attitude towards suppliers, and a general lack of ability. In my line of work it's incredibly important that people can handle it. It's 45 mins of someone's time, and we get plenty of time to get to know each other as well. It has a very high hit rate. I wouldn't mind at all if an employer did that to me. What I don't get is making me do like 12 hours of ste that just feels like it's all the first thing that comes up when you google "generic interview questions", and doesn't tap into why i might actually be able to do the job. They may as well ask me what sort of fking fish i would be or to demonstrate how I would calculate the mass of the moon in 1p coins. bigandclever said:
Blown2CV said:
When I am recruiting i use a deliberately hampered case study which they don't have time to complete, that's deliberately vague and conflicting, and then the case study panel have a massive argument in character and one guy storms out etc... it's as much about checking someone's ability to perform under pressure, to handle conflict, to drive towards a goal, to make useful assumptions in order to progress, etc.
There you go then, karma’s bit you in the arse t, it's just acting, and bears no relation to real lifeBlown2CV said:
deckster said:
Blown2CV said:
They haven't actually told me i haven't got it, but i have a call this afternoon... i hadn't heard anything for days and days and then saw the fking ad re-published on linkedin, so poked the recruiter WTF is this? she says oh i emailed you did you not get it, maybe it went in your junk folder... fk off bh i'm not 4 years old don't say st like that to me.
so yea we have a call this afternoon... i'll have some feedback for her.
yea i know "worst 'i'm sore about not getting the job ever' post"
Glad you said that last bit as until then I was struggling to why on earth somebody wouldn't want to hire you king ad re-published on linkedin, so poked the recruiter WTF is this? she says oh i emailed you did you not get it, maybe it went in your junk folder... fk off bh i'm not 4 years old don't say st like that to me.so yea we have a call this afternoon... i'll have some feedback for her.
yea i know "worst 'i'm sore about not getting the job ever' post"
head. I do have a fking job currently and somehow have managed to have a 20 year career in the same area. hole. sociopath said:
bigandclever said:
Blown2CV said:
When I am recruiting i use a deliberately hampered case study which they don't have time to complete, that's deliberately vague and conflicting, and then the case study panel have a massive argument in character and one guy storms out etc... it's as much about checking someone's ability to perform under pressure, to handle conflict, to drive towards a goal, to make useful assumptions in order to progress, etc.
There you go then, karma’s bit you in the arse t, it's just acting, and bears no relation to real lifeWills2 said:
Blown2CV said:
deckster said:
Blown2CV said:
They haven't actually told me i haven't got it, but i have a call this afternoon... i hadn't heard anything for days and days and then saw the fking ad re-published on linkedin, so poked the recruiter WTF is this? she says oh i emailed you did you not get it, maybe it went in your junk folder... fk off bh i'm not 4 years old don't say st like that to me.
so yea we have a call this afternoon... i'll have some feedback for her.
yea i know "worst 'i'm sore about not getting the job ever' post"
Glad you said that last bit as until then I was struggling to why on earth somebody wouldn't want to hire you king ad re-published on linkedin, so poked the recruiter WTF is this? she says oh i emailed you did you not get it, maybe it went in your junk folder... fk off bh i'm not 4 years old don't say st like that to me.so yea we have a call this afternoon... i'll have some feedback for her.
yea i know "worst 'i'm sore about not getting the job ever' post"
head. I do have a fking job currently and somehow have managed to have a 20 year career in the same area. hole. hole? Go shine your suit.Blown2CV said:
sociopath said:
bigandclever said:
Blown2CV said:
When I am recruiting i use a deliberately hampered case study which they don't have time to complete, that's deliberately vague and conflicting, and then the case study panel have a massive argument in character and one guy storms out etc... it's as much about checking someone's ability to perform under pressure, to handle conflict, to drive towards a goal, to make useful assumptions in order to progress, etc.
There you go then, karma’s bit you in the arse t, it's just acting, and bears no relation to real lifeFor the record I retired aged 56 after 32 years in IT ending up as an Director for a couple of financial services companies.
Tell me again how super you are?
sociopath said:
Blown2CV said:
sociopath said:
bigandclever said:
Blown2CV said:
When I am recruiting i use a deliberately hampered case study which they don't have time to complete, that's deliberately vague and conflicting, and then the case study panel have a massive argument in character and one guy storms out etc... it's as much about checking someone's ability to perform under pressure, to handle conflict, to drive towards a goal, to make useful assumptions in order to progress, etc.
There you go then, karma’s bit you in the arse t, it's just acting, and bears no relation to real lifeFor the record I retired aged 56 after 32 years in IT ending up as an Director for a couple of financial services companies.
Tell me again how super you are?
Blown2CV said:
Wills2 said:
Blown2CV said:
deckster said:
Blown2CV said:
They haven't actually told me i haven't got it, but i have a call this afternoon... i hadn't heard anything for days and days and then saw the fking ad re-published on linkedin, so poked the recruiter WTF is this? she says oh i emailed you did you not get it, maybe it went in your junk folder... fk off bh i'm not 4 years old don't say st like that to me.
so yea we have a call this afternoon... i'll have some feedback for her.
yea i know "worst 'i'm sore about not getting the job ever' post"
Glad you said that last bit as until then I was struggling to why on earth somebody wouldn't want to hire you king ad re-published on linkedin, so poked the recruiter WTF is this? she says oh i emailed you did you not get it, maybe it went in your junk folder... fk off bh i'm not 4 years old don't say st like that to me.so yea we have a call this afternoon... i'll have some feedback for her.
yea i know "worst 'i'm sore about not getting the job ever' post"
head. I do have a fking job currently and somehow have managed to have a 20 year career in the same area. hole. hole? Go shine your suit.
Blown2CV said:
Wills2 said:
Blown2CV said:
deckster said:
Blown2CV said:
They haven't actually told me i haven't got it, but i have a call this afternoon... i hadn't heard anything for days and days and then saw the fking ad re-published on linkedin, so poked the recruiter WTF is this? she says oh i emailed you did you not get it, maybe it went in your junk folder... fk off bh i'm not 4 years old don't say st like that to me.
so yea we have a call this afternoon... i'll have some feedback for her.
yea i know "worst 'i'm sore about not getting the job ever' post"
Glad you said that last bit as until then I was struggling to why on earth somebody wouldn't want to hire you king ad re-published on linkedin, so poked the recruiter WTF is this? she says oh i emailed you did you not get it, maybe it went in your junk folder... fk off bh i'm not 4 years old don't say st like that to me.so yea we have a call this afternoon... i'll have some feedback for her.
yea i know "worst 'i'm sore about not getting the job ever' post"
head. I do have a fking job currently and somehow have managed to have a 20 year career in the same area. hole. hole? Go shine your suit.I’m sure some big tech company will be blessed with signing you up soon!
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