Rude interviewers
Discussion
Has anybody walked away from an interview and decided the role advertised was still compelling and interesting yet the people you've been interviewed by were just dam rude.
I had an interview yesterday (not heard yet) for a FTSE100 firm and one of the interviewers was visibly bored, yawned, was on his phone and just looked like he wasn't on this planet. He went from drilling me with condescending tones to me having to wake him up by engaging him in conversation through a role play.
He certainly wasn't doing the silent observational assessment as far as I could see.
I have worked in the corporate jungle for donkeys years and I get the impression maybe the org is changing a bit or this in-particular is "moving on" anyway....and this is also sometimes a defence mechanism on interviews and generally all part of the bravado game.
If they do say no I think I'll actually tell them how it is with this one.....it actually wound me up a bit and threw me off track.
I had an interview yesterday (not heard yet) for a FTSE100 firm and one of the interviewers was visibly bored, yawned, was on his phone and just looked like he wasn't on this planet. He went from drilling me with condescending tones to me having to wake him up by engaging him in conversation through a role play.
He certainly wasn't doing the silent observational assessment as far as I could see.
I have worked in the corporate jungle for donkeys years and I get the impression maybe the org is changing a bit or this in-particular is "moving on" anyway....and this is also sometimes a defence mechanism on interviews and generally all part of the bravado game.
If they do say no I think I'll actually tell them how it is with this one.....it actually wound me up a bit and threw me off track.
This did feel like quite a patronising act tbh, I actually think the other two interviewers were slightly embarrassed.
New head of department comes in and he's interviewing them alongside the person he is replacing.
Certainly felt a bit like there was some chest beating going on.
Maybe I've not noticed this in corporates and maybe I've even been doing it myself after being in corporates too long.... it really is a horrid jungle out there!
New head of department comes in and he's interviewing them alongside the person he is replacing.
Certainly felt a bit like there was some chest beating going on.
Maybe I've not noticed this in corporates and maybe I've even been doing it myself after being in corporates too long.... it really is a horrid jungle out there!
Granadier said:
About 10 years ago, I went for a job interview with a financial publisher in the city. The interviewer was quite aggressive and confrontational when questioning me. I kept my responses calm, reasonable, businesslike but asserted myself where I felt necessary.
At the end of the formal questions, the guy relaxed, smiled, and said: "Sorry if I seemed a bit tough on you, I was just seeing how you would react to pressure, and if you would stand up for yourself without losing your temper."
After that, we had quite a pleasant chat and he was like a different person.
Unusual approach, I can kind of see where he was coming from but don't fully agree. Having interviewed candidates for jobs myself, I know it's difficult to really assess someone's strengths and weaknesses through 45 minutes or an hour of conversation, unless you deliberately put them under pressure, but there are ways to do that without being rude.
Another point I'd make is a job interviewer who bends over backwards to be charming isn't always a good sign, either. It could mean the hiring manager doesn't know how to interview properly (and therefore you end up working with a team of people who shouldn't have got their jobs), or it may mean they are desperate to get anyone because the job is less attractive than they pretend it is.
This was rude in the sense of him yawning (loudly) and looking at his mobile (in clear camera view)....oh and typing something while I started talking to the other person interviewing me.At the end of the formal questions, the guy relaxed, smiled, and said: "Sorry if I seemed a bit tough on you, I was just seeing how you would react to pressure, and if you would stand up for yourself without losing your temper."
After that, we had quite a pleasant chat and he was like a different person.
Unusual approach, I can kind of see where he was coming from but don't fully agree. Having interviewed candidates for jobs myself, I know it's difficult to really assess someone's strengths and weaknesses through 45 minutes or an hour of conversation, unless you deliberately put them under pressure, but there are ways to do that without being rude.
Another point I'd make is a job interviewer who bends over backwards to be charming isn't always a good sign, either. It could mean the hiring manager doesn't know how to interview properly (and therefore you end up working with a team of people who shouldn't have got their jobs), or it may mean they are desperate to get anyone because the job is less attractive than they pretend it is.
Would he had been testing me? Maybe he was for most of the interview yes.
To be clear nobody else has been like this in particular!
I spoke on a first screening with the hiring manager who was ok and got to next phase yesterday so can't had done that badly. Rude man was the manager of the hiring manager it appears.
I'm going to have a relaxing weekend and forget about this interview, wait for the outcome of the interview when they probably tell me I've not got whatever rude man doesn't actually want anyway.
Alorotom said:
Sadly this is getting increasingly common
After a week and a bit now I've heard nothing, even after emailing the recruiter (ok she might had been on holiday but it's just piss poor).I think if this wasn't a Teams meeting I probably would had done what you said tbh, pretty discusting for a C level to be that rude.
RC1807 said:
Not a rude interview, but a genuinely bizarre phone call this morning.... a US global bank I interviewed with called me, or at least their executive management HR dept in Eastern Europe did.
The feedback I received from this HR senior manager was very good, but they explained they decided not to hire me as they'd filled the role internally.
OK, thanks.... but what's bizarre here is that the bank offered me this MD level role in February 2020!
Yep, more than 2 years ago!
We'd agreed the terms, signed a contract with a start date of 01/05/2020, but as soon as the pandemic hit, they pulled the offer and paid me 6 months salary as compensation (equal to the trial period). That was all completed by the end of May 2020.
The HR team in Eastern Europe had no record of this and thought they were giving me feedback for a position I'd interviewed for only a few months ago.
WHAT THE ACTUAL f
k?!
The HR senior manager was very embarrassed when I explained what happened in 2020.
They said they'd investigate.
I'm sat in my home office absolutely gobsmacked.
Im not surprised....its this sort of stuff that should be posted on linked in, not about some stupid story about someone climbing the slippery pole (like we all don't).The feedback I received from this HR senior manager was very good, but they explained they decided not to hire me as they'd filled the role internally.
OK, thanks.... but what's bizarre here is that the bank offered me this MD level role in February 2020!
Yep, more than 2 years ago!
We'd agreed the terms, signed a contract with a start date of 01/05/2020, but as soon as the pandemic hit, they pulled the offer and paid me 6 months salary as compensation (equal to the trial period). That was all completed by the end of May 2020.
The HR team in Eastern Europe had no record of this and thought they were giving me feedback for a position I'd interviewed for only a few months ago.
WHAT THE ACTUAL f
k?!The HR senior manager was very embarrassed when I explained what happened in 2020.
They said they'd investigate.
I'm sat in my home office absolutely gobsmacked.
So after a month I get a completely ridiculous apologetic email and being informed about being unsuccessful. This was the response;
Hey Fourstardan,
How are you?
Firstly I just want to apologize that I haven’t got back to you sooner, I’m just back off annual leave and honestly I thought I had done this before I left for holiday. I can only apologize as I was swamped before I left for holiday so it must have passed me by. This isn’t the usual service we would offer to candidates as we do get back to all candidates who interview for us as I do fully appreciate the time and preparation put into interviews.
These sorts of organisations really do show there true colours in this process....dipst recruitment agents, rude interviewers and a pack of lies about why I wasn't successful.
I actually used to work with another guy recruiting, he has just joined and I doubt he'll be there long.
I'm interviewing for another role with a smaller org with the same insurance products and the process has been the complete polar opposite, a nice guy who's been there for donkeys years interviewing me with general chit chat about the industry etc to break the ice and a hiring manager who seemed like a nice ok guy, (lives abroad and comes in once a month) so good signs so far.
Hey Fourstardan,
How are you?
Firstly I just want to apologize that I haven’t got back to you sooner, I’m just back off annual leave and honestly I thought I had done this before I left for holiday. I can only apologize as I was swamped before I left for holiday so it must have passed me by. This isn’t the usual service we would offer to candidates as we do get back to all candidates who interview for us as I do fully appreciate the time and preparation put into interviews.
These sorts of organisations really do show there true colours in this process....dips
t recruitment agents, rude interviewers and a pack of lies about why I wasn't successful. I actually used to work with another guy recruiting, he has just joined and I doubt he'll be there long.
I'm interviewing for another role with a smaller org with the same insurance products and the process has been the complete polar opposite, a nice guy who's been there for donkeys years interviewing me with general chit chat about the industry etc to break the ice and a hiring manager who seemed like a nice ok guy, (lives abroad and comes in once a month) so good signs so far.
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