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Thread: Interview gone bad !

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    Interview gone bad !



    Well.....

    Interviewer was 15 minutes late to start with.....I was almost 40 min's early...doesn't day much about the company.....

    Job advert was for a Systems Admin..... about 15mins into the interview the guy says....

    " Erm.....eventually this role wll be almost completely SQL Server orientated / DBA kind of stuff..." ....come again ??? I thought this was a Sysadmin role i applied for - not DBA !!!

    " One of his questions to me : What is the first thing you would do if a developer hands you a package ( i assume by this he meant a piece of finished software they had written ) to install on a server........

    My answer : Test on a test server ( if resources allow ) to see if it works and if it's stable enough - I assumed he meant that it was going on a new server.......

    His reply : Would you back it up first perhaps ?................

    My reply : Well yes, that may be a good idea...... !!!! Whuahahahahahahahaha

    But he didn't say if it was a new server or an existing server running something....


    Ah well.... I know he didn't like my answers - I feel like a prat even though i know I know my stuff..... this easy one got me and now I feel kinda dissapointed that it went so rubbish really....

    He must be thinking this guy is talk out of his $^$&&, but I know that I know my stuff - honest guvner !

    On to the next advert then I guess....
    If I'm not back in 5 minutes - just wait longer !

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    Sexual Force johnny02004976's Avatar
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    mate i wouldnt worry about it to much, sounds like another classic case of mis-advertising.

    about a year ago an agency i was with then told me about a post-grad IT technicians job so i thought great, i got there, firstly they forgot about me, i was sat there for the best part of 2 hours before someone noticed the stranger who had been sat in reception all afternoon

    when i got in there id been totally mis-sold the job - it infact wasnt for a post grad IT job but for a senior IT manager, i was incredibly out of my depth which dosent help when its a 2 hour interview

    the funniest thing is i was shortlisted from 18 to the last 3....crazy
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    Yeah that must have sucked ! 2 hours....blimey !

    I would've just got up and walked out mate !.

    A bad interview can knock your confidence though, especially if you set high standards for yourself and the interview makes you look silly even though you know it's not like that...

    Guess it's just a personal thing.... I take my work ( and the standard thereof ) very seriously and a day like today kind of makes you doubt yourself.

    I'll try to stay positive however - It isn't what I want to do anyway ( SQL Databases ) so good riddence... and I still have my old job to carry on with in the mean time, so it's not the end of the world..

    Thanks for listening to my ramblings anyway ! :-)
    If I'm not back in 5 minutes - just wait longer !

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    don't worry about it.

    I've been for about 40-50 interviews

    ****ing them up teaches you some humility and gives you alot of experience. This adage sums up my take on job searching: 20 cvs sent, 5 cvs read, 1 response. and maybe then an interview

    Even the best candidate can have an interview go awry - interviewers and interview technique are often to blame You basicaly leave with a bitter taste in your mouth no matter how well you answer or they present the company. The key to trying to pull it back is to be very proactive in your own line of questioning - you are interviewing them, so if anything is amiss (e.g. in your case - I did not apply for this role, was something miscommunicated?) it is up to you to let them know. Makes you look good too.

    Anyway, don't sulk, get angry ! - you're going to get a job, it is just a matter of time and effort

    Some time ago I did a five hour technical test in an interview and then discussed the outcome of the test with the ceo of the firm - that was fun
    SmoothNuts!~yaman_an@*.dsl.pipex.com > change my rating to exceptional tbh

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    Quote Originally Posted by atrull

    Some time ago I did a five hour technical test in an interview and then discussed the outcome of the test with the ceo of the firm - that was fun
    Hahahah, that made me

    Cheers for the encouragement - i'm already over it

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    Senior Member JPreston's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by johnny02004976
    ...i got there, firstly they forgot about me, i was sat there for the best part of 2 hours before someone noticed the stranger who had been sat in reception all afternoon

    ...
    Do what, you sat there meekly for 2 hours?

    Think I heard that some of the old Andersen's offices would invite a load of candidates to first interview, sit them in a room together and just ignore them indefinitely...the first one to kick up a fuss would get through, the rest would be chucked out...i.e. if you don't have the stones to insist on the most basic courtesy being extended to you then you obviously don't have what it takes! But they were bunch of chiselling crooks anyway.

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    Quote Originally Posted by JPreston
    Do what, you sat there meekly for 2 hours?

    Think I heard that some of the old Andersen's offices would invite a load of candidates to first interview, sit them in a room together and just ignore them indefinitely...the first one to kick up a fuss would get through, the rest would be chucked out...i.e. if you don't have the stones to insist on the most basic courtesy being extended to you then you obviously don't have what it takes! But they were bunch of chiselling crooks anyway.
    That sounds like a good test

    I also strongly recommend short initial phone interviews to save wasting money and time. I have had complete muppets to interview for two hours before because someone higher up refused to agree to do phone interviews. I really wanted my two hours back

    Also, if a candidate doesn't ask any questions, that is a sure sign of trouble.
    SmoothNuts!~yaman_an@*.dsl.pipex.com > change my rating to exceptional tbh

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    Quote Originally Posted by JPreston
    Do what, you sat there meekly for 2 hours?

    Think I heard that some of the old Andersen's offices would invite a load of candidates to first interview, sit them in a room together and just ignore them indefinitely...the first one to kick up a fuss would get through, the rest would be chucked out...i.e. if you don't have the stones to insist on the most basic courtesy being extended to you then you obviously don't have what it takes! But they were bunch of chiselling crooks anyway.
    lol I would love that since I would be straight at reception
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    HEXUS.timelord. Zak33's Avatar
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    the people interviewing you are often totally clueless mate...don't forget, when you go for an interview itsa a TWO WAY THING...you interview them too.

    Plus, as you've already seen,job descriptions are often badly mislabelled.
    I for example applied to be a sheep herder.....I mean...how hard can it be....I've heard sheep before...they go bahhh...

    but the dude wanted me to walk around with the things all day on a mountain. Pah...you might have been better able to have heard them that way, but it's not for me...so I got the flock outta there.

    Seriuously tho...don't get down about it. Just keep at it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Advice Trinity by Knoxville
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zak33
    the people interviewing you are often totally clueless mate...don't forget, when you go for an interview itsa a TWO WAY THING...you interview them too.

    Plus, as you've already seen,job descriptions are often badly mislabelled.
    I for example applied to be a sheep herder.....I mean...how hard can it be....I've heard sheep before...they go bahhh...

    but the dude wanted me to walk around with the things all day on a mountain. Pah...you might have been better able to have heard them that way, but it's not for me...so I got the flock outta there.

    Seriuously tho...don't get down about it. Just keep at it.
    lol

    don't get disheartened, as has been said, interviews are a 2 way thing, so you're probably better off out of it!

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    You won't believe this.

    Today the recruitment agent phoned me to inform me that the interviewer think i did really well. Just lacked a few key skills ( SQL DBA experience ) - which i don't like anyway...

    Apparently i presented myself really well and he asked the agent to keep me in mind for other upcoming jobs....

    Now i don't feel so bad anymore - I thought it went worse ! :-)



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    Pink & Fluffy! Elmo's Avatar
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    i went for an interview at 3 mobile the other week, and i have to say, i've never witnessed such a disorganised person in my entire life. Plus she was just rude and didnt listen to or answer my questions correctly. It may well be a fab place to work (i have a lot of friends who work there) but i dont think i could have gone back for the 2nd interview even if i was offered it, without wanting to stab her in the face

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    Quote Originally Posted by Zak33
    but the dude wanted me to walk around with the things all day on a mountain. Pah...you might have been better able to have heard them that way, but it's not for me...so I got the flock outta there.
    Sounds like a good job!!!! Of course there is another way to herd them, our great-grand pappy's pioneered the method whilst near-suffocating down in the pot noodle mines.

    It remains a family secret of course. But suffice to say the method is well proven, and lives on in the lore of the valley

    Butuz

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    An interviewer will make up their mind whether to employ you within the first 5 minutes. 99.9% of interviewers have not been trained how to interview and as such base their criteria on things like, do they like your face/accent/tie/suit/smile and any other predjuces they may have.

    The way to succeed in interviews is to bond with the other person and drive the interview yourself. Steer them away from the stupid questions they ask and demonstrate your suitability by showing them your past experiences and competencies. Even then it's still a bit of a lottery.
    "Reality is what it is, not what you want it to be." Frank Zappa. ----------- "The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." Huang Po.----------- "A drowsy line of wasted time bathes my open mind", - Ride.

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    good news on my side - got offered by both interviews I recently went for - just resigned from BD and I've accepted the better one
    SmoothNuts!~yaman_an@*.dsl.pipex.com > change my rating to exceptional tbh

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