[JERBS] What is your weirdest interview experience?

sabrina dont just stare at it...eat it

 

A few times I've flipped interviews if I didn't like the way things were going -- you just start innocently asking them interview questions. You have to be subtle, but once you get them out of their rhythm you can get them really flustered. I would only do that if they were being jerks for whatever reason.

 

Have had a few weird experiences. One interview went so absurdly, comically bad that if it happened in a sitcom not a single viewer would have been able to take it seriously. 30 minutes into the interview the interviewer actually said something like "so, uh, do you want to continue with this or nah?" because he just felt bad for me.

Summary of things that went wrong: 3 wrecks en route and horrific traffic, phone battery died, AC broke in car, tie not tied, drenched in sweat, thirsty as **** but had no water, and my brain was not functioning properly (I got the year wrong, lost train of thought multiple times, and blanked on part of my job history). Hilariously, I called them shortly after the interview and told them I was no longer interested in the role.

Another interview had the interviewer insist that I remove my coat. Kept insisting, so I eventually took it off. Then the same routine with my tie. Then unbutton my shirt. Then unbutton it some more. At that point I said "No, this is fine" and did the whole interview like that. It was odd. I could tell the other interviewer was disturbed by the bizarre insistence that I must remove those clothes. I actually got this job.

Also had an interview at the an institution I had always wanted to work at. Really wanted the job. At the start if the interview, the interviewer's phone was blowing up. Eventually he picked it up. His mom just died. I was like "wow.... so sorry, please go to that and we'll figure this all out some other time." "No," he insisted, this interview must go on. And yeah, it did not go well.

And lastly I had one interview that was pretty normal but about halfway through I realized that I definitely did not actually want this job. So at that point I was faced with the decision of continuing the charade of trying to sell myself to them or coming clean. I continued the charade.

 

While I was putting together my company, I interviewed at a firm for a position I had been doing for years. They set me up to do a phone intereview. I figured it was a win-win because it would have been nice to have some income for those few months, and I've always been great at contracting new agents.

During the phone interview, instead of asking me pertinent questions relating to the actual job or asking for my coworker references, they asked me generic, boiler plate dumbass questions that had nothing to do with the job. The one that got me was "name a time you disagreed with a manager's decision but you did it anyway." Couldn't think of any suitable answer. There WAS a time those things happened, and I was fired both times because I didn't "do it anyway."

Anyway, I didn't get the job, which to me was just stupid on their part. I could've given several co-worker references to them.

 

I know it is not my business but given your qualifications ,you can be a medical physicists with a median of 200k if you want that

 

What's your view on life?

Maybe it's not all that weird a question, but it sure set off a 404 error in my young brain. Mind you, this was for an entry level warehouse job that was clearly not a career thing.

 

all I could think of. nooice.

 

B-Bob, let me guess, something in Academia? Seems hard to believe any private organization could suffer that much inefficiency.

The interview for the job I have now was quite exhaustive, but not unfair or needlessly complicated. I think I did 2 phone interviews with 2 separate people, then 2 video interviews with 5 different people, then an in-person battery of interviews with like 10-12 different people.

It was long and took about 6 weeks to resolve the whole process before an offer, but I took that to mean they were thorough and deliberate in their hiring process, which is a good thing when you realize that this is the same level of scrutiny your potential co-workers will have gone through.

If I felt the level of dysfunction you are feeling, I would probably drop my pursuit. Ain't nobody got time for that.

 

While we're on the subject of JERBS and interviews and whatnots....

Does anyone have any experience or advice on using an offer as leverage for a raise?

____

I have a good to great relationship with my current employer and overall work situation. I'm compensated very well for my field, and I have risen quite quickly in terms of pay over the course of my time (5~ years) there; making over 40% more now than when I started.

But, lately the work has started to feel at times either tedious (pointless) or boring (mundane). I've also noticed some incompetent people getting promotions and put into positions of authority or positions where people like myself depend on them. Not a good feeling.

Every year I try to go on at least one job interview to maintain the muscle memory that comes with resume writing, interviewing skills, knowing your market value, etc. As part of that exercise I feel I may have an offer in hand soon that will come with it a promotion (at least in title) and a 10% raise.

I really don't have a burning desire to leave my job, but with kid #2 on the way and the uber competitive housing market we're looking to settle into, money is absolutely a factor. I'd say it's driving 70% of my thinking in this right now.

Is there any tactful/industry standard way to go about using this to increase my comp with my current company without burning bridges?

 

The worst interviews are from Memorial Hermann Hospital. They tell you how bad you are, how you won't be able to mesh with their team, how high their standards are and how busy they are. A week later HR wants to hire you. After all that I dont want to work for you gordon ramsay crazy b****es

 

For a job in prisons- got the inside scoop on all sorts of ways to get raped, how nutty women's prisons were, how to build a tattoo gun, smuggling things in the rectum, etc, etc.

 

Had an interview once where I walked in and the interview started with the hiring manager saying "Ok, ask me questions." I was straight out of college and had a few questions to ask but not many. Once I got through the handful I had come up with before the interview and then a few more I came up with on the spot he went, "Ok, now I'm going to have you talk to one of my guys." He then brought in one of his employees and left. Made small talk with him for a while before the interview ended. Not surprisingly I never heard anything back from them.

 

jobs related to Linacs are in high demand , dosimetry or Radiation therapy physics assistance are also physics's natural fits.

 

Way back in my younger days when I worked at Enterprise Rent A Car, I had to interview for a new MT position at my office. I had one guy come in and he was just killing it. He was a perfect fit and was telling me everything I was looking for. I was finishing up and was going to call corporate and tell them he was my guy when he said "oh, there is one thing you should know about....I made a mistake a few years ago but I served my time and I don't want you to hold it against me...it was for indecency with a child." I didn't make that call to corporate after all....

I walked out of a couple of interviews when I was younger once it became painfully obvious that I was going to hate that job. I just said "will you excuse me for a minute?", got up and walked out - then just never came back. One kept calling me back and I just didn't answer the phone. They called non stop for about a week. Couldn't take the hint I guess.

 

A few weird experiences:

One time an interviewer clearly had zero interest in hiring me or conducting this interview, so he spent the entire time talking to me about baseball, which I like to do but not when I am applying for a job. I think they had maybe already made their decision and were just carrying out the interviews they already scheduled. Turns out a guy who's ex-step grandma (yes, ex-step grandma) had a connection there and they gave him the job.

I once interviewed at a predominantly black company, I had no clue they were predominantly black, and they had no clue that I wasn't black. We all learned about each other when we met at the interview table. About 5 minutes later the interview was over and they did not validate my parking like they said they would.

I also once failed the Home Depot personality test when I applied for a summer job there. It was a computerized test of "what would you do if...." scenarios and apparently I did not do well, so I was denied a job and could not reapply for several months. I ended up getting a job at OfficeMax instead.

Another summer I walked out of a group interview when I learned it was Cutco recruiting youngsters to sell knives.

 

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