Job Interview FUBARs

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VeloClone

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Jan 19, 2010
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Brooklyn Park, MN
So, I had a female friend (note the past tense) who I used to work with at another job site. She left the area for a few years, but we occasionally kept in touch. A few years later, I get an email from her telling me she's back in town and desperate for a job, any job. We didn't have any openings at the time, but I steered her to a job I know of in Hawaii of all places at a sister company that is desperate for people. So desperate that one of the guys at our company was flown out there at their expense for two weeks, put up at a hotel, paid a per diem in addition to his regular salary and had a car rented for him. Tough work, but someone had to do it.

Several days go by and she's back in my email asking about jobs. I ask her if she applied for the one in Hawaii. She said no, she was "too nervous." I'm thinking she must not be as desperate for a job as she said.

Anyway, I steer her to another job I had just heard of that's in my same corporation, but a different company in a town about 15 miles from us. I gave her a good recommendation. About a week goes by and I hear from my boss that this woman went to that job interview and had just sat down, when she interrupted the interviewer and asked if they drug tested. When the interviewer said yes, she said, "well, let's not waste each other's time then," and got up and left.

I was furious. Here I was trying to help this woman and giving her a good recommendation and she pulls a stunt like that. I emailed her back and let her know that I knew exactly what she had done and I told her never to contact me again, until and unless she had cleaned herself up. I haven't heard from her since.
In a former job I hired a ton of front line employees. I encountered a few applicants who chose to leave when drug testing was mentioned and more that never showed up for testing when contingently offered.

I had one guy who failed to show up for an interview, gave us a sob story about why he couldn't make it and then failed to show up for a rescheduled interview. He then proceeded to go ballistic when we told him we would not be rescheduling again. Neither time did he even bother to call to let us know before the interview or even call in to let us know what happened the same day.
 

VeloClone

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Jan 19, 2010
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This is a HUGE issue for companies that are operating in Colorado but are not headquartered there. Most make their employees fall under the same cooperate drug use guidelines even though it is completely legal. These companies are having a really hard time finding new hires that can "qualify".
It is still illegal under federal law. While it does not seem to be enforced at the moment, I'm sure there are a lot of insurance underwriters who would look hard at the companies adjusting their policies.
 

mywayorcyway

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Mar 1, 2012
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Phoenix
Interviews are one thing but HR peeps screening candidates based off of a phone interview regarding a position they are clueless about is one of my sore spots as well.

Also a pet peeve of mine, this caused my group a lot of wasted time at one of my jobs. It also led to a pretty ugly interview situation once.

I don't recall where the candidate was from, but she had a degree in English from MIT. This was for a software development position. One of our interviewers was pretty tough on candidates regardless, but this one got a little out of hand. The candidate had a bit on her resume about software, but it wasn't much and it never would have made it past screening with actual software people doing it. It didn't take long into the technical interview to realize this person had next to zero programming experience. We had already done a lot of crappy interviews and were getting burned out. I realized it was time to cut the interview off, but the tough interviewer was frustrated with the entire process and started hammering the candidate with questions he knew she couldn't answer. After lots of questions and lots of stammering, the candidate was on the verge of tears. The tough interviewer finally says, in a rather unpleasant tone, "what makes you think you are in any way qualified to do this job?" She ran out of the room bawling. I got up to go walk her out and apologize, but I took my time. She must have taken the stairs because I never saw her again.

We did eventually hire someone for the position. I was a groomsman in his wedding quite a few years later.
 

BCClone

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Not exactly sure.
In a former job I hired a ton of front line employees. I encountered a few applicants who chose to leave when drug testing was mentioned and more that never showed up for testing when contingently offered.

I had one guy who failed to show up for an interview, gave us a sob story about why he couldn't make it and then failed to show up for a rescheduled interview. He then proceeded to go ballistic when we told him we would not be rescheduling again. Neither time did he even bother to call to let us know before the interview or even call in to let us know what happened the same day.

We had a guy call in from the hospital the day of his drug test to say he couldn’t make it due to a hospital stay. He ended up admitting that he had OD’d on a masking agent and that is what was wrong with him.
 
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throwittoblythe

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Aug 7, 2006
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Minneapolis, MN
This is a HUGE issue for companies that are operating in Colorado but are not headquartered there. Most make their employees fall under the same cooperate drug use guidelines even though it is completely legal. These companies are having a really hard time finding new hires that can "qualify".

Yeah, I learned that it's very complex. Any company can decide to accept someone who tests positive. It's not against the law to hire someone who tested positive. However, insurance companies will not insure companies who disregard a positive test. So it becomes a very burdensome financial issue even if a company doesn't care if you smoke pot.
 

mywayorcyway

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Mar 1, 2012
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We had one guy come in for an interview and he reeked of pot, like he had just been hotboxing in his car five minutes before walking in. My manager and I were doing the interview and the manager smelled it as well. Before we walked in, my manager says we shouldn't even do the interview. I tell him, c'mon, let's have a little fun. We're already here.

So we start the interview. We're doing simple situational awareness questions and dude has a bit of the giggles. One of his answers contained the word "specific", which he couldn't pronounce. He said the word "pacific" three or four times in its place. He finally gives up, saying out loud "I can't say that word!", then he laid his head down on the desk while continuing to laugh at himself. My manager had enough and ended it there. Too bad, it was just getting good.
 

LeaningCy

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Jan 18, 2008
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We were interviewing engineering candidates with 3-5 years experience.

Question: "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"

Answer: "Sitting on the beach, counting fat stacks of cash from my left to my right."

Then he just sat there with no expression. I'm guessing he knew he wasn't going to get the job before saying that but you couldn't even bother to finish it out strong?
 

SpokaneCY

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Apr 11, 2006
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Spokane, WA
This is true. I am going through that process now as I am relocating to Rhode Island. I interviewed with my current company about a year and a half ago so I am pretty fresh. However, there is so much pressure to not be who you are and to impress yourself on to your hopeful future employer.

Some tips that I do that may help. I generally do the STAR method of interviewing, so I have a document that is several pages long where I document some of my achievements. This helps me organize my thoughts prior to the interview. Additionally, have some prepped answers for the standard questions that may be asked (strengths, weakness, why are you looking for a job). Having these things written down and reviewed periodically will help you organize your thoughts and be prepared going into your interview.

I've done the same things. I pulled 10-ish generic interview questions and bullet-pointed some major achievements in my career to point out team-work, self-starting, whatever buzzwords apply these days than practice spontaneously reciting my canned answer including spaces for levity if I read the panel right.

Interviewing is a real skill and you need to practice.
 

CycloneErik

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Jan 31, 2008
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Jamerica
rememberingdoria.wordpress.com
Watched a candidate for a position that would be in charge of coordinating the secondary ed program for history majors. During her teaching demo, she got her phone out and texted someone while teaching along.

She was considering it a practice interview for somewhere better. Our job market was a little different in 2010-2011. You don't try that game right now.
 

Sigmapolis

Minister of Economy
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Aug 10, 2011
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Not a job interview, but I have definitely had my cats introduce themselves to people on the other end of the line (colleagues, clients, etc.) when working from home.

"As you can see here on Form 233--MEEOWWW!!!!!"
 

Walden4Prez

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Jul 8, 2014
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I am digging the thread!

I finished my interview an hour or so ago. I feel like it went very well. Luckily every question I was asked I had a good example to share. This first interview with the hiring manager was a lot of the behavioral type stuff.

Also helped that I was aware of some of the challenges the group is facing, based on RESEARCH I had done before going in. Very important, seems to always pay off. Even if you aren't directly asked a question about it, you can tie in your answers to their real world.

Panel interviews next, pretty sure I will get a call.
 

dosry5

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Nov 28, 2006
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Johnston
That's a bold strategy.

We had a kid come in for an on-site interview. He was highly rated by the career fair team - in fact, he was listed as "Number 1" on several people's evaluation sheets. Dude shows up wearing ripped jeans, a polo shirt, and a ballcap.

He didn't get an offer.
Need more details. Was his collar popped?
 

BillBrasky4Cy

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Dec 10, 2013
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We had one guy come in for an interview and he reeked of pot, like he had just been hotboxing in his car five minutes before walking in. My manager and I were doing the interview and the manager smelled it as well. Before we walked in, my manager says we shouldn't even do the interview. I tell him, c'mon, let's have a little fun. We're already here.

So we start the interview. We're doing simple situational awareness questions and dude has a bit of the giggles. One of his answers contained the word "specific", which he couldn't pronounce. He said the word "pacific" three or four times in its place. He finally gives up, saying out loud "I can't say that word!", then he laid his head down on the desk while continuing to laugh at himself. My manager had enough and ended it there. Too bad, it was just getting good.

Was he wearing a Kinnick shirt?
 

wxman1

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Jul 2, 2008
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Not really a fubar but after being laid off from my personal employer I was having some trouble getting interviews which can happen when one company puts over 600 plus people on the job market in one day. Finally got one through a friend of a friend and I show up late but really put a damn side out by the road. I am sure I am far from the first person to drive by that road confused why the GPS is telling them they have arrived. Called them to apologize and get some help finding the place. Get greeted by the head of HR and a couple other guys.The HR guy is wearing a ball cap and t-shirt. Interview didn't take very long and just left a weird feeling with me.

At least how the story was told to me was that it was my job until they had interviewed someone else that was basically overqualified and asking for next to no money they day before so they had already made their decision and the interview with me was more or less just because it was already scheduled.