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Last interview I had was actually a seven hour "assessment session" four hours of various assessments, followed by an hour to prepare a presentation, followed by giving said presentation, followed by a formal interview.
I had swine flu. I don't mean a bad cold, I mean real flu (confirmed by doctor 2 days later).
God it was awful. I was told that I hadn't got job, but had come a close second, although they were kind enough to say that it had been obvious that I was "clearly very ill" - which I think meant "looked like s***"
At every interview that I go to, the very first answer that pops into my head to every question is "that would be an ecumenical matter" one day the genie will leap out of the bottle and I will say it.
Based on that, I'd hire you.
Being interviewed for the public sector. Holy crap!
You get about seventeen tests, interviews with at least 8 people who all talk to you like you are death himself and then you eventually land the job of your dreams, a post in a backward town in North shields where everyone speaks a language you have yet to determine the origins of.
I applied for a job with DWP. At first they rejected my CV. I asked why and they said because it wasn't dynamic enough...at the DWP!!!! SO I wrote them a letter and they changed their minds. A crazily simple set of tests that I viewed with suspicion later and I was into my interview.
Every question was so easy to answer I suspected it was loaded with subterfuge and malice. I creased my brow trying to assess the questions applied. It was clearly a test of extreme importance that I was too thick to understand.
I got the job. This would be the most impressive thing I could do with my life, serve the country.
Six months later I left vowing I would never return. AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL!!!! I hated that job, that place and that environment. Do people actually live their lives like that? Holy jesus in a thong! I am sweating now just thinking about it. Horrible, horrible places, awful environment, beurocracy beyond belief, wasted money, apethy.. etc etc.
That shit is the most badly designed environment I have ever encoutered. It needs nuking from space.
Does a university interview count?
I had one and didn't even realise it had happened! Went in and said hello to the tutor, made some general chit-chat and then he asked about the traffic on the way there, he seemed very interested in that and what I though could be done about it.
Then it was over and I left.
It was for an economics degree and it suddenly dawned on me after I had left that he was wanting answers about supply and demand for the road network, about whether road pricing is a regressive tax, equillibrium points for journey times/traffic volumes etc rather than me moaning about the one-way system...
Boardinbob- just at the back of central station perhaps?
I didn't even bother turning up the next day tbh..
Went for a sales interview to a geo textile company who wanted an additional sales person.
Interviewer said that they wouldn't be developing their product any further because it was good and they wouldn't be selling outside the UK and that the sales man they had already would still be the maim salesman.
I think I may have come across a little ambitious.
Couldn't believe their total lack of development ambitions though. Wonder if they still there?
I went for a nuclear physicist interview where the manager and team leader argued about the wrong equipment and then told me tough as they fell out with each other!
I then modified the equipment to get it to do what I wanted.
After getting through to the end I was asked "if I wanted to work here still?"
I said "no." the MD went nuts and demanded an explanation. He went bananas on the manager and team leader who tried to explain and blamed each other.
MD phoned me to change my mind.
I was once asked "how good is your science knowledge?"
Answer: "I've watched every episode of Star Trek!"
One guy went red and frowned, while the other laughed his head off.
I got the job as they thought I had a good sense of humour!
Only ever had one interview, and it wasn't even a proper one. It was a placement, and I knew the MD who also knew me as I don some research for her and she thought some my ideas were cool. Still most terrifying thing I've done, I was soooo nervous, sweating (two stains under my arms: attractive) and started every answer with the oh so witty "errrrr" or the everso clever sounding "ummmm" I must have sounded well cool...not.
I think I've spent more time as an interviewer than an interviewee.
One tale I've recounted here before. We interviewed a chap by the name of Satnam. Cue the department spending half an hour before the interview riffing on sat-nav jokes to a point where everyone had the giggles good and proper.
Chap turns up and my colleague, a step ahead of me, goes to greet him. "Hi, nice to meet you," he says, "find us alright?" I had to dive off into a side office to compose myself.
A very long time ago I was part of the interview process for our tech support department. My line manager and I were interviewing staff, I led the technical side and he lead the HR side.
One lad came in, very long hair down to his waist. I started my questions, and he knocked them all out of the park. Halfway through, I threw out the pre-prepared questions and started making up stuff on the fly to test him, and he nailed everything I threw at him. Easily the best candidate I've ever interviewed at that place.
I hand over to my boss, really excited and the prospect of being able to work with this guy. His opening gambit is, "before we proceed any further, I think it's only fair to warn you that company policy is that men's hair must be shorter than collar length."
The candidate stood straight up, went "well, in that case I don't think there's any point in us wasting each other's time any further," shook both our hands and left. I think I was more gutted than he was.
Oh, one interview tale just jumped to mind.
I went with a mate to a factory somewhere, where they were looking for two staff members to take over their IT infrastructure.
The office manager bloke showed us round the plant, the comms room, etc, ending up back at his office. Clearly having saved the best to last, he then introduces us to his well-stocked beer fridge "for when it all gets too much of an afternoon."
Went for a part-time job at Maplin when I was a kid - told the manager that I knew a reasonable amount about electronics (I did) so he handed me a resistor and asked me what resistance it was - I don't know resistor colour codes from memory.
Didn't get the job.
And worse, my lovely steel Stumpjumper was nicked while I was in the interview.
self-important and inflexible.
I like my sex to be with my life partner not my employer. Flexibility tends to be a one-way street in my experience (though not at my current employer who's very good).
Turned up for one to find the manager was I'll doubly bad ad I was playing flexi time to the limit to get there without using holiday. Second one he turned up I had a huge head cold. Surprised to get that one. Lasted 6 months managers sick days may have been alcohol related.
althepal - Member
Boardinbob- just at the back of central station perhaps?
I didn't even bother turning up the next day tbh..
Close. Gordon St, next to Greaves Sport
it was this mob: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cobra_Group
All my interviews since graduating 12 yrs ago have consisted of technical questions of varying difficulty. Banking sector seems harder than engineering. Sometimes cos I'm bad at swotting I crash and burn. Most recent disaster the guy was marking my c++ test and discussing answers and at question 3 said "this isn't working lets call it a day"
Fair enough but tough at the time!
I had to do a phone interview with a recruitment consultancy.
Bloke phoned me up at home, and spent at least half an hour to 45 minutes grilling me on my CV, trying to prove any inconsistencies.
I could really could feel some animosity towards me on the phone. Eventually he said his name and asked me if I remembered him.
Me: "No, where would I know you from?"
Him: "School. I was in your class for 5 years and I thought you might remember kicking the crap out of me in the third year".
Me: "No, sorry". Then I put the phone down.
I'm sure I would have ha a good reason for the 3rd year thing, so I'm quite pleased he ended up a recruitment consultant.