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Interview Red Flags: Ever Felt Like THESE People? (I Have!)

February 12, 2009 by sparktalk 

By J.T. O’Donnell

I saw this video a while back and couldn’t stop laughing. I don’t know if it’s the kid doing the interview, the one over-the-top guy that connects with him about a monkey mug, or how crazy the interview questions are, but I guarantee anyone that’s ever interviewed for jobs has felt the way these interviewees felt at least once. It takes everything in our power not to want to get up and leave an interview that is going wrong, and yet, we stay in hopes of getting the offer. Why do we want the job so bad? Shouldn’t red flags be waving wildly through our heads that we should chalk it up to a bad fit and move on? Nope. Instead, something inside us says, “I just got to get this job offer.” Well, I say, if it felt wrong in the interview, it’s going to feel wrong on-the-job too.

I should know, it happened to me….

Many years ago, I was living at home after college. I graduated in the last recession and the job market was horrible for new grads – just like it is now. I was miserable in my hometown and desperately trying to find a job back in Boston where I went to college. I finally got the call from a small company I had applied to that specialized in translating documents. I had spent a year abroad and spoke French, I also had a degree in Engineering – it was these two points that got me the interview. I should have known the moment I got there that something wasn’t right. The first person to interview me was the CFO and he asked me questions like, “How well do you take criticism? Do you have a high tolerance for being yelled at?” He proceeded to explain the owner of the agency was a bit challenging to work with. He defended him by saying he was a very intelligent guy (went to MIT, etc.), but his people skills left something to be desired. I, eager to get out of my hometown, squelched the desire to leave the interview and simply said, “Oh, no problem. I’ve got really thick skin.” I was asked similar questions by the other two managers who interviewed me, but again, instead of being honest, I gave them the answer they wanted to hear.

Finally, I was then ushered in to meet the owner. He was disheveled-looking in clothes that made me wonder if he slept in them. He began asking the most random questions I have ever heard. I was stuck in his office for over an hour while he went on-and-on about with random stories about translation that had no relevance as far as I could tell to the job I would be doing. Once again I should have known, as I finally escaped the interview two hours later, this job was not for me. But, I was young and naive.

The next day they offered me a job – the VERY next day. (C’mon now, who does that?) Yet, I swallowed my concerns and said ‘yes,’ thinking I could at least stand the job long enough to get settled in Boston and start looking for a new one. What a critical error on my part. The job was a nightmare. The office dynamics I experienced make the ones on the show “The Office” look ideal. There was screaming and crying almost daily. I was so drained leaving there every day, it left me with no energy to look for a new position. My husband was my boyfriend at the time. He felt helpless watching me become depressed. I gained 20 pounds as I tried to eat my problems away.

And then I snapped…

On my year anniversary, I anxiously awaited my paycheck, which was supposed to include my raise. I had been told it was significant and my hard work would be rewarded. I was proud of the fact I had dealt with the male version of Miranda from “The Devil Wears Prada” for 52 weeks. I was sure I would see big $$$. I was making $28,000/year. I opened the check, calculated the increase, and realized I had only gotten a $1000 raise. I imploded. I walked into the CFO’s office and resigned. He chased me down the hall, begging me to go home and think about it. He said, “Please! You are the longest person we’ve ever had in this role!” I returned the next day and said I would stay on, but that was the first day of my last days there. I went on a mission to find a new job. It took four months to find one. When I resigned, the owner wouldn’t speak to me and asked me to leave immediately. The employees wouldn’t look at me either. I think they just hated the idea I was free.

Taking that job changed the way I looked at interviews for ever. So tell me….what was your worst interview like? Did you accept the job when it got offered to you? How’d it go? Can you relate to what I experienced?

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Comments

  • Katrina Meidanis
    I once had a similiar experience over a summer job I was interviewing for. The moment I stepped foot into the office I had a feeling that was no where near content. I could feel the negative vibes, but just like you I decided to ignore what i was feeling. A few days later I was hired and the only reason I was excited was because my bank account was not looking to good. The first day of work, I knew that it was not a happy place to be employed. There were immense amounts of tension and negativity between all the employees that people were quitting left and right. This atmosphere had affected my attitude greatly. I stuck it out through the summer until it was time to go back to school. Ever since this job interview and experience, my views on interviewing have definitely changed. I have even been lucky to have interviews which were the complete opposite which turned into job that were extremely rewarding. It's nice to have the reassurance that if the warning signs are there in the interview then that job probably isn't right for you.
  • I also had an interesting experience in an interview (as I was leaving school). It was with a Day Trading firm that hired new graduates to trade stocks using the company system (and money). It was a commission only gig.

    For me, the interview indicators were clear, though I chose to ignore them. I was told I could come "casual" to the interview, and I was offered the job IN the first (and only interview). In retrospect, this should have set off huge alarm bells in my head. However, being nervous about finding work with graduation approaching, I went for it. I lasted 6 weeks before leaving.

    By the way, great video!
  • CK
    I had walked out on interviews before. Some I thought were on the level of being a scam. One interview I had the interviewer kept commenting about my background (I was applying for a managemnt position) while what apeard that was the first tiem he even read my resume. And dispite my having a management degree, he kept going over my background - over and over again until I told him flat out that I told hime that I was no longer interested in the position and left!

    During another interview for a small company, I decised to try something "different" in my approch. I really didn't want the job but need one and the money. Before I got home the empoyer was calling me at home offering me the job!
  • dogfriend
    I have had a few bad interviews, it is the main reason I hate looking for a job.

    One of the most memorable was an interview where the very first question was whether I was married or not. Red flag, illegal question. I answered it after hesitating a second or two. The interviewer then went on to explain that he was asking because he wanted to know if I had a family and if the company would have to pay to relocate them if I was hired for the position. So, not only did he ask an illegal question, he went on to confirm that the reason for asking the question was to discrimate against someone based upon marital status. Nice.
  • I have had many bad interviews. I used to work in television which is horrible for bad pay and abusive situations. They never follow any professional protocol when it comes to jobs-- it's kind of an anything goes culture since there are so many eager and naive kids willing to do anything to get close to Hollywood.

    Out of it I learned to accept jobs based on the people in that workplace, not how great the company or position sounds. If you don't get along with colleagues or mesh well in the environment the won't turn into a valuable network.

    I wrote a full blog about it because I have had too many weird interviews to fit in a comment....
  • Shannon Carroll
    Luckily I haven't had any horrible interview experiences (yet).. but I've heard plenty of stories. Having so few interviews under my belt, I certainly feel nervous and unsure of what to expect when I enter the room. A tip I use is that even though I'm the one going for the job and essentially 'selling' my personal brand, I remember the company is trying to sell themselves to me too! It helps me to recognize that I'm not the only one trying to impress.
  • Krysten
    Here are my Questions: Do you wish you hadn't taken the job at all? Were you glad you stayed there for 4 months until you found the next one? Would you have done anything different?
    Most of us feel paralyzed to leave because we really, really, really need the money.
  • J.T. O'Donnell
    Hi Krysten, great questions!

    I actually stayed at the job for 4 months because I had rent to pay and couldn't just quit.

    Yes, I wouldn't have taken the job and would have been more patient about having to live in my hometown. I had my own apartment there too, so it wasn't like I was actually living at home, I just wanted out of there. It really wasn't a good reason to take such a terrible job.

    My biggest regret was not looking for a job sooner. As soon as I knew it was bad, I should have started looking. I didn't though because I was young and felt I needed to stay at the job for the year. I also didn't know how I would explain why I wanted to leave so quickly. I realize now I should have reached out to someone who could have helped me learn what to do. My parents weren't supportive of the idea of me leaving because they came from the 'old school' with the 'you stay in a job for a while' mentality. So, that had made it harder to want to look.

    My advice: if you are in a bad job, get out. The sooner you move on, the sooner you can start to leverage your strengths and do great things!
  • It's difficult to pin point the feelings you have when you first walk in to a potential job location. Of course you're probably nervous, a little confused on how it works, where things are, etc; but are you really just getting a bad vibe and excusing it for an uncomfortable new surrounding? Last summer I had plans to try to get a nannying job full time. I wanted to stay in my area so my options were limited, especially the well priced ones. Knowing I would have to go back to school in only three months I wanted to rack up as much money as possible to get me through the year, so I decided to meet with a family that paid the most. When I got to their house it was absolutely disgusting, the kids were literally jumping on the couch and throwing things at me. I was horrified, let it be known that I have been babysitting for almost ten years and I've never seen a worse impression of a family in my life. I ended up staying for an hour and the poor mother looked miserable; she and her husband both worked full time and couldn't keep up with making their house look presentable let alone have the time to spend with their children to teach them manners or discipline for that matter. It was a gorgeous house on the beach but inside it was absolutely trashed. The kids were unbelievably spoiled and completely ungrateful, I felt so sorry for her because I know she was embaressed. I left feeling so overwhelmed and stressed out, vowing I would never have a life like that. Luckily when I got home I recieved an email from a friend of the family asking me if I would be available for her children this summer whom I know very well. I really did luck out because I didn't know how to decline the crazy family's offer especially without having any other options. I just couldn't see myself trying to organize that chaos, I wouldn't even know where to begin.
  • Andrew Hennessy
    This article immediatley takes me back a few years ago when a freind asked me to help him out at the resturant he worked at. It was Labor Day weekend at a seafood resturant on the seacost so naturally the resturant was expecting a large volume of customers. Myself and anoher one of my friends were asked to be "food-runners" aka bringing food from the kitchen to the customers table. Sounds easy.

    As soon as we got there my freind and I were met by a rude, power hungry man who gave us t-shirts so we had somewhat of a uniform and said "Bring the food to the tables." I didnt think it would be too complicated.

    Between the rudeness of the owner and the impatience of the cooks working there, it was the most miserable 6 hours I have ever experienced working. There were over 100 tables on 2 separate floors so every time I brought out food I had to look at the chart to see where each table was. Naturally it takes a new-comer a while to understand and become farmialir with the resturant. Apparently the owner and cooks didnt see it that way. Both my friends and I recieved numerous comments that the cooks thought were being said under their breath but we heard them all. There was a point where I almost dropped plates of food on purpose and made a scene just to spite the owner and the cooks. Thankfully one of the waitresses working there was a lot kinder and pulled me aside and told me that those guys were #$#&$% and I should just ignore them and the day will be over soon enough. If it weren't for her reassurance, plates of food would have been dropped.

    Funny thing is...a few weeks later the same friend who asked me to be a food-runner asked me to do it again. I laughed and walked the other way.
  • Just like Katrina, I had a similar experience at a job I held as well. Although the man who caused the tension and anxiety I felt was not my direct boss, his actions effected me and everyone else in the office. There were multiple times when I would go to lunch or go home calling my Mom crying. As I continued in this job, I quickly learned that I was not the only one who felt this way around him and soon was wondering why he was still there. As difficult as it was to work with him, it was a learning experience that taught me a lot. I learned that I could never work for someone who was as controlling and demanding because I would never feel comfortable in my work place and therefore would never be able to work up to my potential. Although I never experienced this through an interview, I now know that if I felt this during the interview process, a red flag should go up and I should think about other options. I admire you for walking away from the job and realizing that if the interview is not so smooth, the job is probably not the best fit.
  • Michaela DeRoche
    Your experience sounds like a nightmare! Fortunately, I have never had an experience like this. However I am getting nervous for upcoming interviews for summer internships and then in the future a "real" job. I can see myself following in your steps just because I want a job or need the money. After hearing everyone’s experiences I think I will trust my instincts more than I have in the past.
  • Keith H.
    Best interview I ever had was one where I was able to check out the job ahead of time with a previous holder of that job. Turns out the pay was horrible ($13K/year for 40+hours, 10 years ago) and they had a habit of letting people go as soon as a project was done, waiting, then hiring new people. So I didn't want the job. I was in the 2nd interview and they were interested - really selling me the place. Then the big question, "How much money do you want to come and work for us?" My response? "I want $125,000 per year with a 3 year guarantee of no layoff." The only noise in the room was that of their jaws hitting the table. The told me they'd have to think it over and let me know. I checked my messages and I wasn't even out of the building before I got the rejection. BTW, my favorite interview question is, "What's your favorite fish?"

    The correct answer is some variant of "What do you mean?"
  • I added this to the Recruiting Humor blog from TalentSpring. http://humor.talentspring.com/

    Great video. I quoted your blog as the source. Great find!
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