Hiring Managers pissing me off!!!!!!!!!!
Greeting to all of you who care to listen,
I just had my second consecutive interview that amounted to nothing more than a hiring manager only wanting to take a "closer look" at me and not seriously consider me for the position I am supposed to be interviewing for. Why do they do this? They know good and well they are not seriously considering me for the position, but they have me get all dressed up, wasting gas time and money to come and sit in their office and all they want to do is just "check me out". That pisses me off!!!!!!!! Has anyone else had this problem with them doing this to you? Also, to others in the HR realm, why is this so common these days? It's really quite sickening. Comments, please!
Honestly, I don't know what you're looking for here. Checking you out IS seriously considering you. There's something on your resume/application and/or any screenings you've been through that makes them think that you might be in the running. The interview is your chance to show them that you're not just in the running, you're the one. If you don't do that, that's not their fault. If you're not up to the others they end up seeing, again, that's how the cookie crumbles.
Tess
tmsmalley:
I have had a lot of interviews and I know I interview well. At the end of the interview, though, I can always tell if this person was seriously considering me for the position or if they were just randomly asking "potential candidates" to come in so they can just examine them. If they are examining me SINCERELY, I have no problem with that, but these obnoxious guys just want to have a conversation piece at the water cooler talking about some interviewees. I am just saying I don't appreciate those guys wasting my time. Some companies just like to pull your leg and it's not funny or amusing.
All I can say is that I don't know a lot of people that conduct interviews for the entertainment value. Everyone has better things to do at work, even if they don't have ANYTHING to do. Maybe you don't read others as well as you think.
Tess
I don't think any company interveiws for the entertainment value either.
However, I've been in a situation many more times than once when I've been called into a company to interview for a position I applied to based on a job advertisement. In these situations, it either became quite clear or the interviewer told me outright that they weren't ready to hire anyone quite yet but they were just wanting to get a feel for the pool of talent that is available out there. Yes, it is frustrating but there's no real way to know how serious they are until you meet with them.
The other point I'd like to make is that the interview is a TWO-way process. It's just as much an opportunity for YOU to check THEM out as vice versa. You get to look around their voices, get a feel for their staff and how they operate and determine whether this is the kind of company you'd like to work for.
The other thing is different interviewers value different things in candidates. Frankly, for some it's how you present yourself or your communication skills that matter as much as what's on your resume. There's just no way of knowing what's going through their heads.
One other point. When it comes time to asking questions during the interview, I always like to ask what they view as the most important part of the job or what's the most challenging part of the job. Many times they'll reveal in their responses what they really are looking for in a candidate.
Just a thought.
tmsmalley:
I don't think it is for the entertainment value, but like sunblue said maybe they were just trying to get a feel for candidates or something. The hiring manager did admit that the job that they were interviewing me for "has not materialized yet" and that the position technically did not exist. I didn't learn this until after I got into the interview. If in fact they ever plan to create that position like they claim. I just felt like a guinea pig, that's all.
sunblue:
That is exactly the type of thing I was talking about. They must be trying to get a feel for the candidates or something. I still feel set up and don't like coming all the way to the interviewer for a position that they haven't even created yet, if they are ever going to create it. They said that I won't hear anything from them for another month or so. I just feel like they were setting me up and stringing me along or something and I don't have time or appreciation for that. Thanks for the response.
Actually, I've found that a month is pretty average, even good. I had one company who called me in three separate times (in response to a job ad, no less) over a long period of time. Each time they said they were getting "closer" to the time when they would be hiring. They led me to believe prior to the interview they were already at the point. By the third time, I realized for whatever reasons, the company just wasn't dependable.
Also, most companies don't get back to you unless they're going to make an actual offer. If they're really professional, you might get an e-mail saying they selected another candidate, but that's pretty rare (at least in my experience).
It is frustrating. Really frustrating....but frankly, there is no real way to tell if a company that places a job ad is serious about hiring. THe best you could do is ask specific questions during the interview. When do you plan on making a hiring decision? Why is the position available? What are your plans for this position (or department)? Etc, etc. The other thing is if you get a chance to do a pre-screening phone interview, you might want to ask them what kind of timeline they're on in making a hiring decision.
Hang in there.
sunblue:
All excellent points! Thanks!
HR here. Ha! Often times (not always) hiring managers have no idea what they want or they start out wanting a Demi God - someone who can program in the latest faddish software, speak Mandarin and Polish and is willing to work nights, weekends and Christmas Day.
Even if I find this Holy Grail of an employee and I have, usually they want an exorbitant salary and that ends it right there. It doesn't matter how much a hiring manager loves peaches, if they are $5.00 a pound, they will eat apples. That's just the natural order of things..
What happens is the hiring manager as we say, "dithers". They rewrite the job description, sit on the posting or just hire the low bidder. Not always, but I have seen it happen.
Expect to go on at least 2 interviews nowadays. I have been on as many as four, two were on the same day. I went on one on Monday, Tuesday I had one in the morning, went home and then had another one the same afternoon. Friday, I went back for a fourth. I didn't like it either.