Weird interview/job offer experiences?
- Thread starter Borzak
- Start date
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Shonuff
Mr. Poopybutthole
- 5,538
- 791
He's been on ignore since FOH, I wouldn't have known he said anything if you hadn't quoted him.
Dyvim
Bronze Knight of the Realm
- 1,420
- 195
JVIRUS
Golden Knight of the Realm
- 430
- 170
At 16 I interviewed to be a maitre d' at a somewhat upscale restaurant. After making me wait at the bar for about an hour the boss comes out to speak to me. He was this short, black haired super muscular Jewish dude ( think beefcake Ben Stiller ) that sat directly in front of me and hunched over. In what I assumed at the time was a faked menacing tone of voice he simply asks , " I am going to be in the kitchen most of the time. Are you ready to be my EYES...*pause* ...and EARS?"
I just responded with OK. "You got da job". Hah that was such a crazy place to work =D
I just responded with OK. "You got da job". Hah that was such a crazy place to work =D
Jasker
something
- 1,634
- 1,036
Recruiter interview - had this one who would ask me the same question several times, repeatedly (before I landed my current job). Her voice would get louder as she repeated. It was the weirdest shit ever and I think it was her way of browbeating the potential into giving her the confidence you are actually an expert in XYZ to submit you. I met with her and mentioned I was new to the city and she gave me some bullshit line about making it in NYC.
These two interviews happened at the same company but in different groups:
1. Got an e-mail through my grad school department from someone saying their old internship boss had an opening. I sent my resume off and was contacted for a phone interview. He started the interview with technical questions, which I did fine on, then decided to give me brain teasers. I got one of the two right, but they were probably the most difficult questions I had ever been asked in an interview. Didn't get a call back for an on-site. Later found out that the person that sent out the e-mail to the department got the job, so I'm assuming the guy who interviewed me was intentionally trying to make the screen impossible.
2. Sent a resume off to a labmate, got a call back for an on-site within a few days (no phone interview). Several of my interviewers were grad students from my department. The typical question consisted of "so, how's so-and-so doing back on campus?". It was really bizarre, especially given how highly regarded this group is in the industry. Needless to say, I got the job, but I felt like shit about it for basically getting in through nepotism.
1. Got an e-mail through my grad school department from someone saying their old internship boss had an opening. I sent my resume off and was contacted for a phone interview. He started the interview with technical questions, which I did fine on, then decided to give me brain teasers. I got one of the two right, but they were probably the most difficult questions I had ever been asked in an interview. Didn't get a call back for an on-site. Later found out that the person that sent out the e-mail to the department got the job, so I'm assuming the guy who interviewed me was intentionally trying to make the screen impossible.
2. Sent a resume off to a labmate, got a call back for an on-site within a few days (no phone interview). Several of my interviewers were grad students from my department. The typical question consisted of "so, how's so-and-so doing back on campus?". It was really bizarre, especially given how highly regarded this group is in the industry. Needless to say, I got the job, but I felt like shit about it for basically getting in through nepotism.
Borzak
Bronze Baron of the Realm
- 25,802
- 33,692
Yesterday I went to an informal interview with a company I knew nothing about. They had a guy on staff who basically handles all their contractors and they wanted to start bringing some of that work in house. After I talked to the guy a while I realised he was limited in the skill set compared to the people he was subbing work out to. When we got down to talking money he balked and then at the end he asked me if I knew where he could go to work to make that kind of money and keep him in mind if I took over a department somewhere.
Borzak
Bronze Baron of the Realm
- 25,802
- 33,692
That's how the real world works. Very rarely do I ever get asked a question about technical skills but rather who do I know and then we talk about the people who know what they are doing and who are fuck ups. That way you know what group they fall into.
I am not sure where to ask this so I will just put this here. I recently was made aware of a job position at my "dream job" type of company but after checkingglassdoor.comit didn't look good. Every company is going to have their pissed off employees but how reliable is a site like glassdoor and should I bother interviewing with said company if there is a recurring (bad) theme when it comes to the company?
Example review:
Example review:
- 16,903
- 7,910
Go through the job interview anyway, if it isn't much hassle on your end. Usually, once you start doing a few of these, properly researching the company beforehand, ask the right questions on interviews, you can see correlation between poor glassdoor reviews and the company(if it's actually there).
I just got a new job and went through a few interviews before I based th one I got picked for.
I did a Skype interview from home and I told them I couldn't take off of work, but could make it at 530pm. I had to leave work early for it still. In any case they told me I wasn't dressed for an interview when I wore my business casual stuff and not a suit.
Fuck you, you contacted me for the interview, I didn't apply.
I did a Skype interview from home and I told them I couldn't take off of work, but could make it at 530pm. I had to leave work early for it still. In any case they told me I wasn't dressed for an interview when I wore my business casual stuff and not a suit.
Fuck you, you contacted me for the interview, I didn't apply.
I am currently making $45k a year at my current job and after talking to my insider starting is usually around $32k unless you have industry experience (which I have a little bit but nothing major). Is there any hope of getting at least $40k or is it a pipe dream?
I was also thinking about going through the interview just for the experience like DW said. I already updated / changed my cover letter and resume so what can it hurt?
I was also thinking about going through the interview just for the experience like DW said. I already updated / changed my cover letter and resume so what can it hurt?
Chris
Potato del Grande
- 19,593
- -10,640
I went for an interview to be a game tester for the guys who make Lego Star Wars.
1) I got lost on the way to the hotel I was staying at and couln't find anyone who spoke English for directions (about 7 years ago so cusp of smartphones happening, I didn't have one), I thought that I would be fine when I saw a blonde traffic warden but turns out she was swedish or something. This is Slough, a hellhole in the UK where the original Office TV show was set. The company was near the chocolate factory where my father temped few days in years before and found a chocolate covered dead rat (don't eat anything by Mars).
2) The interview started off with having to beat highscores in Guitar Hero, Modern Warfare, Lego Star Wars and Mario Cart. This took a while (I did it!) and the interview had started fairly late, maybe ~7pm. I was then taken to an office for an interview. Nobody turned up. This is a small room off another room with 30 PCs with about 5 people working late. After 20 minutes I thought that this was odd, then at half an hour I realised that something was wrong. I then paniced thinking that me not asking what was happening would reflect badly on me or if I should be there at all. I waited a whole hour before popping my head out of the door to find out what the fuck was going on, someone saw me and got the manager in to complete the interview.
3) They then let me go without escorting me out of the building. It was fairly small so I just walked down a short corridor to the entrance. The security guard/receptionist was gone since it was 10-11pm so I let myself out, however the car park was locked up so I couldn't leave. I couldn't get back in as the door locked behind me and I didn't want to knock on the window where I could still see the guys working as I thought I would look stupid. I was terrified that they had seen me wondering the car park for 20 minutes, I even questioned if they had actually wanted me to go. Eventually I climbed over the gate. I wondered if I hadn't gotten the job because the security camera saw me doing this, but apparently I was 13th out of 2000 applicants.
Gave up getting into the games industry after that farce.
1) I got lost on the way to the hotel I was staying at and couln't find anyone who spoke English for directions (about 7 years ago so cusp of smartphones happening, I didn't have one), I thought that I would be fine when I saw a blonde traffic warden but turns out she was swedish or something. This is Slough, a hellhole in the UK where the original Office TV show was set. The company was near the chocolate factory where my father temped few days in years before and found a chocolate covered dead rat (don't eat anything by Mars).
2) The interview started off with having to beat highscores in Guitar Hero, Modern Warfare, Lego Star Wars and Mario Cart. This took a while (I did it!) and the interview had started fairly late, maybe ~7pm. I was then taken to an office for an interview. Nobody turned up. This is a small room off another room with 30 PCs with about 5 people working late. After 20 minutes I thought that this was odd, then at half an hour I realised that something was wrong. I then paniced thinking that me not asking what was happening would reflect badly on me or if I should be there at all. I waited a whole hour before popping my head out of the door to find out what the fuck was going on, someone saw me and got the manager in to complete the interview.
3) They then let me go without escorting me out of the building. It was fairly small so I just walked down a short corridor to the entrance. The security guard/receptionist was gone since it was 10-11pm so I let myself out, however the car park was locked up so I couldn't leave. I couldn't get back in as the door locked behind me and I didn't want to knock on the window where I could still see the guys working as I thought I would look stupid. I was terrified that they had seen me wondering the car park for 20 minutes, I even questioned if they had actually wanted me to go. Eventually I climbed over the gate. I wondered if I hadn't gotten the job because the security camera saw me doing this, but apparently I was 13th out of 2000 applicants.
Gave up getting into the games industry after that farce.
Bandwagon
Kolohe
- 24,452
- 65,765
For about 6 years, I was a Guide. Fishing guide, zipline guide, kayaking guide, whatever. I'm just now starting to do formal interviews for fire departments. Suit & Tie, interview panels, etc. Nothing interesting so far.
The hiring process for the first Zipline company I worked for was crazy, though. The initial phone call was basically "Show up here at 6am, and show up looking like you give a shit about being hired. We're not allowed to put it on the application, but don't bother coming in if you're fat. This is a physical job."
I almost didn't go in, but jobs in Hawaii are not easy to find for a Haole and I moved there with $500. Our first day consisted of writing essays about how we would deal with unruly tourists, emergencies and how to entertain different demographics. Our homework was to go home and learn 8 different knots and be able to tie each one perfectly in under 20 seconds. 12 people showed up the first day, 8 showed up the 2nd, and 5 were left at the end of the 2nd day.
The 6 days after that consisted of "find the fuckup", where we look for an error in equipment, a fuckload of pushups & pullups, and zipping the entire course over and over and over and over again. I went through boot camp in '03. This "interview process" was much harder.
Out of the 5 that started day 3, everyone made it except one guy. All of our names were "Dipshit" during that week and one guy said something. The response he got back from the trainer was "It's either dipshit, pussy, or faggot. You look like all 3, but i'll let you pick which one you like best". Word-for-word. Anyways, 4 of us got hired and it's still the best job I've ever had. After the week training, we spent 6 weeks "shadowing" other guides. There was a little bit of abuse during that time, but not as bad as the week training. The whole management and guide staff vote on each candidate before we get taken off probation. As soon as we made it there, our boss closed the course for 2 days and we had a huge campout and BBQ. The asshole that trained us is still one of my best friends and I've never worked for a place that had so much comradery. As a bonus, the job really WAS physical as hell...Only time in my life I've ever had a 6-pack. I know this is just about weird/bad interviews and not the job as a whole, but I had to add in there that an interview & training I normally would have walked away from ended up being the best job I've ever had, in terms of enjoyment.
Oh, and one more thing - I worked there for a year before moving to L.A. with a girlfriend. I got an awesome job making moving props, Then found out my girlfriend was married and her husband lived 3 houses down from us. When I put my notice in at work the next day, my boss offered me a really cool job (and wage) to stay and said I could stay in her house until I get my first "big" paycheck. I called the zipline boss back in Hawaii and told him the story, and he flew me back out, paid my first month's rent and gave me an interest-free loan to get a car. I've only ever made a "decent" wage once in my life, but having a great attitude at work and being reliable is really all it takes in the jobs I've worked.
This turned into an almost-offtopic rant. Sorry.
btw-our record on this line is 89MPH, on guide equipment.
The hiring process for the first Zipline company I worked for was crazy, though. The initial phone call was basically "Show up here at 6am, and show up looking like you give a shit about being hired. We're not allowed to put it on the application, but don't bother coming in if you're fat. This is a physical job."
I almost didn't go in, but jobs in Hawaii are not easy to find for a Haole and I moved there with $500. Our first day consisted of writing essays about how we would deal with unruly tourists, emergencies and how to entertain different demographics. Our homework was to go home and learn 8 different knots and be able to tie each one perfectly in under 20 seconds. 12 people showed up the first day, 8 showed up the 2nd, and 5 were left at the end of the 2nd day.
The 6 days after that consisted of "find the fuckup", where we look for an error in equipment, a fuckload of pushups & pullups, and zipping the entire course over and over and over and over again. I went through boot camp in '03. This "interview process" was much harder.
Out of the 5 that started day 3, everyone made it except one guy. All of our names were "Dipshit" during that week and one guy said something. The response he got back from the trainer was "It's either dipshit, pussy, or faggot. You look like all 3, but i'll let you pick which one you like best". Word-for-word. Anyways, 4 of us got hired and it's still the best job I've ever had. After the week training, we spent 6 weeks "shadowing" other guides. There was a little bit of abuse during that time, but not as bad as the week training. The whole management and guide staff vote on each candidate before we get taken off probation. As soon as we made it there, our boss closed the course for 2 days and we had a huge campout and BBQ. The asshole that trained us is still one of my best friends and I've never worked for a place that had so much comradery. As a bonus, the job really WAS physical as hell...Only time in my life I've ever had a 6-pack. I know this is just about weird/bad interviews and not the job as a whole, but I had to add in there that an interview & training I normally would have walked away from ended up being the best job I've ever had, in terms of enjoyment.
Oh, and one more thing - I worked there for a year before moving to L.A. with a girlfriend. I got an awesome job making moving props, Then found out my girlfriend was married and her husband lived 3 houses down from us. When I put my notice in at work the next day, my boss offered me a really cool job (and wage) to stay and said I could stay in her house until I get my first "big" paycheck. I called the zipline boss back in Hawaii and told him the story, and he flew me back out, paid my first month's rent and gave me an interest-free loan to get a car. I've only ever made a "decent" wage once in my life, but having a great attitude at work and being reliable is really all it takes in the jobs I've worked.
This turned into an almost-offtopic rant. Sorry.
btw-our record on this line is 89MPH, on guide equipment.
Bandwagon
Kolohe
- 24,452
- 65,765
Spoilered 'cuz off topic. Also, the story might be a little confusing because i'm trying to set up my new PS4 and throwing shoes at my annoying roomate at the same time.
She came out on vacation because she was friends with my roomate's mom. Everyone was trying to get me to take her out before she even got to the Island. She was a knockout 26 year old redhead, absolutely stunning, so I obviously obliged when I met her. She seemed to like me and at the end of her 2 week vacation, decided she was moving to Maui. She went home, packed up and quit her job and moved out a month later. We dated for 10 months. 2 of our roomates were leaving the Island and one was moving to Oahu and she was missing her family, so we decided to move to L.A.. At the time, I had a habit of moving ever 6 months, so I was overdue for another adventure.
Anyways, after being there for about 5 months, we're at dinner with some of her friends when I overhear one of the friends say "blah blah blah ...your husband... blah blah".
I looked over just in time to see my GF wave her hand in the "shut the fuck up" motion. When we left that night, as soon as we got in the car, I asked her what that bit about "your husband" was. I guess she had been married for a year and got in a fight with her husband right before going on vacation. Not a relationship ending fight, from the sounds of it, but the kind of fight that occurs once a week between couples. So, she goes to Maui, fucks me 3,000 times and decides to move out there without ever resolving anything with her husband. Also, 1 month after she moves out, her husband gets in a rock crawling accident and breaks his back, paralyzing one of his legs. Back to us sitting in the car after that dinner, she says "I don't really want to talk about it, I'm really sensitive about the whole thing". I told her "yea, so am I", then told her that night that I was leaving.
2 weeks after I left, she moved back in with her husband and they had a kid 10 months later.
When I got back to Hawaii, my nickname at the zipline was "Side Salad".
I still talk to both of her sisters and I love both of them, but the last thing I said to her was "Tell your husband I said I'm sorry for fucking his wife. I didn't know".
edit: one part I forgot to add - She sold her wedding ring on craigslist when we were still in Hawaii. She told me it was her Aunt's engagement ring (I have no idea what the difference is between any kind of ring) and they don't speak any more. I spent a week trying to talk her out of selling it and told her that's going to be a real bitch to explain if they ever start talking again. Anyways, she sells it on craigslist without telling me and the next day I found out from our roomate. She showed me the paypal confirmation link showing that she had received the funds before she shipped it, and it took me about 7 and 1/2 seconds to see that it was bullshit. She got scammed and never got the money. Luckily, my friend's brother was a cop in the town that she sent it to. He showed up in uniform and knocked on the door. Some Armenian answered and the cop friend just said "You're going to give the ring back or you're going to pay for it, aren't you?" I guess the guy just said "ok, ok ok!" then came back a minute later and put 4 rings in the cops hand and closed the door.
Would have been funnier if she didn't have the ring when she got back together with her husband.
Anyways, after being there for about 5 months, we're at dinner with some of her friends when I overhear one of the friends say "blah blah blah ...your husband... blah blah".
I looked over just in time to see my GF wave her hand in the "shut the fuck up" motion. When we left that night, as soon as we got in the car, I asked her what that bit about "your husband" was. I guess she had been married for a year and got in a fight with her husband right before going on vacation. Not a relationship ending fight, from the sounds of it, but the kind of fight that occurs once a week between couples. So, she goes to Maui, fucks me 3,000 times and decides to move out there without ever resolving anything with her husband. Also, 1 month after she moves out, her husband gets in a rock crawling accident and breaks his back, paralyzing one of his legs. Back to us sitting in the car after that dinner, she says "I don't really want to talk about it, I'm really sensitive about the whole thing". I told her "yea, so am I", then told her that night that I was leaving.
2 weeks after I left, she moved back in with her husband and they had a kid 10 months later.
When I got back to Hawaii, my nickname at the zipline was "Side Salad".
I still talk to both of her sisters and I love both of them, but the last thing I said to her was "Tell your husband I said I'm sorry for fucking his wife. I didn't know".
edit: one part I forgot to add - She sold her wedding ring on craigslist when we were still in Hawaii. She told me it was her Aunt's engagement ring (I have no idea what the difference is between any kind of ring) and they don't speak any more. I spent a week trying to talk her out of selling it and told her that's going to be a real bitch to explain if they ever start talking again. Anyways, she sells it on craigslist without telling me and the next day I found out from our roomate. She showed me the paypal confirmation link showing that she had received the funds before she shipped it, and it took me about 7 and 1/2 seconds to see that it was bullshit. She got scammed and never got the money. Luckily, my friend's brother was a cop in the town that she sent it to. He showed up in uniform and knocked on the door. Some Armenian answered and the cop friend just said "You're going to give the ring back or you're going to pay for it, aren't you?" I guess the guy just said "ok, ok ok!" then came back a minute later and put 4 rings in the cops hand and closed the door.
Would have been funnier if she didn't have the ring when she got back together with her husband.
Falstaff
Ahn'Qiraj Raider
- 8,435
- 3,380
Probably just depends on how much influence your insider has. I had no industry experience in my new job but I had plenty of other experience and they matched my current salary which was on the high side for new hires. Mostly this was due to my friend who has quite a bit of influence and was able to talk me up.
Cool. I just wanted to make sure that it wouldn't be essentially laughed out of the interview for asking or approaching something like a $10k bump in salary but then again, they don't know I know the basic starting price. Then again since it is a type of "dream job" maybe people are just too afraid to ask for a higher salary and thus no one ever pushes it. Thanks E
I asked this in the "Asking For A Raise Thread" but anyone got any good online resources for researching average salary ranges in a certain field / geo location based on experience etc.?
I asked this in the "Asking For A Raise Thread" but anyone got any good online resources for researching average salary ranges in a certain field / geo location based on experience etc.?