Asking questions at a job interview

[Hawkwind]

had my interview today. they put me up in a hotel last night, all paid for. and they will be paying my travel expenses which will be more than i paid!

first part was a test. i was put in a room and given a brief, that someone acting as a consumer was coming in to seek help on a problem. went well from my view. ive analysed dozens of scenarios while at uni, but usually on paper. it seemed pretty much the same doing it with a person: find out the important info, analyse the situation, offer them options of how to resolve the problem and from my view, weed out any potential criminal activity. i then had a short time to write down detailed notes that i would put on to a system if i was working there. all this was then taken away by the interview dudes.

then had my interview which was very laid back, and one of the guys was quite the character. really animated jumping around in his seat and saying 'cool' a lot. i thought id fluffed it though, as they were probing a lot leading me to believe i wasnt answering the questions with enough depth.

i got a call at 730 pm. in total there was 5 people interviewed, 2 of them having done the job previously so they are being offered the positions. how ever they were 'very impressed' with me and i came in at the same level as another person, the 5th guy obviously is not getting a lookin. now theyre discussing the possibilty of creating a 3rd post and offereing it to one of us two.

best interview ive had and hopefully this will be my break in to trading standards!

Put hits out on the first two! I'm sure there are a few Freddy's that would do it for a parmo.

 

[tris-]

tris good luck mate, hope it works out man. you gonna be moving away from teh boro then?

if i get the position i would be moving to ipswitch.

 

[Aoami]

hahahaha owned

 

[tris-]

maybe you have forgotten a little nugget of information here:

i live in middlesbrough.

to move somewhere worse id have to go to the most fucked up areas of iraq. even then id have more opportunities than i do now.

 

[old.Tohtori]

tris-, not to rain on your parade;

"they were 'very impressed' with me and i came in at the same level as another person," is what most employers tell everyone

It's not you, it's me!
Oh i like you...but...

etc

 

[old.Tohtori]

And so that you don't get your panties in a twist by the above post; nice if you get it, if not, keep at it. Sounds nice if they were honest.

 

[tris-]

well they were impressed enough by both of us to look in to making a 3rd posting, so it must be more than simple bull shit.

and there was a 5th person who isnt being considered at all. if this other guy was outright better than me then they would of rejected me along with the 5th person.

 

[old.Tohtori]

well they were impressed enough by both of us to look in to making a 3rd posting, so it must be more than simple bull shit.

and there was a 5th person who isnt being considered at all. if this other guy was outright better than me then they would of rejected me along with the 5th person.

That's the thing i meant, how do you know they ain't saying the same thing to the "5th" person. Perhaps they are being kind and YOU are the 5th person

 

[Ezteq]

hay wtg tris I am keeping my fingers crossed for you buddy... though ipswitch, tough break i hear they are really short of hookers these days

 

[tris-]

That's the thing i meant, how do you know they ain't saying the same thing to the "5th" person. Perhaps they are being kind and YOU are the 5th person

because surely it would be simpler to reject both of us and create the new position for the other guy?

ive never had an interview where they are afraid to tell you that you didnt get the job.

 

[old.Tohtori]

because surely it would be simpler to reject both of us and create the new position for the other guy?

ive never had an interview where they are afraid to tell you that you didnt get the job.

Hmm. Perhaps they are more open in the UK, what with being bastards and all. Around here it's usually "well be in touch" with MAYBE a follow-up of "we went with this guy".

But they ALWAYS say they're impressed and other crap like that, thought it was global from what i've heard.

 

[TheBinarySurfer]

I haven't checked OT for a few days or i'd have replied earlier Toht.

Basically, asking questions in an interview should follow 3 golden rules:

1) Relevant to the job at hand
2) Has not already been covered in the interview
3) Not a personal question.

Because:
1) Interviewers are usually not there for a social chat. By digressing beyond relevance you give them the impression you either don't have a lot to say or are not good at focusing.

2) Because it looks like you haven't been listening / didn't understand.

3) See above - it also violates a lot of social boundaries unless they instigate the personal conversation; "Do you have children" - "Yes 2".

In short, as long as your questions are relevant and demonstrate both understanding and curiosity about the role, no you can't ask too many. Asking questions for the sake of it or irrelevant ones reflects poorly though.

Also, here's a tip for discussing salary. Don't discuss yours. Most prospective employers will push for your current salary at interview. Don't discuss it. If possible, understand what they are prepared to offer (most employers are too savvy to discuss this before they've decided they want you though). Having done some due diligence on your worth as an employee is helpful here.

Don't be drawn into salary discussions beyond that because your negotiating without any clear leverage - they haven't decided they want you yet.

Once you've convinced them you have something they want/need, that's the time to start negotiating but still, DO NOT discuss your current salary. Discuss what you intend to move to.

 

[old.Tohtori]

I haven't checked OT for a few days or i'd have replied earlier Toht.

Nice reply, very detailed and quite on the dot, but you do mean tris- not Toht

tris- might be offended by such a mistake

 

[Ezteq]

but Binary, how do you evade such a question though? I have to admit i am shite at that. when soemone asks me something i don't want to answer i usually feel obliged to or do it before i realise i've done it lol. Some top tips on how not to answer a Q would be appreciated

 

[old.Tohtori]

but Binary, how do you evade such a question though? I have to admit i am shite at that. when soemone asks me something i don't want to answer i usually feel obliged to or do it before i realise i've done it lol. Some top tips on how not to answer a Q would be appreciated

Politics.

Answer in a way that doesn't answer the question

 

[Bugz]

A good interviewer will spot that straight away Toht.

I've only had about 10-15 interviews for things over my time, along with a lot of debating but a confident interviewer will immediately pick up on the fact you haven't answered a question; or side-tracked it and will simply come back to it again.

 

[old.Tohtori]

A good interviewer will spot that straight away Toht.

I've only had about 10-15 interviews for things over my time, along with a lot of debating but a confident interviewer will immediately pick up on the fact you haven't answered a question; or side-tracked it and will simply come back to it again.

Depends how good YOU are.

 

[Bugz]

If you say so ^^.

 

[TheBinarySurfer]

Interestingly, the point about saying they were impressed / bringing people back:

A savvy employer will not burn their bridges by telling a candidate they are not right for them until they have a firm favourite who is interested.

For important positions that have had 2 rounds of interviews, ideally employers will have a "first choice" that they will push through the process rapidly to try and secure and a second choice, who they will slow the process down for so that if the first one goes wrong before it's all signed and sealed they have a backup who doesn't know about the first choice.

 

[TheBinarySurfer]

Depends how good YOU are.

To be fair to Bugz's comment Toht he is right. I basically interview people daily as part of my job. I have interviewed some people who would be classes as the traditional slick oil salesman kind - very good at dodging and ducking questions etc. They are arguably the best people around at ducking hard questions etc and they couldn't do it with me.

My 2p:
I don't care how good a liar, manipulator someone is. If at the end of a stream of conversation they haven't answered my original question, i will either rephrase it and ask it again, or politely return to my original question.

Again, I am not, and most people are not, impressed by someone who answers a different question to the one you asked. You feel like saying "are you listening to me or just hearing what you want to" at the best of times, and at the worst of times you assume they have something to hide.

Edit: Go watch the Jeremy Paxman interviews / Best of Paxman on Youtube if you want to see how a determined interviewer handles continued evasion of a question. Fourteen times with poor MP Michael Douglas - even the most boneheaded viewer could see and was certain Douglas was hiding something by attempt number 3, and Paxman is just ramming the point home further with each successive question.

 

[old.Tohtori]

It's nto as much about dodging a question, but more about giving an answer that seems to answer the question while not giving an answer you don't feel comfortable in giving.

Something like, err..."What kind of pay are you looking for?", if you don't want to give a direct number(as it will either set you too costly, or too cheap), you could answer in the ballpark with a "While at a minimum, around xx is the amount i'm looking for, you have to take into consideration the actual work, responsibilities and other shininnidoodaas. Flexible pay for a more erratic job description could be handled with a bonus system yada yada."

It's all about the balance of the interviewer and the applicant, sometimes the interviewer will get "slicked" and sometimes the applicant just isn't slick enough.

Ofcourse in some interviews, being slick is a good trait.

 

[Ezteq]

Edit: Go watch the Jeremy Paxman interviews / Best of Paxman on Youtube if you want to see how a determined interviewer handles continued evasion of a question. Fourteen times with poor MP Michael Douglas - even the most boneheaded viewer could see and was certain Douglas was hiding something by attempt number 3, and Paxman is just ramming the point home further with each successive question.

yes so how does one evade a question about salary or something successfully?...unless that was a demonstration and you evaded my question lol

 

[Bahumat]

yes so how does one evade a question about salary or something successfully?...unless that was a demonstration and you evaded my question lol

Just say "argggh boner for murder". Obviously this may not work so well as you're a lady!

 

[Ezteq]

aww what about "Buggrit!! Millemium hand and shrimp!!" that's quite a conversation turner.

 

[TheBinarySurfer]

It's nto as much about dodging a question, but more about giving an answer that seems to answer the question while not giving an answer you don't feel comfortable in giving.

A good interviewer knows the difference - that's pretty much what i was saying and what the paxman interviews demonstrate.

 

[old.Tohtori]

A good interviewer knows the difference - that's pretty much what i was saying and what the paxman interviews demonstrate.

True, if you're facing a good one, it's a different ballpark and becomes a fun little game even, but more times then not, the interviewer ain't that much of a super-brain.

I always felt that the interviewers get a bit over-hyped as these superbeings.

 

[TheBinarySurfer]

yes so how does one evade a question about salary or something successfully?...unless that was a demonstration and you evaded my question lol

Firstly a more fundamental point: You should not discuss salary before they have said they want to make you an offer or are very interested with you (at final interview), as it again grants them more power over the process than you need to give them.

Err yes. I've cut and pasted this from some old material i had on a mem-stick but you'll get the idea generally:

There are several ways to avoid discussing salary at the wrong time, or discussing your current salary at all. This is basically a card/bluffing game and whoever shows theirs first is at a large disadvantage when it comes to negotiation.

Firm without explenation: "I'm not allowed to discuss my current salary under the terms of my contract (if they push a bit more). I'm sorry, it's legally binding and I take my job/commitments seriously even to a company I intend leaving."

Firm with explenation + softener: "I do not discuss my current salary and package. Obviously as 2 professionals knowledgable about the XYZ employment market you can guess roughly where i sit on the salary scale."

Firm with pushback and test: "I'm not comfortable discussing my present package, but to give you an idea of what i'm looking for I have an offer from another employer on the table at £XX,000" (do not confirm which employer if they're crude enough to ask or the details of it - again 'im not comfortable discussing this for reasons i'm sure you understand'.

Bouncing the question back: "I'd be happy to discuss my current salary and package after we discuss roughly what you are looking to pay for someone with my skillset for this role.

More wordplay: Just as i'm sure you wouldn't compare apples to oranges, my current position and this one are not the same, so i don't believe my current salary has any bearing on our discussions / As i'm sure you can agree, what an individual is paid for one set of services is not necessarily what they are worth when applying their skills to another role.

If they play hardball and push further beyond those questions there are additional counters you can use, but it's usually an indication of dealing with an idiot from HR (for every good HR person there are 9 bad ones), or an inexperienced interviewer who doesn't really understand the rules of the game (or doesn't care about your right to say "no").

Neither is a good sign and you should probably weigh just how much you want this job if they just steamroll through your refusal.

All the above assumes that you have a marketable skillset / experience / contacts that they want - if you're going for Joe Callcentre job your negotiating power is severly curtailed compared to if going for a Senior or Management role.

True, if you're facing a good one, it's a different ballpark and becomes a fun little game even, but more times then not, the interviewer ain't that much of a super-brain.

I always felt that the interviewers get a bit over-hyped as these superbeings.

You're quite right. It takes time and practice to get good at interviewing, as well as proper training unless you have a gift for it. Also, like a game you always assume your opponent is better than you and play accordingly.

It does depend entirely on the individual, and if you have time before the interview, you can test their abilities as an interviewer while being led to the interview room, or by the initial pleasentries you exchange for a few minutes before the typical interview commences - for this reason i deliberately try and wait in reception when i go for interviews, as the walk to a meeting / board room usually buys me another minute or two to test the proverbial water.

HR overall are dreadful at interviewing because they tend to have a rigid process model they have to follow and they do several every day so they get bored by them and stop putting much effort in quite quickly.

I think of the several dozen serious (2nd+) interviews i've had in recent memory that were with HR only 2 of them were half-decent at it - the rest could be described as between mediocre and floundering.

 

[old.Tohtori]

You do know Binary that you just said basically what i said

(reply meant first half ofc)

 

[Ezteq]

hay cheers man thats great, i really like the bounce it back scenario and the whole "sorry it's in the contract" thing is a great get out clause because they will not be able to prove it will they?... unless they ask the employer while obtaining your references lol

 

[TheBinarySurfer]

hay cheers man thats great, i really like the bounce it back scenario and the whole "sorry it's in the contract" thing is a great get out clause because they will not be able to prove it will they?... unless they ask the employer while obtaining your references lol

They could, but the odds of them doing so aren't high. If you think about it logically, if a company did have that policy the questioner would get slapped down right away by the person providing the reference and most prospective employers won't put their neck out like that. I've heard of it happening once or twice total from all the people i've dealt with (several hundred).

But if you're really paranoid, the other ones are safer.