Do hiring managers only care about how you present yourself over content of the application?

[Anonymous]

I've participated in interview panels recently - on both sides - and have been shocked at how much weight the actual interview is given. Clearly it is important how you present yourself, but it's only an hour and people mostly just say whatever sounds good. it doesn't really give a good picture of your work or ability to work with others. I work in a technical field that requires teamwork, and have been astounded how a person with an outgoing personality and clearly lacking experience is considered the best candidate. Do people just not care about experience and thoughtfulness? It seems like it's all about the personal identity and personal branding. Style over substance. Anyone else see this?

[Anonymous]

Would you rather work side-by-side with a technical whiz who is an ahole all day or do you want the person who can be trained in the technical components but you really like?

You forget - people see more of their work colleagues than their kids or spouses.

[Anonymous]

Because like PP, a lot of hiring managers are social people and not technical experts. So they're not going to make the best decisions when it comes to technical fields.

My husband has worked at NIH as a contractor for years and he's seen his share of hiring managers for the various companies that contract with NIH. Some of them are like PP. Those are the companies that try to break into the research market and don't get very far. And some understand that to work as a research scientist at NIH, expertise in one's field is by very far, the top priority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because like PP, a lot of hiring managers are social people and not technical experts. So they're not going to make the best decisions when it comes to technical fields.

My husband has worked at NIH as a contractor for years and he's seen his share of hiring managers for the various companies that contract with NIH. Some of them are like PP. Those are the companies that try to break into the research market and don't get very far. And some understand that to work as a research scientist at NIH, expertise in one's field is by very far, the top priority.

There’s a difference between technical expertise in say - proposal writing and being a scientist with a PhD that specializes in virus mutations.

The former you can hire for personality and training. The latter - you can’t simply because the field and pool of talent is so narrow.

[Anonymous]

In my experience, hiring managers hire whoever is cheapest and/or whoever is the biggest pushover

[Anonymous]

yes

[Anonymous]

Because everyone in this town has a fancy, if not bloated, resume. So, when choosing among candidates, often personality wins the day, all else being equal.

[Anonymous]

So do most people just lie in their interviews?

[Anonymous]

The best way to interview is to have a technical panel of peers plus manager interview(s). That way you understand the full package - expertise plus behavioral. Both are incredibly important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So do most people just lie in their interviews?

Bless your heart. Yes, a lot of people lie in their resumes and in interviews.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So do most people just lie in their interviews?

Bless your heart. Yes, a lot of people lie in their resumes and in interviews.

Employers lie and misrepresent jobs all the time. They leave out important details and mislead the applicants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So do most people just lie in their interviews?

Bless your heart. Yes, a lot of people lie in their resumes and in interviews.

Employers lie and misrepresent jobs all the time. They leave out important details and mislead the applicants.

+1000 and sometimes, there's no job at all, they're just using candidates as market research

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've participated in interview panels recently - on both sides - and have been shocked at how much weight the actual interview is given. Clearly it is important how you present yourself, but it's only an hour and people mostly just say whatever sounds good. it doesn't really give a good picture of your work or ability to work with others. I work in a technical field that requires teamwork, and have been astounded how a person with an outgoing personality and clearly lacking experience is considered the best candidate. Do people just not care about experience and thoughtfulness? It seems like it's all about the personal identity and personal branding. Style over substance. Anyone else see this?

No. The way the process works is that your experience and technical abilities are what got you the interview. The point of the interview is to decide among those candidates, and presentation is what counts at that stage.

[Anonymous]

Just conducted a panel where a candidate killed the interview and had ideal, verifiable experience.

DQ’d them based on the errors in the associated technical exercise.

[Anonymous]

Yes because I don't trust resumes at all. People lie like crazy on those.

We have a SME/technical expert interview first and then the hiring manager will interview you.