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Did DH just goof at his job interview?
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Anonymous
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DH is desperate for a job.
Here is DH, chatting with the bigwigs at a working lunch. It is at least the second time he has met them in person. Discussions about salary and benefits are ongoing, despite the fact that no formal offer is on the table. Then the CEO leans in, and asks what DH would prefer, the position at their company, or the Other Position at another company (which DH told them he had applied to)? Now, isn't this a "Do I look fat?" question? One that you answer without hesitation nor any regard for the truth, with the most sincere look on your face? Instead of saying that he prefers their job for X, Y, Z reasons, DH truthfully responds that he does not know! Goes on to explain that the Other Position has X advantages and Y disadvantages, that this job has such and such pros and cons, too... and basically does not give a definite answer. Did he just blew it? |
Anonymous
| On the one hand, he made himself sound very non-desperate, which is good. On the other hand, he should have played up that it would be very, very hard for him to turn down an offer from the company at which he was interviewing...so he sounds a little naive, yes. |
Anonymous
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depends on the person on the other side of the table,k and how badly they need him.
It could make him look more attractive to them, knowing that he has "choices"...or it could make him look like he's not a company man. what's done is done though, you can't change it. Just hope for the best. If he's the right guy, they will want him. |
Anonymous
| DH sounds a little Aspie to be honest. Very analytical and a bit tone deaf to social cues. Maybe you could roleplay if this doesn't work out? |
Anonymous
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Gosh, 18:18, you hit the nail on the head!
I suspect he is, not from this latest, but from a whole lot of other stuff. His work would be creative and technical in his field of choice, so there is no question he can excel at it, and I think they realize that. Unfortunately, the hurdles are social, and the job interview scenario is a nightmare. How can I roleplay productively? |
Anonymous
| he's a guy. The interviewers will laud him, saying he "knows what he's worth" and is a "no bullshitter." If a woman replied the same way as your dh, no way she'd get the job. |
Anonymous
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I would ask him questions that call for a guarded response -- what are your strengths and weaknesses? what brought you to this area? why are you interested in this company? why did you enter the widget field? See how he responds. Try to help him shape his responses and his interactions so that he's making an impression in addition to answering the question.
As a manager, it's refreshing when you don't get a canned personal sales pitch and a lot of patter, so this can be a plus. But he's got to be able to sell himself. |
Anonymous
No, I don't think so. I think he showed grace under pressure and the CEO who asked the question was asking just to see how he would respond. I think he did all right. IF he does not get this job, I doubt that his answer to that question would be the reason. This wasn't the Miss Universe Pagent, remember. |
Anonymous
Sadly, I think this is right on mark. |
hedgehog
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His response makes him sound cautious and a person who weighs the good and the bad. It depends on what type of a person they are looking for and the role. At this point it is probably best to let it go and hope for the best. I hope he gets an offer. |
Anonymous
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What's done is done, so you can't drive yourself nuts. I am a very the-the-book kind of person. I married a very impulsive fun-loving guy. When he tells me how he dealt with interview questions, I cringe. But here's the thing: hisstyltweie works for him. Maybe it's because he's a guy and can across as "no BS" (like PP said) or maybe it's because his good answers outweigh his dumb answers. Hard to know...
But I would not roleplay. I'd tell him it's great he got the interviews and it's hard to know what they were looking for. I would encourage him to confirm in a thank you note that this position has some amazing things going for it, that are attractive and important to him, and how he hopes he gets the chance to discuss that again with them.. I hope he gets the post! |
stpickrell
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| If they are liking him already, this is one more reason to like him. If they're inclined against him, this is one more reason to not like him. |
Anonymous
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I have done a lot of hiring, and I think he did fine. If I am trying to hire somebody, I want to understand the competition so I can beat them without making an unreasonable offer. So I will make the best spin on why our job is better, and I might sweeten an offer just enough and in just the right place to help things along.
I also like hearing a candidate discuss pros and cons because it tells me what is important to them in a job. If those things are the things I care about, I am more convinced to hire them. The only time it goes badly is if I can see that the other offer is clearly a better fit. Maybe the other job pays much, much more. Or maybe I am a big company and the candidate wants a startup with huge upside, or I am the startup but the candidate needs financial stability. In that case, I have from time to time told the candidate that I think they need to seriously think about that point, and I do the same. Because nobody benefits if the candidate and the job are a poor fit. As for the gender point, I have not been offended by women who mentioned competing offers. And neither have my peers. I think that women are often hesitant to play a good hand when they have it. If you are holding a pair of Aces, show it. (Just don't bluff whether you are a man or a woman, though.) |
Anonymous
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He did better than I did in one of my law school interviews when the dude asked me if my women's college alma mater was "full of lesbians." I should have coolly answered "yes!" but was too flabbergasted to hide the annoyance on my face.
I hope he gets a job, too, and I wouldn't overthink it. He is who he is, and he answered honestly, that has to count for something. |
Anonymous
| 21:35 Smith? |