OT: Interviews

GTAdawg

Redshirt
Sep 11, 2010
2,162
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Whats the longest interview you have ever sat through? Any good stories? I had an interview today that lasted 2 1/2 hours. It was one hell of an endurance test. I interviewed with my current boss, as I would be making a move within my company but still under his leadership and it went really well but damn I felt like he left no stone unturned with me.
 

GTAdawg

Redshirt
Sep 11, 2010
2,162
25
48
Whats the longest interview you have ever sat through? Any good stories? I had an interview today that lasted 2 1/2 hours. It was one hell of an endurance test. I interviewed with my current boss, as I would be making a move within my company but still under his leadership and it went really well but damn I felt like he left no stone unturned with me.
 
Aug 5, 2011
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you never know what type of worker someone will be until they actually start to work. I know a helluva lot of individuals whointerviewedreally well and were poor workers and those thatinterviewedpoorly and turned out to be great. I would say 99% of hires are decided upon before the process and most quality information comes from talking to someone you know who can give you inside information on acandidate, not alistedreference.
 

GerryBertier

Redshirt
Oct 30, 2011
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I've had a few last more than 2 hours. The least comfortable lasted about 2 1/2 hours where I sat at a roundtable with the top 3 people in company. The interview for my current job was the most laid back and enjoyable. It also included the top 2 guys in the company's department but we ended up talking sports and other worthless crap for 75% of it.
 

rebelpimp

Redshirt
Mar 3, 2008
8
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included 3 one hour one on one behaviorals. 1 hour for short essay portion. 30 minutes for math test. 1 hour for lunch and another hour or so of sitting in a waiting room. had another go almost 8 but it was all one on one with 5 or 6 different people and paperwork
 

hotdigitydog

Redshirt
May 21, 2007
4,728
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hiring is a very inexact science. You can try to make it as scientific as you can but Ive hired folks who were marginal that turned out to be superstars and I've hired superstars (at least on paper and while interviewing) who were ****. You can find out everything you need to know about someone in an hour, max. Interviews longer than that are complete ********.Skip level interviews however, are effective.
 

jwbigcreek

Redshirt
Feb 26, 2008
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I had an interview with a Jackson area firm once. Owner was a big MSU alum (engineering alum of the year a few years back). My neighbor's son-in-law was the MIS manager & told me to just talk MSU football with the owner when I got to see him. I did that (& didn't correct his errors). Got my offer. But life's too short to live near Jackson, so I stayed put.
 

jakldawg

Redshirt
May 1, 2006
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She was one of like 20 different people I met with (2 groups of about 10, with a lunch break worked in) over the course of a few hours. Since I'd worked there a few years before (remember, kids: NEVER BURN BRIDGES AT WORK) it wasn't that stressful.
 

AustinDawg

Redshirt
Mar 3, 2008
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Started at 8am and ending a bit before 6pm, with around 30 mins for lunch (which was also part of the interview).
 

benatmsu

Junior
May 28, 2007
2,398
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...but don't use the term (or any terms/idioms that you are not 100% sure what they mean or how they're said) "various sundry".

Again, I'm not trying to be an ***... but I was on a team that interviewed this cocky bastard a year ago or so, and he kept saying things like "irregardless" and "For all intensive purposes". You could tell that in his mind, he thought he was making himself sound more intelligent by using idioms and sayings. His resume looked great but as soon as the interview was over we all laughed about it then he went to the bottom of the stack.
 

DerHntr

All-Conference
Sep 18, 2007
15,761
2,568
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Flew out on Friday at 3:00pm. All meals were interviews; multiple one on ones each day; and a one hour long presentation with questions after for another hour. I have never been more miserable.
 

davatron

Redshirt
May 28, 2007
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Got quizzed on a lot of technical material I haven't seen since school, work history, past projects, etc. One hour was lunch but they continued to ask questions during that too.
 

bsquared24

Sophomore
Jul 11, 2009
714
132
43
oh I hate the lunch/dinner interview extension. I know the purpose of them is to get a look at someone with their guard down and if you mind eating lunch with this person over the next 15 years but down time would be nice for sure to recoop for the interviewee.

Biggest piece of advice I can give is to be yourself during the process. Don't be who you think they want you to be because then later you won't be comfortable "living" the facade you've created just to get the job. If being you isn't a good fit then it just isn't a good fit for you or for them.
 

The Peeper

Heisman
Feb 26, 2008
15,192
10,222
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doing the interview was a retired DEA agent that had worked in Columbia, real bad *** type. He sat in my kitchen for that whole time grilling me. He would ask me for some random document, another phone number or reference, etc. and when I would come back from getting it he would be in another room of my house just walking around looking. When we finished he went randomly down the street asking neighbors about me. I then had to go to Memphis to be videotaped at their HQ reacting to irate foreigners on videotape screaming at me, testing my reactions and people skills I guess. Had to do the whole background check thing on me and then even on my parents and grandparents, every bank acct I've had since college, finger printing, drug tested twice (one scheduled and the other they surprised me and only gave me 24 hrs to get it done). All of that took about 6 months total, and then I turned the damn job down after getting it.
 

KingBarkus

Redshirt
May 1, 2006
1,142
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Back in the day, I interviewed with Perot's company, EDS, in Plano, TX. I flew in from New Orleans and it was an all day interview. They would pull employees from other departments, stick them into HR to learn how other departments work, and serve as escorts (not that kind!) to usher you around during the day. A girl, an accountant, was my escort. She was nice and even took me around the various neighborhoods at lunch since I was new to the town. The day became a grind. In the afternoon, I was hot-boxed into a small room where 2 IT folks (it was an IT position) fired questions at me. I don't mind the technique as I am comfortable in my knowledge. If I didn't know, I said so. My escort said late in the day I was the "type" for EDS (clean-cut, suit-wearing, whatever).

The manager of my would-be department laid down the terms of the offer and said he needed a "Yes" or "No" before I left town. In my mind, that was not happening but I said I was considering other offers and needed some time (truth). The manager had low-balled me and frankly I was pissed. The escort tried to change my mind by touting the 10% raises that would surely come.

I left, they called later (as I knew their policy was BS), but I rejected the offer.

By the way, interviews are important. It is how I have my current job...not from my performance on this job's interview, but on a previous interview for a hospital's IT position. I was taken into a large conference room where about 8-10 people fired questions at me. I rejected their offer but a guy in that interview room had left the hospital and taken a job at my current company. He saw my resume, remembered the hospital interview, and recommended my hire.
 

Maroon Eagle

All-American
May 24, 2006
17,859
7,622
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KingBarkus said:
By the way, interviews are important. It is how I have my current job...not from my performance on this job's interview, but on a previous interview...
(remainder snipped)
Same here.

I applied for a position with my current employer but didn't get it-- I was apparently a very strong second choice. Afterwards (and while working for my previous employer) whenever I saw people who worked for my current employer, I was told to consider applying for another position with them should one be available and I did.
 

KingBarkus

Redshirt
May 1, 2006
1,142
24
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Maroon Eagle said:
KingBarkus said:
By the way, interviews are important. It is how I have my current job...not from my performance on this job's interview, but on a previous interview...
(remainder snipped)
Same here.

I applied for a position with my current employer but didn't get it-- I was apparently a very strong second choice. Afterwards (and while working for my previous employer) whenever I saw people who worked for my current employer, I was told to consider applying for another position with them should one be available and I did.

Now who would hire a knothead like you?...lol
 

IslandDog

Redshirt
Feb 13, 2010
9
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and we were considering hiring him. As I was driving him back to the airport, he asked to borrow $40. He didn't make the cut.
 

weblow

Redshirt
Mar 3, 2008
2,860
3
38
It was an awful freaking job. The management and job itself was miserable. The shortest was 30 minutes. Of course, I was in a suit and was very prepared. I looked around the lobby at the Hilton in Jackson for 5 minutes and could not find anyone dressed appropriately for an interview. Finally, this guy waves at me from the bar. He was wearing jeans, a golf shirt and shoes with no socks. We sat at the bar with him explaining the position to me and just bullshitting for about 20 minutes. After twenty minutes he said that we should get into the real interview and he began asking me a few questions. In the middle of one of my answers he said, "what is your favorite color?" I told him it was blue and he said, "Great. That is the color of the company car I just ordered for you if you want this job. If you are interested, shoot me a text and we can meet for breakfast in the morning and get all your paperwork signed."

I took the job and it was the best job I have ever had, may ever have. Was downsized after 7 years when we were bought by another company.

Interviewing is ********. ******** questions followed up by ******** answers. I have done many of them and hired multiple people and I look at their experience, and if I would not mind having to work with them for a few years, if both those look good, I will make an offer.
 

ThePinkFloyd

Redshirt
Aug 4, 2011
95
0
0
I had an interview on the go. Picked the guy up at the Jackson airport, and basically acted as his chauffeur for a few hours, mostly bullshitting along the way. Things were going good as we left the Sillers building and went to Two Sisters to have a quick lunch before I had to get him back to the airport. We sat down to eat, and the guy just starts rapid firing question after question at me. And this guy was one of those loud yankee types, so everyone at every table around us could hear him. I was doing my best, but was somewhat brow beaten by the interrogation, when to get a break I told the guy I was gonna get some tea. This guy from the table next to us approached me while I'm pouring my tea and asks "dude, is that a job interview you're on?? I said yes, and he replied "that guy's an *******....but you are doing a great job".....the interrogation finally stopped and we left for the airport. I thought Id done fairly well up to this point but didn't guess what was coming next......we were pulling into the airport and he asked "what will it take to get you on board"......so I threw out a hefty figure that I didn't figure he would meet, then he said he would have an offer letter out to me next morning. Had the time of my life at that job....good times.