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Interviewing
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Interviewing
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Hi. While I was on a recent vacation, my boss met with a woman he is considering for a fairly entry level position within our company. He asked me to meet with her when I returned to get a feeling for
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Interviewing
posted at 7/28/2009 5:30 AM EDT
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Posts: 7
First: 7/28/2009 Last: 8/24/2009 |
Hi. While I was on a recent vacation, my boss met with a woman he is considering for a fairly entry level position within our company. He asked me to meet with her when I returned to get a feeling for her qualifications and soft skills.
I called her yesterday and asked for her availability for when she could come in and meet with me and she got...well...kind of snippy. She said "well, I didn't hear back from anyone soon enough, so I was sort of thinking that it was a done deal. Now, I'm working on a contracting position and I don't want to jeopardize it by coming to your office if it's not a for sure thing." I apologized and explained that I was on vaca and that my boss was extra swamped without me. I offered to come in early to meet her or stay late, but every day I suggested, she had a conflict - picking up her son or whatever. She asked me to meet her somewhere close to where her contracting position is. Am I off base by feeling like this person is already high maintenance and that if she wants a perm job, she should be jumping through hoops to make it happen? I didn't even make the hoops hard - I felt I went a little above and beyond by offering to come in early and/or stay late. She called back this morning and is finally making time for me on Thursday. I'm afraid I won't be going into that interview w/ a totally open mind because I think that she's given me a glimpse of what she's like, and frankly, I'm not real excited about it. Am I wrong? I'd appreciate any thoughts anyone may have! CL |
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Interviewing
posted at 7/28/2009 6:50 AM EDT
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Posts: 464
First: 6/30/2004 Last: 11/22/2010 |
For me, you are already getting an idea of her "soft skills' to uses your bosses words.
I think you are going out of your way to accomodate this person. If you are still willing to do that, go into the interview with eyes wide open. It might even be appropriate to share your early observations with her to see what sort of reaction that brings out. When it comes to soft skills assessment, one of the goals, IMO, is to get past the polite, happy veneer lots of candidates will greet you with. I want to see how they think and know a bit about how the every day person will be and how they will fit into our culture. Often, you don't find out the bad news about some of these things until the person has been hired and gotten through the honeymoon period. From that perspective, you already have some red flags. |
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Interviewing
posted at 7/28/2009 8:00 AM EDT
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Posts: 3870
First: 2/12/2002 Last: 11/2/2009 |
Could be that she's high maintenance and that's certainly possible. It could also be that she's very manipulative and all about power. If that's the case, and if she's buds with the boss, your life going forward could be miserable. |
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Interviewing
posted at 7/28/2009 10:39 AM EDT
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Posts: 7
First: 7/28/2009 Last: 8/24/2009 |
I think at this point, I'm only interviewing her because she knows our VP of Sales (the one who gave us her resume). Also, I want to try to be fair and give her some benefit of the doubt.
One concern my boss had after talking to her himself was that she might be a good fit for the position, but would probably always be searching for something more and he was concerned that we'd train her in and then she'd leave for something better. Are there any questions that you know of that I could ask to determine her desire for longevity at a company? You're posts are super helpful...thank you all for taking the time to help me through this! |
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Interviewing
posted at 7/28/2009 11:19 AM EDT
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Posts: 464
First: 6/30/2004 Last: 11/22/2010 |
I can get fairly blunt with my questions to a candidate. If I have a longevity concern, I come right out with it and share that perception and see how they respond.
You can get an idea if the bosses instincts are on point and if you think so, then say so. He or she might have good instincts. I always hope they do anyway. I would also say that in this economy, it should not be to hard to find someone that actually wants the job enough to go out of their way to make it happen instead of sitting back and being difficult. |
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Interviewing
posted at 7/28/2009 11:31 AM EDT
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Posts: 30
First: 1/29/2009 Last: 11/24/2009 |
I don't blame you for being hesitant and not having an open mind about this interview. I wouldn't either. IMO, if she is this way with someone she has never met let alone a prospective employer, you can imagine what she will be like to you and other co-workers. And I certainly hope this position will not be dealing with the public because that could get really bad. I would be cautious about hiring this individual. |
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Interviewing
posted at 7/28/2009 3:02 PM EDT
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Posts: 108
First: 2/1/2007 Last: 9/9/2010 |
This is not someone I would waste my time interviewing. I don't know if you can not interview her but if you have that option I'd choose it.
I've dealt with applicants like that before and I've said, "It sounds like you're having difficulty finding time in your schedule to conduct this interview. We really need someone who is a little more flexible in their availability so I don't think this position is going to be a good fit for you. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me." I say this in situations like yours where I've tried to be accommodating and offer times to meet outside of their work schedule. |
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Interviewing
posted at 8/13/2009 10:43 PM EDT
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Posts: 495
First: 9/30/2000 Last: 8/19/2011 |
If she was really interested in the job she would be trying to work her schedule around you. I understand she's accepted a contract position, but she's already got you hopping and she hasn't even been interviewed yet! She didn't seem to understand why it took some time to arrange interviews. She sounds to me like a high maintenance gal, even before she has a job - can't imagine what her expectations might be if she actually was hired! |
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