The Job Interview Starts From the First E-mail

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Alison Green's article on yahoo "21 Things Hiring Managers Wish You Knew" says
"Be honest in interviews, but don't spill about a bad boss" I would like to know how you can tell the interviewer, that after volunteering, you got hired and when you asked for a raise from minimum wage after a year to be inline with the rest of the staff members the manager decided to find faults and tried to discredit you in every way possible so you would never get hired if their reference was going to be considered??

Trish of OH 12:28PM June 21, 2010

i agree with gen x. hiring managers should be honest. they are looking for the one who will work for the least and follow the company line. one who will not ever be a threat to their job or any of the present employees. you only have to look at the incompetence and inefficiency of the average company in america to understand how flawed the 'hiring' process has become.
i recently applied to a position where those responsible for the initial screening had absolutely no idea of what the job entailed. they were unaware of the difference between engineering disciplines, the worth of a degree to this particular field or the designation of a PE.
they did spend a remarkable amount of time on the compensation package, or rather lack of, and ensuring that the candidate would be available for a variety of manual labor tasks.
this is simply the reagan recession, again. the employers will demand as much as possible while compensating as little as possible.
the authors continued propaganda to the contrary will not change that.

richard brooks of WI 2:41PM June 20, 2010

At what point in the interview can the employee ask if the manager is in fact one of the small percentage of managers that is competent? Are managers willing to allow the employee to meet other managers at the company to ask whether the interviewing manager is in fact competent in their job? At what point in the interview does the interviewing manager disclose his/her qualifications as the manager of the department that the candidate is interviewing for? At what point of the interview does the manager discuss professional development relevant to the position that the person is interviewing for? At what point in the interview does the manager disclose that he/she is actually looking for someone that simply takes orders as the primary reason that anyone is hired is to maximize stockholder wealth? At what point does the manager, if a baby boomer, come clean about having a fraction of the education and a fraction of the talent that the person interviewing may have? By the way, I have never received a thank you letter from a manager after an interview.

ldemorizi of CA 10:47AM June 20, 2010

Going into an interaction with an employer – be it a phone screen or face - to face the best state of mind to launch from and stay in is humbleness. Yet a searing hot flame inside should allow the appropriate successes be shown brightly and concisely to the employer. The flame should not lead to bragging, rambling, or going overboard on the truth. Deliver your informative answers to the interviewer politely. State that you can and shall help teams win before in the areas the future employer has needs wins. Give your listener information from a position of strength. Do not flex your muscle while do so.

RFPB of IL 11:51AM June 18, 2010

I am almost shocked at the number of awful followup letters that are sent after the interview. I make a point of asking candidates to write back with questions, comments even ideas and reactions to our business plans, approaches, whatever...but generally, I get a standard , boiler plate type follow up letter ripped from some website. This followup letter can be so crucial and can win a job.
If someone would start off their letter like this:
I have been thinking about your company since we talked, and I'd like to try out some ideas on you....
I wouldn't care if they were WAY OFF on the ideas, the fact they cared and were thinking, puts them in the top 2%.

GL HOFFMAN of MN 9:10AM May 15, 2008

The author makes some great points. People too often ignore the basics. I'm an HR person and see mistakes that are really hard to believe. I read the following on line the other day in trying to help a candidate and I think this also raises some great points.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/748695/aggressive_provocative_ways_to_stand.html?cat=31

Janet Wheeling of NY 11:28PM May 13, 2008

Well said. I have found that the way a person acts in their private life is a direct reflection of their professional life. How they treat everyone along the line is very important. A professional should be a professional all the way. If they weren't judged the best candidate, perhaps their marketing documents didn't present them correctly - or, it could be that the way they presented themselves took them out of the running. A job search can be a very stressful time - all candidates should make sure that they show themselves at their best. Bullying is still bullying - it doesn't help - only hurts.

Sabrina of CA 3:39PM May 12, 2008