What to Do if Your Job Interviewer is Incompetent

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I prefer males interviewers to females. When I am interviewed by a female inevitably I am actually performing some virtual sex. And the HR women do look good!

Rocco of KS 5:14PM September 29, 2009

I have interviewed hundreds of job applicants during my career and been on the other side of the interview desk more times than I care to think about. The sad truth is, most interviewers are not skilled at what they do, especially in small or even moderate sized businesses where there is no Human Resource Department. It is important to always remember when you go to a job interview, you are making a sales pitch, even if you don't consider yourself a "salesperson". You must be persuasive about your product (you), informed about the prospective client (the business) and be sensitive to the needs and desires of the buyer (the interviewer). Practice your sales pitch, or interview, with a friend or business associate and ask them to rate your performance based whether they would hire you after the practice interview. Be confident, but not overbearing in the interview and you may find success with your job search.

Joe of TX 4:32PM September 29, 2009

See other post: Daughter also said if the interviewer is female this can be intimidating to a female boss. So don't be aggressive just factual. Where you leave room for comments and stay humble about it. She has to know you will make her look good by being on her team. NOT trying to push for her position. Where a male usually likes the excitement of new ideas, new people, that are eager to get on the project.

Lisa C. of TX 2:14PM September 29, 2009

I agree with Bill G. You are both interviewing the other. My daughter does background on the Co. to take to the interview. After she markets her wares about herself, she then will ask about the Co. Producing graphs, charts, speadsheets, projections, history, etc. This shows she is already knowlegable about the Co. Cared enough to be prepared for the interview. What she can bring to the Co. and where her skills can take the Co., if they are wanting to go to a new level. If the Co. is using Oracle P3 and she did everything in P6 on her laptop, and it expands the usage to better fit the Co. because maybe the Co. has outgrown it's current program. Then she can negotiate for higher wage because knowing & utilizing a better program will pay more. Yes, everything you talked about , clothes, gum, hair, etc, is a start. But, if you want the BIG BUCKS, do your homework! P.S. She does not have her college degree.(yet)Or should I say AT ALL. She is a single mother of 4. Makes 130K. Has not missed a paycheck in 10 yrs. Works strickly 1099. Thank You.

Lisa Cloud of TX 1:23PM September 29, 2009

Allen, if you're applying for jobs where a command of the English language is desirable, based on your post- you're going to continue having trouble.

Bob of FL 1:15PM September 29, 2009

Before I retired one of my duties was to do interviews, sometimes preliminary, sometimes followups, sometimes the final selection. We were a medium sized commercial graphics company with many talented graphic artists, photographers and lab technicians, as well as knowledgeable customer and counter people. We worked closely with a number of printing companies so knowledge in that field was indispensable.
Over 35 years I probably interviewed maybe a hundred or so skilled and talented people. I enjoyed interviews where the job seeker actively asked questions because it made my task easier and I enjoyed the give and take of the process. However I was well aware of times when the interviewee was attempting to control or manipulate the process... bad move.
Occasionally job seekers were highly qualified and very ambitious. Those people immediately wanted to know about openings well above what we were hiring for. Basically they were interested in my job or my bosses job. I could appreciate their desires to get ahead, but I was looking for employees, not competitors for my job.
One job seeker I still remember was a man who owned a small pizza business but who wanted to join us, I don't know why. One of his requests, if we hired him, was if it would be alright if he used the phone during the day to keep in touch with his pizza business employees.
Another person, interviewing for a graphic position, openly asked how close I and my manager were to retirement and if we would be willing to train him in the business end of the company. Neither that person or the "pizza"guy were ever hired, but they did provide a lot of laughs at coffee breaks over the years.
Be sure when you apply for a job, that you are applying for the job advertised. Don't bother me by applying for the job I listed, but then immediately begin angling for a much different position. I know the position I'm trying to fill. I can appreciate your ambition, but do the job I hired you for, show me what you've got, prove yourself as a valued and valuable employee and I'll take it from there.

Lou of CA 1:09PM September 29, 2009

I can top these: The dept. manager worked with me for days to assure my trip to headquarters in another city was on a day when the big boss would be there for my second-round interview. Fine, so I rolled out of bed at 4 a.m. to drive 4 hours to be there on time, only to learn my interviewer forgot I was coming that day. The big boss was nowhere to be seen. His comment as I walked into his office: "Oh! You were coming in today!" We spent an hour "shooting the breeze" (see above) and then he suggested, "Why don't you go eat lunch or something? Maybe he'll be back this afternoon." Uh, does he have a cell phone? Maybe we could check and see. And no, they didn't pay for my 400-mile roundtrip either.

Phil of TX 1:03PM September 29, 2009

I have been on alot of interviews, and i would like to think that i have a chance. But i can tell if there interrested or buy the questions. If there is alot of them i have a chance, if not i don't. AND I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 10 MONTHS.

allenwarren of IN 12:48PM September 29, 2009

I have been interviewed before by what I would call "shooting the breeze" style. I kept thinking that I really wanted to talk about the team, which consisted of two people working together and how it worked, and what doesn't work in the environment, etc. But I heard all about vacations, children, and other prominent business men and women in our city and how "they were". I wasn't sure what to say or do toward the end. I was hoping the two interviewers would just look at my resume and ask specific questions. In all, it was veeery uncomfortable. And if I'm not mistaking the President was nervous around me.

OKC of OK 12:31PM September 29, 2009

Nancy you have yet to learn from her Mother's mistakes, or you are still very immature. I'm sorry for your past upbringing, and you are very strong to have overcome these circumstances. However, what did you take away from that experience and how has it shaped you as an adult?
Sean, you think much too highly of yourself. Bring it down a peg or two (or twelve). Certain people "play you". Might they have been attractive people to whom you've felt a physical attraction to on some level, and have later been disappointed? The article also mentioned that smaller companies may not have the opportunity to interview as often, thus lacking in interview experience. With low turn over these smaller places may be lovely places to work. Some small companies don't have even have an HR department, isn't that a relief as well?

Common Sense of AK 12:31PM September 29, 2009