Interview Bloopers

[42]

A few years ago, while interviewing for some actuarial positions, our company saw so many bloopers from actuarial candidates that we came up with our own "top ten" list:


10. When asked where you would like to be five years from now, do not respond by saying that you expect to be working for a consulting firm by then.

9. During a telephone interview, if you have “call waiting”, do not put the interviewer on hold partway through the interview so you can take another call.

8. Refrain from explaining that you can work for any boss “just as long as they never try to tell you what to do”.

7. If you are planning to arrive in town the night before the interview, remember to bring toiletries. A 5 o’clock shadow is very unappealing, especially when it’s 5 o’clock yesterday.

6. When asked how you would feel about moving to Ohio, you don’t exactly endear yourself to the interviewer by explaining that “Ohio isn’t the worst place in the world to live – I mean, it’s not like it’s New Jersey or anything”.

5. It is acceptable to state that you are not a stereotypical actuary. It is just plain dumb to quickly follow that comment with a backhanded apology of “No offence”, implying that you clearly think that the interviewer is a stereotypical actuary.

4. If you have a long drive to get to the interview, and you don’t want to wear your suit during the drive, change your clothes before arriving at the company where you are being interviewed. Do not change in your car in their parking lot, especially when you have parked underneath their security camera.

3. In the warm-up chit-chat with the interviewer prior to the interview, before you explain that you live on the west side of town where all of the good, hard-working, down-to-earth, real people live rather than on the east side of town where all of the snooty, stuck-up, yuppie snobs live, check to see if the interviewer lives on the east side of town.

2. Under no circumstances is it appropriate to wear the pants from your band uniform to the interview.

1. Do not walk into the interviewer’s office, point to a picture of his wife, and ask “Who’s the fox?”


For those of you who conduct interviews, do you have any bloopers to add to the list? For the rest of you, how about a list of bloopers that you've seen interviewers and/or companies do/make?

[Minerva]

42 - Do I know you? (I've seen the same list at our company, purported to be culled from actual events - but probably not.)

[42]

Send me a private message and I'll let you know. I assure you - the bloopers on this list actually happened to us in the actuarial department over a period of about 3 years. No fiction here.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Hey! #4 could be me. I once changed into my suit in an ohio parking garage after a 3 hour drive. But, whatever, I would do the same thing again. I'm just glad to hear that I made some people laugh.

[Anonymous]

How about bloopers while an interviewee?

When interviewing for my current job, I was just out of college and had my GPA on my resume. One interviewer scanned my resume and immediately asked, "3.9 huh, whatcha get the B in?"

How do you respond to that?

[Dr T Non-Fan]

"Sociology 314: How to Recognize Insecurity in Others"

[Minerva]

42 - Don't look for a private message - it's more fun NOT knowing you IRL, just goofing around here. (Guess I should have marked that with a simile or "rhetorical question" or something.) Besides, it is quite likely that this list has been passed around and is already the stuff of actuarial lore.

[NO1UNO]

While interviewing a person for a clerical position, the interviewer asked, "What was the biggest mistake you made at your previous job?" The response was, "I slept with my boss."

[snafu]

Scene: Interview lunch with the entire actuarial department

Momentary awkward silence
Interviewee: So I heard this really funny joke the other day

Group: OK

Interviewee: Knock, knock

More awkward silence, long pause
Someone from the group: (tenatively) Who is it?

Interviewee: Interrupting cow

Even more awkward silence and a really long pause
Someone else from the group: (very tenatively) Interrupting co...

Interviewee: Moo!!! chuckle, chuckle, snort, snort. Get it!! Interrupting cow, moo, chuckle, chuckle, snort, snort.

More awkward silence

No offer made



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: snafu on 2002-02-13 09:49 ]</font>

[Anonymous]

I think the dumbest thing I said in a lunch/interview was a (serious) question about whether exams get any easier. They laughed, but I'm sure they thought I was stupid.

[Anonymous]

We had a guy who wore a new suit to the interview with the tag still dangling from his sleeve. We figured he was just frugal and planned to return the suit after the interview.

We offered him the job.

[L. Mo]

we had an intern candidate last spring. definitely a weird guy. I didn't actually interview him, but the stories from those who did:

"I don't really want to work that hard"

When asked, "what are you passionate about", his reply was "partially hydrogenated oils should be banned", or something like that.

...we didn't offer him the internship.

[Anonymous]

A few years ago I was an unmarried, unengaged 22 year old woman in a lunch interview with 5 middle aged men in my home city.
They asked me where else I was interviewing.
I commented that I was flying out to another state for an interview that afternoon.
Interviewer: "So you are considering relocating?"
Me: (not wanted to say no, I'm just covering my bases in case I don't get an offer here) "Yes, I would consider relocation, but I know my parents would prefer I stay here"
Another Inerviewer: "What, your parents don't want to have the grandkids out of state?"

This really bugged me because even though he was trying to be joking it implied that me, as a woman, would be having children and probably missing alot of work because of it.

I heard from a very reliable source that they didn't offer me the job because they thought I wanted to move out of the state.
It turns out the out of state company gave me an offer and I've been here ever since and am now a fellow.
The guy they hired at the other place passed a couple exams and then dropped out.

[ACCtuary]

They're not allowed to ask certain personal questions, but if you volunteer career-risking information, you're just cutting off the branch you sit on.

There needs to be a polite way to say none of your GD business.

[Anonymous]

Why would you take that comment to mean they expected you'd be missing a lot of work??
I wouldn't take it that way, but I think it's a bit sexist. It would probably make me feel weird, esp because they're all men and they're all older.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

My and my wife's parents all don't want their grandchildren out of the area.

Your fault for implying that your parents can influence your career decisions.
However, good for you for not working for that crony crowd.

I was rejected early on for not being the actuarial type. More like a compliment. No offense!

[Ammie]

I once interviewed an intern, and because I like questions that show if they can think, I asked "What is the most creative idea you have ever had?". After a really long, awkward silence I said, "We can go back to this question later".

Came back to it at the end of the interview and he said, "well, when I've been stuck in traffic, I have thougth of inventing a flying car".

:lol: What do you say to that? I was hard pressed not to burst into a fit of giggles.

This was not the best part. When I asked why a mark was really low, in an effort to find out if there were extenuating circumstances, this intern told me that it was actually a mistake on their transcript, and they had failed the course! While I admired their honesty, I was concerned

[Anonymous]

I had a guy at lunch who was visibly excited about his free lunch. He asked permission to start with an appetizer, then asked again for dessert and coffee after eating. Finally, he said something like I'm getting used to this interviewing thing. It was very clear that he was going to eat until we made him stop. Eating a lot may not be so bad, but getting excited that it's free and implying that is why you're eating a lot, shouldn't be recommended.

[Anonymous]

Hehe. When you said "visually excited at lunch" I was totally thinking something else.

[Minerva]

Lunch guy was not only exercised poor judgement in a job situation (did you hire him?), but also poor manners in general. Didn't his mother ever teach him to follow the lead of his host when a guest at mealtime?

[Anonymous]

I once interviewed at a company where the manager expressed his wish that his actuarial staff would stop complaining so much. At that point I wanted to ask where we were going for my free lunch and could we please get it over with.

At another place I had it explained to me that banking privacy laws were essential to there offshore operation. Yikes!

Finally, at one interview, the guy who would have been my boss let me know that for fun, they occasionally liked to go to a `fight'. It took me more than 30 minutes to realize he meant boxing.

[aces219]

I once was asked to explain linear regression in an interview. My response was "is this a test?" I explained it. Got the offer. Turned it down - totally low-ball. I understand that they want to see your ability to explain technical concepts in plain English, but I think asking me the specifics about projects I worked on in prior internships would have been more appropriate.

The weirdest interview ever was this behavioral one where I had to write stuff down on paper and explain it, I think about a time when I showed leadership in specific steps. It was annoying and stupid because there really wasn't any chance to establish rapport since I was sitting there writing for a while. In addition, the interviewer was always on the phone with the office in between interviews (client problem I guess) and seemed totally put out about having to go recruit.

[Gal Friday]

Ammie, you seem like a nice person from your posts, what a cruel question to subject a poor actuarial candidate to at an interview! I hope I never interview at your company! I consider myself bright and reasonably articulate, but throw a question like that at me in an interview for a (my specialty) financial reporting position and I admit, I'd be hard-pressed to come up w/ something as good as "I once thought of inventing a flying car"!!

[Drzy]

Recently an interviewer asked me the standard "what is your biggest weakness and how will you try to improve it?" question. I answered (semi-jokingly of course) that I really don't have any weaknesses, and he perked up and said "Excellent! That is exactly the type of candidate we're looking for!"

I'll be interning there this summer... I must've gotten the job due to my lack of weaknesses. :smile:

[Dr T Non-Fan]

The trick is to make up an idea.
Answer #1: I have had many creative ideas, and to quantify them would take up the remainder of the interview
Answer #2: I created a way to quantify the creativity of my ideas.
Answer #3: The highway signs should signify well in advance any exits that will be on the left side of traffic.
Answer #4: Plastic parsely. You can use it over and over and over.
Answer #5: Sell tuna WITH the mayonaise.

[Anonymous]

#3 and #5 are funny, even my wife came over to see what I was reading. She was not impressed.

Anyone out there notice that New Jersey exit signs are often physically beyond the turnoff? I could never get used to this. Had to leave the state.

[The Mister]

On 2002-02-13 20:17, Anonymous wrote:
Anyone out there notice that New Jersey exit signs are often physically beyond the turnoff? I could never get used to this. Had to leave the state.<font size=2>WARNING: THREAD DRIFT

The one time I was in NJ, not only did I notice that, I also noticed that most of the words on the exit signs are rather faded, if not completely gone. Doesn't help much at 3am. As it turns out, we probably would have been lost for hours regardless of the placement or condition of the signs. How the $%^& does anyone get around in the Newark area? No left turns? I swear I'll kill the guy who came up with that idea... Anytime I wanted to go left from the Motel, I had to go right for about 5 minutes before getting to the place where I could make that dog-leg right-then-left thing.

(Have I mentioned this here before?)

[Ammie]

Anoony, I didn't mean to be cruel, rather to test their ability to think on the fly. They could have said about anything, and the sinker for this guy was his total discomfort thinking on the fly (Although the answer did make me giggle on the inside :smile:). Well, that and his goof on the failed course.

BTW, I got some great, composed answers, which impressed me a lot. Students talked about creative ways that they had solved problems in the past. Their ideas also gave them a chance to talk about something that interested them.

I'm *personally* not interested in asking the strength/weakness/difficult situation type questions for an intern because they are so rehearsed. Ask a couple of those to relax the person you are interviewing, maybe. You don't get to rehearse when a client puts you on the spot with a tough question. Also, why ask about an intern's technical experience when they generally don't have very much? JMO.

That's not to say that others at my office follow my behavioural interviewing style. :wink:

[Anonymous]

When I first moved to Jersey, I thought that the lack of signage was a big problem. (I think that it is an malicious form of entertainment invented by the locals.)

P.S. The "dog-leg right-then-left thing" is called a jug handle.

P.P.S. The important thing to remember about Newark: You don't want to be there at 3am. 3pm ain't too hot, either.

[E. Blackadder]

I prefer Miracle Whip with my tuna.

Homer?

[Ammie]

Mmmmmmmiracle whip

[succi]

I had a half day interview with well known company. The serie of interviews went really well until lunch time. I went to lunch with two junior people of the company. They first ask me "so what kind of stories did you make up?", I said nothing. Then they said "whatever stories you made up, you better be consistent about it." I think they were joking, but I find it offensive. While we were at the restaurant, they talked to each other only. It seemed that it was a social event for them, and they do not care about what kind of questions I have nor who I am.
I understand that these people don't reflect much of the company's culture, but I would never work for them.
What do you do in situations like this? Do you tell the actuaries of the company exactly what happened? I didn't. =/

[roz]

OK, these are a few years out of date, but I still think they're interesting. They didn't happen to me.

Attractive female student just graduating. Middle age male interviewer said "you just don't look like my idea of an actuary" and then started talking about how much he wanted to be 20 years younger with her in the room. Totally out of order, but small city, small actuarial community, any complaint and she'd never get a job.

Another guy, very very good student, knew he'd get several offers, interviewed by small insurer.

Interviewer: Why do you want to work here?
Student: Well, frankly I don't. I looked at your annual reports and returns this morning and I think you're headed down the toilet.

The firm was gone within 2 years. Student now highly placed actuary.

[Minerva]

Ammie's creativity question is right on, and I don't think it cruel at all. If we are only able to do the same old things with new numbers, we are way overpaid (and I'm way underpaid IMHO :smile:). Ammie, you sound like an effective interviewer - behaviorally based is definitely the most effective.

[42]

I agree with Minerva - Ammie's behavioral question was great. For the record, I believe the main emphasis of behavioral interviewing is on getting details of past experiences (as opposed to "how would you handle the following situation" where the candidate can give you the canned answer that you're looking for). The interview that Aces219 described as "behavioral" must be some strange variation of it, and I agree that asking the candidate to write down their answers is a very poor way to conduct an interview. And DTNF, our Marketing department would like to offer you a job! :grin:

[I_actuate™]

Well, this is from the interviewee side, since I'm a young 'un I've not been on the other side of the boat yet.

Interview with Lockheed Martin. On the first phone interview with the recruiter at LM, it came up that I get nervous while interviewing. He told me the secret. Make sure your shoes are shining, your tie is of a primary color, your pants have a nice crease, look good, and **ONLY WEAR SILK BOXERS UNDERNEATH***. <quote>..."So when you're sitting there and you feel anxiety about something, just move around in your chair a little and feel your shaft rub on the silk, you'll forget all about being nervous."

I kid you not. This was for a programming job for the central control of the next generation aircraft carriers. Just talking to this guy for the first time. I didn't take his advice, interview went fine, got the offer, but declined.

....some people... :shake:

[Maine-iac]

I interviewed right out of college with a well-known Hartford insurer. For lunch, they sent me out to a fairly nice place with an actuarial student so I could ask candid questions about the area and the student environment.

When I asked general questions about the Hartford area, he told me that he was sure the next big race riot was going to start in Hartford. That was reassuring. I'm not sure what he would have said next because he then took a big bite of the hamburger he had ordered an broke his tooth.

I kept thinking that they needed to re-think who they sent out with the applicants. And trying very hard not to laugh at the poor slob.

[M.]

I find that actuarial interviews are generally better than teaching interviews.

I once had an interview at a school with a group of people. They told me that their teachers taught specific subjects (fairly uncommon in elementary schools.) They asked what subjects I would be most comfortable teaching in such a situation. I told them probably math and science. One of the interviewers smugly says, "I already teach those." Gee, thanks for wasting my time!

I decided the interview was over, so I spent the rest of my time asking THEM questions, seeing what general traits they most desired in applicants. That proved useful for my later interviews.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

OK, I stole #4 (Alaska Airlines) and #5 ("Night Shift").
#3 was not supposed to be funny. How many times have you seen someone from the far right lane cross all lanes to get off the left exit, simply because there was no hint that the exit would be on the left side? Well, I see it a lot where I come from. Lately I've seen "Left" next to the exit on the overhead signs, but it's there with 1/4 mile to go, and not earlier.
#1 and #2 are all mine.

[The Mister]

On 2002-02-14 12:41, Dr T Non-Fan wrote:
#3 was not supposed to be funny. How many times have you seen someone from the far right lane cross all lanes to get off the left exit, simply because there was no hint that the exit would be on the left side? Well, I see it a lot where I come from. Lately I've seen "Left" next to the exit on the overhead signs, but it's there with 1/4 mile to go, and not earlier.<font size=2>Well, then, you should like Texas a lot! Some of the best highways in the country (rush hour is still rush hour, though).

[mother goose]

A remote control vacuum cleaner! But then I thought a wife would be better.

[42]

Succi and Maine-iac: Yes, I would tell the employer about the people who took you to lunch. DTNF: Creative AND knows how to steal others' material?? Boy, you've really got our Marketing department salivating now!! When can you start? :grin:

[scout]

my personal favorite:

I was the newbie who got to talk to the recent college grad about life in the trenches, etc. I introduce myself briefly, then ask if he has any questions. His first question: "So who is the real ball-busting manager?" Besides it being a stupid question, I guess nobody told him that references to male genitalia don't go over well with young female interviewers...

Unfortunately, I got overruled, and we hired him... Fired him 6 months later. :smile:

[CJL]

While in college, had an interview for an internship. The career placement office was under construction, so they had a temporary trailer set up. It was surprisingly nice for a temporary trailer, but when the sun's out, it really cooks that small tin box. I was the last interview of the day, and it was about 85 degrees in the trailer. The interviewer read the questions in monotone. Cleverly worded questions like:

Name 3 strengths.
Name 3 weaknesses.
Tell me about yourself.

While perusing my transcript, she noticed an upper-level anthropology class I had taken on various religions of the world, and the word "witchcraft" was in the name of the course. She visibly freaked out, and asked why I would take such a course. I gave a good "expand my knowledge of the world" answer. She persisted, eventually asking if I wanted to be a witch.

[CJL]

Here's another: I was interviewing soon-to-be-graduates. I asked this one guy about a time when he'd had to deal with a difficult person, or something like that. His example was that his car broke down, and he's been fighting with his parents to get them to fix it but they won't.

Same guy, next question. I asked something about his communication skills. He said he sometimes he mumbles, but for some reason he speaks very clearly after drinking a lot of beer.

[42]

She persisted, eventually asking if I wanted to be a witch. Did you at least turn her into a frog? :grin: Or maybe suggest that "one in this room was enough"?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: 42 on 2002-02-15 10:40 ]</font>

[L. Mo]

On 2002-02-15 09:58, CJL wrote:
While perusing my transcript, she noticed an upper-level anthropology class I had taken on various religions of the world, and the word "witchcraft" was in the name of the course. She visibly freaked out, and asked why I would take such a course. I gave a good "expand my knowledge of the world" answer. She persisted, eventually asking if I wanted to be a witch.


That's a totally illegal question! I sincerely hope you didn't answer it...

[Pub Guy]

I find it interesting that nobody has stated their own blunders...

In my first interview ever, the guy explained about a dozen areas in engineering in his company to work for (I used to be an engineer). I was focussing so much on sitting up straight and looking him in the eyes, that I didn't pay any attention to what he actually said. Of course, he followed up with "which of these areas do you think you would want to work in?" A very awkward moment of silence followed before I blurted out "in Engineering". No, I didn't get the job.

[DW Simpson]

Last week, I interviewed students on campus for positions unrelated to actuarial work. One of my questions was, "What would you do if you didn't have to work?"

Several trotted out, consecutively, "I'd travel the world."

My last guy said, "I'd be a blackjack dealer."

That made my day.

[Anonymous]

OK, I've got some blunders for you!
My first real interview was in this field. I had read up on the questions they may ask and other items about the actual interview, but I didn't know things like they expect you to check out that morning and bring your suitcase or whatever to the interview. I was just starting to get over the flu and felt really crappy but I didn't cancel because it seemed like they were going to spend alot of money to fly me in. The hotel was about half a block from the company and I thought he said someone would come get me. So I was quite late by the time we got on the same page. I ordered something for lunch that was difficult to eat without getting alot of it stuck in your teeth. It was a real mess, but I learned and did better the next time.

[Hagbard Celine]

These stories are great!!

I don't have a lot of interviewing experience on either end so it's interesting to hear the war stories!

[G. Ringo]

I once got the name of the company wrong.

[Minerva]

GG - Mispronounced or called Met Pru?

[Mr. Penguin]

Before I landed my first actuarial job, I had a number of first intervies, but never and seconds. When I finally got my first second (huh?), I was EXTREMELY nervous. It was a group interview with three high ranking fellows. After the preliminaries were done and the real questions started, the man across the table opened up his folder and started making notes on a sheet that I noticed was NOT my resume. I answered a few more questions and then I realized that what this one man was so intent on was not my resume, but an episode guide to Babylon 5. Then and there, I realized I must have blown the interview and he couldn't care less. So all my nerves went out the window, I sailed through the next hour and had an offer immediately after the interview ended. Thanks to Babylon 5 man for unintentionally ending my bad case of nerves and many thanks to whomever placed me in a department other than his.

My biggest gaffe in an interview was a few years later when I interviewed at another company. When I spoke to the man that I would be working for, he commented on my tie that happened to be one of those "Save the Children" ties that had drawings of various dogs on them. He asked if I was a dog lover and I said yes. He followed up asking what sort of dog I owned and my reply was that I didn't own any since I lived in a small studio apartment and thought it was cruel to leave a dog alone all day in such a small space. His reply??? "I live in a small studio apartment and I have two dogs." Ouch. Didn't get the job.

[42]

Mr. Penguin, that sounds very close to #3 on the top 10 list!

[Mr. Penguin]

Yeah, I guess it is and I chalk it up to talking too much. Oh well. I still think it's cruel to leave a dog cooped up in a tinmy apartment all day.

[G. Ringo]

Minerva,

No, I did not substitute the name of a different company. But what I said was not just a mispronunciation. It was a different word with many sounds in common with the company name.

[The Mister]

<font size=2>I interviewed at a firm where the senior VP was named Larry [something]. It was my third interview, and I hadn't met him yet. He introduced himself as Larry, and since my previous interviewers had mentioned his name before, I presumed the last name I was thinking of must be the one they used.

"Larry Owens, right?"

"Um, no... but suit yourself..."

Luckily I just let it go and the rest of the interview went swell.

[JO]

While interviewing for an internship in college, I wanted to point out that I was good at learning by myself since we had less preparation for actuarial exams than the rival college, whose students were fighting for the same internships.

So when the interviewer asked me to develop my point further, I went on saying that I thought it was a good thing that we weren't that well prepared for the exams compared to the other college, since all their students were treated like babies by teachers, but then couldn't pass anything once no one was around to tell them what to do (which was true to a considerable extent).

Nevertheless, his resonse was "This is where I graduated from.."

So I blushed, bit my lip and said "Should we stop now.."

Didn't get the job, obviously..

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: JO on 2002-02-15 17:27 ]</font>

[KnightsPG]

I was in a non-actuarial internship interview when the interviewer asks this question. "I just have one more question for you. In their particular sport, Olympic gold medal winners are the best in the world at what they do. If there was an unusual olympics where the best of everything, absolutely everything, was an event, in what event could you proclaim yourself the best in the entire world?"

This definitely put me off guard and I instantly thought of the college dorm room Nintendo, super mario 3 competition that me and my roommate were actually "training" for. (Short story = big bet with guys across the hall, had to beat each board on each level continuously)

I think the point of the question was to see if you could think on your feet, so I actually gave him the Nintendo answer. So as soon as I get done, I turn the question over on him and he proclaims himself the master of the computer game minesweeper. After that, I didn't think my Nintendo answer was quite so bad, but nonetheless, I didn't get the job.

[42]

JO, maybe #3 on the top ten list is more common that I thought! (Different details; same foot in mouth.) :grin: But I loved your response!! :lol:

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: 42 on 2002-02-15 18:26 ]</font>

[openminded]

...

[Mtl guru]

I was at an interview for a (non-actuarial)summer job and my friend and I were interviewed together. I'm a guy, as is my friend, but the so-called boss asked us if we were dating each other!

[Lee Mellon]

I was only partially successful battling sleep on my first actuarial interview. Actually, it was a half-days worth of (3)interviews. I did get the job, luckily not with Mr Sominex, who is a hell of an actuary, a great guy, and chloral hydrate in conversation.

[johnny]

in an office interview, the first of the six persons i talked to was from HR. she explained to me things i needed to know about the company. at one point she asked if i was single. i didn't mind answering the question, so i said yes. then she said that there were some single ladies in the office. i was just surprised why she told me that. anyway i didn't get the job. too bad.

[Troy McClure]

On 2002-02-16 16:06, johnny wrote:
in an office interview, the first of the six persons i talked to was from HR. she explained to me things i needed to know about the company. at one point she asked if i was single. i didn't mind answering the question, so i said yes. then she said that there were some single ladies in the office. i was just surprised why she told me that. anyway i didn't get the job. too bad.


Even though this question is illegal, I can sort of get over it when actuaries ask it in an interview. But HR people? When all they are required to do is get basic information and know how to do it without breaking the law? That's all they need to do. Really, really sad.

[Anonymous]

On 2002-02-13 09:02, NO1UNO wrote:
While interviewing a person for a clerical position, the interviewer asked, "What was the biggest mistake you made at your previous job?" The response was, "I slept with my boss."

ROFLOLPIP!!!!

[Anonymous]

On 2002-02-13 18:16, Anoony wrote:
Ammie, you seem like a nice person from your posts,
I agree! Ammie seems cool!

Ammie: are you a lifer or a casualty of the actuarial society? And what is the meaning of "Ammie?"

[CJL]

No, I didn't answer the witch question. I just kept saying that I wanted to learn about other cultures.

The career placement office had evaluation forms for us to fill out after the interview. I remember deliberating over what, if anything, to say about the event. I don't recall what I did. I hope I described what happened, but I never heard anything about it, so I suspect I said nothing or they paid no attention to the form. Probably should have gone right to someone at the career office to tell them about it.

[Woody]

While interviewing with a rather rotund interviewer, as he sat down on his chair I distinctly heard his pants rip. He never flinched, pretending as if nothing happened. I had to bite my lip to keep from bursting out laughing. Needless to say, it completely relaxed me and the interview went well.

[Alya]

On 2002-02-18 11:19, Woody wrote:
While interviewing with a rather rotund interviewer, as he sat down on his chair I distinctly heard his pants rip. He never flinched, pretending as if nothing happened. I had to bite my lip to keep from bursting out laughing. Needless to say, it completely relaxed me and the interview went well.


And what happened when he finally got up?

[Anonymous]

I once had an on-campus interview with an FSA. The first thing he said to me when we got into the interview room was, "Wow! I have to tell you that you don't look anything how I imagined you. You've got such great grades, I never thought you'd be so pretty. If you come work for us, I might ask you out!" I turned down their offer for a second interview.

A few years later, my friend and I went on a recruiting trip. She asked one person to describe her strengths. The girls said, "Oh! I have those written down. Let me get them out," and spent several minutes digging through her purse before she pulled out a scrap of paper that she read from word for word.

[Indep]

On 2002-02-16 16:33, Troy McClure wrote:

On 2002-02-16 16:06, johnny wrote:
in an office interview, the first of the six persons i talked to was from HR. she explained to me things i needed to know about the company. at one point she asked if i was single. i didn't mind answering the question, so i said yes. then she said that there were some single ladies in the office. i was just surprised why she told me that. anyway i didn't get the job. too bad.


Even though this question is illegal, I can sort of get over it when actuaries ask it in an interview. But HR people? When all they are required to do is get basic information and know how to do it without breaking the law? That's all they need to do. Really, really sad.


Ease up. It sounds like a nice woman who thought she could be a match-maker. She should know better, but her follow-up implied she asked out of curiousity, not that the job depended on the answer. Is that the sense you had, johnny?

[johnny]

indep,
you're right. i was just surprised by her, that's all.

[Troy McClure]

On 2002-02-20 15:21, Indep wrote:

Ease up. It sounds like a nice woman who thought she could be a match-maker. She should know better, but her follow-up implied she asked out of curiousity, not that the job depended on the answer. Is that the sense you had, johnny?


It doesn't matter. It's none of her business. It would be different if he were her friend (definitely) or if he already had the job (maybe). She has no right to ask that, and the fact that Johnny wasn't bothered is irrelevant because she didn't KNOW that he would not be bothered, and somebody else might be. For that matter, what right does she have to assume that johnny likes women? Which, of course, might imply that it's not OK if Johnny likes men.

[Anonymous]

IMO, the fact that it's inappropriate has nothing to do with whether he was offended or bothered by the question.

[42]

When I was interviewing for my current job, one person asked one question that was inappropriate, and it wasn't on something inconsequential - it was clear that this person was going to use my answer in deciding whether or not I was the right person for the job. I was very surprised and mildly offended, but I answered anyway.

I decided to put it in perspective: yes it was an inappropriate question and the person asking it certainly should have known better, but it was only one of several dozens of questions asked during the interview process. Everything else in the interview indicated to me that I had found a good fit with the company, the job, and the people, so I overlooked the one rough spot. It has never become an issue, and I have an excellent relationship with the person who asked the question.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: 42 on 2002-02-21 10:30 ]</font>

[Anonymous]

On 2002-02-14 11:18, 42 wrote:
I agree with Minerva - Ammie's behavioral question was great. For the record, I believe the main emphasis of behavioral interviewing is on getting details of past experiences (as opposed to "how would you handle the following situation" where the candidate can give you the canned answer that you're looking for). The interview that Aces219 described as "behavioral" must be some strange variation of it, and I agree that asking the candidate to write down their answers is a very poor way to conduct an interview. And DTNF, our Marketing department would like to offer you a job! :grin:


I just graduated from university and did about 20 interviews last year... and I got pretty used to them. I once had this girl who had so obviously just come from some kind of interviewing training course and was asking me the most generic behavioral questions like 'Name a time where you were faced with a problem and what action did you take to solve it'. I was nice at first, but once I realized those were the only questions she was going to ask, to her next question I gave her an equally boring and generic answer that took up the rest of the interview. Interviews are much more effective for both the candidate and the company if it's more of a 'pleasant conversation environment', shouldn't the company be more interested in whether or not the individual is a good fit day to day, rather than if they can put together some BS answer to a BS question?

[Minerva]

But, if the interviewer is doing their job correctly, it is not just a BS answer to a BS question - it is the only opportunity the interviewee has to "demonstrate" a particular skill. Just because the interviewee may have answered the question before doesn't invalidate the answer (it just makes sounding fresh and excited a bigger challenge). And, in both the way the interviewee answers and in the fact set presented, an experienced interviewer can judge "fit" fairly accurately as well.

Actually, as actuaries, we should welcome behavioral questions, since they give us an opportunity to display our analytical skills on a layman's terms.

(Of course, it is quite possible that THIS interviewer was on auto-pilot, but, that was the interviewer you got - them's the breaks.)

[Dr T Non-Fan]

You should take that as a sign that the company, in sending an disinterested interviewer, is not interested in you.
Or, that the company doesn't take the on-campus interview, or your school, very seriously.

[DW Simpson]

Behavioral interviewing, for better or worse, is the flavor of the month for on-campus interviews for all types of positions. It's a pretty strong trend from what I've been able to piece together.

[42]

I wouldn't call it "flavor of the month" - we've been using behaviorial interviewing for almost a decade now, and we continue to do so because it works. It pretty much prevents the candidate from giving BS answers because the interviewer directs the candidate to actual examples in the past. If the candidate starts off by "imbellishing" the facts, they will soon be tripped up as the interviewer starts delving deeper into the details. Don't knock it till you've tried it! (From the company's end, I mean.)

[Anonymous]

Don't knock spell check either. No need to embellish facts or spelling

[DW Simpson]

I've given candidates a seriously hard time on the company side with behavioral interviewing. I definitely know it works.

It's only in the last 2 years, though, that I've noticed that HR-types are giving seminars on it at $3K a pop and companies are sending interviewers to those seminars. It might be because I wasn't paying attention up until that point, though.

[42]

On 2002-02-21 16:01, Anonymous wrote:
Don't knock spell check either. No need to embellish facts or spelling D'oh!! :grin:

[Nanae7]

Can I ask how you get those really cool smiley faces? I loved the dunce.

[Woody]

On 2002-02-22 10:33, Nanae7 wrote:
Can I ask how you get those really cool smiley faces? I loved the dunce.


If you click on the Smilies link in the Options area, you'll get a slew of cute little things you can add to your message. For example, the dunce is created by tping in a less than sign "<", a colon ":" and then a close parentheses ")". When placed together as "<:)" the picture wil appear. I personally like the mooning...

:moon:

[42]

Or, in general, anytime you see a post with an interesting graphic, just click on the "edit" key below that post, and you'll see how that graphic was created. (And I still don't understand how a mooning emoticon isn't censored when the word d*mn is!) :wink:

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: 42 on 2002-02-22 11:04 ]</font>

[42]

On 2002-02-21 10:57, Anonymous wrote: Interviews are much more effective for both the candidate and the company if it's more of a 'pleasant conversation environment'. IMO, I think you may be confusing "easier" with "more effective". The "pleasant conversation environment" interviews with "what is your favorite color"-type questions are the easiest ones to BS your way through. They don't really give the company much useful information about the candidate.

[Tim Hortons]

On 2002-02-22 11:09, 42 wrote:
IMO, I think you may be confusing "easier" with "more effective". The "pleasant conversation environment" interviews with "what is your favorite color"-type questions are the easiest ones to BS your way through. They don't really give the company much useful information about the candidate.


Nope, I'm pretty sure I meant effective. I think the best kinds of interviews is where you tell the employer why you want to work for their company, tell them what you would expect from them, tell them your career goals, how you want to achieve them, what you can contribute to the company, and find out if the company is a good fit with you. If you waste a three quarters of the interview explaining how you overcame some obstacle or what you would do in a particular situation, the only thing that will distinguish candidates is whether they've heard that question before and have an acceptable answer or not. As an employer, I'd rather know more about the whole package than their response to some obscure situation that will probably not ever arise.

[42]

TH, all the information you mention in the first part of your post is the kind of stuff we get from our pre-screening phone interviews, which are of the "pleasant conversation" type. Assuming we liked what we heard, we then move on to the behavioral questions for the face-to-face interviews so that we can weed out the BS from the truth.

In behavioral interviewing, we do not ask questions about what you would do in a particular situation, as you suggested. We focus on actual events from your past. The types of questions used in behavioral interviewing also do not relate to obscure situations, as you suggest. They relate to the types of situations that will regularly arise in any job - time management, communications, working with others, etc. What distinguishes candidates is not whether they've heard the question before, as you suggest, it's how they responded to situations in the past and whether they learned anything from those experiences that will affect how they will respond in the future. That's what allows us to know more about the whole package - we ask questions that let the candidate boast about his or her achievements, and we ask other questions that get the candidate to talk about less pleasant situations from their past and how they handled them.

What I really like about the behavioral questions is that I think it gives you a truer, more complete picture of the candidate. If you ask a candidate to describe how they would handle a particular situation, they can easily BS you by telling you exactly what you want to hear. However, with behavioral interviewing, if you ask them to describe the last time they were in that particular situation, they could try to embellish the facts somewhat, but as you drilled deeper and deeper into the facts, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to keep track of which lies they have told.

I'm curious, TH, what techniques do you use to determine whether a candidate is telling you the truth or telling you the canned answers that you want to hear?

[Tim Hortons]

On 2002-02-22 13:19, 42 wrote:
I'm curious, TH, what techniques do you use to determine whether a candidate is telling you the truth or telling you the canned answers that you want to hear?


If we look up to the right, we're using the creative side of our brain; thus, we're lying.
I had no problem answering behavioural questions. I did about 10 second round interviews last year. Interviews that had behavioural type questions were more entertaining, but I normally left the interview not feeling very satisfied with the company: they seemed more hung up on their avant-garde method of interviewing than finding employees who had the good, old fashion qualities (hardworking, ambitious, friendly and honest). You may claim that there's a lot more to it and that one can interpret a lot from the candidate's answers, but, I assure you, none of the interviewers I had knew what they were doing and it was a big waste of time. THey would have been better off sticking to the basics.

[42]

On 2002-02-22 14:52, Tim Hortons wrote: I assure you, none of the interviewers I had knew what they were doing and it was a big waste of time. I guess you're right. If the interviewers don't know what they're doing, it is a waste of time. Poor interviewing skills always trump good interviewing methods.

[Anonymous]

42, while your techniques are intriguing, I'm not completely sold on the notion that you can drill down and find out where people are embellishing. It seems like you would have to spend an extraordinary amount of time, say 1-2 hours on a single example or episode from their past to catch them in an inconsistency. What's the point of spending that amount of time and effort on something so seemingly trivial? My guess is any candidate that has to go through a grueling interview about trivia would not want to work there. Do you feel like many people embellish our out-right lie about minor events from their past?
If I'm not understanding the process, please enlighten me.

[Minerva]

On 2002-02-22 14:52, Tim Hortons wrote:

Interviews that had behavioural type questions were more entertaining, but I normally left the interview not feeling very satisfied with the company: they seemed more hung up on their avant-garde method of interviewing than finding employees who had the good, old fashion qualities (hardworking, ambitious, friendly and honest). ... THey would have been better off sticking to the basics.


I'll jump in here - 42 is right on about behavioral interviewing, and explained it very well several posts up. (Also a good point about a bad interviewer and good techniques a little later....)

The purpose is not so much to "find the liars" (although, believe me, many embellishments are spotted easily) as to deterimine what skills the person may actually have and what their work styles are. Actual examples from a person's past are better determinants of work ethic and ambition than the statement "and I'm honest, I work hard and I want to get ahead".

Sample - (abridged)

"Tell me about a time when you had too much to do"

"Well, like last February, I had the year-end cash flow testing to complete for the annuity block of business, and the President wanted an analysis of the effect on profitability if we made a change to our expense allocations and we were trying to complete the pricing of our latest flexible annuity with a go-to-market target in July. And, that's when I was studying for Course 6."

"Wow, that does seem like quite a bit - what did you do about it?"

"First, I spent a little time figuring out what still had to be done on each of the projects, how much time I thought each thing would take, and the timelines of each project. I knew that the CFT deadline was immutable and imminent, and that this annuity product was important to the company's strategic plan. I also knew that even though the exam wasn't until May, I couldn't just stop studying for a month. And, you don't say no to our President. So, I developed a plan, which involved some rescheduling, some shortcuts, additional time on my part and some short-term help on a few pieces from a couple of other people in the department. I went to my director to talk about it - he made a few sugestions, and we ended up meeting our major objectives."

"Sounds great. Tell me a little more about some of the shortcuts....."

[fade into black]


The candidate was able to demonstrate a number of organizational and technical skills, such as prioritization, organizational savvy, technical expertise as well as commitment and work ethic in one short answer, and by using probing questions, the interviewer could make a decent determination about the candidate's skill level and cultural fit in each of these areas.

Employers are interested in people who can do the job in the way that best meets the company's needs, now and in the future. I don't mean to be argumentative Tim, but if those aren't "the basics", what are?

[Minerva]

OK now Minerva - lighten up - isn't this the interview bloopers thread?

Why, yes, it is - how did we get embroiled in behavioral based interviewing again?

I don't really know, but maybe we should get back to some bloopers?

All right - how about another HR blooper?

A few years ago I was interviewing candidates for a technical analyst position. This position required only a HS diploma, but strong math skills were a requirement.

The first candidate HR sent me to interview was just out of HS. I asked her what her favorite subjects were and why, and then her least favorite subjects. Her response - I hated Math - it was really hard for me, so I got out of it as quickly as I could. Obviously not a good fit.

Same thing happened with the second candidate. I knew that questions about HS subjects were (at least back then) on the job application, so I asked the HR rep coordinating this position why she kept referring candidates who did not meet the job requirements to me. Her response - she hadn't read the job description or requirements, had just assumed that all jobs at that level were the same.

[42]

On 2002-02-22 16:13, Anonymous wrote:
42, while your techniques are intriguing, I'm not completely sold on the notion that you can drill down and find out where people are embellishing. It seems like you would have to spend an extraordinary amount of time, say 1-2 hours on a single example or episode from their past to catch them in an inconsistency. What's the point of spending that amount of time and effort on something so seemingly trivial? My guess is any candidate that has to go through a grueling interview about trivia would not want to work there. Do you feel like many people embellish our out-right lie about minor events from their past?
If I'm not understanding the process, please enlighten me.
I'm sorry if I've given the impression that the goal of behavioral interviewing is to "catch" somebody lying. The purpose is to get an in-depth understanding of the person as opposed to a superficial impression. The fact that it is harder to BS your way through a behavioral interview is just an added bonus for the company. These questions do take longer - approximately 5-8 minutes each. Regarding focusing on what you consider as "trivia and minor events", I disagree, and I addressed this in the second paragraph of my second-last post. And, yes, some people do find it unnerving when they interview with a company that asks behavioral questions. This is especially true for people who like to BS their way through interviews.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: 42 on 2002-02-23 20:35 ]</font>

[42]

Thanks for the explanation, Minerva, and for getting us back on track. I'll add my own personal blooper from my college days. An insurance company was interviewing on campus. There was a general 8:00AM briefing for everybody who was interviewing that day. I thought this would just be somebody from the university reminding us how to conduct ourselves on an interview. My interview was later that afternoon, and I knew I would be going home in between, so I showed up at the 8:00 briefing wearing a ragged pair of jeans. I thought: "No big deal - the people from the university see me like this all the time." Well, the 8:00 briefing was actually to give some general information about the company, and the person giving the briefing was the person from the company who would also be doing the interviews! Now that's making a bad first impression! :oops:

[Packet_Storm]

'Name a time where you were faced with a problem and what action did you take to solve it'.

I haven't had this question asked as in a actual interview, but my boss was probing me to see if I could handle the store alone at night during the summer. Problem, bunch of students were being busted for meth outside our store, and he was afraid that we were going to be rob.

I told him about the first time I had a gun pointed at me. I was just sitting on the couch at my college debate partner house. A member of the house got a phone call and then told me to get up, and then pulled a gun out of the couch and pointed it at me. I moved out of his way and sat down on the broken chair across the room. He left and was arrested later that night. I then told my debate partner, that she better pull straight one at our next meet, and for now on we meet only at the school.

I got to close the store and never got robbed at night.

[snafu]

Never thought to give my got robbed at work story in response to that question. I can just see the interview.

Mr. Snafu, can you tell me about a difficult work situation and how you handled it.

Well, I'm glad you asked. When I was in college working night shift at a donut shop, I was robbed at gunpoint. The robber wanted me to open the safe but I didn't have the combination.

And how did you handle this difficult situation.

Well, when he put the gun in my mouth and threatened to blow my head off if I didn't open the safe (to which I really didn't have the combination) I cried like a baby and offered to help him haul the safe out to his car.

And what was the final outcome?

Well my head isn't blown off. But we couldn't move the safe. So I just gave him all the rest of the money in the store and threw in what was in my wallet. Oh, and I gave him a fresh donut.

Wow, Mr snafu, bet you won't have any trouble handling those nasty office politics :wink:

[Anonymous]

On 2002-02-13 13:08, Ammie wrote:
I once interviewed an intern, and because I like questions that show if they can think, I asked "What is the most creative idea you have ever had?". After a really long, awkward silence I said, "We can go back to this question later".

Came back to it at the end of the interview and he said, "well, when I've been stuck in traffic, I have thougth of inventing a flying car".

:lol: What do you say to that? I was hard pressed not to burst into a fit of giggles.



Ammie, was the guy's name Kevin Smith? :smile:

Last night Kevin Smith, aka Silent Bob, was Jay leno's guest. He showed this short flick he produced entitled, "The Flying Car" with the two main characters in his movie "Clerks", Dante and Randal. The two were stuck in traffic and so Randal mentioned how it would be nice to have a flying car so they'd never get stuck in traffic again. The verbal exchange between the two about this was hilarious.

Anyway, when I saw this, I thought of you and your interviewee. Maybe you interviewed Silent Bob, after all.

BTW, if you have not seen 'Clerks', go see it. Very funny movie.

[L. Mo]

On 2002-02-28 10:26, Anonymous wrote:

On 2002-02-13 13:08, Ammie wrote:
I once interviewed an intern, and because I like questions that show if they can think, I asked "What is the most creative idea you have ever had?". After a really long, awkward silence I said, "We can go back to this question later".

Came back to it at the end of the interview and he said, "well, when I've been stuck in traffic, I have thougth of inventing a flying car".

:lol: What do you say to that? I was hard pressed not to burst into a fit of giggles.



Ammie, was the guy's name Kevin Smith? :smile:

Last night Kevin Smith, aka Silent Bob, was Jay leno's guest. He showed this short flick he produced entitled, "The Flying Car" with the two main characters in his movie "Clerks", Dante and Randal. The two were stuck in traffic and so Randal mentioned how it would be nice to have a flying car so they'd never get stuck in traffic again. The verbal exchange between the two about this was hilarious.

Anyway, when I saw this, I thought of you and your interviewee. Maybe you interviewed Silent Bob, after all.

BTW, if you have not seen 'Clerks', go see it. Very funny movie.


If you missed it (like I did), you can download it from several sites, which you can find at www.newsaskew.com

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Elmo. I've been wondering where(if at all possible) to get a copy of that. It's really funny.

[Ammie]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Silent Bob]

On 2002-02-28 10:26, Anonymous wrote:
Ammie, was the guy's name Kevin Smith? :smile:

Anyway, when I saw this, I thought of you and your interviewee. Maybe you interviewed Silent Bob, after all.

BTW, if you have not seen 'Clerks', go see it. Very funny movie.


[ran out of gifs]Ah yes, I remember that interview. Ammie's beauty stunned me into silence.[/ran out of gifs]

[independent]

I hate to add to the "behavioral intervewing" drift in an otherwise fun topic, but I've got a short question for the BI fans --

What are some good BI questions the job candidate can ask the interviewer? Obviously, the candidate is trying to figure out if he/she would take the job if offered. How can he/she use the same techniques to get really good information?

[Ammie]

Independent, try this one:

"Describe the dynamics of the team including the role I would be expected to fill within the team"

[Don Quijote]

Or "Think of a time when you managed an actuarial student with high potential. How did you make sure that he/she was exposed to challenging work assignments and higher level management? How did her/his career turn out?"

[Drzy]

How about "think fast!", and then throw a beach ball at their head.

[Snicker]

LOL!! Thanks for the laugh Drz! I've been interviewing lately and have to chuckle at the vision of me strolling in with a beachball tucked nonchalantly under one arm...

[42]

Probably the best way BI could be used by the interviewee is to get some insight into the people he or she would be working with. For example, you could ask: "Who is the most difficult person I will have to deal with in this job?" or "Who will I most likely have the greatest amount of conflict with in this job?", and then follow it by asking the interviewer to give details about the last clash that he or she had with that person. Assuming that your future boss is one of the interviewers, you could ask him or her to describe the last time he or she had to reprimand one of his or her staff. Remember to go beyond the incident that sparked the reprimand - ask about the actual steps the boss took when reprimanding the student (e.g., did he ask the student for his version of what happened, etc.), and also ask about how the student felt about the reprimand (to see if the boss understands or even cares about how his staff feel).

[independent]

Thanks.

I'm not sure if Ammie's is "behavioral" enough. The others seem pretty BI to me, but I'm not sure how many interviewees would take the risk of using them. The beach ball gets extra points, because I feel that way, too.

[Branwell]

Probably the best way BI could be used by the interviewee is to get some insight into the people he or she would be working with. For example, you could ask: "Who is the most difficult person I will have to deal with in this job?" or "Who will I most likely have the greatest amount of conflict with in this job?",

Interesting, but I'd never have the nerve to ask one of those, for fear the interviewer would think, "this guy is already assuming that the people he'll be working with will be difficult. He must have a history of conflict with people he works with. Therefore, he must be difficult to get along with. Let's end this interview and get him out of here."

I have no confidence in the value of the "behavioral" interviewing being discussed, but that may be because I've only seen it done badly. People have asked me, "tell me about a time when you faced Problem X and how you handled it," but they didn't spend 5-8 minutes drilling for details. They just listened to my answers. said "uh huh" or the like, and moved on. All they really learned (if anything) was how well-prepared I was for the question, not how well I really dealt with X.

I also don't know what the interviewer was looking for who asked "what are you passionate about?" For 90+% of the population, an honest answer would not be job-related, and what would the interviewer do with that?

[42]

Branwell, good point about the interviewer wondering about you asking BI questions. In an earlier post, I mentioned that we took great pains to ensure that each interviewer asked an equal number of "positive" questions (where the candidate gets to boast about his accomplishments) and "negative" questions (where the candidate has to talk about problems/shortcomings). If you decide to ask an interviewer BI questions, you need to balance them as well.

It's sad to hear that so many people are misusing BI, because it's a really powerful tool when used correctly. But as I said before, in the hands of somebody who doesn't know how to use them, even the best interviewing methods will fail.

As for the "passionate" question, I've heard that one a few times. In some cases, it's been used as an icebreaker - the candidate tends to relax and open up more if he or she is asked to describe something he is passionate about. In other cases, it's just to verify that the person has a personality and can actually get excited about something, anything. And you're right, the answer that's expected is usually about something outside of work. Frankly, I'd be more than a little concerned if I interviewed somebody who was passionate about filling out the company's annual statement!! :lol:

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: 42 on 2002-03-07 10:45 ]</font>

[Branwell]

As for the "passionate" question, I've heard that one a few times. In some cases, it's been used as an icebreaker - the candidate tends to relax . . .

It would have the opposite effect on me. First, I'd wonder if the interviewer could really be hoping for "passion" about something job-related, and then I'd start to wonder which of my various personal interests would make a good impression. In an interview a while ago, I think I hurt my chances by admitting that I sometimes went to the ballet -- they were looking for a tough guy for that job, and I think "ballet" created the wrong image.

[42]

If you wore a tutu to the interview, you could've made our top ten list - it would have been more interesting than the guy who wore the pants from his band uniform! :lol:

[E. Blackadder]

This thread has rested for a year and a half. Let's see if there's any life in it now. :bump:

[Klaymen]

Back during the exam transition in the late 90's, we took some time to answer some questions from someone who was considering the actuarial field. This person was a customer service rep for a large auto manufacturer whose headquarters was in close proximity to our HQ.

Part of his interest stemmed from the fact that the calculus exam was no longer required. As you may recall, either exam 100 or 110 (Statistics) would get you new course 1. This motivation was a bit unsettling. Even though the other exams wouldn't test calculus explicitly, you simply can't avoid advanced mathematics in this profession.

After entertaining this guy's questions for a couple hours, I headed out to the parking lot to see him off. He noted that on mulitple occasions he had been selected as one of the top 15 CSRs in a group of over 300. He was very proud to make the top half-percent of the field. I gently corrected him, that he was in the top 5%, not 0.5%. He disagreed, confident in his calculation... :shake:

[CallMeCrazy]

I gently corrected him, that he was in the top 5%, not 0.5%. He disagreed, confident in his calculation... :shake:
Well? Did he get an offer? :wink:

[john]

During my first interview ever I said some very dumb things. It was over the phone. Do the people who do the interviewing ever share with the rest of the office what someone said during an interview, and who said it. I thought that was unprofessional. Nevertheless, what I said was very dumb. There are some people who work for this same company that I go to school with. I noticed these people looking at me funny and looking at me with that incredulous smile that says: "what a dumbass".

[Westley]

Well, can you share what was said, so we can all laugh too?

(seriously, I think you are imagining things because you are embarassed by what you said. 1, it probably wasn't as embarassing as you are imagining, ad 2, the people probably did not spread it around)

[Will Durant]

We had a guy who wore a new suit to the interview with the tag still dangling from his sleeve. We figured he was just frugal and planned to return the suit after the interview.
That happened to me on my first actuarial interview. I was NOT planning to return the suit; it just had so many tags on it that I missed one.

As I was leaving the office of the first person who spoke with me, he gave me a pair of scissors and ponted the tag out to me, "Don't want you to spend all day walking around like that."

I thought I gave very good answers, but I did not get an offer. They must not have been able to get past the tag on my suit thing.

[MrGrinch]

Before I graduated, I went on an interview to an insurer in Cincinnati, actually for two positions. I interviewed for reserving in the morning, then pricing after lunch.

First thing in the morning, I had to take a "business-ized" version of the Meyers-Briggs personality test that was ludicrously transparent, and anyone with half a brain could have easily seen what the "right" answers were.

The first couple reserving actuaries I spoke with basically told me that the big selling point of their jobs is that they don't do anything but surf the internet all day. The next interviewer then kept asking me questions along the lines of "What would your reaction be if you were the only one who ever did any work around the office while everyone else just played online all the time?" Gee, resentful much?

By lunch I knew that I would never, ever want to work there, but I still had another round of interviews for the pricing position. There, it was explained to me that my duties would include making copies, filing (not as in state filings, more like "alphabetize these and put them in drawers"), and answering the phone for people when they were out of the office.

I tried to make the best of an awful situation, and started asking about Cincinnati. The interviewer happily told me about what a conservative city it is...and added (very proudly) that she had recently been protesting outside the art museum because "they were showing paintings with naked people in them, and that's just sinful."

I couldn't get out of there fast enough. When I got back home, the recruiter who'd arranged the interview called and asked how it went. I told her all about it, and she was appalled. I also added that I wouldn't be accepting any offer they might make.

[Wigmeister General]

Now you know why interviews are more than Q&A. The observant interviewee can learn a great deal about the workplace.

[1695814]

You know how you're advised to have someone proofread your résumé?

Well, I was one of those "smart" people that didn't need someone to do that...that is, until the interviewer pointed out to me that my date of graduation was wrong. :oops:

[Have you ever heard that radio commercial for wiper blades? "You're so stupid! You're so stupid! You're so stupid!"]

[amponegem]

Not so much a blooper as terribly bad luck. The company flew me out the night before my interview. I made the first connection but missed the second. Unfortunately, I hadn't learned to do the "carry on" thing yet. The airline got me on the earliest flight for the following morning which was to arrive 30 minutes prior to my interview. I couldn't sleep worrying about my clothes and lack of toiletries. I had to use powder as a substitute for deodorant. Keep in mind it was August. I made the flight the next morning as scheduled. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my bags. I waited in line for about a half hour before they were found. I had to do a quick change in the restroom and tried to do something with my hair that wouldn't make me look like a deranged maniac. I called ahead and let them know I'd be late. I arrived about 30 minutes later sweating like a pig and exhausted from the lack of sleep. Somehow I made it through 5 hours of interviewing. I have no idea how I answered some of the questions. To my utter amazement, I got an offer 3 weeks later. I think they felt really sorry for me. I turned them down. The people were way too stuffy.

[mayreeh]

I packed my dress - but forgot my shoes.... ended up interviewing in a navy blue dress with a lace and pearl collar, panty hose, and a pair of grungy sneakers.

Got the job when I made the wise crack that I had heard that it was casual Friday so I decided to compromise on my standard interview attire.

[elleminopee]

Here's what I consider an interviewer mistake: If you are going to buy someone lunch, please don't grill them the entire time, so that they don't get to eat. I was once really hungy. The guy kept firing questions at me and I never got to eat. Of course, while I was answering he manage to fill himself up.

[other]

Here's what I consider an interviewer mistake: If you are going to buy someone lunch, please don't grill them the entire time, so that they don't get to eat. I was once really hungy. The guy kept firing questions at me and I never got to eat. Of course, while I was answering he manage to fill himself up.

never gp to an interview hungry

6. When asked how you would feel about moving to Ohio, you don’t exactly endear yourself to the interviewer by explaining that “Ohio isn’t the worst place in the world to live – I mean, it’s not like it’s New Jersey or anything”.

Your right, much better to say that Ohio is the worst place to live. Lying about the obvious is a bad interview technique.

[other]

While in college, had an interview for an internship. The career placement office was under construction, so they had a temporary trailer set up. It was surprisingly nice for a temporary trailer, but when the sun's out, it really cooks that small tin box. I was the last interview of the day, and it was about 85 degrees in the trailer. The interviewer read the questions in monotone. Cleverly worded questions like:

Name 3 strengths.
Name 3 weaknesses.
Tell me about yourself.

While perusing my transcript, she noticed an upper-level anthropology class I had taken on various religions of the world, and the word "witchcraft" was in the name of the course. She visibly freaked out, and asked why I would take such a course. I gave a good "expand my knowledge of the world" answer. She persisted, eventually asking if I wanted to be a witch.

My guess is, a witch!!

Do you float???

[other]

While interviewing a person for a clerical position, the interviewer asked, "What was the biggest mistake you made at your previous job?" The response was, "I slept with my boss."

Was the next question, "Do you think you would make that same mistake again?"

[Gandalf]

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