Oh, the Irony
I was conducting interviews today. As usual, at the end, I asked the potential candidate if she had any questions for me. Guess what she asked?
Do you like working here?
I almost choked on my spit!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Edit To Address Your Questions in the Comments:
My Response
First, I had to shift in my seat to buy myself some time to think. Then I said “well…as with any job, you have good days and bad days.” I knew what she was getting at, but I tried to frame my answer so that it was an honest technical assessment of the job rather than a biased personal opinion. And concluded with “due to the nature of the work, everyday is different. There are always several people vying for your time and attention because they rely solely on you for your expertise. You may also be responsible for multiple projects with aggressive deadlines, you will be expected to make decisions under intense pressure, then held accountable to justify those decisions if anything goes wrong. So depending on how you look at it, this job can be very stressful or very interesting. The responsibility is overwhelming for some but a welcome challenge for others. Do you think you can handle that?”
Based on my role at that time, my personal opinion was irrelevant. So I didn’t tell the whole truth, but I didn’t lie either. Instead, I used my response as a final opportunity to evaluate the candidate’s strengths. It wasn’t easy, but I had a task to complete and they have several (and counting) vacancies to fill.
What I wanted to say was “Lawd child, if you know like I know, you’d grab yo’ shyt and peace out by the time I blink my eyes. Don’t worry about your purse, I’ll meet you downstairs!” LOL
This blog is all about Finance, Fitness, Fashion & Fun - the sum of my life. If you like what you've read, feel free to subscribe via (feed reader) or (email) to follow along.
LMBAO!!!! Have you put in your resignation yet??
Nope, not yet. I also think it’s ironic that my boss has been out sick all week. Hence, the reason I was filling in on the interview panels. [-SM]
Lol, Sweet. What was your answer?
lol! what’dya say???
What was your response??? I would love to know if you told the candidate the truth.
Even though I expect folks to tell me what they think I want to hear, I like to ask that question on interviews too. I wonder if she caught your inner reaction?
ROFL!!! Did you really do that? What did you answer?
Yes you have to let us know what your reply was. You are so comical!
ooohhhh! I want to know what you said too!
I too am interested to see what your response was. I’ve always been frank with candidates in my interviews. I know I’ve probably said many things that would send HR into cardiac arrest but with that question I might have said something very vague.
Ok, really…….inquiring minds would like to know your response.
When I go on interviews, I like to ask the interviewer the same question.
im wanting to know how you handled that myself. What did you say?
Girl, you are so funny. How did you respond?
When I did interviews, I always felt an important followup question was “why” do you like/dislike working here. In Silicon Valley, where I worked, the answer could be “because of the free kegs of microbrewed beer at Friday happy hour!”, or “because they give engineers the freedom to pursue whatever new tecnology idea they want.” Nothing wrong with happy hours, but as an engineer I wanted to be working on the cutting edge, so the second sort of answer got my attention most. If they followed that with a “happy hours are fun” comment, it was icing on the cake.
So I’m curious what you answered, and also in the “why”. (If that’s been covered to death in your blog, I apologize – I only recently discovered your site)
oh Single Ma, I guess I should tell you. That was ME. LOL
I wanted to end the interview with a bang !!!
One thing I can say, the heffa was BOLD
LOL I thought it was a valid question, but she caught me off guard and at an interesting time in my career. What caused me to be even more uncomfortable was that the other 3 interviewers ALL looked at ME when she asked. Ha! [-SM]
you make me laugh so hard. What was your answer
I wonder if you manager is really sick or is she herself looking for a next gig. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was, but no, I think she’s really sick. She calls to check in at least once everyday.[-SM]
Maybe you should wait and see, if she resigns you might get her spot? I’m not ready for her level of responsibility every single day. It’s too stressful and politically sensitive. Maybe in 2 yrs when my daughter is off to college, but not now, and definitely not here. [-SM]
I had a boss from hell last year, half of the department left while he was here, he was bad, I mean really bad, Napoleon complex and all. I almost quit, however held out till the moment when he announced he was resigning-after only 1 year with the company. Life is much better now :-) I can do my work without being interrupted every 5 seconds to format a document – he would do that – and my title is not Administrative Assistant but Senior Financial Analyst thank you very much.
Single Ma,
Your answer was priceless. Thanks for the insight
you r too much.
I loved this part– Don’t worry about your purse, I’ll meet you downstairs!
—
LOL :)
Single Ma,
If she instead asked what your personal opinion was working for the company, what would you have said?
I would not have shared my personal opinion regardless of how she asked the question, so my answer would have been the same. The interview isn’t about me, it’s about the job. However, if she was a personal friend, I would have told her what I thought long before the interview. [-SM]
I’m wondering if that’s an appropriate question to ask during a first interview. Or would that be more of 2nd interview type of question…what do you think? I’ll be leaving my job soon and will be moving out of state. My current job is simply wonderful with how they treat employees. I’m hoping to find a similar work environment at my next job. *crosses fingers*
Depending on the interviewer, there may not ever be an appropriate time to ask such a direct question. If you do, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get a direct answer. To be honest, I would never share my personal opinion about my employer within the professional environment. Too much at risk on both sides. If your sole interest is to gather information about the internal politics, I’d suggest you tap your personal network to inquire from within or try one of the other strategies I’ve blogged about before. [-SM]
grab yo’ shyt and peace out by the time I blink my eyes. Don’t worry about your purse, I’ll meet you downstairs!” LOL
thats what i’m talkin bout!!!!
I giggle picturing homie rollin out the interview room and the others lookin at u for answers as to why lol
ABSOLUTELY DEAD @ what came out your mouth but what was in your head!!! LOL
*so was her purse cute*? LOL
Girl, I don’t even remember. I know she had one though. LOL [-SM]
LOL @ grab yo shyt…I’ll meet you downstairs. Only Single Ma!!!
LMAO at what you were thinking!