Best and worst interviews

well done!
I'd give you a job too.

Me too - I do remember being asked if I intended to have any children. My answer at the time was a very vehement No! as I had just escaped three younger sisters. Seeing my sister being sacked for being pregnant a few years later was a very sobering experience.

My worst interview was entirely my own fault. I got two interviews on two days mixed up. I turned up on time, as I thought, but was told curtly that I was half an hour late. I was thoroughly confused as the interview progressed, until realisation dawned and I exclaimed 'Now I understand! I'm a day early for tomorrow's interview!'

No, I didn't get the job.

My worst and first ever interview was when, as a teenager, I tried for an apprenticship at Harwell, the Atomic Energy Research Establishment. I was confronted with a written and a practical exam, then a grilling by a panel. I well remember the shaking fingers as I tried to wire up a series of doorbells onto a board! Being so shy, I totally went to pieces, and was not offered a post.
The next interview was in Pathology at the local hospital, which led to a career until retirement. The secretary never failed to tease me about turning up in school uniform, as I had gone straight there and never thought to change!

Similar here ga. I went for a probation officer transfer interview and walked into a room where there were three higher chairs behind a table, and one very low chair on the other side. I knew all three interviewers and they knew me, so I quipped 'is this for the poor applicant?' and sat on the low chair, making myself look as low down as I could. I was close to giggling because I positioned myself so that they would only be able to see my head and neck (giggling now as I type!) They looked very uncomfortable, but there were no other chairs nearby so we continued with the interview. I was asked how I managed to fit OU studies, a family and a full-time job in, without something suffering! I asked if this was a question for all the interviewees and they said 'well, yes, because you do seem to cram a lot in.' I said I organised my life and the evidence was that the wheels hadn't come off in 10 years so I must be doing something right, but don't we all have to juggle different responsibilities? It was a hostile interview. I got the job, but I was furious about how I'd been treated and complained to the female interviewer, who had been my line manager a couple of years previously. She blamed the most senior manager for using such tactics, but she went down in my estimation for not challenging him. A year later, I was promoted and was glad to leave that office - a backwater for sexist men who had no interest in sharing power.

My best interview was after I qualified. I went to head office and was treated with respect, given a coffee, congratulated for qualifying, told to wait a few minutes and they would let me know the outcome, then welcomed into my post when they came to say I had done well and gave me instant feedback. I started the following Monday, and half way through the morning got a phone call from the chair of the panel, asking me if I was being looked after. Blimey!

I've had a few bad ones, can't recall any good ones but the interview that makes me wince most was for uni. I was a 'mature' student aged 40 and totally yet unprepared for uni. I'd left school 25 years before when you were expected to obey the teachers unquestioningly and the minute I walked into the office of the head of department I zinged back to my youth! I didn't realise it but the room had just been used for a tutorial and was full of chairs scattered about the room facing all different directions. The chap was very nice and relaxed, told me to sit down while he made a cup of tea (did I want one, no thank you). I picked a chair facing him at the kettle and we continued to chat but when he moved across the room to sit at his desk I continued to sit facing the blasted kettle and we continued the interview with my back to him for the rest of the interview. At the time I kept thinking 'why aren't you telling me to turn round?' - heaven knows what he was thinking!!! .

Oddly, I got a place and did OK and neither of us mentioned that weird interview again...

At one SW interview I had, one of the interviewers (a woman) had just been appointed as team manager, even though she was about to go on maternity leave! So no questions there about how I might "juggle" my life.

when the organisation that offered me the job was in a bit of a time warp and knew (at least they did after interviewing me) that they needed to get up to speed with modernising their policies - and it actually turned out to be a brilliant place to work. However, one of the female interviewers was from another agency where I knew that they had good policies in place and I was aware that she knew exactly where I was coming from; I was actually very angry that she left me out to dry without intervening. I met in her in the Ladies some months later at a conference and she congratulated me on getting the job and told me how much she admired the way I'd conducted myself at interview. In the nicest possible way I really laid in to her and she did then have the grace to apologise.

Good for you ga. It always feels worse for me if another woman leaves you in limbo, although the blame for the awful interview was with the chair who had such old-fashioned views about interviewing people. Taught me plenty about how not to go about it.

Had a big panel interview once for a job in management development in the health service in Cardiff. Memorable question started with "I'm going to set up a straw man..." WOT?
I was the best applicant but they dithered about and then decided not to appoint. One of them then talked about my application in a public arena !!! where people identified me - apparently they did not appoint because my psychometric results were very good but they did not believe them because I had training in that area - well I didn't really other than in a general way. (why, one wonders, did they bother doing them then?)
A month or so later I got a training job in Welsh Water against competition of 80 applicants. My boss said later "We wanted someone who was not boring and you turned up in a bright pink suit and very short hair"

"How to cock up a psychometric test" , by Phoenix. Available now on Gransnet Unlikely to be available as a download. Limited signed editions can be provided.

Oh no, what happened?

See "Interview tomorrow" thread.

I'm surprised grannyactivist, and well done!
I went for an interview for the civil service in 1990, all prepared to answer questions re childcare, my experience, qualifications etc but none were asked. I was told after I started that they were not allowed to ask questions about childcare arrangements. I was asked one or two very strange questions though.

DD2 went for an interview with a high-up in an ecologically friendly energy company. He settled back in his chair, indicated she should sit opposite him then put his feet up on the desk

She declined the job offer, feeling that casual is fine but that was just rude.

Well, now I'm

Just been invited to second stage interview!

Great news x

So very pleased

That really is fabulous. When is it? What appointment do you have that day elsewhere?!!!! Dentist, gynae, dermatology, I could go on.

Maybe that test thingy was part of the interview strategy - to see how you cope under pressure!

Next Tuesday, 10am. Haven't decided yet

Really, Phoenix, it could do with being a follow up appointment to the one you didn't have had this week.

But I've already told them that I am having it removed in March!