Anyone else ever walk out on an interview?

CasterTroy said:
I haven't walked out... But I was walked out. Does that count?

I went to a black college. So I have it on my resume.

My degree is actually in architecture. My first job interview after college was with an architect in Greensboro. Big firm. I'm in the reception area and they call my name. I stand up (there were a few candidates)
The girl says "I think there's been a misunderstanding"

I said "how so?"

She was smart enough not to answer and I was shown the door.

Btw I was the only.... Umm... "One of my kind" in the reception area.
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That would be front page CNN news if the colors were reversed.
 
mbalbritton said:
Having interviewed you before, I will say that you gave me my first look into what an interview truly should be. Until that point it never dawned on me that the interview is as much for the candidate as it is for the company.
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That is my suggestion for anyone interviewing, make them talk as much as you. You need to know if you will fit into their environment as much as they do.
 
83oldyoda4x4 said:
That is my suggestion for anyone interviewing, make them talk as much as you. You need to know if you will fit into their environment as much as they do.
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100% agree.
In a prospect hasn’t done enough research to have questions I’m probably done anyway
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
I've always saw an interview to its end. Always that feeling of lets get all the details and I love being nosey about how an operation tics or works. If I have the slightest a tour is involved I'm in for the duration. I'm overly curious by nature even when it just doesn't fit.

But jeeze I've had very few interviews in my over 30 years of plying myself toward a prospective job. I think the process is rewarding without actually being hired. The current job application, head hunter process and online everything flat sucks. I don't like the interaction at all.
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This. I use it as a learning opportunity. If I know I’m not working there, I’m probably going to one of their competitors (or allies), so I try to know as much as I can about the people and company even if I (or they) decide early on it’s not a good fit.

I even have places that have cut the interview short when I told the corporate director that flew in from Europe that I was taking his job in 5 years with as straightest face as possible. I think he felt threatened and decided to eliminate the competition.

I have a few places I absolutely would not recommend anyone work there.
 
This takes me a minute to think about, the jobs I've applied for never called me for an interview, been working for 20 years and brought shops from closing the doors to more than they can handle. Problem I have is that I'm getting old and don't have the get up and go I used to. Current job been at for almost 11 years, at one time there were two people in a 11,000 ft building, now it's up to to 15. Thing's are changing for the better. I have fun doing what I do, that goes a long way. Been raising my boy, this job has been able to support my family without want. Being able to say that without hating life in the morning means a lot.
 
I checked in for an interview, looked around and realized it was for one of the pyramid scheme sales crook companies, told the the receptionist they were a bunch of crooks and their recruitment process was a lie and left.
 
Only time for me was also a pyramid scheme sales job. Wasn’t described like that at all and/or my naïve 22 yr old self straight out of college didn’t see it coming.

went to a huge conference room at a hotel and us potential employees were paired up with veteran sales guys. We were to go door to door trying to sell coupons for things like new windows, driveway repair etc.

I quickly realized I didn’t want to be there so at the 2nd neighborhood stop when I got out I told my “mentor” I was done And walked away. A family friend lived in that hood so I walked to his house and he gave me a ride back to the hotel to grab my Jeep.
 
I went in the dealership in 91. Around 95 a guy who had worked there and left called me and told me I should consider coming to Lillington where he was working (as shop foreman). This would have been a 45m drive compared to my 10m drive but at the flat rate difference he offered, I was interested.

I went down and looked at the shop and talked with Tony and the service manager. They were offering a $4 raise from my current job. After telling them I’d sleep on it, I ran into a tech in the parking lot, older guy. Asked him a few questions. He said nobody in the shop ever made 35 hours (flat rate) and getting paid for warranty correctly was like pulling teeth. He said “I’ll tell ya like a friend, if I was you, I’d forget this effin place”.

I called and told Tony I just couldn’t make that drive every day. I averaged 50+ hours for almost my entire career and once I became the steering/suspension guy I loved my job. Specialized in that the last 15 I was a tech. I wrote service and managed too…wish I had stayed a tech.

I turned down Snapon initially too. After a lot of back and forth I was convinced and it was a good thing for me. I do not miss it however.
 
mbalbritton said:
Having interviewed you before, I will say that you gave me my first look into what an interview truly should be. Until that point it never dawned on me that the interview is as much for the candidate as it is for the company.
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Well that's a positive. I also enjoyed the experience. I felt very early in that it may not be a good fit. The interview itself is what I truly believe they should contain. Your patience and willingness to give time and imformation was a breath of fresh air. I walked away fully satisfied that your company was a great place, but not a good fit.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
The interview itself is what I truly believe they should contain. Your patience and willingness to give time and imformation was a breath of fresh air. I walked away fully satisfied that your company was a great place, but not a good fit.
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So…do you have what you would call a good ‘script’ for an interview. I’ve tried putting a couple different scripts together to try to standardize the interview process for less experienced hiring managers, but they always seem/feel so forced. So I’m legitimately interested if anyone has a good form. Personally, I like a conversational approach. Ya know, give the history of the company, expectations of the role, why the role is open, cover their work history and applicable experience. Get in to some technical questions, and then ‘would I drink a beer with this person’ questions. Then based on their limited (but transparent) knowledge of the role, what they think they’d need to succeed and what they think they’d like to do in the role in the first 6/9/12 months. Then any additional questions they may have. And the best interviews I find contain a bunch of back and forth in each of those segments. Without that back and forth the interview can fall really flat, gets stale and feels a bit antiquated…and makes me wonder if I’ve missed out on good candidates just because I can’t get them engaged…or is the process working and weeding out bad candidates exactly as I hope. @mbalbritton since he seemed to like your interview, any insight from your side too?
 
The last job I had, there were all kinds of red flags in the interview process but I was passing them off as a new division within a well established publicly traded company. After about a month into the job I realized there wasn’t any fixing the system and time was limited and things were not as explained in the interviews. There were obvious deceit/lies that just continued months after starting…

Looking back, I should have just ended any consideration after the interview. But, I was hoping I could build and develop the department (I was employee 3 in a new design/build department out of 50,000 employees internationally). It was a short TV show and progress was halted by bruocratic crap.

Always trust your gut. I didn’t and I wasted almost a year of my career.
 
UTfball68 said:
So…do you have what you would call a good ‘script’ for an interview. I’ve tried putting a couple different scripts together to try to standardize the interview process for less experienced hiring managers, but they always seem/feel so forced. So I’m legitimately interested if anyone has a good form. Personally, I like a conversational approach. Ya know, give the history of the company, expectations of the role, why the role is open, cover their work history and applicable experience. Get in to some technical questions, and then ‘would I drink a beer with this person’ questions. Then based on their limited (but transparent) knowledge of the role, what they think they’d need to succeed and what they think they’d like to do in the role in the first 6/9/12 months. Then any additional questions they may have. And the best interviews I find contain a bunch of back and forth in each of those segments. Without that back and forth the interview can fall really flat, gets stale and feels a bit antiquated…and makes me wonder if I’ve missed out on good candidates just because I can’t get them engaged…or is the process working and weeding out bad candidates exactly as I hope. @mbalbritton since he seemed to like your interview, any insight from your side too?
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I do my interviews very open and conversational. I’ll tell them the good and the bad and I’m very blunt about the type of person that they need to be to be successful. I might be too open in our interviews, but I would rather that then hire somebody that is just going to leave after they join. I don’t use any script at all. I don’t give a history of the company as I expect you to google to find that out, but I do lay out how this job opening works with me. I always make sure to leave a lot of time for them to ask questions of me. If they don’t ask questions I don’t want to hire them. It was a bit rough at first getting a good vibe virtually but we have it down pretty good now.
 
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UTfball68 said:
So…do you have what you would call a good ‘script’ for an interview. I’ve tried putting a couple different scripts together to try to standardize the interview process for less experienced hiring managers, but they always seem/feel so forced. So I’m legitimately interested if anyone has a good form. Personally, I like a conversational approach. Ya know, give the history of the company, expectations of the role, why the role is open, cover their work history and applicable experience. Get in to some technical questions, and then ‘would I drink a beer with this person’ questions. Then based on their limited (but transparent) knowledge of the role, what they think they’d need to succeed and what they think they’d like to do in the role in the first 6/9/12 months. Then any additional questions they may have. And the best interviews I find contain a bunch of back and forth in each of those segments. Without that back and forth the interview can fall really flat, gets stale and feels a bit antiquated…and makes me wonder if I’ve missed out on good candidates just because I can’t get them engaged…or is the process working and weeding out bad candidates exactly as I hope. @mbalbritton since he seemed to like your interview, any insight from your side too?
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I think an essential interview contains conversation. One that isn't one sided or entirely about benefits. I also agree that a valuable candidate should know something about a particular company walking in. Realizing some jobs are what they are and a lot of folk just need trainable bodies is a perspective. Still when a prospect has zero interest in attributes other than pay, overtime, insurance, and the like as a manager I see a place filler with no ambition or personal goals. However that same person who is open and honest that they are indeed looking to fill a place and has goals oriented in education, work experience, or money to pursue something greater I am immediately open. I would prefer to hire someone who has those Things in mind over just another somebody.
In the realm of real skill, education, and management the conversation of course is deeper as the requirements.
This is where as an interviewer I want to know how you spend your free time, how much you prefer to work vs. what you enjoy. Long term if you don't display a personal balance or enjoy managing outside the work place your gonna suck at it at work. Every manager with a house hold mess, or they work to get away, or can't relate in varying coversation topics general suck.
As far as discussion of skills. I think it is important to have questions directly on topic. In some instances hands on display of skill is needed. Too often employers get an all star Bull Shitter. That's when a tour and direct question and or demonstration is key. If they seem way over qualified or a great fit, all the more reason for a walking test.
The interviewer should have superior knowledge of the related field or at least enough not to get snowed.
As a employee prospect I cannot stand the "your over qualified excuse". I get a person may be better suited or overly skilled. Employers should still give those people honest assessment. If the agreed upon pay is ok for both parties who cares if they are over qualified. I have had this thrown at me when looking to dial back, get more time at home, or find a different balance. I think employers miss out on opportunities to find unexpected growth within themselves by hiring that over qualified individual.
 
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