" What is your ideal job" interview question

[87112]

I applied for a 1.5 month temp job doing the most basic data entry you can imagine for 14.50 an hour recently. I was interviewed by 2 people and one asked " what is your ideal job". I answered honestly and not a goggled response. I feel insulted being subjected to such a moron question. What I am suppose to say " data entry" is my life's dream so I am thrilled to be here today interviewing?

It was so insulting to not get this job, I've done it before as a temp and doubled my entry speed at the last assignment that I cut the hours in half spent on a job. I feel it was a power trip so the people doing the interview could have some fun rejecting as many as they like. In my mind they wanted personality, as in what type of person they wanted to see every morning. Any monkey could do the job. So why not cut to the chase and tell the temp agency which referred me " send a pretty blond with nice legs" over.

I feel like throwing some eggs at their door tonight and I probably will. Fuck I am pissed it been weeks and I hate their guts.

 

[sybian]

My "Ideal Job Interview Question" would be..."So we reviewed your High School records and you got suspended for sleeping with your English Teacher...Would you try that behaviour here at your place of employment?"

My answer would most probably be...."Hell yes, and she was only half as hot as you are"
There's a reason I'm self employed.

 

[MichaelP]

Until a couple of months ago, I was on a similar situation: I had several interviews and that question (along with "where do you see yourself in X years") was on that allowed me to smirk and give jackass type answers. Of course, that could explain why the one which I eventually ended up receiving an offer from was the one whom had some sense of humour. But, after telling that to some HR friends, I have fine tuned the answer to what the interviewer wants to hear: tell them about your skills, how you are passionate about it and how it fits the position they have open. Is it BS? Most likely, yes. But you have to suck some dick to get a head (sic).

And, in reference to the question of "where do you see yourself in X years", I usually tell them "look, I don't even know what I am planning to have for dinner. Hell, as we finish this interview, I could be hit by the bus on my way home. So, don't even ask me where I will be next week. But, if I could see the future, I would want to know this Friday's Lotto Max numbers and buy those numbers".

 

[87112]

I am just going to walk out on my next interview if I feel its a game to them. What goes around comes around. My luck will change and I know one day I will have the upper hand on these idiots who do these interviews.

 

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I am just going to walk out on my next interview if I feel its a game to them. What goes around comes around. My luck will change and I know one day I will have the upper hand on these idiots who do these interviews.

Seriously mate, there's a better approach to interviews. Answer the questions truthfully so the interviewer can do their job.

An interview is your chance to show that you are the asnwer to their hiring problem. They are interviewing, say, 4 other people with your qualifications and trying to find the right fit. It's up to you to persuade them that that's you.

Every interviewer has their own right answer to questions like the one that's pissed you off. They just want to see what you say to help them choose. You can't read minds: your job is to tell the truth. Be sincere, be confident, be funny if you can. When you are the right fit you will get the offer. If not, it's not an insult, it's just a choice.

 

[87112]

The above is correct. But what about an interview to be a garbage man?
Are they going to ask- what would you not like about the job? Or port a pottie cleaner- What made you want this job?
Those are the ones that make me want to smack them aside the head.

 

[Happy halibut]

Machine fitter job

The above is correct. But what about an interview to be a garbage man?
Are they going to ask- what would you not like about the job? Or port a pottie cleaner- What made you want this job?
Those are the ones that make me want to smack them aside the head.

One of the questions was if you didn't have a oil bath heater to heat a hub or bearing what would you
Use to heat up the part
I was so surprised I GOT A SECOND INTERVIEW after a 2 hour test I finished in a half an hour just
Crossed all the x answers in a random pattern .......must have passed the test by luck


I told them get the torch heat it up cherry red and throw it on the shaft
They asked have you ever done this ........oh yes many times

 

[sdw]

The above is correct. But what about an interview to be a garbage man?
Are they going to ask- what would you not like about the job? Or port a pottie cleaner- What made you want this job?
Those are the ones that make me want to smack them aside the head.

HR people are trained to pick up on anger and "I'm too good for this job" attitude. There are so many people that are unemployed or under employed that HR's job is to reduce the stack of applications to a manageable number for the second interview. New Hires are expensive, it takes a while for the new person to learn what is expected of them. HR is looking for people that will be stable employees, become productive and not disruptive.

It's not like when I started working in the mid 60s, then, you just had to be a warm body.

ps, Garbage Man is one of the difficult jobs to get. Especially for a municipality. You basically have to have a relative that already works there and is well liked by the bosses.

The reason that people want the job is that they want that gold plated pension, that assurance that the Union won't let you be fired and the massive number of sick days and holiday days that you accumulate after a few years working there. There are a whole lot of jobs that require an University or College Degree that don't pay half as well as a Garbage Man.

 

[Happy halibut]

Another famous question is what do you expect for pay ........usual answer a competitive livable wage
One hotel maintenance job .......we're paying minimum wage for maintenance work ok I will accept that if you pay me for 24 hours for a 8 hour shift and paid lunches at the restaurant .........the lady looked at me funny and said the interview has ended

 

[mercyshooter]

Another famous question is what do you expect for pay ........usual answer a competitive livable wage
One hotel maintenance job .......we're paying minimum wage for maintenance work ok I will accept that if you pay me for 24 hours for a 8 hour shift and paid lunches at the restaurant .........the lady looked at me funny and said the interview has ended

This means that you are not hired. ound: Good piss off answer, anyways! :thumb:

Make sure you have done your homework thoroughly before heading to the interview.

 

[mercyshooter]

Honda761, same as you too, I hate these kinds of behavioural questions.

 

[hornygandalf]

I used to be a headhunter, and my advice to people is to stay as far away from HR people as you can. Although there are exceptions, most are useless in my experience. I have previously been questioned on my hiring decisions because they haven't followed the conventional expectations, and have hired great employees as a result (before I was a headhunter). What you want to do is find the hiring managers and demonstrate to them you can fill the job. They want to find someone who can do the job ASAP. HR's job is to screen you out.

I'm a pretty lousy employee. Higher education is okay, as normally you have a fair amount of autonomy, but I doubt that I would last in the corporate world unless I was the boss. Hence, developing my own business to supplement (or eventually supplant) my teaching.

 

[sdw]

I used to be a headhunter, and my advice to people is to stay as far away from HR people as you can. Although there are exceptions, most are useless in my experience. I have previously been questioned on my hiring decisions because they haven't followed the conventional expectations, and have hired great employees as a result (before I was a headhunter). What you want to do is find the hiring managers and demonstrate to them you can fill the job. They want to find someone who can do the job ASAP. HR's job is to screen you out.

I'm a pretty lousy employee. Higher education is okay, as normally you have a fair amount of autonomy, but I doubt that I would last in the corporate world unless I was the boss. Hence, developing my own business to supplement (or eventually supplant) my teaching.

Problem is that you have to get that first job. Then you can network and move up. Also, if you have been unemployed too long or tried to operate a business that you have wound up, it's difficult to get past HR and to the person that can actually hire you.

 

[apl16]

You will get the job if you prove to be the biggest sacklicker.

 

[hornygandalf]

Problem is that you have to get that first job. Then you can network and move up. Also, if you have been unemployed too long or tried to operate a business that you have wound up, it's difficult to get past HR and to the person that can actually hire you.

That is where being proactive and going to the managers that are hiring makes more sense. Most jobs aren't advertised, so you can often bypass HR. Start with informational interviews and ask for referrals to someone who may have a suitable position.

 

[hornygandalf]

I had a job where somehow I ended up being in charge of hiring. I think it was because I was constantly teasing my boss about his interview technique which was basically "who can start tomorrow, and how little will they work for". He couldn't understand why none of his hires lasted more than a week or two.

Once he put it on my lap my main focus was on three things. First and most important was, honestly will this person fit in and not annoy me to be around ? Second, do I think they can do the job. And finally, do I see them liking it here enough that I won't have to do this again next week. That was my approach to it and it mostly worked out well.

But mostly I think most HR departments are looking for the biggest sack licker when it's a buyer's market.

You took the right approach. Generally you only need someone who can meet about 70% of the job requirements. In most cases they can learn the rest. What is more important is whether they will fit in with the rest of your team. That is much more important. And your third question is really about, where is this person going, and can they do it here.

 

[sybian]

I know when I hire my Cowboys, the job interview is a little different.
1...Saddle that horse, and I'll watch his ground manners, and how gentle he is.
2...Pick up that rifle, and I'll see if he's familiar with it and if he grew up in a rural setting.
3...Push those cows into that pen...This is where they usually want to show me their roping skills.
Roping skills are not important, when we do tie onto an animal it's almost always in a pen, and you just drop a loop over it's head. They are told to save their performance for the local Rodeo.
4...Do you have a Dog?..If they answer "Yes"..They drop down a notch...If they say "He's young and I want to work him on your cows"..He gets a handshake good-bye ,and 10 litres of gas in his tank for the trouble.
5...Do you have a significant other you'll bring with you?...I'm usually putting up with a very bored spouse, that after 2 months, just wants to leave for any town nearby.
or if it's "No I don't"...The Cowboy will be spending a lot of free time in town looking for company...Usually that "Company"..is the RCMP.
6...Do you have your own truck and horse?...I pay for all the shoeing and Vet bills ,when the horse rides under my ranches name, and it needs to be sound, and safe,....No pullers or kickers.
7...Are you and your horse used to dealing with wildlife?.. Running into a confrontation with a Bear, is a job hazard...Refer to question #2.
8...How much time have you spent on a Tractor running haying equipment...Come haying season you may not touch a horse for a month or more..If they think that Ranching is all about riding, they need to get over that fantasy right away.
9..Do you have a place to stay for the winter?...If they answer "Well I thought I'd hang out here till next season"........Yeah right.
Some of my best Hands have had no prior experience with this life, and have developed into Cowboys of legend......And some of my best Cowboys...Happened to be Young Ladies.

 

[Claire Monet]

I told them get the torch heat it up cherry red and throw it on the shaft
They asked have you ever done this ........oh yes many times

I don't think this was intended as a sexual innuendo but that's where my dirty mind took me... Oh, yes, I like to get the torch out while my cherry gets red hot before I throw it on that shaft... Yes, I have done that many times. Maybe with those skills already honed I may have what it takes to be a Machine Fitter? (time for my spanking now...)

Joking aside I detest interview questions. I feel like a lot of them are pointless but to test how quickly you can form a logical reply and to see how you fare under pressure. I was once asked "If you could be a tree what kind of tree would you want to be?" Huh? This was for an office job. I think I said cherry blossom because they're pretty and bring happiness to others, or oak or something for it's strong roots. What do I know about trees? Now if the job was for selling paper, ok, I could possibly see the merit...

When I was hiring at another position I had a few young gents stop half way through the application because they had criminal records and wouldn't be eligible. There was also this slightly disgruntled looking middle aged man who sat down for the interview, looked around and then asked where the manager was who would be conducting the interview. My response was "that's me, sir. Shall we begin?". He muttered something about my age (and probably my gender), but his demeanour suddenly changed to a more pleasant air knowing then that I was the manager and not just the coffee run girl (I think I was 19 or 20 then). That interview ended abruptly. Some men were complete jackasses having to "swallow their pride" and work for a "teeny bopper"... Oh, yes, I heard that word fly around on occasion, not to my face, but you can understand some of the tension.

I like my boss now She lets me sleep in, work my desired hours, and I have a lot of fun doing it! What irked me in the corporate world was lining other peoples' pockets and the dissappointment when my 60-70/hrs/wk cheque arrived.

Stay positive, Honda! Something is out there for you. Take what you can get until something you really want comes along and fight for it!

 

[badbadboy]

Fav question when I was out applying for other jobs prior to becoming self employed was always:

What are your weaknesses?

With an open ended question like this you can spin it however you want and my default reply was usually something like

"I tend to want to do everything myself and really need to utilize other team members' input when focussed on a project".

It's hard for the reviewer to poke any holes in a statement like that because

A you are self described workaholic.
B you see the weakness and acknowledge it

I had a few mentors when I first got into the business. One guy sticks out in my mind when interviewing potential new salesmen or salesperson

He would throw out random questions that rarely had much to do with the job or industry to throw off the interviewee who were running with their own script during the interview.
He would discuss love of community vs love of career to see how strongly the candidate felt about going the extra mile to book orders vs being an active member of a community. It was interesting listening to candidates stumble over this speed bump attempting to show they were all about family, community etc and also were trying to show how much the wanted to work with us.

 

[rick hunter]

I think for lower skilled job, any person could do the work. I think HR is trying to find someone who will work well with the rest of the team. They don't want someone who is not nice and just keeps to themselves.

The easiest way to kill productivity is to have a disruptive employee or a negative work atmosphere where people dread coming into work each day.