A Power Play During An Interview?

[DonaldDuck92]

Was on a Zoom call for a job interview yesterday. The person I was speaking to would be junior than me within the company but someone I would work with.

We were talking about my CV and he said that he wanted to point out that there was two full stops at the end of a sentence in my cv (obviously accidental from my part). I thought it very odd that someone felt the need to point out something so trivial.

I thanked the person for pointing this out and complimented their attention to detail.

Is this a power play on their part? Or something else?

[Buenchico]

He could have been testing out your response to criticism.

[Hopkirk]

Perhaps testing your reaction to criticism, and you passed the test by the sound of it.

[woofgang]

he might just be someone who is a punctuation nerd

[ToraToraTora]

When I interview potential employers the last thing I want to see is knit picking morons so I'd have dropped them on the spot.

[pastafreak]

But it was the nit picker doing the interview ;)

[bobbinwales]

thats what TTT said "I interview potential employers"- ie when he's been interviewed

[Buenchico]

>>> he might just be someone who is a punctuation nerd

Yes, some of us are definitely punctuation and grammar nerds. For example, I keep getting annoyed by the 'was/were' error in Donald's second paragraph every time I read it ;-)

[alavahalf]

You have probably blown it by thanking him for pointing it out .. this attitude has probably undermined his authority by diluting the seriousness of the offence !
Perhaps you should have followed it up with ..''I will never do it again.. I am so, so, so sorry''.

Honest ...... Cross my heart and hope to die !



Good Luck .. 8-)

[ToraToraTora]

bob: "thats what TTT said "I interview potential employers"- ie when he's been interviewed " - err no I decide who employs me.

[DonaldDuck92]

Thanks for the responses. Next time I will be sure to get on my knees and to beg for my forgiveness for my failings in life :)

With regard to my post Buenchico...

The verb 'to be' has two simple past forms in Standard English - I/he/she/it was and you/we/they were. Apart from the special case of you, the distinction is, therefore, between singular was and plural were

In some regional dialects, however, this pattern is not observed. In some parts of the country, speakers use was throughout, while speakers elsewhere use were exclusively. There are also dialects where the two different forms are used for the opposite function - singular were and plural was.

[DTCwordfan]

If it was a she, I would have said that she was on a period....

[AuntPollyGrey]

Why were you being interviewed by someone who would be your junior should you get the job? How strange.

[bednobs]

its not been usual in any job ive ever applied for

[237SJ]

Sounds like a potential micromanager who feels threatened by you.

[ToraToraTora]

"Thanks for the responses. Next time I will be sure to get on my knees and to beg for my forgiveness for my failings in life :) " - err no, if you are any good you are interviewing them. I've been known to walk out of an interview when some brainless idiot makes himself known.

[Prudie]

Picking people up on their spelling, grammar and punctuation is the No 1 sin on AB but if you were applying for something that required you to write or produce important documentation then I'd also pull you up on 2 full stops or any other errors in your CV. I still don't get why a person junior to you would be doing the interviewing, that seems highly unusual.

[gordiescotland1]

Love it DTC Word Fan

[gordiescotland1]

The 2 worst interviews I ever had right next to each other within a week almost put me off for life!! First one I hadn't had an interview for a job for ages over a year so I just grabbed this shirt out of the wardrobe, got ready and went to the interview. It was a panel interview for a clerical post in the NHS, probably decided already just going through it for equal ops !! Anyway 5 minutes in I take a breath and 3 of my buttons pop out of my shirt showing my belly. They were very professional and I am sure they were trying not to laugh but after that I really lost my focus. As I left I said to them "At least you'll remember me" I didn't get it. A week later i went for a job interview as a library assistant the head of the panel was somebody 2 weeks prior i had an argument with him over an issue with in another library and I called him an "a hole". Very professional again never mentioned it but totally lost my focus couldn't wait to get out of there. !! And no I didn't get that job

[Crucigram]

Just to be even more pedantic on the was/were point, you would be totally correct in saying “if i were you” instead of using “was” as this is the subjunctive mood, if my memory serves me well.

[venator]

Yes - you could belittle him