odd ways to narrow down candidates

[mollykins]

What's the oddest/ silliest way you've done or heard of an employer doing, to narrow down candidates?

I know of an employer that arrives ten minutes late for the interview then tells the candidate to follow them, but they practically start running to their office. if the candidate doesn't keep up, they automatically fail, but they're not told this, as they still have the interview incase they're extraordinary, but if there are two equally good people at the interview, the one that failed the running test doesn't get the job.

[mike11111]

It is rumoured that at a certain Cambridge college a rugby ball would be thrown at the candidate as he entered the room and if if he caught it cleanly he was accepted.

[mollykins]

Something like that was on waterloo road for potential oxbridge candidates. But I think they gave them a football or something and told them it was a bomb, too see their reactions . . . .

[factor-fiction]

Are you sure tjhat story about running is true, mollykins?
When I was preparing to apply for jobs in my final year at University as part of what was called the 'milk round' (can't remember why it was called that), we were told many stories like this- for example the interviewer put a £10 note on the floor and watched how people reacted or the interviewer climbed under the desk and started crying to see how you'd react, etc.
Having carried out graduate recruitment in later years I now doubt all these tales.

[THECORBYLOON]

Without naming the employer, molly, what type of work does the employer do?

[mollykins]

Corby, well she now works as kinda job/ education advisor at one of my schools, I don't know what other jobs she's done in the past, but i think she heard this from someone from my high school who went to a job interview this woman had helped him get, but he failed. I'm not sure how credible the story is, but I asked this question to see if other odd ways were used.

[Count-A-Strong]

A large aircraft engine manufacturer was reputed to leave candidates in a room together and delay the interview by half an hour. Their reaction was monitored via CCTV. This was a good few years ago.

[mollykins]

count, what were they looking for them to do to 'pass'?

[THECORBYLOON]

I can see the point of seeing how candidates interact but molly's is a friend of a friend of a friend story and it's hardly an efficient way of running interviews if you waste ten minutes on each interview on the off-chance there's two you're swithering about.

[Count-A-Strong]

Cope well with the stress I suppose

[mollykins]

Exactly corby.

'Pose so count.

[mollykins]

But what would be the point in this woman lieing, she's there to help us, not make us worry even more about job interviews . . . .

[Chaffinch]

I think anyone who does lots of interviews will have funny little quirks e.g

I dont like people who write on coloured paper
Spell my name wrong (its always on the advert!)
Write my name at the top of the letter, then start the letter with "Dear Sir or Madam"
Anyone with a strange e-mail address like [email protected]

When I do interviews,

People who wont look at me
People who havent bothered to dress smartly
People who bite their nails in the interview!!!!!!!!! yuk
AND people who never have any questions at the end of the interview.

Good question Molly x

[mollykins]

What kind of jobs do you interview for chaf?

[Chaffinch]

Seafarers mainly (I now work in the Marine Industry), but also HR, admin and accounts staff Molly.

[THECORBYLOON]

It's not a case of lying it's just a case of it being very unlikely or untrue. A person may believe something to be true, as you believe what this person telt you but it doesn't make it true. No doubt at some point you've had e-mails warning you about scams or various pifalls of doing x, y or z. You may pass them on beliving them to be true but 99.999999% are RUBBISH.

[joko]

i suspect the filming was to monitor also how people reacted to having to wait...which got angry because of the delay, which began complaining, sighing, huffing, which appreared to be 'practising', using the time to go over notes...who perhaps read the corporations literature etc

[Eve]

When interviews for trainees were going on in a former firm I worked for I held a senior role there but used to find it interesting to wander round to reception where they were waiting and see if they would engage in general conversation.

As I look younger than I am and am quite young anyway for that kind of position, it was rare for anyone to realise who I was so interesting to chat to them on that basis.

For me, it was important they treat everyone the same, regardless of who they are.

One girl blew it for me by being off hand and actually quite rude to everyone except the boss who actually interviewed her. I had specifically targetted her to see how she would react to me as I have very little time for people with that kind of attitude.

If I was interviewing I found it interesting to observe candidates beforehand - it can be quite telling.

Having done my own recruitment and worked in recruitment, it constantly amazes me the lack of care some people take in CVs and applications. When you have to be ruthless to select candiates for interview from a large selection of applications, for me, a little bit of care and attention (spelling, grammar, accuracy and proper research etc...) would have stopped their CV going straight in the bin.

One thing that used to annoy me was having to make interview selection PC friendly. I don't look at names or anything like that - I look at the individual merits of the candidate, however, to be told you have to make sure you have enough women and people from an ethnic minority on your interview shortlist is, for me, unfair on applicants who might lose out otherwise, especially when you don't have a discriminatory selection policy in the first place.

I, personally, would also hate to think I was only called to make up the PC count of women. I would only want the interview on merit, not because I am female.

[tamborine]

The dratted mobile during an interview. Out damned spot, I prithee begone from here !