Stupid Interview Tricks: Bragging
As I'm interviewing for jobs once again it's time to bring back a tag from the past: Stupid Interview Tricks.
This past Thursday I had a phone interview with another of the principals at a company I've been talking to for a few weeks now. It's the company that I expressed concerns about the commute over. I'm warming to the idea of making the commute work, particularly if the opportunity comes through with the right scope of responsibilities to be a step forward in my career. Then there's the question of working environment. I was looking forward to Thursday's interview as a chance to understand what it's like working for the CEO. Except... it didn't go that way.
In short, the guy I talked to, who's the No. 2 or 3 in the company, is a braggart. At least half the precious time in our short phone call was spent with him telling me how great he is at what he does, product management.
It may seem odd to call out bragging as a Stupid Interview Trick as talking oneself up is generally expected in an interview. ....But that's usually the candidate, not the interviewer!
This guy struck me as being similar to The Topper. I told a short anecdote about something I'd done that was a positive; he then went on a 15 minute spree explaining that I only needed to do that positive thing because the people in his function were weak and that that would never happen around him.
Fortunately, unlike the case with The Topper a few years ago, this guy would not be my manager in this job, but I'm a bit worried about having that personality type nearby in an executive role.
This past Thursday I had a phone interview with another of the principals at a company I've been talking to for a few weeks now. It's the company that I expressed concerns about the commute over. I'm warming to the idea of making the commute work, particularly if the opportunity comes through with the right scope of responsibilities to be a step forward in my career. Then there's the question of working environment. I was looking forward to Thursday's interview as a chance to understand what it's like working for the CEO. Except... it didn't go that way.
In short, the guy I talked to, who's the No. 2 or 3 in the company, is a braggart. At least half the precious time in our short phone call was spent with him telling me how great he is at what he does, product management.
It may seem odd to call out bragging as a Stupid Interview Trick as talking oneself up is generally expected in an interview. ....But that's usually the candidate, not the interviewer!
This guy struck me as being similar to The Topper. I told a short anecdote about something I'd done that was a positive; he then went on a 15 minute spree explaining that I only needed to do that positive thing because the people in his function were weak and that that would never happen around him.
Fortunately, unlike the case with The Topper a few years ago, this guy would not be my manager in this job, but I'm a bit worried about having that personality type nearby in an executive role.