Weird things said in job interviews: Part 2
Posted Tuesday, August 25 2009 by The JobsBloggersCNN and CareerBuilder recently published a list of the 43 weirdest things said in job interviews, and we asked for your stories. We also asked our JobsBloggers. Here is Anne's answer.
My best stories are from the students I interviewed for our high school internship program a few years back. The stories still make me smile to this day!
1. During an interview, I asked the candidate, "What is your favorite Microsoft product?"
The candidate was stumped, trying hard to think of any Microsoft product. He nervously looked around my office and then asked, “Um, do you guys make keyboards?” (We do! But it was clear he was just guessing.) He unfortunately missed a big clue: all of my Windows and Office posters hanging on the wall. Lesson here is that preparation is key ... or own up if you aren’t sure of the answer. :)
2. This was listed on a candidate’s resume in the special skills section:
20/20 vision
Definitely a must have for roles where perfect vision is required, but not necessary for Microsoft roles. :)
-Anne
9 commentsTagged as: anne, interviewing
Comments
Hi all,
I wanted to let you know about my blog which I just released on Monday called "My Technical Interview Experience". The blog chronicles all of my programming interview experiences from my sophomore year all the way up until after I graduated. Interspersed between the interview experiences will be articles that offer advice on interview preparation, resume development, cover letter writing, career fairs, and much more. It's going to be very similar to the JobsBlog in that it will offer advice on how to get noticed by recruiters and how to prepare for and perform well in programming / technical interviews - except the main difference is that it's going to be 100% from the interview candidates perspective. For those that are interested in this type of content, I definitely recommend checking the blog out. The URL is www.mytechnicalinterviewexperience.com. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please feel free to e-mail me at admin@mytechnicalinterviewexperience.com.
Also, many thanks to Gretchen for allowing me to post the blog link.
One has to say that the best Microsoft products are keyboards, mice, joysticks and games..because there is some real concurrence in that domain, and due to liberal economics theory it drives to better products, as opposite to Windows or Office. Maybe the candidate did not want to be rude.
As I type this with my Microsoft keyboard and Microsoft mouse, I often think about how much time I spend cupping and tapping Microsoft products everyday.
I find it hard to believe that this kid didn't actually know one of many Microsoft products, either software or hardware. It seems to me he was very nervous and that made him answer the way he did =)
That's astounding really. Everyone looking for a job in the modern day would be familiar with computers and more than likely have worked on an office program. Even if they hadn't, surely they have heard of the brand? Bizarre.
Agreed - likely due to nerves. He was also pretty young and having his very first interview, likely in 9th or 10th grade since it was a high school internship program. We both had a lot of fun in the interviews, his hesitation in being able to answer the question broke the ice since we had some time to joke around about it.
I also love my MS keyboard and mice - but I'm pretty sure he was trying to pick anything off my desk. He mentioned monitors as well:)
He doesn't have any true passion in working in Microsoft. just he needed a job so he appeared for the interview. I wonder how he got selected for the interview among so many????????????
He doesn't have any true passion in working in Microsoft just he needed a job so he appeared for the interview. I wonder how he got selected for the interview among so many????????????
I am wondering why some one with a comment like "20/20 vision" got an interview with Microsoft? Was it for a graphic designer role?