Assessment

Wildcard wrote:If one of the interviewers were to start asking you questions and you notice that his questions are irrelevant to the original question and that also change the nature of the original question...as these are standardized questions and your competencies are being assessed based on these questions....how would you react?

Would you address it or let it go?

Hi Wildcard

If I found myself in our situation, I would wait and see what happens because I don't think I would have much freedom to present myself in the best light possible once the interview is over if I chose to start questioning the interviewers techniques. After all, the interviewer is in power position, and you could be opening a tin of worms if you start questioning her/him without being invited to give feedback. It's workplace politics. What is the most beneficial thing for you to do in the long run about the quality of your assessment?

Wildcard wrote: Would you address it or let it go?

IMO, the ONLY purpose of an interview is to determine if you feel like you would like to give them the privilege of hiring you.

How you best go about making this determination is at the root of your question. An interview should only be one aspect of your decision, so I would simply note the inconsistency. I would not actively point out the inconsistency, unless it was something I felt might be a "deal breaker". If for instance I wanted to work in a highly structured environment, then yes I might ask a few questions of the interviewers to see if going off the standardized questions is a reflection of the overall structure of the company. If I really did not care one way or the other if I was going to be working in a structured or unstructured environment, then I would just let it go.

Wildcard wrote:
If one of the interviewers were to start asking you questions and you notice that his questions are irrelevant to the original question and that they also change the nature of the original question...

This is used in interviews,where the employer's are looking for a particular type of person, without wanting to state the obvious. This is really looking to see if you would do anything asked of you that is outside your stated employment conditions.

This is often also seen in advertising for employees. Wording like "are you prepared to do whatever it takes". It is calling for someone who is essentially psychopathic / toxic.

It would be a red flag to me that says "this is not the place where I want to work!"

What is there even to let go? Interviewers ask whatever questions they want/like to find out about you as much as they can to see if you fit their profile or not. Its very likely that these follow up questions were asked to everyone... maybe even on purpose to see how people would react...

Thanks for everyones replies.

I have a big problem with letting go as it goes against every fiber in my body.

My arrogance will get the best of me every time...especially if I am in a situation, like an interview, and sure that someone else is talking BS or acting inappropriate. And it doesnt matter if it is in regards to the interviewers techniques or questions.

For example...

I noticed one of the interviewers continuously observing my eyes...So I asked what he was hoping to find...

Dumb stuff like that.

And its me knowing that I am going to act like that before hand that makes me feel anxious and then act "stupid".

Does that make sense?

is the reason for you asking him what he was hoping to find,

is that ego? is that you showing him that you see what he's doing? look at me how smart i am kind of a thing?

or is it more about a judgement on the other guy. as in "why is he looking at my eyes? does this guy even know what he's doing?"

or something else entirely?

both ways could be because you really want to do well. give a "good performance" to get the job. & you're uncertain if you'll do well or make a mistake. & for ego that is trying to make yourself look good to give a "good performance". the other one is more of an anxiety that you might be judged to be giving a "bad performance" because the interviewer doesn't know what he/she is doing. that's what it seems to me anyhow.

solution could be to do what richard suggests and be trying to interview them to see if they are a good company rather than worrying quite so much about how your performance is going.

Well...

Yes...it was me showing him I saw what he was doing. It was me basically saying "Hey...I know a lot more sh!t than you". I mean really...I do think they read my resumee...At least I hope they did...

And...

It was also me evaluating him and not wanting to be evaluated by him, because I got a strong feeling that he didnt know what he was doing. You cant look for signs of nervousness in a person when they are in a test situation and then make a claim that they have no self confidence in a job situation. Thats basically like a cop seeing someone is nervous during questioning and then claiming they are guilty.

I was sitting there reading the questions and thinking that the entire assessment process is nothing more than a waste of time if youre being assessed by someone that not only doesnt know what he is doing, but also has an extreme authoritative leadership style...which is the exact opposite of what the assessment was looking for.

Really? WTF??? Like that is not going to influence him when he assesses me / judges me? Especially if I open my mouth.

That was the entire reason I even took part and applied...to change something in the company (been there 11 years now). And then people like that get in my way.

Then there is something else...and Ill be really honest right now...

My significant other also applied...And I coached her. Whether that was how to answer an online assessment questionaire (which was also part of the process) all the way to how to answer those six question, and how to act and behave during the interview. I even showed her how to shake someones hand. I even told her to expect them maybe being "axxholes" to provoke a response out of her, and how to deal with it.

Well...She did everything right and she passed.

lol, that has to be a little bittersweet.

i guess that's a natural advantage girls may have over guys. well at least in that area. that guys may tend to be more arrogant, prideful or whatever.

it's interesting, your situation sounds a little similar to one i've been in during competition when playing sport. some opponents like to talk a lot of trash. & for me i generally don't do so well if i buy into that mindset. although i guess for some people the more trash they talk the better they play. for me though if i buy into that, my emotions get all over the place & i start to make stupid rash decisions.

so when i'm being goaded, it's like a battle between wanting to say something back, & realizing that to be at my best i need to not react & just focus harder. not sure exactly how you'd train for something like that though.

another thing occurs to me.

it seems like you're at war with yourself if those thoughts are running through your head at the time of your interview. those thoughts are like you're already preparing yourself to "lose" so to speak. if you compare to sport, it's like getting hung up on the referees, on bad luck, rather than just controlling what you can control. guess it's tough if your emotions are running high due to interview nerves.

bert_ernie wrote:another thing occurs to me.

it seems like you're at war with yourself if those thoughts are running through your head at the time of your interview. those thoughts are like you're already preparing yourself to "lose" so to speak. if you compare to sport, it's like getting hung up on the referees, on bad luck, rather than just controlling what you can control. guess it's tough if your emotions are running high due to interview nerves.

Yeah...

Been doing a little "soul searching" lately. Cant say I found much though.