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Anonymous44928
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#1
It is extremely annoying when recruiters and job applications ask why you are interested in our company. I am interested in working in a certain field using certain technologies. As long as they are doing a legitimate work, their mission is irrelevant to me. I apply to different companies with different missions and goals, it's unlikely I subscribe to all (or any) of their missions or be interested in all (or any) of their companies. The only way to attain and keep employees is by respecting them and give them good benefits and compensation.
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Yaowen
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#2
Dear Diurnal,
What you said makes a lot of sense to me. Sincerely yours, Yao Wen |
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#3
Hi Diurnal, I know it's a frustrating question. I run a consulting business, and I get answered that question in every single RFP. As a client who also hires, and have hired employees, I don't need any spectacular answer, I just need to know that it's not a throw away application for you. I could see you turning what you wrote into an acceptable response to use over and over.
Unfortunately it's not a question that businesses are going to stop asking because we want employees to be "part of the team" and believe in the mission. I think your response of being interested in working with certain technologies and being in a position where you can use all your knowledge in skills is great. The final selling point would be to simply state that you think their mission is important and you would like to be in an employed position to support it. Yes, I know it's a frustrating position. In many ways these questions are like a chess game. Remember the goal is to win the game and get the job. Honestly if you said "Because it's in my field, doing the work I'm interested in, and supporting a legitimate cause." I think you'd be fine. I don't think you have to oversell your support of the mission unless you will be in a position that actually has to sell the mission (which I do so I typically have to write quite a bit on this question). I do agree though. A lot of these basic screening questions are pointless. They don't really tell an employer what they want to know. __________________ What if I fall? Oh, my dear, but what if you fly? Primary Dx: C-PTSD and Severe Chronic Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder Secondary Dx: Generalized Anxiety Disorder with mild Agoraphobia. Meds I've tried: Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Remeron, Elavil, Wellbutrin, Risperidone, Abilify, Prazosin, Paxil, Trazadone, Tramadol, Topomax, Xanax, Propranolol, Valium, Visteril, Vraylar, Selinor, Clonopin, Ambien Treatments I've done: CBT, DBT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Talk therapy, psychotherapy, exercise, diet, sleeping more, sleeping less... |
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#4
The other day I received a call from a recruiter for one of my applications out of the blue without scheduling an appointment for the screening interview, and she asked me "can you share with me what you know about our company?". Her question implied that I need to remember their company even if I applied weeks ago!! Realistically, I am interested in the position itself (I told her that), and since I applied to that position, I have applied to tens of other positions in tens of other companies, and there is no way I can remember what each company exactly does and what's their mission and goal, as the technologies I am interested in can be applied in many fields and for many goals. When I apply I read quickly what they do. but then with a scheduled interview I have another look at the company's website and review the job description. In any case, it's unrealistic to believe that answering these questions give any statistically significant insights about the employee's performance in case they were hired, regardless of how the questions are being answered.
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#5
Did you give them the answer that you can't possibly remember as you outlined in your post today? And then they did not schedule an interview?
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#6
I told her I know their general line of work, but I couldn't give more details. I was honest and told her I applied to the position because the requirements are aligned with my interests. It was a screening interview without appointment (usually I receive an email before screening interviews to schedule an appointment, time during which I prepare for that specific position and company). She told me we will get back to you. I am not sure what will happen. I am just saying, they (recruiters and employers) expect us, applicants, to show extreme interest in their companies. It is nice to hear applicants praise your company and show they know something, but the reality is applicants are looking for a job where they can apply their skills to do what the company needs to do in exchange of money in a respecting environment. Expecting more than that is not realistic, and expecting to know anything useful from the answers to these questions is also unrealistic.
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#7
Actually employers do get a lot from these questions. It can tell us the difference between someone who just wants any job and someone who wants to work with our company.
I'm not trying to upset you, just help you understand why these questions are asked so you can successfully navigate interviews and get hired. __________________ What if I fall? Oh, my dear, but what if you fly? Primary Dx: C-PTSD and Severe Chronic Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder Secondary Dx: Generalized Anxiety Disorder with mild Agoraphobia. Meds I've tried: Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Remeron, Elavil, Wellbutrin, Risperidone, Abilify, Prazosin, Paxil, Trazadone, Tramadol, Topomax, Xanax, Propranolol, Valium, Visteril, Vraylar, Selinor, Clonopin, Ambien Treatments I've done: CBT, DBT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Talk therapy, psychotherapy, exercise, diet, sleeping more, sleeping less... |
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Molinit
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#9
It's an employers' market right now. So we play by the employers' rules. Personally I don't just willy nilly put in applications to every job that asks for my skills. I pick the companies I want to work for based on what they do, their standing in my industry, the work environment. That means I'm looking up the history of the company, who runs the company, what their public standing is on some issues that are important to me, etc. That kind of question you dislike is right up my alley because I'm not applying for a "job" I'm applying to a company I feel comfortable with and know and there just happens to be a job I'm qualified for in that company.
Quality is better than quantity. If you put in 100 applications to 100 crappy companies, you'll get a crappy job guaranteed. If you put in 20 applications to companies you WANT to work for because they offer you good working conditions, a path upward, whatever the reason, you are far more likely to get a job you'll be happy with. |
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#10
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__________________ What if I fall? Oh, my dear, but what if you fly? Primary Dx: C-PTSD and Severe Chronic Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder Secondary Dx: Generalized Anxiety Disorder with mild Agoraphobia. Meds I've tried: Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Remeron, Elavil, Wellbutrin, Risperidone, Abilify, Prazosin, Paxil, Trazadone, Tramadol, Topomax, Xanax, Propranolol, Valium, Visteril, Vraylar, Selinor, Clonopin, Ambien Treatments I've done: CBT, DBT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Talk therapy, psychotherapy, exercise, diet, sleeping more, sleeping less... |
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#13
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Here's the thing: we hardly ever hire for skills or skills alone. Most of the time I hire people for their attitude, interest, and personality characteristics, not just because they have skills. In fact, the people I have had to hire were hired solely based on skill. When you can't tell me why you're interested in the company, what you're really telling me is that you're too lazy or don't care enough to make an effort to have looked at my website, determined if you felt in line with our mission statement, and would actually want to be a part of this team. I'm not hiring an independent worker, I'm hiring someone to be on my team. I'm going to invest a heck of lot on onboarding you, paying into payroll taxes and unemployment, benefits, etc. And if you don't know anything about my company, then that lack of initiative tells me you aren't a good fit. It's not like you have to sell me that you intend to stay at my company for a million years and be the next CEO. You can answer this question positively without selling your soul. I've done it when I was on the other side of the fence. I do it now with clients I onboard. __________________ What if I fall? Oh, my dear, but what if you fly? Primary Dx: C-PTSD and Severe Chronic Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder Secondary Dx: Generalized Anxiety Disorder with mild Agoraphobia. Meds I've tried: Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Remeron, Elavil, Wellbutrin, Risperidone, Abilify, Prazosin, Paxil, Trazadone, Tramadol, Topomax, Xanax, Propranolol, Valium, Visteril, Vraylar, Selinor, Clonopin, Ambien Treatments I've done: CBT, DBT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Talk therapy, psychotherapy, exercise, diet, sleeping more, sleeping less... |
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#16
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Average is successful. I don't hire every single person expecting them to be a superstar or the next Tom Zuckerberg. It honestly doesn't matter if they were average or not or what the history is of my hires. You're talking about frustrations with the hiring process and not getting a job. I'm trying to help you navigate the game by understanding what employers want and understand why they ask what they ask. You can argue whether it's right or wrong, it's still the way it is and those are still the questions that will be asked, and you will still have to overcome dealing with those questions to get hired. __________________ What if I fall? Oh, my dear, but what if you fly? Primary Dx: C-PTSD and Severe Chronic Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder Secondary Dx: Generalized Anxiety Disorder with mild Agoraphobia. Meds I've tried: Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Remeron, Elavil, Wellbutrin, Risperidone, Abilify, Prazosin, Paxil, Trazadone, Tramadol, Topomax, Xanax, Propranolol, Valium, Visteril, Vraylar, Selinor, Clonopin, Ambien Treatments I've done: CBT, DBT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Talk therapy, psychotherapy, exercise, diet, sleeping more, sleeping less... |
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#17
Also just wanted to add: you are right that there's a gaming aspect to this. There's a way to play it. Is it entirely fair? Probably not. Neurotypical people who are extroverts but have mediocre technical skills will fare better than someone neurodivergent or neuroatypical and/or introverted with stellar technical skills. First impressions are everything (except they really aren't).
How I won this game? I figured out all the standard questions and had prepared responses that were generic enough I could use over and over, but would work regardless of the company. Play the game, and then when you own a company you can make your own rules for hiring (within the law, of course). __________________ What if I fall? Oh, my dear, but what if you fly? Primary Dx: C-PTSD and Severe Chronic Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder Secondary Dx: Generalized Anxiety Disorder with mild Agoraphobia. Meds I've tried: Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Remeron, Elavil, Wellbutrin, Risperidone, Abilify, Prazosin, Paxil, Trazadone, Tramadol, Topomax, Xanax, Propranolol, Valium, Visteril, Vraylar, Selinor, Clonopin, Ambien Treatments I've done: CBT, DBT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Talk therapy, psychotherapy, exercise, diet, sleeping more, sleeping less... |
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#18
In my opinion, with the possible exception of a handful of fluke candidates who really care about your company, all these questions do is measure how well an applicant can tell you what you want to hear. Personally, I'm a researcher, I love doing research, and I will always do it to the best of my ability, but I really don't care about the "mission" of the company where I currently work, at all. For that matter, I don't care about any company's mission, especially since most of the time that mission is just an empty statement anyway, because the real mission of every company is to make money. I, as an employee, just want to do interesting work in exchange for good benefits. I wish we could just be honest about that.
Additionally, I'm a complete introvert and loner, and I really couldn't care less about being part of any team. I can and do work in teams because I have to, and I do it well, but that doesn't mean I like it. But who cares if I like it as long as I do it? What really matters, much more than being a "team player," is that I am a very good communicator, and even though that does not require any degree of extroversion or team spirit, it is what really facilitates smooth collaboration between people. I think in many cases when people say they want a team player, what they really mean is they want someone who can collaborate well. That's not necessarily the same thing. So when recruiters ask me about my personality or why I care about the company, of course I have to tell them some bs story, because if I go around being honest I'll never get hired anywhere. I know it, and I believe they know just as well that they're likely being fed bs. It just so happens that I get hired because I'm good at figuring out what they want to hear, and they never find out that I was full of **** because in the end I do a good job, even though I do it for completely different reasons than they imagine. There's probably a ton of candidates out there that could do an equally good job, but that don't get hired because they're not as good at the bs required to get hired in the first place. Long story short, questions like this are just a pointless dance that wastes everyone's time, except maybe the recruiters' time because they need this sort of nonsense to justify their existence. I've met a few good recruiters and managers that prove that interviews don't have to be this pointless, but unfortunately they are a tiny minority. Most recruiters I've met lack the skills and know-how to ask any sort of meaningful question that predicts anything at all about actual job performance, especially when it comes to highly educated jobs. Last edited by FluffyDinosaur; Dec 11, 2020 at 05:08 AM.. |
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#19
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I think we need to be honest with ourselves, and have an open discussion about this, instead of forcing everyone to play the game laid out by employers. Let's not forget how humans are biased, as you mentioned about introverts and extroverts. Studies show that hiring managers make a decision within 5 seconds from seeing a candidate because of "first impressions" which I believe to be one of the most common biases of human beings about others. I think other ways of less-biased and more-objective measures are needed, like standardized tests for intelligence, personality, ... etc, and training programs, ... etc. I understand it's not easy to change the process and the entrenched belief that recruiters and managers are hired because they are able to select based on their judgment, and the hiring process will probably be the same for years to come, but at least some questions need to be gotten rid of, like "why are you interested in our company?" and "what's your biggest weakness?" and such questions that force applicants to basically lie. I believe employees can be loyal only after they are hired, and experienced the environment and culture, not before. This is more reasonable, and logical than expecting employees to subscribe to the company's mission before they are even hired. Of course, I will play by the current rules of the game to the best of my ability, but I feel I am compromising my honesty and integrity to please employers to get a job, and probably it shows in my answers. |
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#20
Well I have couple of thoughts on the matter. One is that I think people need to know at least basics of the company they are applying to. Not just know their job but know the basic facts about the company. We hired two people this year and they turned out to be disappointed with our specific clientele. Well they clearly didn’t do the research and didn’t understand specifics of the neighborhood. They are not going to last. Sadly. As they are good at their job. They just didn’t do the homework so to speak
My other thought is a quite unpopular one. Yes I believe you need to do a bit of a research about the company you are applying to. Other than that I don’t believe in studying and memorizing anything for the interview. Sure if you have to do a presentation or a pitch then you got to prepare it but other than that I go as I am. Well it’s been long time since I had to look for a job but that was always my motto. If I have to memorize or fake things, I’ll forget them and that’s embarrassing, what if they ask them same question again, no way I’d remember it. But if I go as I am and speak what’s on my mind then I have nothing to memorize. I also find it less stressful. If I don’t know the answer then I just tell them I don’t or I’ll get back to them. |
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