A Sr Dir of PM in the Bay Area at a $159,000 base was way below market when it was hired in 2020. The issue probably isn't the visa and the fact that the company doesn't pay for *****
Bad interview stories
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Last: 27 min ago by Rigs
jh0400 said:
A Sr Dir of PM in the Bay Area at a $159,000 base was way below market when it was hired in 2020. The issue probably isn't the visa and the fact that the company doesn't pay for *****
Yep I noticed it too.
Wage suppression.
HR and recruiting functions at big companies are chaotic.
Recently, I was let go after 3 years with a company- basically RIF'd.
But was in good standing and allowed to interview for jobs in other departments. So I applied to one that I was a perfect fit for and that I really wanted.
Had glowing recommendations from several current and former leaders I had worked for (a lot of structural and org changes caused me to work for 3 different bosses in my last 11 months there).
Went through 1st interview with hiring manager. Went great. She advanced me to round 2 to interview with one of her direct reports (potential peer of mine). I sent her a thank you email. No response.
Passed round 2 (sent thank you email to that guy but got no reply from him) and went to round 3 interview/mock presentation with her, her boss, her peer and the peer I had just interviewed with.
Round 3 interview went "poorly" due to a miscommunication or misunderstanding of the assignment, but I nailed the core elements (and soft skills) of giving the (fake) presentation...
But at the end she tole me that she and I should have another conversation the very next morning to iron out a few things because "I came highly recommended and had all the soft skills to do the job - but that I got the assignment slightly wrong" and she wanted to give me another shot tweak a few things and to re-assess.
I emailed 3 times saying I was ready and to schedule it and got zero response. It was her idea for us to talk the next morning.
A week later I email her again and then got a message from HR saying they had moved on.
In all my conversations with her, she never replied to an email follow up I sent. She totally ghosted me for a week after asking me to speak again.
I'm old school but that's unprofessional so good riddance on potentially working for her.
I don't understand how some people operate in positions of leadership. It's wild!
Recently, I was let go after 3 years with a company- basically RIF'd.
But was in good standing and allowed to interview for jobs in other departments. So I applied to one that I was a perfect fit for and that I really wanted.
Had glowing recommendations from several current and former leaders I had worked for (a lot of structural and org changes caused me to work for 3 different bosses in my last 11 months there).
Went through 1st interview with hiring manager. Went great. She advanced me to round 2 to interview with one of her direct reports (potential peer of mine). I sent her a thank you email. No response.
Passed round 2 (sent thank you email to that guy but got no reply from him) and went to round 3 interview/mock presentation with her, her boss, her peer and the peer I had just interviewed with.
Round 3 interview went "poorly" due to a miscommunication or misunderstanding of the assignment, but I nailed the core elements (and soft skills) of giving the (fake) presentation...
But at the end she tole me that she and I should have another conversation the very next morning to iron out a few things because "I came highly recommended and had all the soft skills to do the job - but that I got the assignment slightly wrong" and she wanted to give me another shot tweak a few things and to re-assess.
I emailed 3 times saying I was ready and to schedule it and got zero response. It was her idea for us to talk the next morning.
A week later I email her again and then got a message from HR saying they had moved on.
In all my conversations with her, she never replied to an email follow up I sent. She totally ghosted me for a week after asking me to speak again.
I'm old school but that's unprofessional so good riddance on potentially working for her.
I don't understand how some people operate in positions of leadership. It's wild!
Lots of reasons people don't make good leaders.
(1) Some people will simply NEVER be good leaders, and others are born to lead.
(2) Some people try leadership and decide they hate it, or realize they aren't good at it and don't want to put in effort to get better.
(3) Some people do a good job in an individual contributor role, and management has no other options but to promote them into a leader role to "reward" them.
(4) DEI, Enough said.
(1) Some people will simply NEVER be good leaders, and others are born to lead.
(2) Some people try leadership and decide they hate it, or realize they aren't good at it and don't want to put in effort to get better.
(3) Some people do a good job in an individual contributor role, and management has no other options but to promote them into a leader role to "reward" them.
(4) DEI, Enough said.
Rascal said:
HR and recruiting functions at big companies are chaotic.
Recently, I was let go after 3 years with a company- basically RIF'd.
But was in good standing and allowed to interview for jobs in other departments. So I applied to one that I was a perfect fit for and that I really wanted.
Had glowing recommendations from several current and former leaders I had worked for (a lot of structural and org changes caused me to work for 3 different bosses in my last 11 months there).
Went through 1st interview with hiring manager. Went great. She advanced me to round 2 to interview with one of her direct reports (potential peer of mine). I sent her a thank you email. No response.
Passed round 2 (sent thank you email to that guy but got no reply from him) and went to round 3 interview/mock presentation with her, her boss, her peer and the peer I had just interviewed with.
Round 3 interview went "poorly" due to a miscommunication or misunderstanding of the assignment, but I nailed the core elements (and soft skills) of giving the (fake) presentation...
But at the end she tole me that she and I should have another conversation the very next morning to iron out a few things because "I came highly recommended and had all the soft skills to do the job - but that I got the assignment slightly wrong" and she wanted to give me another shot tweak a few things and to re-assess.
I emailed 3 times saying I was ready and to schedule it and got zero response. It was her idea for us to talk the next morning.
A week later I email her again and then got a message from HR saying they had moved on.
In all my conversations with her, she never replied to an email follow up I sent. She totally ghosted me for a week after asking me to speak again.
I'm old school but that's unprofessional so good riddance on potentially working for her.
I don't understand how some people operate in positions of leadership. It's wild!
Queen Bee attitude?
I'm in the midst of a TBD bad/good interview story
I began correspondence with a Fortune 500 company approximately 6 weeks ago, when I was contacted by the HR dept for a posting on their website. The role wanted someone with 8 years in the segment of the industry, an I've got right over 15 years to bring to the table. I also have had a working relationship with a handful of current employees at the company, two of which offered to bring my name up to the Director when reviewing applications
I scheduled a short intro video call to answer a few vague/generic personal questions, nothing specific about the job. A few days later, I was contacted to answer a question thy had failed to ask me.
A week went by and I received another call, from the same HR contact, with another two questions they wanted to ask me. I was on vacation, but was able to reply quickly and thought that was that
Upon returning home, I received word that they'd like to schedule me to meet online with the Director of the department the role would fall under. Last week, I had what I felt was a good, low-stress conversation for 1.5 hours online on a MS Teams interview. I was able to offer a case study, course of action and answered some very specific questions about my knowledge of industry experience.
On Saturday, I received a form response that my application was not chosen to receive further review and would not be moving forward in their interview process. Disappointed, and also confused as up to then there has been frequent and continued personal communication from the HR contact. I didn't expect to get a broad rejection in that manner
Today, I reached out to the HR counterpart, asking if they could give me any feedback from their executive team to know what experience or skill I lacked that they were looking for. I didn't expect to hear back any more, and was resigned to moving forward and not concerning myself with the role or the company.
But, my email to HR today was replied to, stating that there was an error and I'm still being considered for the role and apologizing for any confusion from the rejection email that was sent out over the weekend.
TBD if they actually follow up to schedule me to meet for their full panel in person interview. Fingers crossed, but HIGHLY tamping down expectations so as not to have th rug pulled out from underneath again
I began correspondence with a Fortune 500 company approximately 6 weeks ago, when I was contacted by the HR dept for a posting on their website. The role wanted someone with 8 years in the segment of the industry, an I've got right over 15 years to bring to the table. I also have had a working relationship with a handful of current employees at the company, two of which offered to bring my name up to the Director when reviewing applications
I scheduled a short intro video call to answer a few vague/generic personal questions, nothing specific about the job. A few days later, I was contacted to answer a question thy had failed to ask me.
A week went by and I received another call, from the same HR contact, with another two questions they wanted to ask me. I was on vacation, but was able to reply quickly and thought that was that
Upon returning home, I received word that they'd like to schedule me to meet online with the Director of the department the role would fall under. Last week, I had what I felt was a good, low-stress conversation for 1.5 hours online on a MS Teams interview. I was able to offer a case study, course of action and answered some very specific questions about my knowledge of industry experience.
On Saturday, I received a form response that my application was not chosen to receive further review and would not be moving forward in their interview process. Disappointed, and also confused as up to then there has been frequent and continued personal communication from the HR contact. I didn't expect to get a broad rejection in that manner
Today, I reached out to the HR counterpart, asking if they could give me any feedback from their executive team to know what experience or skill I lacked that they were looking for. I didn't expect to hear back any more, and was resigned to moving forward and not concerning myself with the role or the company.
But, my email to HR today was replied to, stating that there was an error and I'm still being considered for the role and apologizing for any confusion from the rejection email that was sent out over the weekend.
TBD if they actually follow up to schedule me to meet for their full panel in person interview. Fingers crossed, but HIGHLY tamping down expectations so as not to have th rug pulled out from underneath again
This just reeks of unorganized HR. The fact that they called you back to ask you questions on the spot for things they failed to ask during the interview, that's weak.
HR is helpful to me in some ways but not interviewing candidates. They want to be involved as an owner of the process, but usually only the hiring manager knows what they want, so HR just becomes a choke-point due to forced involvement.
HR is helpful to me in some ways but not interviewing candidates. They want to be involved as an owner of the process, but usually only the hiring manager knows what they want, so HR just becomes a choke-point due to forced involvement.
You're correct in your assumption on the appearance of being unorganized.
In fact, while talking with the Director, I made mention that I had been curious to get to that point because the title of the position was vague. The Director responded that they were not happy with how HR had listed the position, and had to weed out a number of applicants that had zero experience or exposure to the industry. They ended up changing the name of the listing a day or two before my interview, unbeknownst to me.
Part of me wondered if that had caused what appears to be a glitch in sending out a rejection message to more applicants than it was supposed to be sent to, but at that time I was chalking that thought up to wishful thinking and kept interrupting my mind when the idea would pop up as to not dash my hopes
In fact, while talking with the Director, I made mention that I had been curious to get to that point because the title of the position was vague. The Director responded that they were not happy with how HR had listed the position, and had to weed out a number of applicants that had zero experience or exposure to the industry. They ended up changing the name of the listing a day or two before my interview, unbeknownst to me.
Part of me wondered if that had caused what appears to be a glitch in sending out a rejection message to more applicants than it was supposed to be sent to, but at that time I was chalking that thought up to wishful thinking and kept interrupting my mind when the idea would pop up as to not dash my hopes
Had a phenomenal interview today where the hiring manager and I clicked on so many things. Turns out she also lives in my neighborhood about a mile away with small kids eventually sharing the same elementary school.
This person also used to work with one of my prior managers who managed me most recently (and loved me) at the company that recently let me go (not his decision). Her company is a competitor, but at a much smaller scale competing in smaller markets, so my skills totally transfer.
Ended the interview with a great vibe and on a promising note about next steps.
4 hours later, got the email from the recruiter telling me "I spoke to Mary and she liked you a lot. Considering their recent C-suite changes, she doesn't believe this current transition period is the best fit to ensure your long-term success."
I don't even know what that means. I'm at a loss. WILD.
This person also used to work with one of my prior managers who managed me most recently (and loved me) at the company that recently let me go (not his decision). Her company is a competitor, but at a much smaller scale competing in smaller markets, so my skills totally transfer.
Ended the interview with a great vibe and on a promising note about next steps.
4 hours later, got the email from the recruiter telling me "I spoke to Mary and she liked you a lot. Considering their recent C-suite changes, she doesn't believe this current transition period is the best fit to ensure your long-term success."
I don't even know what that means. I'm at a loss. WILD.
" Some people do a good job in an individual contributor role, and management has no other options but to promote them into a leader role to "reward" them."
Bingo. Especially in accounting if you work for an organization with very sterotypical anti social loser accountants. A bunch of betas running the show. And if you promote from within, the only options at the next level are a bunch of folks that shouldn't be where they are at to begin with.
Bingo. Especially in accounting if you work for an organization with very sterotypical anti social loser accountants. A bunch of betas running the show. And if you promote from within, the only options at the next level are a bunch of folks that shouldn't be where they are at to begin with.
I take that as she is helping you out. It kind of sounds like she thinks the position is possibly next to be eliminated or is going to get changed/reclassified in a bad way.
EFR said:
I take that as she is helping you out. It kind of sounds like she thinks the position is possibly next to be eliminated or is going to get changed/reclassified in a bad way.
I thought about this too. I have a friend who has two open positions posted, but will not interview any close industry acquaintances because he may not be there long term. His overseas office is forcing him to hire.
This dude got pitched his own job.
mm98 said:EFR said:
I take that as she is helping you out. It kind of sounds like she thinks the position is possibly next to be eliminated or is going to get changed/reclassified in a bad way.
I thought about this too. I have a friend who has two open positions posted, but will not interview any close industry acquaintances because he may not be there long term. His overseas office is forcing him to hire.
Umm, maybe. Then why waste everyone's time? So, she'll eventually hire some lower qualified schmuck b/c it will go easier on her conscient if something goes awry with the company?
None of this (future state of the company or this role) was hinted at much less mentioned in our interview. In fact, this was a backfill role covering a large important territory (sales).
Rascal said:mm98 said:EFR said:
I take that as she is helping you out. It kind of sounds like she thinks the position is possibly next to be eliminated or is going to get changed/reclassified in a bad way.
I thought about this too. I have a friend who has two open positions posted, but will not interview any close industry acquaintances because he may not be there long term. His overseas office is forcing him to hire.
Umm, maybe. Then why waste everyone's time? So, she'll eventually hire some lower qualified schmuck b/c it will go easier on her conscient if something goes awry with the company?
None of this (future state of the company or this role) was hinted at much less mentioned in our interview. In fact, this was a backfill role covering a large important territory (sales).
Companies are a complete mess right now. Most leadership groups are doing absolutely everything but actually leading. It sounds like she's trying to save you from something she found out or she's making something up to cover a mistake / change in plans she finds embarrasing. No matter what the reason, it's the same result for you.
It's infuriating. It's a complete waste of everyone's time. It makes no sense.
Unfortunately this type of situation is way too comon right now for people in job searches.
There are 2 things happening right now-
Execs are actually looking to replace themselves, bc they don't have the right skills, but they're still going too niche.
And execs are too busy doing 3 jobs to spend the 2 hours on hiring the person that could help them with all that.
Execs are actually looking to replace themselves, bc they don't have the right skills, but they're still going too niche.
And execs are too busy doing 3 jobs to spend the 2 hours on hiring the person that could help them with all that.
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