Interviews are ******ed

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WVUPharm2007

WVUPharm2007

imagine sisyphus happy
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So I had my first formal interview today for a real job. Where do they get the idea that asking people questions with obvious good answers is somehow a good idea? Where am I going to be in 10 years? Duh, I've carved out my own niche in your company. And then you have the trick questions. What's my biggest weakness? What the hell kind of question is that? You are either humble and look bad or look like the least genuine person on the planet. If you think that they buy that your greatest weakness is that you are a perfectionist, I have some West Virginia beachfront property for you...real cheap, too. Thankfully there is good old "I'm inexperienced" to fall back on.

I've always wondered - are any of these questions backed by any evidence that indicates that they can separate the good hires from the potentially poor hires? A smooth talker with a decent vocabulary can chop them up lickety split. It's more or less a game that only a good scoundrel can win.

And thankfully I'm one hell of a scoundrel....
 
OK - now you're going to be part of the real world & have to function in it.

The where in 10 years question - that's to see if you're in it for the money only.......its also a sneaky way to get around the questions they can't ask which are:
Are you married? If so, what does your spouse do (ie-is there a possibility of you moving)

Do you want/have children?

Do you have other family/location/personal issues which might make you not want to stay with us?

So - now you know what they are looking for.....you answer the question with what you want to give them. If you really don't want to stay within that environment (acute inpt, ambulatory/retail, specialty, ltc...) then say that. But, if you say anything other than you're looking to expand your professional knowledge/skills to continue within the XYZ environment you're interviewing in - they will assume you are not going to stay with them or even within the field that long.

The greatest weakness question is common & actually a good one. Few people can really identify their greatest weakness. A new graduate will often answer with a professionally oriented answer - oncology, ABGs, nutritional or pain management, etc....

But, an experienced employee will answer with a more personal one. The employer wants to know if you realize you might have issues with prioritizing, delegating, supervising, communication either with those you supervise (techs) or those who are your colleagues - pharmacists, prescribers & nurses.

We can always teach you the pharmaceutical knowledge you might need for a particular job - but we can't always teach you the employment skills you need to do your job well - especially if you can't see your own weakness.

Good luck with the job hunt!
 
True - very, very true. But - they really don't want your true weakness. This is not a discussion with your wife over a bottle of wine!

But - they are looking to see how you answer the question. If you come across with a personal weakness (for example - I have a difficult time making sure all the technicians complete tasks, particularly if I'm involved in a large project and get too engrossed.) - you come across as someone who has thought of how the "greater" department runs, rather than just your own small, personal contribution.

This example is a very palatable one - not uncommon, certainly not a personal flaw. But, it gives a good answer for a new grad & now it gives a focus for your own supervisor or dop for something to work on.

Lets say you got this job. In 6 months, you'll have an evaluation. One of the things they'll evaluate you on is what you identified as a weakness, if you did. This is an easy thing to "correct" - if it even needs correction at all. It gives the interviewer, the dop or asst dop, something to use as a tool. It also gives both you & the interviewer something to use as a method of future evaluation. You can say in 6-12 months you've improved in your ability to supervise while working on your own projects - which you would have done anyway.

If you say you have no weaknesses - or use those which are pharmaceutical only (neonatal dosing & you're not applying to a children's hospital🙄) - then.....your evaluation will be completely undirected by you at all. You might be surprised by what they identify as a weakness in you. Honestly, you don't want the evaluation to be that open.

Absolutely - you know & they know its a "game". But, employment is a "game" - much greater than that of school. Know the rules of the game & you'll do well.
 
I was wondering who you interviewed with too? DId it go well? Were the #s what you were hoping for? etc....give the details!
 
I interviewed with a hospital pharmacy somewhere within a 30 (maybe it's 40...) mile radius of Morgantown....it went really well...offered $92,000/yr, 7AM-3PM shift, every 3rd weekend.

Now you guys have ammo. "The biggest idiot ever got offered $92k...c'mon, you can do better...."
 
they have been tossing out interview questions like this back in the 90s when i FIRST graduated college.........10 years later im right back, answering the same exact questions.........

3 greatest strengths? 3 weaknesses? give me a situation where you made a mistake and how did you correct it? where do you see yourself in 5 years? or my all time favorite......tell me about yourself

the sneakiest interviewer is target..........they ask you questions secretly to see what kind of leader you are or how you wouldreact in certain situations..........by far the most non-traditional interview i ever had

other students on here looking for numbers?

one offered 30K upfront for 3 years commitment.........55/hr

another, where i have been an intern for 2 years, offered just 55/hr

a thrid company offered 60/hr + 2K relocation + 10K for 1 yr commitment

im waiting for two more companies

all retail in a "non-shortage" area of the US
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
I interviewed with a hospital pharmacy somewhere within a 30 (maybe it's 40...) mile radius of Morgantown....it went really well...offered $92,000/yr, 7AM-3PM shift, every 3rd weekend.

Now you guys have ammo. "The biggest idiot ever got offered $92k...c'mon, you can do better...."
Click to expand...

What happened to Cardinal?! 😀
 
WVU - I hardly think you're an idiot. From what I've read of your posts, you seem very intelligent. An idiot is different from a clown... LOL 😉

I too think some interview questions are ridiculous. At my place, they've softened the "name your weakness" question to "name a few things you've been told you can improve on." I really hate the word weakness, and the definition implied behind it. I think area/opportunity for improvement sounds much, much better. And you may get better answers than asking about weaknesses. If an interview asked me these 2 versions, I'd be reluctant to answer the "weakness" but could offer some answers for areas of improvement. Just phrase-ology.

anyway, congrats on the interview and hope you get the job.
 
Yeah - I think they are really big on this leader concept - I went up to a Target recruiter at a booth and basically told him "I'm an intern, I already have 6 years experience with my present employer, why should I consider going with Target after graduation?" and he immediately started questioning me about "Well, are you the type of person who wants to be a leader wherever you go?" I have to admit - I was really turned off by his response.
jawnly211 said:
the sneakiest interviewer is target..........they ask you questions secretly to see what kind of leader you are or how you wouldreact in certain situations..........by far the most non-traditional interview i ever had
Click to expand...
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
I've always wondered - are any of these questions backed by any evidence that indicates that they can separate the good hires from the potentially poor hires? A smooth talker with a decent vocabulary can chop them up lickety split. It's more or less a game that only a good scoundrel can win.
Click to expand...

It's a combination of what you say and how you say it. Yes, these questions do play a role - and it's not necessarily of what exactly you say that counts.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
The greatest weakness question is a terrible question. You won't get any true weaknesses, just the palatable ones.
Click to expand...

I disagree. There are people out there (probably the majority) who conjure up something weak for that question. As a person who hired many people in telecom, I treated it as a question that could make or break an applicant. If somebody named a real weakness and then talked convincingly about how they overcame it or even how they had not overcome it AND they were strong is most other areas - they usually got the job.

BS is easy to spot. I've interviewed people who came across as just a little too spotless and had a gleam about them that had to be gold-plating. Go into the interview as your charming and funny self with the professionalism turned up to 11. Answer the questions honestly.

Ask hard questions of your own. "What's the worst thing about working here?" "What's the best?" "What's a potential career path for someone with my goals?" You can always turn the questions back on the interviewer and I considered those interviews to be strong ones.

Good luck, move up fast and hire me in 2010. :laugh:
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
So I had my first formal interview today for a real job. Where do they get the idea that asking people questions with obvious good answers is somehow a good idea? Where am I going to be in 10 years? Duh, I've carved out my own niche in your company. And then you have the trick questions. What's my biggest weakness? What the hell kind of question is that? You are either humble and look bad or look like the least genuine person on the planet. If you think that they buy that your greatest weakness is that you are a perfectionist, I have some West Virginia beachfront property for you...real cheap, too. Thankfully there is good old "I'm inexperienced" to fall back on.

I've always wondered - are any of these questions backed by any evidence that indicates that they can separate the good hires from the potentially poor hires? A smooth talker with a decent vocabulary can chop them up lickety split. It's more or less a game that only a good scoundrel can win.

And thankfully I'm one hell of a scoundrel....
Click to expand...


You can't bullsh*t a bullsh*tter. Interview is not stupid. The person who interviewed you is.
 
And that's why there is a 90 day eval period. You think you can fake 90 days? Ok....that's why there is an annual eval. It will eventually catch up.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
That's not true at all.
Click to expand...

Then you've never met a true Bullsh*tter.

How do you like the idea of me BSing all over you? You, as a BSer...should believe that can't be. Perhaps I'm a better BSer than you are. And I will BS you... day in day out.
 
Epic said:
Then you've never met a true Bullsh*tter.

How do you like the idea of me BSing all over you? You, as a BSer...should believe that can't be. Perhaps I'm a better BSer than you are. And I will BS you... day in day out.
Click to expand...

That don't make no sense.

Man, you are saying that you can't BS a BS'er as a self-proclaimed BS'er. That just means that you detect weak BS, but may or may not be able to detect some theoretical strong BS because if it went by you, you'd never know and, thus, your opinion concerning your ability to detect said BS would have never been challenged as far as you know.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
That don't make no sense.

Man, you are saying that you can't BS a BS'er as a self-proclaimed BS'er. That just means that you detect weak BS, but may or may not be able to detect some theoretical strong BS because if it went by you, you'd never know and, thus, your opinion concerning your ability to detect said BS would have never been challenged as far as you know.
Click to expand...

Oh it makes perfect sense. Keep reading it until it makes sense.
 
Epic said:
Oh it makes perfect sense. Keep reading it until it makes sense.
Click to expand...

Whatever, OJ Simpson is (er..was) a free man due to expert BSing. I'm not quite to the level of Johnny Cochran...but I aspire to some day be. That's power. Truth doesn't even mean a thing when a guy like that speaks. He told a damn rhyme and got the man off. He BS'ed the entire American public and it took them 3-4 years to realize it.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
Whatever, OJ Simpson is (er..was) a free man due to expert BSing. I'm not quite to the level of Johnny Cochran...but I aspire to some day be....
Click to expand...

JC is dead.

OJ isn't free due to expert BSing....everyone saw through the expert "BS."

In the end, the jury selection won it for OJ.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
Whatever, OJ Simpson is (er..was) a free man due to expert BSing. I'm not quite to the level of Johnny Cochran...but I aspire to some day be. That's power. Truth doesn't even mean a thing when a guy like that speaks. He told a damn rhyme and got the man off. He BS'ed the entire American public and it took them 3-4 years to realize it.
Click to expand...

No...it took you and the entire American public 3 to 4 years to realize it.

Us BSer knew it the moment words came out of JC's mouth.

That young man...is power. Having a BS radar.
 
Epic said:
JC is dead.

OJ isn't free due to expert BSing....everyone saw through the expert "BS."

In the end, the jury selection won it for OJ.
Click to expand...

Indeed he is. Unless he faked his death. And if any man could, it's him. And I disagree that everyone saw through it. As I recall, the stupid public opinion polls at the time revealed that the majority of Americans thought he was innocent.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
Indeed he is. Unless he faked his death. And if any man could, it's him. And I disagree that everyone saw through it. As I recall, the stupid public opinion polls at the time revealed that the majority of Americans thought he was innocent.
Click to expand...

Majority of Americans are not that smart..
 
Epic said:
No...it took you and the entire American public 3 to 4 years to realize it.

Us BSer knew it the moment words came out of JC's mouth.

That young man...is power. Having a BS radar.
Click to expand...

Pssshhh...I knew he was guilty. My black stepdad would scream at me for 20 minutes that I was a racist when I told him so. It was hilarious.
 
O.J. got off because he had the perfect storm:

  • A great jury
  • A stupid judge
  • An inept prosecution
  • A stupid cop. (Why in God's name would you lie)
  • He was a celebrity.
  • The best legal team money could buy.
If you think he would have gotten off if his name was OJ Smith and he was dirt poor, your fooling yourself. He was guilty as hell, the problem is the prosecution was so inept they couldn't prove it beyond a reasonable doubt and that is all that jury needed.....
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

the rodney king trial did not help the situation at all
 
It's all just window dressing. They decided whether they were going to hire you within 30 seconds of walking in the door.
 
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