gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

Good luck on the interview!

thoiboi

Best of luck OP! If they don't like the suit, just put on the birthday suit, it never disappoints

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

good luck!!!

NBP04TL4ME

So how did it go??

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

9:15 today.

NBP04TL4ME

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

How'd the interview go? What questions did they ask?

Abe_Froman

iTrader: (5)

For starters, I got an awesome suit from Brooks Brothers the day before the interview and rocked that to the interview. Not going to lie... huge confidence booster right there. Well worth the hefty price tag.

I was under the impression that it would be me and the hiring manager one-on-one, but I was actually surprised by a guy who I am not the biggest fan of. Quite frankly, he is probably the only person in the company I can say that I do not like. His reason for coming was that he was just sitting in his office with nothing better to do.... The guy is always negative about everything in the few times that I have interacted with him, and acts like he always has a stick up his ass. My opinion of him is universally shared by most of my coworkers.


When the interview finally started the hiring manager started it off by talking about the position and basically asking me if I did my homework or not. I responded with an extremely detailed and well articulated response that left him and her starring at each other in silence for roughly ten seconds. Needless to say, they were both blown away by how well I knew what I was talking about. I can thank a coworker who works with the hiring manager on a daily basis for this. She basically gave me information that the hiring manager received for the first time the day before the interview.


I did a really good job of nailing all of the questions IMO, but the guy brought up my lack of experience 3 times throughout the interview. The position calls for 3-5 years, and I have roughly a year. The first time he said it I responded by looking at the hiring manger and asking "Do you remember that one time you sent me an ad hoc request as 7pm and I had it back to you by 8pm? That is how you close knowledge gaps. You work harder and smarter than everyone else". This was another feel GOOD moment for me during the interview. She responded by saying that she did remember that and that she was highly impressed by it.


There was a third person interviewing me, but she was a regional employee so she called in. I actually have worked with her before and we have a great work relationship. The day after the interview she called me because she needed help with something and told me that she believed I did a great job. She said that she was pulling for me and that they interviewed one person before me, but that it didn't go very well. She said from what she knew there was one more person that needed to be interviewed. I also mentioned to her how I thought the guy didn't think I was an ideal candidate, and she said to ignore all of that because he is always "salty" haha.


I am crossing my fingers guys! I hope to get an answer back in the next two weeks.

oo7spy

Your lack of inexperience is a selling point. You should be mentioning that as much as possible.

Abe_Froman

iTrader: (5)

I don't know what you're talking about

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

keep it up... good luck...

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

I'll pray you get the job dude!

LaCostaRacer

Sounds like you had a good interview. The Salty Dog guy probably fears about being shown up by you if you get the job. You will work people like this going forward so you should get used to it.

As you know, experience is trumped by intelligence, hard work, reliability, and perseverance. You can have 20 years of experience that is really doing one task for 20 years- that is not the same as doing a bunch of tasks over a 20 year time. That's what experience is all about- being able to say you encountered a problem like that and how you solved it and what you learned.

While there's always a chance you won't get the job, from what I see you'll get a good job somewhere. Good luck!

oo7spy

I've seen many more people with experience get fired than I have new grads. The expectations are higher, and the responsibilities are too. Often, the person's experience either doesn't make them a good fit, or it molds them into a type of worker who doesn't fit well into the new role.

Abe_Froman

iTrader: (5)

Update: I woke up this morning basically accepting the fact that I probably wasn't in the running for this job anymore since it had been so long since my initial interview and they still hadn't contacted me. It turns out I was wrong. The recruiter called me and emailed me while I was on lunch to let me know that he wanted to set up the next interview in the process. I called him back within five minutes of missing his call and left him a voice message. I figured he would contact me by COB, but he didn't. I didn't feel like it would be wise to contact him twice and come across as annoying or pressed. Now I am stuck waiting until Monday.

I have to say that I really wasn't expecting there to be another interview. This must mean that it is very close between me and at least one other candidate.

Also, since the first interview, I have spoken with the guy that wasn't exactly the nicest to me on several occasions. One of those occasions was in his office where I asked him how he thought I performed, or if he could provide me with some constructive criticism. His exact word to describe my interview was "exceptional" - ultimate feel good amount for me right there.

So.... the real question is do I blow another grand on another Brooks Brothers suit?

NBP04TL4ME

The recruiting process is an unbelievably long process and communication of what is going on is absolutely a cluster fluck. In terms of your $1K suit, I would say no as I'm sure you will make good use of it whether you want to or not.

RenoTL

Good luck on this. To answer your question, "do I blow another grand on another Brooks Brothers suit?", I would agree that the answer is "No". No one is going to judge you for twice wearing the same nice suit you recently bought. Heck, I doubt that anyone would even notice! They'll notice if you are not well dressed but beyond that, no one cares that much.

NBP04TL4ME

Exactly - its highly unlikely anyone is going to remember and it's also unlikely you are going to interview with the same folks anyway.

Abe_Froman

iTrader: (5)

Just found out the interview is going to be with the boss of the hiring manager. It will be one-on-one with me and a VP in her office. Looks like I can rock the same suit though since it appears the hiring manager will not be there.


I never imagined interviewing with someone this high up, this early in my career. It is a little nerve racking.

oo7spy

Just wear/get a different shirt and tie.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

^^^ this...

Abe_Froman

iTrader: (5)

Update:

I ended up not landing this job due to my "lack of experience" even though I killed the interview according to the hiring manager. I was a little blown, but no big deal. I thought of it as a reach anyway.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when a coworker who knew I was going for the position found out I didn't get it and couldn't believe it. The guy was actually legit mad that the hiring manager didn't hire me over the girl she ended up hiring since he believed my skill set far exceeded hers. So he writes to me the next day saying a friend of his is hiring in the same department (Sales) for a position equal to the one I originally applied to, but with even higher pay. So he introduces me over coffee to her, I interview with three different people, and here I stand today with the offer in my hands.

This couldn't have worked out better. I haven't even been at the company for a year and I'm already making way more than I did when I started. I feel extremely blessed to be in the position that I am today. I'm a borderline workaholic, so receiving this offer meant the world to me. No better feeling than getting rewarded for the endless hours of hard work and going the extra mile for people.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in and gave advise!

Next Goal: Finish the remaining 2k on my student loans.

thoiboi

Congrats man!

Yeah everything happens for a reason, when one door closes, another one opens



use the signing bonus on your loans

Or return the pricey suits

NBP04TL4ME

Congrats to you!! Best of luck in the new role.

Abe_Froman

iTrader: (5)

3 Year Update:

Hey fellas,

It has been 3 long years since I created this thread and I've come to another critical decision that I must make. Before I go into that though, here are some updates:

• My student loans are all paid off
• I bought a house 1.5 years ago by myself (girlfriend lives with me and pays me rent)
• I'm still working at the same company
• I've been working a low paying weekend job for extra money in addition to my regular job

I am about to hit my 2 year anniversary in my current position next month, and to my surprise I have found out that my manager was working to promote me to a higher level at the 2 year mark. This will include a raise as well. I found this out a few days ago when I told my manager that I was offered an internal position with another department within the organization. My manager was shocked to hear that I was searching for a new job, but truth be told I was actually approached by the hiring manager about the position. I wasn't actually proactively looking for anything. My manager asked that I at least offer him the opportunity to beat the new salary I got offered, and I've done just that. He called HR yesterday and they said that they would not allow him to beat the salary I was offered, but would instead allow him to match it dollar for dollar. He has since sent me a handful of emails saying "don't go to the dark side", a plethora of other Star Wars quotes, invited me to an all expenses paid conference in New York with him, and even offered to hire my best friend from college on to the team if I stay. He has thrown the entire kitchen sink at me and then some.... I was dead set on taking the new job, but I can't help but feel guilty after seeing how hard my manager is trying to keep me. He even asked me for my girlfriend's phone number today because he wants to try and use her to convince me to stay. A little desperate, but I know the guy means well.

New job pros/cons:

• Hiring manager is a friend of a friend who I find to be a great guy based on my limited exposure to him
• The job requires performing a baseline job function (a lot less stressful in my opinion)
• The department isn't as prestigious as my current one
• I would learn the backend of the business well instead of being on the sourcing side
• Fear of the unknown

Current job pros/cons:

• My manager has proven that he sees me as far more than a coworker and genuinely has taken an interest in my success and future
• I don't have a baseline job function really. I'm constantly thrown whatever project our senior management wants to prioritize
• My work constantly gets very high exposure (both a bad and a good thing)
• I find the job to be very stressful at times due to the fact that I constantly need to find new ways of being creative

Salary/rank will be the exact same in both positions. It would make me a top 3% earner for my age nationally, so I can't negotiate very much. HR has made this very clear to me.

I have until Tuesday to make my decision and I'm basically 50/50 at this point. I should be happy to be in such a great position, but truthfully it has caused me a lot of anxiety. So, do I stay with my current manager who would do anything to keep me while working a job that I perceive to be more stressful and demanding? Or transition to a new job that will allow me to be more relaxed (in some cases lazy) for the same pay, less high level exposure, and a routine job function?

doopstr

Few things to consider. Which position eventually has the higher top line salary? Which job has the more valuable transferable skill, ie. if you get fired tomorrow where you going to work and for what $? A less stressful job is nice, it's one of my main requirements now, but you are young and hungry.

oo7spy