Shannon in Kansas City YT: Shannon's Bible Study IG:@showmeshannon

What don’t you like about your job? Leans forward. 🤨

What don’t you like about your boss? Side eye. 😒

Why are you looking for a new job? Fake smile. ☺️

Job interviews are messy. Hiring managers are often more interested in hearing job drama stories than they are qualifications, skills, experience and education. I feel like the questions are invasive and cross polite and professional boundaries. They are plain nosy.

“Why do you want to work here?“😊

This question is stupid. It’s hard to answer stupid questions without coming across as sassy or confused. The answer is I saw an ad on the internet and filled out an application. They aren’t too far from my home and they are likely to offer a decent compensation package. It’s just that simple. I’m unsure what they want me to tell them.

“How do you handle a conflict with a co worker?”😊

This question is a set up and there is no good answer. It’s hard to answer this question because I generally get along with people. By get along I mean I don’t get into many arguments. At all. It’s not worth it and I refuse. At work I’m polite to others and I focus on my responsibilities. Interviewers are trying to get a story out of applicants when there likely isn’t a story to tell.

Sure, I have worked with people that weren’t my cup of tea. It’s not that much of a problem because I wasn’t that invested in anyone at the job. I wasn’t motivated by relationships with co workers good or bad. I was there to work. There were times I quit a job if it was a negative and hostile environment however there were other factors. After weighing the pros and cons it was better to leave the job because it wasn’t worth the work place dynamics. That’s fair.

HR managers know that people at work can be mean girls(and boys), snakes and creeps. That’s why there are mandatory meetings on sexual harassment and other HR matters. If there was a conflict it doesn’t benefit the applicant to discuss the matter because the hiring manager doesn’t know the other parties involved. It’s all going to reflect on the applicant in a negative way.

Gossip Mongers 👀😊

Privacy and discretion is important in a professional life. There is no way to tell a story about a conflict with a co worker, what you don’t like about your boss or work place without telling a negative story about them. They are asking you to gossip and spill the beans about your past or current employer. That’s messy as hell to me.

Even if I don’t like my job, co workers or supervisor I know them. I don’t know the interviewer. At that point the company I’m interviewing with hasn’t offered me on dime. My loyalty is to the place that offered me an opportunity and has paid me a check. It’s also not very professional to get dressed up and show up somewhere to talk crap about someone else or an organization. At times I think HR just want to gather information about other companies via interviews. I’m not going for it.

How often do you think it’s acceptable to call off work? 😊

Many years ago I went to an interview at Target and was asked this question. I rarely miss a day of work without scheduling it. I rarely missed school when I was growing up. It was a trick question that I really couldn’t answer based on my own experience. Situational questions are designed that way. The answers that the applicant gives can be applied any way the hiring managers want because the situations are hypothetical. It’s highly manipulative and a time wasting scam.

Situational job interview question are designed to get you to talk in a round about and vague way while the interviewer says next to nothing about the role, company or themselves. Then they leave it up to you to ask a bunch of questions about the role. Job titles are fairly straightforward and I read the job description when I applied. Companies can be researched on the internet and social media. I’m unsure what questions they want me to ask them that I can’t research for myself.

Hiring managers should discuss their personal expectations and values. They should discuss what a day is like in that role and what makes an applicant stand out. They should discuss my application, portfolio and resume as opposed to vague questions. I’m convinced most job interview are not serious and the job will be filled by a predetermined applicant. I also think interviews are set up as busy work for recruiters so they maintain employment.

I think job interviews are often a waste of time. They are messy, unprofessional, lazy and gossipy. I don’t believe companies are evaluating applicants based on professional qualifications or really trying to get to know an individual.

They’re intentions are questionable. I feel that way because they barely ask about experience and education as it applies to the job opening. That’s especially true when the interviewer seems disinterested or hostile throughout the interview. Hiring managers are agents of chaos and confusion.