Interviewing tidbit
"On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate yourself in..."
This is a question I was asked in a phone interview several weeks ago. The interviewer wanted to know about my skills in C#. I consider my C# skills to be above average. Perhaps not as fresh as if I had coded something yesterday, but still pretty good, and something I could easily review given a day or two. I had explained this in the conversation about one paragraph before, and the interviewer seemed very excited about my abilities. Assuming a 5 would be "average" because it was in the middle of the range offered, I said "I think I'm a 6." Immediately, all enthusiasm left the man's voice. "Really? A six?" He almost sounded desperate. I was very confused at this (to me) bipolar reaction, but confirmed my analysis. "Oh..." We talked a short bit longer and he wrapped things up, recommending that I send my updated resume, and he'd let me know on Monday how things went.
The interviewer did not work for the company with the job opening directly, but his company had been hired to find the right candidate. On Monday, my fears were confirmed by an email, saying that he had decided it best to "pass on this opportunity."
I told this story to someone at the Pima County One Stop Career Center. After hearing my story, she explained that if you are serious about getting the job, never give a number below an 8. Ever.
I can understand that if you relate the scale to grades. In that case, an average would be a "C", or a 70%. So if a 7 was average, then I MEANT to say 8. Above average. I had explained this in words very well to my interviewer, but in the end my description meant nothing. The number was everything.
If the number is everything, why didn't the interviewer give me a reference for where "average" should have been on his scale? People complain about job seekers who perform badly at interviews, but I would be tempted to say that this mistake was the interviewer's fault.
This is a question I was asked in a phone interview several weeks ago. The interviewer wanted to know about my skills in C#. I consider my C# skills to be above average. Perhaps not as fresh as if I had coded something yesterday, but still pretty good, and something I could easily review given a day or two. I had explained this in the conversation about one paragraph before, and the interviewer seemed very excited about my abilities. Assuming a 5 would be "average" because it was in the middle of the range offered, I said "I think I'm a 6." Immediately, all enthusiasm left the man's voice. "Really? A six?" He almost sounded desperate. I was very confused at this (to me) bipolar reaction, but confirmed my analysis. "Oh..." We talked a short bit longer and he wrapped things up, recommending that I send my updated resume, and he'd let me know on Monday how things went.
The interviewer did not work for the company with the job opening directly, but his company had been hired to find the right candidate. On Monday, my fears were confirmed by an email, saying that he had decided it best to "pass on this opportunity."
I told this story to someone at the Pima County One Stop Career Center. After hearing my story, she explained that if you are serious about getting the job, never give a number below an 8. Ever.
I can understand that if you relate the scale to grades. In that case, an average would be a "C", or a 70%. So if a 7 was average, then I MEANT to say 8. Above average. I had explained this in words very well to my interviewer, but in the end my description meant nothing. The number was everything.
If the number is everything, why didn't the interviewer give me a reference for where "average" should have been on his scale? People complain about job seekers who perform badly at interviews, but I would be tempted to say that this mistake was the interviewer's fault.