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"But I have an interview" or one of the oddest job applicants you'll ever see

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  • "But I have an interview" or one of the oddest job applicants you'll ever see

    This happened at my last job at the cell phone store. One day at about 12:45 PM a very well dressed woman with a folder in her hand walks in and tells me she's here for a job interview at 1 PM.

    There are two problems with this:

    1) We weren't conducting interviews at the moment
    2) We weren't even hiring!

    At least as far as I knew, but it's possible manager J could have set something up without me knowing so I went back to fetch him. After that, things got really interesting.

    J = manager
    OW = Odd woman

    J: Hi there, I'm J the manager here and you are?
    OW: Odd woman.
    J: Nice to meet you now my coworker tells me you're here for a job interview?
    OW: Yes, for 1 PM
    J: Well there seems to be a problem here as we don't have any interviews scheduled for today. We don't even have any positions at the moment. Are you sure you're in the right place?
    OW: I'm positive. I got a message on my voicemail that told me to be here at 1 PM for a job interview.

    J and I exchange glances.

    J: Do you still have that message by any chance?
    OW: Yes, I do.

    She whips out a Smartphone and plays a recording of a male who is definitely not J, with this message: "Hi this message is for OW, I'm calling on behalf of <our company>, we're very impressed with your qualifications and would like you to come in for an interview this Thursday at 1 PM."

    A few things about this message immediately jump out at us:

    1) The voice isn't J and he's the only who does hiring for our store
    2) The person who left the message left no name or contact info, pretty odd for someone courting a job applicant.
    3) I know how J hires and he always makes personal contact with an applicant before setting an interview time (i.e. he speaks to them first, he would never leave a voicemail telling someone to come in for an interview)

    J: I'm not quite sure what to tell you ma'am, but you've been misled somewhere along the line. I'm the only one who does hiring for <our store> and that was obviously not my voice on your message. I always leave a call back number too, that person didn't.
    OW: Well maybe it was someone from your corporate HR then.
    J: I don't see how that could be, no one from corporate HR has access to the job applications we keep on file here and like I just said I'm the only one who handles hiring at this location.
    OW: Are you calling me a liar?
    J: Well no, I'm saying there's obviously some confusion here. That message doesn't sound like it was anyone from our company and we aren't doing interviews right now, we aren't even hiring at the moment.
    OW: So I got all dressed up and prepared and drove all the way down here and now you won't interview me? That's ridiculous.
    J: Ma'am there never was an interview. I highly doubt someone from our company left you that message...say, can you give me the number it came from? I can check to see it if actually was one of ours."
    OW: The number it came from is not important. What's important is I came here, resumes, reference sheets and portfolio in hand, fully prepared to discuss how well qualified I am to work here.
    J: And I apologize for any confusion but you came down here for nothing. I don't know where that message came from but we are NOT hiring right now.
    OW: You won't even consider me?
    J: Ma'am, we barely have enough money coming in to keep the staff I have paid, I can assure you we are in no position to take on anyone else right now. I apologize again but there's nothing I can do for you.
    OW: I can't believe I came all this way and did all that work for nothing.... (leaves)



    After that J and I spent a good 20 minutes discussing just what the hell that was all about. The only thing we could come up with is she's either mentally unstable or she was just someone who used a very bizarre method to try to get an on the spot interview by way of confusion and misrepresentation.

    That was quite an interesting afternoon.
    Last edited by CrazedClerkthe2nd; 08-11-2010, 05:14 AM.
    "If we refund your money, give you a free replacement and shoot the manager, then will you be happy?" - sign seen in a restaurant

  • #2
    Well, there's also number three... one of her so-called 'friends' is messing with her, getting her hopes up only to cause trouble at your store when you quite rightly say 'interview? What interview?'

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    • #3
      No, I'm pretty sure this was a gambit to get her an interview by playing up the confusion and/or pity factor. She's relying on either sneaking in on the confusion factor that happens at many big companies, or else for you to feel sorry for the fact that she got tricked. If she gets the interview, not only does she get to make her case for employment, but she leaves you with a memorable experience to keep her in mind.

      I bet the number on the message would have actually been one of hers. Likely, it was on her application, which would explain why she was reluctant to give the number to you. An interesting way to try to jump ahead of the application process, but very underhanded. I wouldn't want to work with someone who thought such tactics were kosher. Lord knows what she would pull to get ahead once hired!
      The Rich keep getting richer because they keep doing what it was that made them rich. Ditto the Poor.
      "Hy kan tell dey is schmot qvestions, dey is makink my head hurt."
      Hoc spatio locantur.

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      • #4
        Between her entitlement attitude (wahh! I demand you interview me RIGHT NOW for a position that doesn't exist!) and refusing to give out what number she was supposedly contacted from, I agree with Geek King. Sleazy underhanded line-cutting tactic.

        Actually this reminds me of something that happened to me. Last summer I had applied for an internship, and I got a callback. But the number turned out to be wrong. Thinking I had misdialed, I called a second time, got the same person. I probed a bit, turned out it was some obscure government office. The lady had no idea of any internship. Both times I called I was polite, never demanded an interview. But much to my annoyance, I was never able to get in touch with the internship place, despite several inquiries and emails.
        Happiness is the exercise of vital powers along lines of excellence in a life affording you scope.

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        • #5
          Quoth Geek King View Post
          I bet the number on the message would have actually been one of hers. Likely, it was on her application, which would explain why she was reluctant to give the number to you. An interesting way to try to jump ahead of the application process, but very underhanded. I wouldn't want to work with someone who thought such tactics were kosher. Lord knows what she would pull to get ahead once hired!
          This is one of the things (almost word for word) that J and I talked about after she left. Using tactics like that, no matter how creative, would make it less likely we'd hire you.
          "If we refund your money, give you a free replacement and shoot the manager, then will you be happy?" - sign seen in a restaurant

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          • #6
            She brought a portfolio? Resume and references I can understand, but what kind of job would one be applying for at a cell phone store that would require a portfolio?
            Random Doctor Who quote:
            "I'm sorry about your coccyx, too, Miss Grant."

            I has a gallery: deviantART gallery.
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            • #7
              I bet there would be sales places that would hire somebody who would do that, if only because they might be able to trick customers into buying more then they want.

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              • #8
                Could have been a prank someone pulled on her (I hesitate to call someone a "friend" if they did that to her). Then again, you've probably seen stories on other sites about people who use crazy tactics to get interviewed. Sometimes they work, but I bet more often they just annoy the hell out of the hiring managers!

                You'd think a person would at least make sure to find a place that actually is hiring before pulling a stunt like that.
                When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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                • #9
                  The fact that she refused to say where the call was from really makes me lean away from the prank call angle. That was my first thought too, but if she's hiding the number she was involved - just found a flaw in her otherwise perfect plan of guilting them into giving her a job.

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                  • #10
                    Especially the "All the work I did" line she said...like she did all that work of having that message recorded and coming in to confuse you.

                    I feel bad if this is truly an honest attempt from being misled/confused herself, but attempting to mislead or confuse the company that would be hiring you is simply wrong.
                    Oh wook at teh widdle babeh dwaggin! How cyuuute babeh dwag-AAAAAAAUUUGGGHHHH! *nom*
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