What's the most annoying part of the hiring process?

Sgt Adrian Jones — Thu, 17 May 2018 08:08:54 -0400

I recently applied for a position with Pratt and Whitney, the recruiter call me a few days back asking a few first round interview questions to pass on to the Hiring Manager. The recruiter was really impressed by my prior experience mainly military and would be passing it on the Hiring Manager. The worst part of this whole process for me is waiting, you would think hurry up and wait as a Marine would be no big deal. It use to be the anticipation of the first interview, but I have since became very confident before and during interviews. What aspects of this process does everyone find annoying?

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made May 17 at 2018 8:26 AM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 17 May 2018 08:26:40 -0400

Hiring in the private sector is a confusing, complex and usually inefficient process at best. The larger the company, the more frustration.

If you make it to the in-person interview, you've got a great (probably excellent) chance of landing the job. In general, hiring managers are looking for three things: First, does the applicant meet/exceed all the pre-requisites? Second, does the applicant perform well in the interview (knowledge of core competencies, company background/market, professionalism). Finally, they're looking for the candidate who brings the most to the table for the least cost...sad, but true. If you're the best applicant in there all day, and your next runner up suggests a lower compensation package...they might go with Mr. Mediocre. That's not always the case...but this is one factor influencing current legislation on prior salary disclosures.

I hope you get the job if it speaks to you...but here's a free inside "tip" on the turbine market: Consider putting in with Mitsubishi...read up on what's going on in the gas turbine market today and it might change your POV.

Good Luck and Best Wishes.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made May 17 at 2018 8:29 AM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Thu, 17 May 2018 08:29:45 -0400

You know, before my total perm disability, omtried to figure that out for a really, really, really long time, and I never managed to get anywhere with it...honestly, beyond HR types runningntyhe whole thing, without a technical clue in the world, other than checking to see if someone fit all the stereotypical personality checkmark blocks, or looking for some abstract set of cue words on a resume, I quite honestly don't have a clue...if any of you ever manage to figure it out, I'd obviously love to know, God knows, I never managed to figure it out, and Iminterviewed for everything that walks, crawls, talks, and flies...colleges, ROTC USAF OTS, grad school, companies, even if I got it right I inevitably got it wrong...after awhile, honest to God, it was kind of like Ernie, meenie, minie, moe, you know? I've been pestered during winter views being moral dilemma questions for osteopathic med schools...I've thought I was with he right recruiter for USAF OTS, when he'd pointed me to the right one, I said, nah, I'm fine, like a pluperfect idiot, causing nonend of heartache, aggravation, and winding up where I'd never expected...trust !e, of been around just about every bureaucratic block this planet has to offer, and gotten just about nowhere, so if any of you manage to figure it out, let me know, I'd love to hear it, honest....

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 17 at 2018 8:32 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 17 May 2018 08:32:42 -0400

Waiting is definitely the worst part. And people not calling you back when they say they'll call you back.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made May 17 at 2018 8:38 AM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Thu, 17 May 2018 08:38:13 -0400

Basically, also, it amounts to this...you can be the brightest human on the planet, that's not enough...you can recite encyclopedically everything technical someone expects to hear, that's not enough, you can rehearse till you're blue in the face, that's not enough...quite frankly, I quite honestlymdont think anything is ever enough, you know?

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made May 17 at 2018 8:39 AM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Thu, 17 May 2018 08:39:20 -0400

Trust !e, been there, done that (BTDT), honest....

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made May 17 at 2018 8:48 AM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Thu, 17 May 2018 08:48:50 -0400

The waiting after submitting your resume and if selected waiting for the interviews. The wondering on how your military career will affect the selection process. The negotiation process, if there is such a thing anymore. My current job was "take it or leave it, " no benefit or salary negotiation. The worst thing was the PTO situation. It didn't matter that I was providing them 20 years of experience, I was a new employee at the company and as such I started at the bottom - no questions asked, no negotiation.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made May 17 at 2018 9:30 AM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 17 May 2018 09:30:51 -0400

The Qualifications of the position, even internal to my company people will say "Bill is not qualified to manage this project" Really? I have managed over 50 projects worth more than $150M and hordes of profit, everything from design, maintenance, construction, planning ect... I have the highest customer service rating in the company (DoD uses a system called CPARS) and normally the person on the phone that states that is someone who has had a project that miserably failed but they are a GIS, Hospital, Prison, ect.. expert. All the quals but suck at managing people of projects. Sorry this set something off in me today.

Response by PVT Mark Brown made May 17 at 2018 11:37 AM

PVT Mark Brown — Thu, 17 May 2018 11:37:08 -0400

Easy, not getting the job!!!!

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 17 at 2018 12:31 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 17 May 2018 12:31:00 -0400

Sgt Adrian Jones - The Interview- Be mindful of the Interview Process and whom will be in the interview.

Response by SSgt Boyd Herrst made May 17 at 2018 12:41 PM

SSgt Boyd Herrst — Thu, 17 May 2018 12:41:50 -0400

I think it’s waiting to be called... it would be courteous of them to give you a possible time span they would or may contact you.... then there is the ‘waiting for the watched pot to boil’ sitrep.. they maybe gave you a time span and your
Now antsy waiting... and have been there..
A lot have! Give them a wide berth and go do s’thing... it never seems to fail that when waiting on s’thing specific and you go do s’thing to take your mind off what you were waiting for, that letter, phone call will come..

Response by SSgt Boyd Herrst made May 17 at 2018 2:18 PM

SSgt Boyd Herrst — Thu, 17 May 2018 14:18:45 -0400

I went to a class before I left the AF that a
Human Resources management member had presented.. there were 10 of us In that group... the group had been 20. She divided us by half and scheduled the first 10 for one date and the next for another ..
when we got there .. we were divided again.. admins on one side and trade skills on the other.. another HR mgt team mbr took us to another room.. I was a trade skill person.. Cheffing and running a team of other Team members ... most. Admin I’d do is ordering for the menu, duty assignments for the day of those scheduled to work... coordinate with mgt
what kind of specials would be best for the price: as an exple, Loin of Beef is going for $4.99 lb. the tenderloin is $6.99 per lb. so buy the whole loins
@ $4.99 lb. cut out the tenderloins needed and do two specials. Add in house costs(what it takes to operate the
Establish; pay employees, utilities, etc.,..
That’d be a percentage of total of that.
Prep costs: how prepared(any special
Prep; marinade(cost of ingredients) labor involved, time, .. anyway by time e’thing is figured.. add 20% to cost of that loin and tenderloin.. As Chef or their Assistant I would get maybe the cook staff employee that doesn’t make much to do the basic labor..and set a estimated time in production book to have the project finished. There are some actual production jobs I would have to be right on top of: doing myself.. being involved with other team mbrs doing their projects.
So mine is a mix of admin and skill of preparation of items.. like a Mechanic putting together their part and/ or affixation To the main item.. whatever
May be. So that person layer out what key points I needed to emphasize in my resume.. I’m not a overly into fancy
Cook’g, preparation.. ice carv’g.. my Main goal is get that product out to the guest(s) and that if tastes as good as it looks.. I can do some nice garnished items
But what I do is not centered on ‘garnish’
But on the entree itself.. a nice side Veg,
And a nice side of potato, rice, pasta.. sometimes just a basic stem of Italian parsley and a carrot curl .. a dribble of hunter sauce around the edge of the plate
and a small side of it in a little dish or pitcher.. stacking stuff like tall towers is not my forte.. lean’g a few pieces of meat.. (coins of tenderloin sitting on a pool of hunter sauce). Not overly elaborate.. some people want their food hot and NOT played with ! When at Mtn Jack’s.. the broccoli/carrot veg combo was as much garnish as the parsley the server added .. another note: When setting up the prime rib open face sandwich.. I toasted the sourdough bread then place the P.R. On it and added the Aux jus. Some wanted more aus jus on the side.. No wimpy fries on those.. but not too crisp unless asked for.. Redskins usually on the main entree .. or baked
Potato.. some items had A rice pilaf or pasta.. when work’g the window (on the line or out where the servers picked up and delivered .. check against the ticket
Make sure what’s on plate is on ticket..
It’s a doublecheck .. Have had orders come out and if I thought there was not enough aus jus, I’d ask for a small side to send with.. that saves the server coming back for more..
I went to different shows where all kinds of garnishes and side dishes are displayed.. I come from “ keep it simple or face frustration”. I don’t have time to play games with people’s food.. making towers and such.. get it done and get it to them hot !(within reason). I got off track.. I look for a job that offers good stuff and I don’t want do a song and dance , to negotiate .. go in and it be laid out.. what they have. Some take time to earn: like profit-share.. ( if it was a big enough check . I took it in Uniform items.. (no taxes on uniforms through the co. Not available in all states) if I don’t like I go somewhere else.. I tried to stay as long as possible if job , pay and benefits are good.. got to through and polish up the resume occasionally anyway .. So that HR person helped me pretty good.. I had my notes... made up a sample and showed him and he said I was ready to roll..

Response by Steven Wettstein made May 17 at 2018 2:41 PM

Steven Wettstein — Thu, 17 May 2018 14:41:02 -0400

As a civilian recruiter, I completely understand where a lot of of you are coming from in your frustrations but I wanted to chime in and try to help explain things from a "behind the scenes" perspective. Sometimes a lot of reasons why things are delayed in recruiting, (from my experience) is because because of things that are outside of my realm of control. It could be because the hiring manager (s) didn't yet provided times they're available to conduct interviews, finance might have their hand in things and determining whether or not there's actually the budget for the position, there's potentially an internal individual the team is considering for the role as well, the position might have had hundreds of applicants, etc. Offer processes can sometimes take a little longer because there's a lot of approvals that go into an official offer letter being generated and a lot of steps to actually get things in the hands of the candidate.

I would agree though that the waiting is the most difficult part because you're on pins and needles excited and hoping to hear back.

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made May 17 at 2018 4:06 PM

CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 17 May 2018 16:06:20 -0400

The courtesy calls that never come, letting you know you were not selected due to keen competition.

Response by Maj John Bell made May 17 at 2018 5:42 PM

Maj John Bell — Thu, 17 May 2018 17:42:01 -0400

Gaming silly interview questions:
-Tell me about a personal flaw
-What type of leader annoys you the most?
etc. etc. etc.

Response by Capt Brandon Charters made May 17 at 2018 5:52 PM

Capt Brandon Charters — Thu, 17 May 2018 17:52:33 -0400

One of the hardest things for me was not ever hearing any feedback from a recruiter. I had several great phone calls or in-person interviews and was sometimes left in the dark indefinitely. As a transitioning service member, I really was desperate for any information (positive or negative) that would help me better prepare for the next interview.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made May 17 at 2018 6:03 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Thu, 17 May 2018 18:03:02 -0400

I suppose that I went through more interviews than most because I worked on short term contracts. The selection process was identical to the hiring process. Obviously, I got used to it. Too used to it and found myself interviewing the interviewers. The worst part was selecting from multiple offers. Generally, I had repeat business with those I accepted and never heard again from those I walked away from. Had to choose carefully.

Response by SPC Chelsea Fernandez made May 18 at 2018 2:32 PM

SPC Chelsea Fernandez — Fri, 18 May 2018 14:32:12 -0400

Asking crazy questions regarding military service

Response by Ciji Gardner made Sep 24 at 2018 8:44 PM

Ciji Gardner — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 20:44:09 -0400

Great point. Where did you land?

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Jun 22 at 2021 8:55 AM

SFC Michael Hasbun — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 08:55:20 -0400

The artificial nature of the hiring interview process.
You have to pretend to naturally give answers from a script, they have to pretend they aren't expecting scripted answers, you both have to pretend the company is a magical utopia with unicorns and puppies that you've been dreaming of working at since you were 5 years old, and everyone needs to pretend there's anything more than "I need money, you need employees".