Consulting mom during a job interview

[snopes]

Comment: I have heard a couple of stories recently about a young woman who
is on a job interview, which is going very well. At the end of the
interview she is asked if she has any questions. She reaches into her bag,
and pulls out her open cell phone, which is clearly on speaker mode. She
says: "Mom, do you have any questions?" She does not get the job.

[missy_pooh_1997]

I actually read a report in our local paper that talked about this. they said it has to do with us being the kids of over acheiving baby boomers and them not preparing us for real life. there are report s of parents coming into the interview with the applicant and doing the actual negotiations.

They also had a story about 5-6 new employess taht all diasppeared for a week. HR called and left messages but none of them answered. When they all showed up on monday the boss demanded to know where they were. They were shocked to know that they didn't get spring break.

[hambubba]

Originally Posted by missy_pooh_1997

They also had a story about 5-6 new employess taht all diasppeared for a week. HR called and left messages but none of them answered. When they all showed up on monday the boss demanded to know where they were. They were shocked to know that they didn't get spring break.

OK, I HAVE to read this one! Link please?

[Wild Redhead]

I know a business owner that has on occasion had people answer their cell phones during interviews and one prospective employee was actually texting while interviewing. None of the above people were hired.

[lynnejanet]

I have a friend that I can envision doing this with her kids. She is the quintessential helicopter parent. Even worse, she tries to do it with my kids! My son and hers were on an extended trip for school (an enrichment opportunity). She called me twice to complain because my son's teacher had given him homework to do while he was away, and the teacher of the enrichment course he was inexpected him to do some homework as well. All of this took time away from my son's ability to socialize with her son! She wanted me to call both of them and complain, and insist that DS wouldn't do the homework so that he could spend time with her son.

She's got her son worked into a complete tizzy about high school. She wants my DS to go to the same HS as hers, but they come from different school boards. It's months away, so DS isn't really worrying about it, but he has no intention to go any where but the Catholic HS all his classmates are going to. My friend talks constantly about how bad HS was for her, and it ruined her life, and she doesn't want it to be like that for her son, and how the to boys HAVE TO go to the same school. Now she's pushing her son to go to the Catholic HS, to be with my son, while not-so-subtlely blaming us for him "having to" change schools.

She wonders why her kids have anxiety issues and aren't independent, and yet she doesn't really allow them any independence.

[KathyB]

An article by a CNN columnist on 10 dumbest job-interview moves elicited a ton of comments. This one is close to snopes post

She brought her mother to the interview. While he [sic] mom didn’t speak at all she did scribble notes and pass them to her daughter…tips on questions to ask or responses. The girl would be asked a question, pause to wait for her mother to scribble a though and pass it to her, read it, then answer the question.

[Troberg]

One thing to keep in mind is that sometimes people fail interviews on purpose.

A friend of mine was currently unemployed and had two jobs lined up, one good one which he really wanted and one crappy one in a crappy town with a crappy pay. Both jobs were more or less his for the taking, as they were desperate for someone with his skills, but the problem was that the final decision point for the bad job was a week earlier than for the good job.

As he would lose unemployment benefits (not only for this week, but possibly in the future as well) if he didn't take the first job offered, he failed that interview on purpose. He actually wanted me to fake a previous employer and give him a really crappy reference as well, but I turned it down, fun as it might have been.

In other words, it might not be stupid people, it might be planned to look stupid for a purpose, or possibly both at the same time.

Originally Posted by missy_pooh_1997

They also had a story about 5-6 new employess taht all diasppeared for a week. HR called and left messages but none of them answered. When they all showed up on monday the boss demanded to know where they were. They were shocked to know that they didn't get spring break.

I wonder how they determined which week spring break supposedly was. Every different school I went to had a different time for spring break ranging from early March to mid-April.

[Friends of Alfred]

True story. I work in exec search, and I had a candidate send me his CV in relatiion to a role I was advertising. I called him to discuss it, and he passed the phone to his wife. The wife did all the Q&A. Okaaaaaay, I thought, but gave him the benefit of the doubt. I arranged (with his wife of course) for this guy to come in a see me. Couple of days later he turns up at my office, with, you've guessed it, the wife in tow. She sat in on the meeting and answered at least 2 out of every 3 of my questions. It was such a weird situation that I just went with it for 30 minutes, and then let them go.

I never did put him forward for a role. Funny eh?

I wonder what would have happened if you'd offered the job to his wife after she answered all the questions.

[Tarquin Farquart]

Originally Posted by Troberg

One thing to keep in mind is that sometimes people fail interviews on purpose.

That's true, but I wanted to fail an interview on purpose, I'd want to fail it better than that.

[Friends of Alfred]

Originally Posted by Class Bravo

I wonder what would have happened if you'd offered the job to his wife after she answered all the questions.

Problem was, she had no experience.

So I take it you're not one of the employers being referred to in this thread.

[Friends of Alfred]

Originally Posted by Class Bravo

So I take it you're not one of the employers being referred to in this thread.

I'm not an employer at all, but yes, I do put people up for roles where 3 to 6 interviews may be required, along with testing etc. It's very much a feature of the industry at a senior level that candidates demonstrate a range of skills, from technical to soft.

Took me 5 interviews and a weekend away on the beer to get my job!

[Zachary Fizz]

I interviewed a guy not long ago and when I asked "How do you feel about working long hours, and weekends?" he said "I don't want to do that! I want to go out in the evenings, and to go surfing at the weekends". When I asked if he had any questions, he asked if we could go for a few beers.

He starts in a couple of weeks. I think he'll fit in just fine.

My boss asked a candidate recently "Do you like criticism?"
She answered of course, that she doesn't like it.

I tried to explain to my boss the difference between "how do you take criticism" and "Do you LIKE criticism."

[Errata]

Originally Posted by Class Bravo

I wonder how they determined which week spring break supposedly was. Every different school I went to had a different time for spring break ranging from early March to mid-April.

I was thinking the same thing. Thats the thing that most cries out urban legend about it, and why a cite would be good.

Then again, if it were real, the kids probably all went to the same local college anyway and didn't have much perspective on how things work in the wider world. People have been known to believe in stranger things. *cough*bible*cough*