There's an article in the DF about being nice to the receptionist at a job interview

[fancyginglass]

Some rubbish article in the DF today but it reminded me of a conversation I had with a summer student who came in to work. He was at Uni and had massive plans to be a high flyer but he told me his mum had told him that you have to be nice to everyone at an interview including the receptionist. I said to him why would you treat the receptionist any different - no one is any better than anyone else. What a self entitled little prat who actually gave up Uni a year later. Does someone actually need to be told this stuff?

[Pericombobulations]

I agree thats its easy for some to put an act on when being interviewed, my last co-worker was pleasant to everyone at their interview and got the job. I subsequently told they were known as the worst parent we had to deal with and shouldnt have even been interviewed. They became the worst co-worker I ever had, when they got their feet under the table and was condescending to everyone including our boss.

When we got lucky and they left, I helped with admin tests for the new candidates, the person who got the job was the only one who talked to me normally and asked if I enjoyed working there, whilst I didnt have final say, the fact that she was nice to me helped a lot.

We have cleaners who come in daily, and are lovely people, we are always chatty to them as fellow humans. They tell us that we are one of the few areas that treat them as equals, and others look through them. It means they always prioritise our rooms, and when given other areas to clean, always insist on keeping ours as well.

[WinterIsGone]

This reminds me of a story my mum told me, from when she worked in the civil service in London in the 1950s. She always seemed to work late, and got on really well with the cleaner. The cleaner's favourite member of staff was this awful bullying perfectionist boss who made everyone's life a misery.

One day, my mum asked her why she liked him so much. She said, because he always has an empty bin!

[heyfrog]

Some people do need telling. When I had a summer job at Debenhams one summer as a Uni student, a customer told her daughter in front of me that she needed to keep working hard at school or else she'd just end up working in a shop like me.

[OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow]

Told this before but an ex of a relative worked as a (niche, highly paid) contract engineer. He rocked up one day to Famous Private Bank, when they still had lift people. Lift guy and older gentleman in lift. He got in and was his usual arseholey self to the lift guy. Did a “blimey, you can’t get the staff” type comment to the older guy. Got to the floor where they both got out, the older guy went to reception and said “this is mr x, he was on a six month contract with us, but he now needs escorting off the premises. No one speaks to my staff like that.” Receptionist-“yes Mr Famous Private Bank” Oh and he never got another contract at any similar place.

[gingerwhinger0]

I’d be polite to a receptionist, or anyone else for that matter, but wouldn’t necessarily engage in small talk, unless I was in the mood or I thought the receptionist was going to be receptive to it.
Aside from autism, SA, or anything else some people get nervous in job interviews, so it’s unfair to judge someone as offhand when they may just be feeling anxious.
Lastly, it must be quite tedious for receptionists on the receiving end of all this forced small talk and I’m not sure it shows anything anyway, surely even the most obnoxious prick knows to be nice to EVERYONE in a job interview.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

I took something different from this. My DS has no diagnosis but is painfully shy and anxious, struggles to make eye contact/make polite conversation. He's not judging anyone, just trying to get through the day. However he is very intelligent, doing a masters in computing and is honest, diligent and hard working so would make an excellent employee, just not customer facing. He has a great sense of humour and is kind so once he settled in somewhere he would be a good colleague. But essentially this is saying that he'd not even get a chance because he wasn't smiley and chatty with the receptionist?

Can't be doing with rudeness and looking down on people, so that is something i'd be looking to probe during the interview rather than just writing someone off immediately.

[twoshedsjackson]

In my first teaching post, a wise senior colleague advised me, "Make friends with your cleaner; sooner or later you will need to apologize for something"
My experience was that ground staff responded well to being treated with respect and courtesy (what a surprise) and their willingness to cooperate could be a lifesaver.
Not long before my retirement, we had a good inspection (independent school) and it was decided that, instead of a conventional INSED day, fixed in the calendar from a year back, the Parents' Association would pay for a river trip (company running the jolly was an ex-pupil). What really impressed me was that the head insisted that the ground staff were part of the team who had brought in the glowing report, and they came along as well.
But I have encountered many pupils who couldn't see a problem in making extra work for mere cleaners, as PP has mentioned......

[EveryDayIsADuvetDay]

I once was employed as part of the senior management team of a regional office of a national organisation - about 50% of my work was with the region, 50% national office.
When delegating things to my team, I'd say talk to X/Y/Z at National Office - in a debrief part way through the project, my team members eventually piped up that National Office staff would't talk to/work with them if regional person was a lower grade.
"No" says me - everyone is really co-operative - one of my team explained that they were really cooperative with me, because I was a higher grade than they were .

Always super polite to everybody when I go for interviews - and utilise any chat with receptionist to find out what they think about the organisation and culture.

[FrancoBranco]

@OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow

Told this before but an ex of a relative worked as a (niche, highly paid) contract engineer. He rocked up one day to Famous Private Bank, when they still had lift people. Lift guy and older gentleman in lift. He got in and was his usual arseholey self to the lift guy. Did a “blimey, you can’t get the staff” type comment to the older guy. Got to the floor where they both got out, the older guy went to reception and said “this is mr x, he was on a six month contract with us, but he now needs escorting off the premises. No one speaks to my staff like that.” Receptionist-“yes Mr Famous Private Bank” Oh and he never got another contract at any similar place.

This gives me such warm fuzzy feelings! I love seeing people facing the consequences of their actions.

[ginghamtablecloths]

I've got a lovely old book called 'In Search of Charm' which gives advice on job interviews. 'Be ready to say 'good morning' (with a smile) to everyone, starting with the lift attendant and the person at the enquiry office or reception desk'. This holds good even today. If a person isn't polite then they probably aren't very nice to work with either. It may well seem 'old-school' but it still matters.

[Belledan1]

Where I work, when there is interviews support staff are asked to collect them at reception on the ground floor and take them up for interviews. We are then asked our opinion on how they speak and interacted with us. I totally agree if a person is nicer to you you will help them more. I find too the higher the status the politeor people are.

[Hawkins001]

first and foremost, I always try to aim to be polite as possible to anyone you meet, because its basic good manners.

then also from a strategy point of view, you never know if you will ever need them as part of your team, plus when you need to call in favors between departments, its better to earn your stars first, and do some goodwill then if you need any help with projects hopefully people will be more willing to help or assist where they can, instead of realizing if you had helped x then they may be more helpful with y.

[MitziK]

@WaxOnFeckOff

I took something different from this. My DS has no diagnosis but is painfully shy and anxious, struggles to make eye contact/make polite conversation. He's not judging anyone, just trying to get through the day. However he is very intelligent, doing a masters in computing and is honest, diligent and hard working so would make an excellent employee, just not customer facing. He has a great sense of humour and is kind so once he settled in somewhere he would be a good colleague. But essentially this is saying that he'd not even get a chance because he wasn't smiley and chatty with the receptionist?

Can't be doing with rudeness and looking down on people, so that is something i'd be looking to probe during the interview rather than just writing someone off immediately.

Most people can tell when somebody is shy and anxious, rather than aloof, rude or dismissive. Even 'mere' receptionists.

[UsernameRebooted]

@nosswith

I wonder if Michael Gove has read the article given that his wife works for the said publication?

Mind you, I would not be surprised if he treats everyone the same, rudely to everyone.

He isn't rude, he is efficient.
He grows on you
He talks time to speak to staff, he chats in the lift
He gets his own coffee (or used to ) and goes down to get his printing and lunch sometimes (or used to)
He is visible for the staff as a Minister (unlike many others)

[keeprocking]

Don't you love how all the sneerers of the Mail never fail to read it!! Typical MN hypocrisy.

[user1497787065]

I worked as a receptionist and my opinion was always considered very important. It is quite surprising the things candidates tell you. One man told me how often he had to call in sick because his son was ill! Not really the best thing to share.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

Most people can tell when somebody is shy and anxious, rather than aloof, rude or dismissive. Even 'mere' receptionists.



It can present in many ways and I'm aware it can come across rude as his face it pretty expressionless rather than looking particularly anxious.

I'm not dissing the power of receptionists here. My dad was a security guard and this often involved being on reception. My mum was a cleaner and also worked in staff canteens and I started work in the mail room of an office. i am well aware that anyone in any role deserves respect and that many very insightful and intelligent people work in these roles.

[Dastardlythefriendlymutt]

@Chemenger

When I worked on a chemical plant it was essential to get on well with the plant operators who actually ran the process. They could make a young engineer’s life very hard by subtle non-cooperation, which they were expert at. It was amazing to watch interns, who we had from a particular university every year, attempt to be superior to everyone on the plant, then wondering why they were having their not very well thought out instructions followed to the letter, when “it was obvious what they meant”. Now I teach student engineers and advise them strongly to treat everyone with respect.

Lol. Engineer here too and this is so accurate. Can always tell if someone will last by how they treat plant operators and general hands. Especially with certain processes where the intimate and hands on knowledge of a process and equipment is almost as important as the academic knowledge and an operator can really screw you over. I worked abroad after uni with several UK grads and you would be disappointed at how the combination of being a graduate, race and being from a first world country made some individuals treat operators as literal dirt and positively stupid. The attitude extended to other graduates as well. Suffice to say nothing ever worked right when said individuals where "in charge" nor did they learn much as what could a poor dumb operator possibly teach them about the process when they had their fancy degree from BIG university

[LivingOnAnIsland]

Don't you love how all the sneerers of the Mail never fail to read it!! Typical MN hypocrisy

My thoughts exactly!

[chomalungma]

I wonder if the Apprentice candidates ever talk to the 'receptionist' outside the boardroom

[Hawkins001]

Dastardlythefriendlymutt

I always say, books and knowledge as good as it may be can teach one thing, but if you want to know the processes and procedures and how the equipment actually functions , then always best to be taught by those on the front line so to speak. as yes some methods may be similar or the same as in textbooks, but its the situations or methods ect thats not in the textbooks that can certainly help and make a difference.

[Dastardlythefriendlymutt]

True @Hawkins001

And if you treat people like they are stupid they will act stupid when things break down or there are problems in the process and let you and you big shiny degree figure it out even though they know exactly how to fix it (even though they may not be sure why it works). In short, don't be a dick in life

[lalafafa]

Many years ago I went to look at a flat I wanted to rent, great area and price, newly refurbished. There was a long queue of people waiting to see it. When it was my turn I looked around all the rooms and had a chat with the bloke who was finishing things off, he was in scruffy looking clothes. I didn’t think I had a chance in hell of getting the flat as soon many people were interested. Had a call later saying I’d got it as I was the only person who had spoken nicely to the scruffy bloke, he was the landlord.

[IlovecatsyesIdo]

My DH knows a lovely man who works in a diy store (I’ll call him Jonah). Jonah has a second job as a cleaner at a hospital. From his diy store job he has got to know a customer who regularly comes in needing advice on what to buy for various diy projects. This man happens to be a consultant at the hospital he works at. When the consultant sees Jonah at the hospital he always stops to chat before he starts his ward round and his group of junior doctors all have to wait whilst their consultant is chatting to the ‘cleaner’.
A few of the doctor's just seem to stand there waiting in amazement. Although It has changed the way some of the other’s interact with Jonah, the ones that never acknowledged he even existed before.

[Frouby]

My DH is a builder/site manager, quite senior. He is nice to everyone, from canteen staff to labourers to crane drivers because when he needs a favour or bumping to the front of a queue for materials for instance, he usually gets it.

Years ago we set our ndn on as a labourer. He was an older guy for a labourer, fit as a butchers dog, looked like an old hippy, loads of tattoos, wore a bandana etc. He was spoken to like dog shit sometimes by uppity little site managers, other tradesmen, other labourers. He used to laugh at them. He's worth about 5 million quid, his parents are extremely wealthy, he had a private education, was offered a place at Cambridge and is one of the most intelligent, interesting people I know. He was only working for us for something to keep him busy, and only lived next door to us in an extremely modest terrace as he wanted a normal life.

I'm always nice to everyone I meet, could be my kids one day working in the coffee shop or JD Sports. Some people are just cunts.