To think this is a weird response to not giving someone a job

[LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet]

Had a Teams interview last week after being head hunted. I wasn’t looking for a job, I’m happily SE but I think it’s always good to keep a beady eye out for opportunities. So I agreed to an interview on the basis I would be absolutely if I didn’t get it and if nothing else it’s always good to have interview experience.

I’ve done some bad interviews in my life and some excellent interviews - this was definitely the latter. I was confident and showed my competency well, gave good answers and I could tell they were impressed with my range of experience. They mentioned how they’d been looking for someone for 2 months but just couldn’t find anyone who’d be the ‘ideal fit’ but were ‘excited’ about me.

I took some time and decided if I was offered the job I’d turn it down. I’m happy as I am and whilst the role was well paid it just didn’t excite me.

The Headhunter rang back today to say thank you for attending the interview, the panel were really impressed with my expertise and experience and said I came across well but they “didn’t see much of a personality” and therefore had no chemistry with me and they think it’s important in their workplace to have a team that will really ‘mesh well together’.

I mean, No skin off my nose, it saved me turning them down I suppose but AIBU to find that a weird reason not to recruit someone? Also, I do have a personality but I’m not going to crack jokes and talk about my personal opinions in a professional interview. It seems like they wanted a new mate in the office and I didn’t fit the bill 🤷‍♀️ has anyone else encountered this?

It's just as important to be a good fit in a team as it is to be experienced and competent, and it's good to see employers who understand that.

Was this your first interview in a while? I always ‘fail’ my first interview when job hunting. It’s just like the first pancake is a disaster but the rest in the batch are good.

I was once told I had no personality in an interview. I absolutely have, but the woman from hr was flirting with the other interviewer on the way from picking me up at reception to the interview room and they just ignored me. They were both awful, and it impacted on my performance as I had found them so rude.

Another job where they emphasised team fit excessively turned out to be the most dysfunctional team I have ever experienced and I was one of a rotating door of (mostly) woman who came, stayed a bare minimum and left. I should have read the warning signs.

None of it matters. You didn’t want them, they didn’t want you; result!

Further to my earlier post, I've just been scrolling through a thread about wfh, and the number of people who don't want to be interrupted, don't want to talk about anything other than work, and in fact don't seem to like other people very much highlights just how important "fitting in" is in a job.

I recently saw an job advertised on an industry facebook group. The 'official' ad opened with the company's diversity and inclusion statement; the facebook group blurb said 'ideally we're looking for someone who's a good fit, you know, likes Friday night drinks, happy to pull all-nighters with an up for it crowd.'

90% of the time 'fit' is code for 'people like us' - it is biased, often illegal or sexist and just a lot of bs for 'we want someone like us'.

So you dodged a bullet.

That's not 'fit' though. That's a competency around quick thinking, flexibility, prioritisation and ability to flex your style to that of your client.

@LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet
Well, you don't come across as bland to me. You sound like the type of person I'd like working with.

Sounds like that place wouldn't have been right for you. They could have found a polite way to put it, though - changing 'a personality' to 'your personality' would have made all the difference!

Two women!

They could have worded it nicer, but in think it's a very valid reason. Team 'fit' is important, the rare places where the whole team was really great, gelled etc was where they cared about this aspect

I think their feedback went beyond frank and into unkind territory tbh.

They could have said that someone else was a better fit, or that they wanted to see more enthusiasm. But to be so honest does make me wonder if you rubbed them up the wrong way somehow. Do you think your indifference to the job might have come across as a bit superior?

I was reading a blog from an interviewer who said they don’t like answers that are too rehearsed and will often have completely random questions to throw them interviewee off.

I think they said it in a rude way but I think this is what they probably meant.

I’m like you.
If you ask me a question I’ll give you an answer.
I’m not going to try and make a joke or suck up to you.

I think you need to be able to work with people you can gel with.
Your responses come across a bit sarcastic, but not in a good way IMO. Maybe that's the vibe they go.

Got!

Nooooooooo!

WTF is "sparkle" all about then?
Youthfulness, maybe?

For real 😱

In shocking news, it was revealed today that some people are able to conduct themselves quite differently in professional situations than they do on anonymous internet forums.

Experts are investigating this phenomenon, & there will be a live report in our 10pm bulletin.

@KettrickenSmiled that's why I said maybe that's the vibe they got.

Maybe you're right and she wasn't 'woman' enough, smiling and giggling.

Who knows.

What nonsense

More sparkle OP, what were you interviewing to be? a fucking fairy?
Absolute bollocks, never would a man be expected to have more sparkle, I think you dodged a bullet there. I bet you were too professional and they were worried you'd make them and their crappy team look bad- and then be after their jobs.

I’m a teacher in a good school in a popular area. When we recruit for our department the personality/fit thing is really important to us. It wouldn’t come out in the feedback but it absolutely would be a factor given that we have plenty of applicants who are well qualified and could do the job.

Was this your first interview in a while? I always ‘fail’ my first interview when job hunting.

It was.

In hindsight, I reckon I probably interview in a 2012 style when I should have interviewed in a 2022 style IYSWIM. It happens though when you haven’t done one in a while like you say!

In hindsight, I reckon I probably interview in a 2012 style when I should have interviewed in a 2022 style IYSWIM. It happens though when you haven’t done one in a while like you say!

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head here.

A few years ago, being funny, sarcastic or telling a joke in an interview would be an immediate no.

Now it’s all about zing and zaz and big personalities like some child’s TV show.

I don’t think so but who knows! I am confident and have been called arrogant before (I’ll say it again: men who are confident are only ever ‘confident’ never ‘arrogant).

🤣🤣🤣🤣

I’ve worked in a school in a non-teaching role and I have a suspicious feeling that this is why staff rooms can be so cliquey. That’s not a dig at you - but that’s just my experience of school working culture. some people were waaaaaay too close for comfort and things like affairs were absolutely rife. I remember teachers distinctly being recruited for wether or not they’d be good craic in the staff room rather than if they’d be someone that pupils could learn from.

They’ll be saying they want someone ‘bubbly’ next!