Have you ever refused job due to not liking interviewer?

[loadsoftwonk]

Had an interview today and was totally put off by the interviewer.

Have you ever gone against your gut by taking a job after not liking the person who would be your manager?

AIBU or should you always go with your gut. I didn't like the things she was spewing.

Oh yes completely

Yes I have. I just knew he was not someone I would get on with and I thought it was likely he would make a toxic work environment.

Yes I did. Two men, good cop, bad cop type thing. Bad cop horrible and smarmy. Trying to catch me out. Got vibes that he's a bully. When I gave feedback to recruitment company afterwards, I told recruiter that I could never work for that man, although I didn't know if he would have been the direct line manager.
It was a bg supermarket cháin and job sounded great but no way!
Definitely go with your gut. Or find out if you'd be working directly with that person.

Yes I turned down a job once because I tho I thought the interviewer (my manager) didn’t seem to be taking things very seriously! The agent was really annoyed with me but I’m still glad I said no. I couldn’t work in a job where my manager joked all the time.

I'm in the opposite situation - I didn't trust my instincts. I thought the interviewer was a bit of a weasel faced arsehole but liked the firms so went for it. Weasel faced arsehole turned out to be a real weasel faced arsehole. We clashed, I left, he got promoted (proving the peter principle). I am waiting for karma to come along and hit him on the bottom.

Trust your instincts.

Yes. I didn't like the interviewers, and they were woefully disorganised. Didn't want to work there.

I took a job when I didn’t like interviewer who would have been my manager. Big mistake. Trust your gut.

I swore I wouldn't take the job, circumstances changed and I had to take the job, been here 10 happy years!

Yes. I once had an interview for a PA role, the two women interviewing me were very nice but towards the end the person I would have been working for entered the room. He seemed perfectly pleasant but there was something I didn’t like about him. I turned the job down and later found out that his PA’s only stayed for around 6 months as he was so awful to work for.

Yes. I’ve left interviews and contacted the agency/ recruiter immediately to withdraw my application.

Interviews are a 2 way thing.

No but wish l had - l ignored my gut and he turned out to be the worst boss l have ever had

Oh definitely, four that I can think of.

Yes. Major City law firm. The interviewer had tiny clammy hands and asked me at length about my dad's job history 😳

Yes, once.
As I left the interview I was already planning my excuses.
I called as soon as I got home and said I'd accepted another offer.
All the wrong vibes, came across very weasel -y, if you know what I mean.
I could tell she didn't like me, though to be fair , it was clear she didn't care for the other staff either.

Ys, I've had this too. One interviewer was really nice, the other one was just smarmy. I think the best description of him would be a stereotypical nerd school kid aged 30 something always looking to put people down with his superiority. Heaven only knows why I took that job!

The other interviewer was so nice, but unfortunately wouldn't be my manager.

Absolutely. An interview is a two way process - too many people forget that the candidate is interviewing the organisation as much as they are interviewing the candidate. I always trust my gut, and have ended interviews when I just didn’t think it was a good fit for me for whatever reason.

I haven't but DH has. If the interviewer is going to be the manager then you've got to trust your gut. Anything that seems off at interview is likely to be 10x worse working for them.

Exactly what it felt like to me. She was trying to catch me out.

Criticising me and telling me how she worried I would not cope with abc!

Asking me pointless odd questions.

And more...urgh!

yes I have. went for a job that required 2 interviews. 1st interview was great. hr person and actual manger I would be working for. found both easy to talk to. questions and conversation flowed easily. was an hour and a half long came out feeling ecstatic. got call next day to say second interview in 2 weeks. this time was with department head and another manager no hr. God it was horrific. it was like the department mangerer had an air of arrogance over her and both were trying to catch me out completely. lots of smirking too. came out and actually cried in the car after. in meantime had gone for medical and provided reference before this horrific experience. I actually did get offered the job but on same day goy offered another job I had interviewed for (still the job I have today 😁) I turned it down and told the loverly hr girl who rang me and had been the person who interviewed me the 1st time exactly why and how horrific was my second interview. it actually felt like bullying. she did say so sorry to hear that etc but she was a bit slow to reply to me made me think that she knew what the manager was like. I know that they struggled to fill that role after and people didn't stay long in it

Yes, a few times. One bloke once sat picking bits of his lunch from his teeth when he interviewed me. Another time, the woman sat yawning. I pulled her up on that.

Haha what did you say to her @ThatAlbinoCat ?

@wexone what is it that they were trying to catch you out with?

I've never had that before. It was so annoying!

Yep.

Applied for a departmental transfer into an area I was interested in. Interview was awful. Panel chair rude (she’d have been my manager), silly things like moving the interview room to the other side of a massive office but not letting me know - and then being visibly cross that I’d sat in place I’d been told to wait for the interview etc.

Interview was odd so convinced I had no chance. Week later offered the post but I turned it down. I definitely felt I’d be jumping from the frying pan into the fire - and life’s too short.

Yes the interviewer was just so serious that I couldn't see myself having fun in that role. I need some personality even if it's a 'serious corporate role'.