Hand hold

[Bloodyhadenough]

Sorry in advance for the long post. I had an interview yesterday where I was given a brief including a presentation. I was told to give a presentation on the company, who the stakeholders would be and that I had to explain what the company did and how they delivered value.

After a 15 minute presentation where they said nothing and looked increasingly bored one of them shouted at me and said I'd got it all wrong and didn't ask questions to understand them and that I had simply just gone into the presentation.

The brief said that the first 15-20 minutes would be for the presentation and the remaining 30 minutes would be for questions and negotiations. Instead they lambasted me on getting it wrong and how I should have approached it completely differently but they did say my presentation was done well and contained more information than what their own staff would do.

I am increasingly wondering what the hell I'm doing wrong and am kicking myself that I assumed that they would interact with me in the role play, as it is just that and not a real life scenario where I would have done more research as I would have know who the customer was.

Prepared for people to tell me just to suck it up or that I did wrong and shouldn't assume but just needed to put it out there.

Sounds weird and not like a company you'd want to work for anyway.

Good god. If I was invited to an interview where they asked for this I would have absolutely no clue!

If they were such arses in the interview though - would you really want to work for them?

Thank you for your responses. I absolutely am open to feedback and don't by any means think I'm perfect. I spent the last 4 days researching and bringing together a presentation and to have it thrown back in my face was quite a shock. It just all feels like a waste of time.

Be glad you are not going to work for them. What grim people, interviews should be conducted with more respect for the applicant.

Was this a deliberate stunt to get you upset and see what your reaction would be?
Whatever was going on - do you really want to work in a company that behaved like that?

@Namethatuser I honestly have no idea. I've never had someone act that aggressively towards me in an interview. I did say that I made some assumptions before the presentation but this seemed to go out the window. I think I genuinely upset them but would have appreciated the feedback in a more professional manner.

If I'm honest I feel like I'm in a revolving door with interviews and whilst I'm grateful I'm getting them I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever find an actual job.

I work in a sector where temporary contracts are very common. So I've done my fair share of interviews! I honestly think that an interview is a chance to see what you think of the company /organisation and who you will be working with. So actually this has been helpful as it doesn't sound pleasant.

Years ago I worked for an awful bully of a manager. The signs were there at interview and I ignored them. I was young and had little experience. But now I'm always super aware of how people come across at interview.

Sorry you had this experience but honestly they've done you a favour.

[quote Bloodyhadenough]@Namethatuser I honestly have no idea. I've never had someone act that aggressively towards me in an interview. I did say that I made some assumptions before the presentation but this seemed to go out the window. I think I genuinely upset them but would have appreciated the feedback in a more professional manner.

If I'm honest I feel like I'm in a revolving door with interviews and whilst I'm grateful I'm getting them I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever find an actual job. [/quote]
I know it's frustrating but you do have to maintain your sense of self worth. I was interviewed years ago by an aggressive twat - at the time I felt crap about how poorly I performed but I know it was a lucky escape. It's good that you are getting interviews - are you getting feedback?

@namethatuser Thanks for the encouragement. I really appreciate it. Some companies give feedback but some simply just don't speak to you again even though they said they'd contact you. I've had job hunting period before but have to admit this has been the toughest.

[quote Bloodyhadenough]@namethatuser Thanks for the encouragement. I really appreciate it. Some companies give feedback but some simply just don't speak to you again even though they said they'd contact you. I've had job hunting period before but have to admit this has been the toughest. [/quote]
We would love to give the unsuccessful people we interview more detailed feedback - but there is so much fear that the wrong thing will be said and legal action will be taken, so we say as little as possible, whilst still trying to be helpful - it's safer and cheaper to say nothing at all - it's not ideal though but it is what comes out of this increasingly litigious culture.

That sounds weird. If I was told I would need to make a presentation, I would prepare a presentation and then present it when asked, wouldn’t occur to me that they want me to ask questions as that is not how presentations usually work. And I have never heard of anyone getting aggressive or telling off an interviewee before. I would be glad to have got the measure of them at this stage.

@Aprilx I wish I'd never had it happen to me. Anytime I've done a presentation for a company in sales they have owned the process and sometimes asked questions throughout the presentation (presumably to test me) or ask questions at the end. I expect to be out through a troublesome customer scenario but they didn't do that and instead started to critique me and then the most senior interviewer started saying how frustrated he was and that's when the shouting started. I was so taken aback and I obviously couldn't stop the interview there and then so I had to just politely accept the feedback and try to interject with an explanation whenever given the opportunity to do so. Luckily they cut the call early so I could leave the very uncomfortable situation.

@Namethatuser

Was this a deliberate stunt to get you upset and see what your reaction would be? Whatever was going on - do you really want to work in a company that behaved like that?

Does sound like that, doesn't it? Whether or not that's the case, those people at that company doesn't sound like a place I'd actually want to work with/for.

Also, hope they no longer have access to your presentation... 🌹

[quote Bloodyhadenough]@Aprilx I wish I'd never had it happen to me. Anytime I've done a presentation for a company in sales they have owned the process and sometimes asked questions throughout the presentation (presumably to test me) or ask questions at the end. I expect to be out through a troublesome customer scenario but they didn't do that and instead started to critique me and then the most senior interviewer started saying how frustrated he was and that's when the shouting started. I was so taken aback and I obviously couldn't stop the interview there and then so I had to just politely accept the feedback and try to interject with an explanation whenever given the opportunity to do so. Luckily they cut the call early so I could leave the very uncomfortable situation. [/quote]
I think in future if this happens again = hopefully unlikely - you should stop the interview and tell them why and leave - no one should have to put up with being shouted at.