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I had a job interivew today which included the VP of the company that talked on and on for an hour and 20 mins about everything under the sun starting with the entire history of the company, through every product line, business matrix, missions, values, failures, successes and other heavy business-oriented info including drawing pie charts showing percentages of sales from different sources and lots of buzzwords I'm not familiar with. It was overwhelmingly boring, completely over my head and I never wanted to run out of an interview more than this one. Worse, she kept interjecting with questions like "why do you think that store failed?" and "what do you think that manager should have done?" and expected an answer, which I gave but I left there sure I NEVER wanna work there. Worse, when I asked questions at the end, she answered with questions "what do you think?" and "what would you do?" So they were never answered.
I also had an interview months ago with a VP who I also felt talked way over my head about business models and other businessy things I've never heard of and gave me a headache. He lost me very quickly. I'm starting to think this is the way VPs speak and may not get that someone without a business background may be overwhelmed by so much info and discouraged about the job (which they don't really get into).
Why do they feel this is necessary in an interview? Anyone else experience this?
Lots of stuff to answer. First, yes, I've had crazy interviews with people who droned on about the company but never really said much. And I've also had interviews with people who talked so far over my head that I thought that they were interviewing me for a different position than the one I ahd applied for. (And to this day I'm certain about that with an engineering company I interviewed for a marketing job with--they were asking me engineering questiones and seemed as confused as I did about why I didn't know the answers as I was about their questions!)
I don't know what type of job you were applying for, but it sounds like you knew the answers and just didn't like the way their questions were presented. Probably a bad fit culturally. In all honesty I love interviews like that, it gives me good insight into their corporate culture and really allows me to shine with my responses to them.
It sounds like the position required some knowledge or experience that you don't have (ie business modeling) then maybe you need to retarget your job search.
All that said, I had an interview a decade or so ago that I thought I had done terribly with, and I couldn't believe when they called and offered me the job. Keep an open mind, unless you'll be directly reporting to the VP, it might end up being a great job. Some executives feel the need to use big words in order to justify their existance (and paycheck). Fingers crossed for yoU!
I don't know what type of job you were applying for, but it sounds like you knew the answers and just didn't like the way their questions were presented. Probably a bad fit culturally.
I don't know the answers. I specifically asked what marketing tactics would be employed in that position and she asked it back to me. I'd rather they tell me what they have in mind.
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It sounds like the position required some knowledge or experience that you don't have (ie business modeling) then maybe you need to retarget your job search.
For both, I applied for a marketing manager position. Perhaps, I've had it easy but business modeling has never come up in my work experience so far so I felt it was way over my head.
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Fingers crossed for yoU!
I'm just so glad that was over. It was the 3rd interview this week and would be my last choice. But thanks for the support!
Unless it is a small company or you are applying for a upper level job, I am surprised the VP would be involved in the interview at all.
One was a very small company. This one today however, is large (an international retail chain) and the person whom I would report to was not even there.
I don't know the answers. I specifically asked what marketing tactics would be employed in that position and she asked it back to me. I'd rather they tell me what they have in mind.
For both, I applied for a marketing manager position. Perhaps, I've had it easy but business modeling has never come up in my work experience so far so I felt it was way over my head.
I'm just so glad that was over. It was the 3rd interview this week and would be my last choice. But thanks for the support!
A marketing manager should understand at least the basics of business modeling. I'm wondering if you should be looking at marketing coordinator positions instead? That's more "marketing" and less "business" driven--and frankly more fun!
If you're applying for high-level positions in firms, you should hold a good knowledge of organisational behaviour, economics, financial accounting and statistics.
if i asked you what McClelland's motivational theory was, or what the law of dminishing marginal returns was, or what conservatism in financial accounting means, or what positively correlating data is, could you answer these without Googling them?
In honesty, I'd suggest you learn more about the skills required in managing a firm, and not dismiss them as boring. It may seem over your head now, but these fields (along with systems analysis and design, managerial accounting, marketing and business law) are all skills a manager in top or middle management perhaps needs to know.
Learning new skills is also a plus point for you, since managers welcome it when employees broaden their skills base.
If you're applying for high-level positions in firms, you should hold a good knowledge of organisational behaviour, economics, financial accounting and statistics.
if i asked you what McClelland's motivational theory was, or what the law of dminishing marginal returns was, or what conservatism in financial accounting means, or what positively correlating data is, could you answer these without Googling them?
In honesty, I'd suggest you learn more about the skills required in managing a firm, and not dismiss them as boring. It may seem over your head now, but these fields (along with systems analysis and design, managerial accounting, marketing and business law) are all skills a manager in top or middle management perhaps needs to know.
Learning new skills is also a plus point for you, since managers welcome it when employees broaden their skills base.
These were not at all high-level positions, I wouldn't even have direct reports. And I'm not against learning them, I just didn't get why I was given so much info during an interview. I felt it was the type of info usually given at staff meetings when you're already inside. Either way, it was very overwhelming.
There are a lot of insecure, unqualified, anti-intellectual losers who make to VP positions because they are willing to do whatever it takes to get there, mostly people with no morals or values who do not mind doing whatever it takes: they will screw people over, blackmail co-workers,kiss ass and even provide a superior with oral sex in exchange for a promotion sometimes. They use this BS corporate language because they are simply not smart. When I think about company policies in general, you can see that there are mostly irrational, stupid and senseless. If these people had even lower than average IQ's, corporate policies in general would be much more rational and companies would be much better places to work at. I love Bill Lumbergh, the boss from the movie Office Space, a totally dumb, incompetent jerk who walks around all day saying stuff like "Hmmkay, let go ahead and do this...hmmkay lets go ahead and do that".
I had a job interivew today which included the VP of the company that talked on and on for an hour and 20 mins about everything under the sun starting with the entire history of the company, through every product line, business matrix, missions, values, failures, successes and other heavy business-oriented info including drawing pie charts showing percentages of sales from different sources and lots of buzzwords I'm not familiar with. It was overwhelmingly boring, completely over my head and I never wanted to run out of an interview more than this one. Worse, she kept interjecting with questions like "why do you think that store failed?" and "what do you think that manager should have done?" and expected an answer, which I gave but I left there sure I NEVER wanna work there. Worse, when I asked questions at the end, she answered with questions "what do you think?" and "what would you do?" So they were never answered.
I also had an interview months ago with a VP who I also felt talked way over my head about business models and other businessy things I've never heard of and gave me a headache. He lost me very quickly. I'm starting to think this is the way VPs speak and may not get that someone without a business background may be overwhelmed by so much info and discouraged about the job (which they don't really get into).
Why do they feel this is necessary in an interview? Anyone else experience this?
They want to know what would you do so they can test your creative thinking skills in tough situations. So those questions are necessary at a interview.
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