Working Interviews

[itsheresomewhere]

If you have had these either as a potential employee or do these as an employer, tell me about it. 
 

I have two of these coming up after one normal phone interview and one that was just odd phone interview.  Not one question about the position and what I could do just an hour of what words mean to me. 
 

I know what they are but tell me about them in your experience.  It has been years since I even had a job interview and while I know things have changed, I am not sure if what I thought it was and is now are completely different.  The one place says these interviews last about 4-5 hours of what is to me unpaid work and the other one says about 1.5 hours as they do in person one at the same time. 
 

So what is your experience with these? 

[footballmom]

I am completely unfamiliar with this kind of interview. I have a hypothesis for why a company would perhaps try to have these “interviews” (dove tails into your comment about unpaid work), so I’m really interested to hear from those that have had them and I am prepared to hear my hypothesis is wrong 😊

[itsheresomewhere]

13 minutes ago, footballmom said:

I am completely unfamiliar with this kind of interview. I have a hypothesis for why a company would perhaps try to have these “interviews” (dove tails into your comment about unpaid work), so I’m really interested to hear from those that have had them and I am prepared to hear my hypothesis is wrong 😊

I hope someone does chime in.  Personally, I don’t know anyone who has done this as I have only heard about it from a group a few years ago. 

 

[bookbard]

I am not sure whether this is the same thing, but years ago when we were hiring a speech pathologist for our team, we asked them to work with a child while we observed - it would've been 10 mins at the most. We just wanted to see them in action with a child. I can't see how 4-5 hours working can be classed as an interview, though. (NB, the person we hired was great in the 10m interview - but long term was a big mistake. I have done quite a few interviews and they really don't weed out the dodgy ones!)

[Bambam]

I haven't had any interviews, but one of my reported what I was thought was odd with her interviews (phone/virtual) for her summer internship. The company (major) had you do personality type tests before they actually interviewed you. We assumed she 'passed' (?) because she got the virtual interview (couple of different people), and she was offered the job. There was more than one session of personality/associative tests before she got to the phone/virtual interview with real people.

One of her friends applied at a local financial institution - I think as a beginning mortgage trainee. He also had to take some sort of personality/fit test, and they told him he had too much empathy (something like that) to be a good fit for that position. 

So it seems many employers are doing these sorts of things to try to weed out folks that wouldn't be good fits for specific positions. 

When I interviewed many years ago getting of college, I was invited to plant/company interview visits. The interviews might start with HR, but then I would be talking to a variety of folks (engineers because that was my degree) with whom I would be working. I assumed this was to make sure they thought they could work with me, they could give me an idea of what sort of work I would be doing, that I would fit in with the company culture, etc, etc. It was a good chance for both of us to determine if that job/company would be a good fit. I'm guessing I spent maybe 30-45 minutes per person before moving on to the next person - typically also a plant tour was included. There was no work/testing involved though - mostly just questions/answers on both sides.  Often folks from the company would take me out to eat the night before (travel was involved, they put me up in motel), and then I would be taken to lunch by several potential co-workers as well.  

[Tree Frog]

5 minutes ago, Bambam said:

The company (major) had you do personality type tests before they actually interviewed you.

A company I worked at in the 80's did that. I think the personality screeners are still common. 

[itsheresomewhere]

The personality tests are still around.  The odd interview was just odd.  Only asked what words like courage, integrity, perseverance etc meant to me.  Not a single thing pertained the job just an hour of what words meant to me.  

[itsheresomewhere]

27 minutes ago, bookbard said:

I am not sure whether this is the same thing, but years ago when we were hiring a speech pathologist for our team, we asked them to work with a child while we observed - it would've been 10 mins at the most. We just wanted to see them in action with a child. I can't see how 4-5 hours working can be classed as an interview, though. (NB, the person we hired was great in the 10m interview - but long term was a big mistake. I have done quite a few interviews and they really don't weed out the dodgy ones!)

That is kind of what I thought. I am just confused about this being 4-5 hours interview. 

[katilac]

The organization I worked for in the early 90s was big on personality tests. You had to 'pass' one in order to be considered for a specific position, and then there was a whole lot of Meyers Briggs at just about every training and convention, lol 

[katilac]

1 minute ago, itsheresomewhere said:

That is kind of what I thought. I am just confused about this being 4-5 hours interview. 

Some companies take it way too far. 

It's one thing for a tech company to want to see how you problem solve in real time, and another thing entirely for them to expect people to do literally hours of work. Or to expect creative workers to do actual projects, when they have an actual portfolio for the hiring committee to look at. 

[itsheresomewhere]

3 minutes ago, katilac said:

The organization I worked for in the early 90s was big on personality tests. You had to 'pass' one in order to be considered for a specific position, and then there was a whole lot of Meyers Briggs at just about every training and convention, lol 

Right out of high school I applied for a job that gave a personality test that every 10th question was “do you hate your mother?”.  It was hilarious, odd and sticks out still in my mind many years later.

[Shoeless]

I had a 4-hour working interview at a veterinary ER, but it was paid. It isn't uncommon for vet med to have working interviews because a lot of techs have OJT rather than a degree. Quality of OJT varies considerably; some people have been taught bad/sloppy habits. 

[Hannah]

In our company the data science and programming teams give a 24-hour assignment which they say a good programmer should be able to complete in about 2 hours.  They then have a 30 min Teams interview to assess the interviewee's thought process and how well they can present their conclusions.  

They do this as they've had too many people with seemingly great resume's, but who can't actually do or present their work.    At least half of the people who make the short list don't bother to complete the assignment.  They always give detailed feedback to each person who has completed the assignment so that they know where their learnings are, or why another candidate may have been better.  

In other areas there may be a simulation or role-play to assess how a person will handle a particular situation.  

[Hyacinth]

This has sketchy written all over it!

Interviews take time—for some positions a lot of time. But if you’re doing actual work for the company, they need to pay you. 

What do you know about the company and/or the job? Do they have any reviews on Glassdoor or Indeed?

[itsheresomewhere]

2 hours ago, Hyacinth said:

This has sketchy written all over it!

Interviews take time—for some positions a lot of time. But if you’re doing actual work for the company, they need to pay you. 

What do you know about the company and/or the job? Do they have any reviews on Glassdoor or Indeed?

I know both businesses- one very well.  The one I know very well tends to keep the older employees well and mostly the younger ones leave.  In all the years I have dealt with them, the staff seems to have a nice working together environment- joking with each other type thing, going out a few times a year for mental health ( most recently an ax throwing place) etc .  The other has had a lot of changes/restructuring and I haven’t kept up with it all. The person who interviewed me seems to be fairly new and a bit young/clueless on how to interview. But the owner who I would work with I have known over years has always seemed nice. Both companies have very decent Glassdoor ratings.  
 

I guess we will see how it goes.  

Edited October 30, 2023 by itsheresomewhere

[Hyacinth]

36 minutes ago, itsheresomewhere said:

I know both businesses- one very well.  The one I know very well tends to keep the older employees well and mostly the younger ones leave.  In all the years I have dealt with them, the staff seems to have a nice working together environment- joking with each other type thing, going out a few times a year for mental health ( most recently an ax throwing place) etc .  The other has had a lot of changes/restructuring and I haven’t kept up with it all. The person who interviewed me seems to be fairly new and a bit young/clueless on how to interview. But the owner who I would work with I have known over years has always seemed nice. Both companies have very decent Glassdoor ratings.  
 

I guess we will see how it goes.  

Interesting! Maybe it’s simply a case of novice interviewers. Please keep us posted! 

[katilac]

17 hours ago, Shoeless said:

I had a 4-hour working interview at a veterinary ER, but it was paid. It isn't uncommon for vet med to have working interviews because a lot of techs have OJT rather than a degree. Quality of OJT varies considerably; some people have been taught bad/sloppy habits. 

I think a paid working interview is perfectly valid, particularly if the employer is willing to work with hours a bit for someone who already has a job. 

14 hours ago, Hannah said:

In our company the data science and programming teams give a 24-hour assignment which they say a good programmer should be able to complete in about 2 hours.  They then have a 30 min Teams interview to assess the interviewee's thought process and how well they can present their conclusions.  

They do this as they've had too many people with seemingly great resume's, but who can't actually do or present their work.    At least half of the people who make the short list don't bother to complete the assignment.  They always give detailed feedback to each person who has completed the assignment so that they know where their learnings are, or why another candidate may have been better.  

In other areas there may be a simulation or role-play to assess how a person will handle a particular situation.  

I mean, if it's not paid, that's why a lot of applicants don't bother doing it. Two hours for every application adds up quick! 

It shouldn't be a one-way street, where applicants are expected to put in umpteen hours between interviews and assignments, with the company expecting people to take umpteen unpaid hours for the process. The sheer number and length of interviews alone is crazy at some companies. Just hire your short list for some actual needed contract work! 

I will say that it's very considerate to give the detailed feedback. Do people know this ahead of time? Because it would probably encourage more people to do it, versus thinking the company might just ghost you with no comment. Which happens all the time. 

Edited October 30, 2023 by katilac

[footballmom]

4 hours ago, katilac said:

I think a paid working interview is perfectly valid, particularly if the employer is willing to work with hours a bit for someone who already has a job. 

I mean, if it's not paid, that's why a lot of applicants don't bother doing it. Two hours for every application adds up quick! 

It shouldn't be a one-way street, where applicants are expected to put in umpteen hours between interviews and assignments, with the company expecting people to take umpteen unpaid hours for the process. The sheer number and length of interviews alone is crazy at some companies. Just hire your short list for some actual needed contract work! 

I will say that it's very considerate to give the detailed feedback. Do people know this ahead of time? Because it would probably encourage more people to do it, versus thinking the company might just ghost you with no comment. Which happens all the time. 

Exactly this. Working in an extra two hours of work…on top of a regular 9-5…on top of any personal responsibilities? It’s a rare day I could randomly fold in an extra two hours of responsibility in the house of cards that is my life. 

[Hannah]

8 hours ago, katilac said:

I mean, if it's not paid, that's why a lot of applicants don't bother doing it. Two hours for every application adds up quick! 

 Just hire your short list for some actual needed contract work! 

Unfortunately the nature of their work does not usually allow hiring someone for short-term contract work.  

I guess it can be seen both ways.  The applicant may think they're wasting their time and choose not to do the test and the employer that they're getting proficient and motivated people to select from..

There are limited opportunities in the country (42% unemployment) and ours is a well-known and prestigious company with good benefits, so even highly skilled tech jobs get 100s of applications and literally 1000's for lower skills levels.   It may not seem fair to candidates, but the company can afford to use this method.  

[itsheresomewhere]

On 10/30/2023 at 7:09 AM, Hyacinth said:

Interesting! Maybe it’s simply a case of novice interviewers. Please keep us posted! 

So I had one today and honestly I don’t even know how to describe it but as a waste of time/what is this.  The office didn’t even know I was coming, the person to do the interview didn’t show up and they schedule the interview for a time when they are closed to clients.  The poor person who was told to interview me by the office manager told me she hadn’t ever done an interview much less a working interview.  All they had me do was sit there and watch them answer phones. It was just odd.  I want my couple of hours back. 
 

The one later this week called me to explain what their working interview is-  they just want to make sure I can handle the place and get along with all the staff. I know most of the staff from the years so we are going to have a bit of fun.

[Hyacinth]

Ugh! I’m sorry!
Why do they call it a working interview?? That’s shadowing or observing or, in your case today, time wasting. 

[itsheresomewhere]

40 minutes ago, Hyacinth said:

Ugh! I’m sorry!
Why do they call it a working interview?? That’s shadowing or observing or, in your case today, time wasting. 

The poor girl who was thrown the job of interviewing me asked me how this was a working interview as what she googled wasn’t this.  It was a complete time waster to me.  Maybe it was a test to see if I would run out of there. 

[katilac]

15 hours ago, Hannah said:

There are limited opportunities in the country (42% unemployment)  

😲

[Shoeless]

8 hours ago, itsheresomewhere said:

The poor girl who was thrown the job of interviewing me asked me how this was a working interview as what she googled wasn’t this.  It was a complete time waster to me.  Maybe it was a test to see if I would run out of there. 

Is it a small business? If so, yes; this was a test to make sure you weren't a total maniac, didn't show up drunk/high, knew to dress appropriately for the job, were polite, didn't show up late, had reliable transportation, etc.  

[itsheresomewhere]

11 minutes ago, Shoeless said:

Is it a small business? If so, yes; this was a test to make sure you weren't a total maniac, didn't show up drunk/high, knew to dress appropriately for the job, were polite, didn't show up late, had reliable transportation, etc.  

Not a small business and there is a uniform so how I dress doesn’t apply to this. Nothing to even see my skills. At one point, we were just sitting there looking at each other.  It was just odd.