Answered an online newspaper ad; went in to fill out the application and then was contacted for the interview. The interview was entirely ridiculous. Keep in mind this is for a "brain dead" breakfast attendant job, a job that requires you to make sure the breakfast items are in order for guests, brew the coffee, clear the tables, chat pleasantly with guests, etc. Well, I got some 22 year old recent grad interviewing me and she went to town with every interview question appearing in any interview book anywhere. I am in my late 40's and have had professional jobs for many years. Jobs requiring college degrees and fingerprint background checks. At this point in my life I was looking for something simple that also offered benefits because I recently paid off my house and am looking to free up my day and not have to work in a professional office setting all day.
I was not expecting Ms. Polyester Suit to ask me laugh out loud funny questions like "where do I see myself in 5 years" for the kind of job I was applying for. Also, "what is the nicest thing you've done for someone recently" "describe a time you had to overcome a challenge" and on and on it went. Oh, please. What an absurd interview for the kind of job I was applying for. The more appropriate questions for that kind of job would be: "do you know how to use a coffee brewer" "do you have reliable transportation to get here at 5:30 in the morning", etc. I can see that kind of intense process for a mid to high level management job, but not for a menial service job. The questions in an interview should match the job. Ms. Polyester Suit was so over-zealous and quite frankly entirely green and eager to prove herself, she couldn't see how entirely stupid it was to grill a person for over an hour coming in for a brain dead job. It was all I could do to contain my laughter when she said after that interview, I'd be called back in to meet with the General Manager if she deemed me worthy of moving on in the process. I live in Florida, the place where every ex-con in the entire country ends up sooner or later. I think when an employer gets a half decent applicant who knows how to present themselves, interact with guests, has a college degree, experience, reliable transportation and all their teeth and no visible tattoos (again, remember this is Florida!) and is willing to work for what amounts to a crappy wage, then they should not pound them into the dust with a process that makes one wonder why they applied for the job in the first place. It is not the way to find the most qualified (or long lived) employee, for that type of process is only only to yield the applicant most able to endure the process.