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In today's Tales from the Interview, our Anonymous submitter relates their experience with an anonymous company:
I had made it through the onsite, but along the way I had picked up some toxic work environment red flags. Since I had been laid off a couple months prior, I figured I wasn't in a position to be picky, so I decided I would still give it my best shot and take the job if I got it, but I'd continue looking for something better.
Then they brought me back onsite a second time for one final interview with 2 senior managers. I went in and they were each holding a printout of my resume. They proceeded to go through everything on it. First they asked why I chose the university I went to, then the same for grad school, which was fine.
Then they got to my first internship. I believe the conversation went something like this:
Manager: "How did you like it?"
Me: "Oh, I loved it!"
Manager: "Were there any negatives?"
Me: "No, not that I can think of."
Manager: "So it was 100% positive?"
Me: "Yep!"
And then they got to my first full-time job, where the same manager repeated the same line of questioning but pushed even harder for me to say something negative, at one point saying "Well, you left for (2nd company on my resume), so there must have been something negative."
I knew better than to bad-mouth a previous employer in an interview, it's like going into a first date and talking smack about your ex. But what do you do when your date relentlessly asks you to talk smack about all your exes and refuses to let the subject turn to anything else? This not only confirmed my suspicions of a toxic work environment, I also figured *they* probably knew it was toxic and were relentlessly testing every candidate to make sure they wouldn't blow the whistle on them.
That was the most excruciatingly awkward interview I've ever had. I didn't get the job, but at that point I didn't care anymore, because I was very, very sure I didn't want to work there in the long term.
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I'm glad Subby dodged that bullet, and I hope they're in a better place now.
It seems like this might be some stupid new trend. I recently bombed an interview where I could tell I wasn't giving the person the answer on their checklist, no matter how many times I tried. It was a question about how I handled it when someone opposed what I was doing at work or gave me negative feedback. It felt like they wanted me to admit to more fur-flying drama and fireworks than had ever actually occurred.
I actively ask for and welcome critique on my writing, it makes my work so much better. And if my work is incorrect and needs to be redone, or someone has objections to a project I'm part of, I seek clarification and (A) implement the requested changes, (B) explain why things are as they are and offer alternate suggestions/solutions, (C) seek compromise, depending on the situation. I don't get personal about it.
So, why this trend? Subby believed it was a way to test whether the candidate would someday badmouth the employer. That's certainly feasible, though if that were the goal, you'd think Subby would've passed their ordeal with flying colors. I'm not sure myself, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the nefarious combination of AI and techbro startup culture have something to do with it.
So perhaps I also dodged a bullet: one of the many things I'm grateful for this Thanksgiving.
Feel free to share your ideas, and any and all bullets you have dodged, in the comments.