Should employers be able to ask job applicants questions about their periods, their breasts and gynaecological problems, or issues with their prostates? Well that’s what will be vexing the Friday panel on the Right Hook, after the news emerged that NUI Galway has reportedly been giving questionnaires to its prospective employees asking those very questions.
Tune in to the Right Hook today at 4.45pm: http://www.newstalk.com/player/
Getting a job and building a career in the current economic climate can certainly be tricky, but here’s a universal tip – on the way to your job interview, it’s probably for the best if you don’t go barging around train stations, dropping F-bombs at fellow commuters on your way there. After all, one of the people you snarl “F*** off” at could well end up being your interviewer.
That’s what happened to a frustrated job seeker in London recently.
Taking the Tube to his interview, the man was too busy minding the gap to mind his manners, pushing and shoving another commuter out of his way, while adding in a dash of expletive-laden commentary. In his defence, he had lined up an interview for a position of Python Developer at Forward Partners, a start-up consultancy firm in London.
Unfortunately for the applicant, what he didn’t know at the time that his rage reduced him to a shouting and shoving mess was that the subject of his ire was Matt Buckland, Head of Talent & Recruiting at the company. The man who would, later that afternoon, be interviewing him for the position.
And that’s when it started to get awkward.
Karma - the guy who pushed past me on the tube and then suggested I go F myself just arrived for his interview...with me...
— Matt Buckland (@ElSatanico) February 16, 2015
In the job advertisement, several qualities the ideal candidate can present are listed: "You are passionate about open-source and have a keen interest in current and future trends" it says and, "you enjoy working in small multi-functional teams at pace."
Less clear is how well recruiters take being told in no uncertain terms to get out of the way, but the applicant’s failure to secure the job might give some indication as to how highly his interpersonal skills scored.
The pair, Buckland told the BBC, did manage to clear the air during the interview.
"It was totally awkward," Buckland said. "So I approached it by asking him if he'd had a good commute that morning. We laughed it off and in a very British way I somehow ended up apologising".
Since Buckland tweeted the experience, he’s received many replies from people revealing their own terrible first impressions and pitiable interview performances.
@ElSatanico @SallyShorthose this happened to me - interviewee cut in & took my parking space before telling me to "chill the fuck out" oops
— Matthew Harding (@MatthewFHarding) February 18, 2015
@ElSatanico @Julie_at_Spring love it! A while ago a fella in a BMW "road raged" me on my way to work - any yes I was interviewing him too
— Ella Young (@banburycrossnan) February 18, 2015
@ElSatanico @KatieMillman I've actually experince that. Row on a car park with women. Then walked into interview ... # awkward
— BishMeister (@Bish147) February 18, 2015
@ElSatanico Similar story in reverse - My dad bumped into a man's car on way to interview. Stopped, left details. Was interviewer. Got job!
— Gordon Dent (@GordyMD) February 19, 2015
@ElSatanico @FinWycherley Better still, a guy I know was waiting outside interview room; previous interviewee came out and it was his boss!
— Deirdre Molloy (@deirdrenotes) February 19, 2015
