Reluctant to Appoint a suitable candidate

[JanChris]

Has anyone experienced the following:

You arrive at a company for a job interview and during the interview you get the feeling that the interviewer is less qualified than you. He sees you as a threat to his position and therefore will NOT appoint you.

[HR Solutions]

Or do u just feel/think that ?

[adrianh]

It happed to me once during an interview. The thought that I had was that I would never be able to work for such a dumba$$

[CLIVE-TRIANGLE]

Mark McCormack, in his book What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School, speaks of this as being pretty usual.

At a time when I was frequently interviewing managers, I always had to remind myself of this, lest I appointed guys dumber than me.

[JanChris]

Or do u just feel/think that ?

My good man, a person with your "experience" should know better than to ask that.

[JanChris]

It is safer to appoint someone who is less qualified than yourself. The directors could realise that the new appointee is a real asset to the company. Some managers are only filling seats but contribute little or nothing to the respective companies. Just look at how many qualified and experienced managers are seeking employment and the number of companies that have closed there doors.

[HR Solutions]

Sorry .... that was a bit badly put. What I meant was - do you get this feeling because the person is just younger than you or looks immature or acts immature ? The reason I ask is because we have a lady that works for us that looks that way as well, sometimes acts that way, but she will tear the pants off you if/when she gets going with her knowledge. Just be carefull of this because very often people conducting the interview will act a bit ignorant to try to find out a bit of the other side of you. Its the same as - we very often ask our receiptionist what she thought of a candidate when they walked thro the door and dealt with her. Its amazing what one can pick up from her how some people look down on ladies on the front desk, treat them like shit and think that they can get away with it.
Its a very good indication of how that person will fit into a specific job, handling people etc , handling woman or handling people of a different race.

[Citizen X]

Has anyone experienced the following:

You arrive at a company for a job interview and during the interview you get the feeling that the interviewer is less qualified than you. He sees you as a threat to his position and therefore will NOT appoint you.

Hi Jan,

I think your allegory has great merit! There are many managers, senior managers and even ceo's who have no qualifications whatsoever!!!!

To answer your question: yes, several years ago, I experienced this on a few occasions.

[Citizen X]

It is safer to appoint someone who is less qualified than yourself. The directors could realise that the new appointee is a real asset to the company. Some managers are only filling seats but contribute little or nothing to the respective companies. Just look at how many qualified and experienced managers are seeking employment and the number of companies that have closed there doors.

Jan, this is so tragic

[JanChris]

Does anyone have an idea of how to get around it. It is "normal" practice for the interviewer to ask question as it is his company that will ultimately benefit from appointing a suitable candidate. But, when the interviewee has an opportunity to ask questions, one can very quickly make an assessment if the interviewer is knowledgeable or not. If you ask "incorrect" questions, that person will quickly realise that the candidate could be a threat to his position.

[JanChris]

Sorry .... that was a bit badly put. What I meant was - do you get this feeling because the person is just younger than you or looks immature or acts immature ? The reason I ask is because we have a lady that works for us that looks that way as well, sometimes acts that way, but she will tear the pants off you if/when she gets going with her knowledge. Just be carefull of this because very often people conducting the interview will act a bit ignorant to try to find out a bit of the other side of you. Its the same as - we very often ask our receiptionist what she thought of a candidate when they walked thro the door and dealt with her. Its amazing what one can pick up from her how some people look down on ladies on the front desk, treat them like shit and think that they can get away with it.
Its a very good indication of how that person will fit into a specific job, handling people etc , handling woman or handling people of a different race.

It has nothing to do with age but purely the answers you get to your questions and the questions put to you. Life's experience can only come with time.

[JanChris]

It happed to me once during an interview. The thought that I had was that I would never be able to work for such a dumba$$

Adrian, unfortunately this happens in the workplace. We lose experienced people and they are employed by companies abroad and SA will eventually suffer because of this.

[Blurock]

If you have scarce qualities, abilities and qualifications, you do not take the first job that comes your way, but you also do some homework on the potential employer. You don't want to end up working for a dumbass that does not appreciate you or offers no opportunities to grow or advance in the company.

[JanChris]

If you have scarce qualities, abilities and qualifications, you do not take the first job that comes your way, but you also do some homework on the potential employer. You don't want to end up working for a dumbass that does not appreciate you or offers no opportunities to grow or advance in the company.

Very True, that is what I did and during the interview came to my conclusion. How the company "survives" is a mystery. I do not claim to know everything and find it very interesting to listen to the ideas of young and old.