God what a shitty interview

[TrogL]

I used to work sales, selling musical instruments and at Radio Shack. I know how to handle myself in a sales environment.

I also taught school for several years but decided that was enough. PC's were on the horizon and I thought computers were a better career choice for me so I went back to school and recertified.

My primary work, therefore, was many years in computers.

My Myers-Briggs personality type is INTP. It shows. If I was anything else I wouldn't have been able to cope with hours spent alone coding, debugging, analyzing or hanging out in the server room.

Personally, I don't think all people react well to extrovert sales people. When I'm shopping for a big ticket item, I need time with it without a salesperson hovering over my shoulder. Also, the people shopping for this type of item may, in fact, be introverts themselves, with whom I could relate better than some yacker.

I prepared for the interview by brushing up in my skills on the product itself. When I got there, I discovered my suit has seen better days. It's time for a new one. I just blew $150 on a new briefcase, I need the suit to go with it.

I got there a few minutes early and checked out the store, making sure I understood what they sold and the prices. I identified myself and was told they'd be with me shortly. I went back to checking out the store and merchandise. I noted that some of it was from a manufacturer I had intended trashing.

When the time came, I was invited into the office and two people introduced themselves. One sat at the desk and led the interview, the other threw in questions as they occured to him. I can't remember who said what so I'll just call it TH for "them".

TH: Thank you for coming in. So....how would you describe yourself.
ME: (long pause) Well, I'm a bit of an introvert... (note, judging from their body language, the interview is now over)
ME: (continuing) ...and some people may find it a bit hard to warm up to me... (that's right keep digging the hole deeper)
ME: (blundering on) ... but I love working with people helping them to understand things (another minute of incoherent blather)

TH: So as someone who people have trouble warming up to, how to you cope in a sales environemnt?
ME: It's easy to set that aside. (frantic - I've figured out I'm in trouble) If I get talking about something that interests me, you can't shut me up, and I'll try to get everybody around me excited about it as well. (puffing)

TH: So you have an "interesting" resume. Why did you leave teaching?
ME: I just wasn't for me. (looking like an axe murderer) All those kids in your face, day after day, after day. I was more into the instruments. (calms down)
ME: ...and I heeded the siren call of computers - it seemed more just for me.

TH: (poker face) How so?
ME: I was involved with them before I started teaching. The time just seemed right to switch careers.

TH: I've done that. So why the current career change?
ME: I just seems the time now to get out of computers. I'm 54 and it's getting harder to pick up new things. (like learning a whole new product line)

TH: So why now?
ME: I got caught up in cutbacks. (long rant)

TH: (looking relieved to change the topic) So what would be the ideal customer experience in a store.
ME: They should be greeted at the door, quickly determined what they need which could be what they want or could be they need to buy something on impulse and get them taken care of.

TH: What's been your ideal circumstance in a store similar to ours.
ME: As soon as I walk in the door somebody greets me and steers me to the correct department. When there someone finds out what I want and leads me to it. Many times I'm just there to browse and if left to my own resources will often do an impulse buy, or I'm in the process of falling in love with a product and they have the sense to leave me alone. Other times I walk in I need something right NOW and they find it and get me out the door. I don't like a salesman who tries to sell me a whole lot of crap I don't need. (oops, that's the way this store makes its money - accessories)

TH: And if a customer doesn't know what they need?
ME: Some of your customers come in looking for (redacted) product. They come in stone cold. You just have to show them.

Interview ended up with us wrangling about whether the job ad did or did not mention a specific salary. I don't remember.

So they pretty much asked all the wrong questions from what I was expecting, I gave all the wrong answers for a standard sales position.

[Kat45]

1. What kind of questions were you expecting?

I'm curious. These days when I do actually get an interview, I never know what kind of questions I'll get.

[TrogL]

2. More like...

How would you explain piano action to a customer

What would you play for a customer who is just learning.

How would you move a customer up from a beginner piano to something more expensive.

How do you do a close

[supernova]

3. Mmm. I haven't had a substance interview

in over 10 years. By that I mean, questions about your skill set and experience and trying to see if your skills really match up with the job.

Most interviews nowadays are much more geared toward to trying to guess your personality whether or not you will "fit in with the team." Ergo you get the experience you got, TrogL. Personally I think these types of interviews are counter productive. You really don't know how someone will fit in until you start working with them.

edit: I'm an INTJ.

[DaveJ]

4. I've gone to some practice interviews

I'm looking for an ideal job now (and something that pays more) and I try to make it clear in the most humorous and light heated manner possible, that I am NOT good at interviews. I'm a computer programmer. I sit in front of a monitor staring at code all day, and on the train to work and back, and on weekends if I get a chance. I can't beat around the bush when it comes to that. If I were a great actor or performer, I'd be an executive or a boss manager or something, and not a computer programmer. Not trying to be someone I'm not.

I do hate the word introverted though. For some reason people associate it negatively, when they shouldn't. So I just avoid the word altogether.

My last interview was awkward because at the end I mentioned I wouldn't be available for a month or two. I totally forgot that until he asked.

[2Design]

5. Sounds like you know the answers that didn't work - most people

don't know how to interview so sometimes you need to treat them like the person you helped with computers and just educate them - getting an interview is the hard part - finding the right job where you fit and are comfortable with yourself and what they want you to do is important too. As another poster said, saying you are an introvert, can have negative connotations but it is a fact. Programmers are good at that.

Maybe finding something that satisfies your INTP nature might be good. Selling pianos or lessons might not be the best fit anyway.

I hate the questions they asks and never know what they are looking for either