Has anyone ever being blunt, to the point and arrogant in an interview?

Original post by atastycrumpet

How did it weigh up against usual interview strategies?

I.e.: "where do you see yourself in 5 years" - instead of the usual you answer with "A manager, someone powerful earning lots of money" etc etc

Yes, but only when I was at senior management level and had the skills and experience to back it up.

My response to where do you see yourself in 5 years is usually 'as your boss'.

I've had a couple of interviews where I have been asked what I think of the company and what would I see my role as being. I have then produced documents of my research into the sales and marketing areas where they are failing miserably and pointed out a lot of their faults but then gone on to explain how I would change things around and sometimes I've produced a 12 month plan and forecast.

Yes, it takes balls to go into an interview and be that direct but if I wasn't then I wouldn't be a candidate for senior management. I'm yet to go to an interview and not be offered a job. However when I was working my way up the ladder I was always a lot more humble as I needed the experience.

Reply 5

Original post by BlackHawk

Yes, but only when I was at senior management level and had the skills and experience to back it up.

My response to where do you see yourself in 5 years is usually 'as your boss'.

I've had a couple of interviews where I have been asked what I think of the company and what would I see my role as being. I have then produced documents of my research into the sales and marketing areas where they are failing miserably and pointed out a lot of their faults but then gone on to explain how I would change things around and sometimes I've produced a 12 month plan and forecast.

Yes, it takes balls to go into an interview and be that direct but if I wasn't then I wouldn't be a candidate for senior management. I'm yet to go to an interview and not be offered a job. However when I was working my way up the ladder I was always a lot more humble as I needed the experience.

You post like you're much older with much more experience than your posting history suggests.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 6

Ripper-Roo

They all adore him, they think he's a righteous dude.

Reply 7

Autistic Merit

3

With my condition it's hard not to be blunt

Reply 8

russellsteapot

16

I'm always assertive and confident, but I avoid arrogance. Bluntness doesn't give you the opportunity to say why you're giving that answer, so I'd avoid that too. I have been both arrogant and blunt in the past, and it didn't serve me very well, because it just makes people come off as abrasive and unemployable, with an over-inflated sense of their own ability. I've conducted more interviews than I have had, and what I looked for were sensible statements outlining the interviewee's capability, ability and potential, which they could back up with facts, plans, experience and ideas.

If you can say how or why you will achieve something, it's great (and not really arrogance). But never just say "yeah, I'll be your boss in 5 years and I'll own the company in 10" without being able to answer the standard follow-up question of "how will you achieve this?"

Reply 9

Original post by LexiswasmyNexis

You post like you're much older with much more experience than your posting history suggests.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I'm older than the majority of people on TSR, yes. :smile:

Reply 10

Original post by BlackHawk

I'm older than the majority of people on TSR, yes. :smile:

But still under 30.

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Reply 11

Original post by blabbermonkey

That's such a pathetic cliche.

Yes, of course it is.

It is something I say, and then it is laughed off as a joke in an interview and then you go on to discuss what you see yourself bringing to the company over the next five years.

Though from the interviews I've conducted the cliché most people say is 'in your job'.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 12

Original post by LexiswasmyNexis

But still under 30.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I didn't realise you were looking for my specific age. I'm 29 and a few months old. I'm not sure what that has to do with my work history, however.

Reply 13

pmc:producer

20

Original post by LexiswasmyNexis

But still under 30.

Posted from TSR Mobile

- why is this even relevant?

Reply 14

Original post by pmc:producer

- why is this even relevant?

I suppose it isn't. But the poster presents themselves as a seasoned pro who has turned things around, has recruited, is senior management etc etc.

That may be so, but if those claims are a little stretching then it seems a bit misleading to use them as a basis for giving advice.

Obviously if the individual really has risen through the ranks and is at a stage to act in the way described at just 29, I apologise. Bit I think clarification of age and experience is important to set the context within which we view their posts.

He/she talks like a 40-50 year old pro at the absolute top of their game. I just want to find out how accurate that impression is.

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Reply 15

Would you like to see my CV? :confused:

I'm not at the top of my game, I left the industry I worked in to do what I love instead and start my own business. My last job was as a National Sales Manager for a boutiqe hotel group, having started working in hotels at the age of 15 (for £1.20 an hour at a small local) and working my way up. I have recruited and I have also been brought into failing hotels to turn things around in their sales department a short period and I have also been a GM and run a 5* small boutique hotel in Yorkshire.

Again I'm not sure what my age has to do with my work experience. I'm also wondering why you would automatically assume I am lying. I'm sure my CV is on TSR somewhere as I'm a CV helper. When TSR was first bought by Acumen and I was a moderator on here I also travelled to Brighton to the original TSR office to meet with Chris and Jamie and discuss strategies for developing the careers forum, boosting sales and also retaining members. I also organised a TSR admin and mod meet at my hotel at the time when I was a sales manager.

So I'm sure a few people on here could testify to my authenticity and work experience.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 16