When your interviewer (VP, etc) shows up in a T-Shirt.

I'm all about not showing up in a suit and tie and wearing things you never wear just for an interview, but at the same time, showing up prepared and appearing somewhat professional indicates your level of care and interest towards something as well.


Top all of the above off with a person firing off the basic of ridiculous questions at you.... tell me about a time you failed at something, what adjectives would you use to describe yourself, asking questions; firing them off like a gun magazine....oh wait, we have barely any minutes left, what questions do you have.


Like WTF?



Update to this:

The point behind this post is that when people aren't showing up prepared or engaged to the interview, it's a solid sign they aren't giving you serious consideration. You may have seen the same in your sales deals.

Point in fact, I am not moving forward in the next stage, but I had no desire to do so after this occurrence anyways.


Generally, people tell you what's going on without telling you what's going on. Don't waste your time being upset by it, just move on, identify what those flags are, and prevent them the next time they occur.

๐Ÿ‘ฅ Hiring
๐ŸŽ™ Interviews/Podcasts
๐Ÿ—ฃ Interviewing
19
Kosta_Konfucius
Politicker
7
Sales Rep
Iโ€™m fine with them in a t shirt as long as they act prepared. Those questions are brutal though
Wellss
Tycoon
6
Channel sales
Agreed! The attire wouldn't have bothered me as much as the way they went about interviewing you.
CRAG112
Valued Contributor
2
Account Executive
Yeah. It's more about not appearing to be prepared, not acting like it, etc. These things are a 2 way street, but sometimes you are talking to someone that's inexperienced, doesn't get that, or just does not know in general.
Diablo
Politicker
6
Sr. AE
If this is a tech industry, then I think itโ€™s normal. But the rapid fire is crazy. Hope you were able to tackle well
Sunbunny31
Politicker
1
Sr Sales Executive ๐Ÿฐ
Probably not all that normal. Casual dress, yes. Sloppy, no. Clueless? RUN.
oldcloser
Arsonist
4
๐Ÿ’€
Had one almost identical recently. "What would your wife say about you" was in the rapid fire. Passssss
HVACexpert
Politicker
3
sales engineer
Well, what would she say about you?
oldcloser
Arsonist
4
๐Ÿ’€
Honest? I was so not interested in that role after 2 rounds, 2 totally different sets of questions then this on round 3. I answered โ€œhe fartsโ€
HVACexpert
Politicker
1
sales engineer
๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚
Pachacuti
Politicker
4
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
Was the guy 28 years old? It would make total sense.
CRAG112
Valued Contributor
3
Account Executive
Seemed like a younger dude, not young necessarily. He also explained how he kind of fell in to the role based on people he knew. It is a start up, but that's not a worthy excuse. If you have been hired to run things, you should be doing that.....
Sunbunny31
Politicker
3
Sr Sales Executive ๐Ÿฐ
Well, if that isn't a red flag for the overall company strategy.

"Dude, I don't really know what I'm doing, can you believe it?"

LOL.
coletrain
Politicker
2
Account Executive
At that moment, there were so many red flags it probably looked like Red Square 40 years ago.
CRAG112
Valued Contributor
1
Account Executive
Did I mention the t-shirt was ill fitting, and he was wearing his backwards hat indoors?
Sunbunny31
Politicker
0
Sr Sales Executive ๐Ÿฐ
You almost didn't have to.

Hard pass for me.
CuriousFox
WR Officer
3
๐ŸฆŠ
๐Ÿ™„
coletrain
Politicker
2
Account Executive
I think it absolutely depends on the firm. If you're at a tech company, you will generally see less formality.

Some use that tactic as to gauge a rep's ability to act under pressure. The logic goes: if you lose control of the conversation, what happens with a prospect?

Not saying that I endorse it but it absolutely is out there
Sunbunny31
Politicker
4
Sr Sales Executive ๐Ÿฐ
Some influencer somewhere endorses this bs, right?
CRAG112
Valued Contributor
2
Account Executive
Maybe, but unfortunately, interviews are rarely reflective of real life and the standard day to day interactions between others.

The real result is I got asked a bunch of basic questions, it was not a conversation, and I left thinking meh, who gives a shit about this opp.

If someone is really trying to gauge control with something like this, seems more like they are wasting their time. But I will keep it in mind for next time I feel like this is happening. I'll just propose a trade, question for question so we can both learn. If they aren't open to that or push back on it, just say thanks, no thanks and cut the call.
Sunbunny31
Politicker
3
Sr Sales Executive ๐Ÿฐ
Yeah, I mean, to be honest, it sounds like minimal thought or consideration was put into it from his side. Which honestly would be red flags for me for the longevity of a company. If your execs can't show basic consideration for others, how are they representing the company's interests?
CRAG112
Valued Contributor
2
Account Executive
Was also interesting to get questions on how I would do certain things without clearer context first.

Guy clearly did not know what he was doing in the interview space. Just looking for specific answers without understanding why.
Gasty
Notable Contributor
2
War Room Community Manager
Oh, how my heart yearns for a world where candidates hold the power and delight in rejecting employers left and right, leaving such poor hiring managers to wallow in their own misery
CuriousFox
WR Officer
2
๐ŸฆŠ
I dunno G. Gen Z may already be onto that ๐Ÿค”
Sunbunny31
Politicker
2
Sr Sales Executive ๐Ÿฐ
Like the halcyon days of ~ 2 years ago?
HVACexpert
Politicker
1
sales engineer
Iโ€™ve heard those questions a lot actually. Good thing is I have cookie cutter answers at this point
alwaysbeABnotC
Executive
0
Account Executive
I am not a fan of a first time meet T-shirt guy/gal... not hard to put something with a collar on. The biggest red flag is T-shirt plus hat.
WheelofCheese
Opinionated
0
Sales Executive
I think it depends on the industry-- BUT, generally (in my industry-- commercial insurance), business attire is expected. Funny enough, I had a final stage interview not that long ago where one of the owners was wearing casual clothes (hoodie, jeans, sneakers). That said, he also explained that he had a personal engagement after our meeting. I wasn't put off. We had a great meeting and he was engaged in our discussion. Had he been looking at his phone or doing things that showed disinterest, I would have had an entirely different perception.

Regarding the interview questions you mentioned, I would have assumed that the guy had little to no experience with interviewing. Sounds to me he Googled "what are some typical interview questions". That would have been a bit of a turn off for me. Especially since I'm not some kid out of college looking for my first job.
Maximas
Tycoon
-1
Senior Sales Executive
Fine,I can see it as a more into an Ice breaker between the boss and the subordinates that tells em indirectly, I was just one like you one day!
18

New Shirt

Question
18
46
Members only

๐Ÿ•ด Shirt and tie or simplePolo shirt can do?

Question
52
How to dress?
29% Shirt and tie?
71% Polo and casual outfit can do
139 people voted
15

Do You Wear A Shirt With Your Company Logo On It, When You Are On A Zoom Call?

Question
20
Company Branded Shirt On Zoom Call?
43% Yes
41% No
16% No Shirt At All...
87 people voted