Heh, you and me both. I interviewed a guy once who looked at me funny. I reached under the table, grabbed a baseball bat and splattered his brains all over the conference room. Another time, a guy refused to answer my question, "Why are ice creams cones shaped like a cone?" I had my finance team cut him up in pieces w/ a chain saw from the shop. We put his head in a bowling ball bag. All that aside, we're hiring now? Anyone looking for work? HEy maybe that ironworker would fit in over here.
Whenever we were put in the unwanted position of interviewing a potential candidate for a gig at our firm we often asked dumbass questions like the one that kicked off this thread..... although stupid they were meant only to get the candidate to begin a conversation about something that was completely unrelated to the job to see what kind of person they were ..... if they were in the room they were obviously qualified to be in the position. However, it was more a question of personality fit into the firm that was going to make or break the process. There isn't any scientific basis for this more just a feel.....FWIW I agree the guy is an asshole and hopefully you will see that he did you a favor dumping you....take it from me you wouldnt want to be there in 6 months.....its a bullshit question and if it rubbed you the wrong way consider it a gift and look forward to when it feels right and you will enjoy the gig and the firm as a whole.
Yes, AC3 you got it right. You got to get the candidate talking. I have never hired anyone that just gave me yes or no answers. I want them to do most of the talking. How else do I know if they are going to work out. One of the best things I ever learned about hiring was an old manager that would always ask "Would you go out drinking with him?" Every one that I answered "no" to, but hired anyway, has been a problem child. With the exception of two, the ones that I answered "yes" to, have worked out very well. ps: the guy that came in already drinking didn't count.
i think his point is "is he/she a pleasant peson to be around". Are they fun, nice, agreeable, enjoyable people that you would enjoy spending time with. I agree with this scenario. Someone may be the greatest, doctor, lawyer, engineer, cook, whatever in the the world, but if they dont play well with others and dont respond well in social situations...they can be a liability. It is rare than an antisocial person fits well into a corportate structure.
You know, I used to be of the opinion that you should just surround yourself with the best and brightest regardless of personality issues. However after some life experience, I would rather take someone a slight notch below who is normal and easy to work with than someone who is a constant problem. That 0.1% extra is probably just not worth it. Sorry, but that's the way it is in life.