Hiring Managers, H/R peeps - Couple of questions for ya....

neebelung · 09-16-2009, 02:32 PM

Ok, I need some feedback here, and if any of you peeps are/have been hiring managers or H/R reps in the past, please pipe in.

I've got three balls in the air right now; two positions I've already interviewed for (1 of them twice) that I should hear back on by week's end, and another I'm interviewing with tomorrow.

Question 1.) The interview I've got tomorrow, the woman made a point of telling me "We're pretty casual here; I know people feel they need to dress up, put on a suit, but we're not like that here. Slacks and... well... any old top will be just fine."

So do I listen to her? For some interviews, I dress up more than others, but at the very least, it's very nice dress pants and a nice blouse/tailored button down (not manly button down, but not a t-shirt, either!). Do I go with that, or do I try to dress it down a bit more???? I've just never had someone tell me to NOT dress up (normally it's recruiters telling me "Dress to impress!"), so I dunno how to handle it properly.

Question 2.) I touched base with the guy I'd interviewed with last week to check status, see if there was any other info he needed from me, etc... (he told me last week they'd make a decision this week). When we spoke, he said they were POSSIBLY going to hire two people for this spot, but he wasn't sure; they'd see how hectic things were once the program rolled out, and maybe bring one person in, and then once things settled down, bring in another person, and have person #1 train/mentor them. Truth be told, I can't see in a million years how they'll need 2 people. (I could be wrong, but it doesn't sound like they will).

Anyway, so in his response today, he said his only concern is that they won't be able to meet my salary requirements. Of course, salaries are always negotiable - to a point. So do I just treat that casually, and tell him it's negotiable, or is there a tactful way to tell him "You won't NEED two people if you hire me, so in reality, you'll be SAVING money...." (

).

HALP!!!!!!

Particle Man · 09-16-2009, 02:36 PM

? 1 - Eff casual. You can dress casually AFTER you're hired.

? 2 - Promote your skills so they'll understand that one of you = two other people.

HurricaneHeather · 09-16-2009, 02:40 PM

1. Wear what you feel comfortable in. Period. If you feel perfectly comfortable with slacks and a nice blouse wear that. If you are going to feel like a dweeb wearing a t-shirt and jeans and inadvertently act like a dweeb, then by golly don't wear that.

I think of slacks and a nice blouse as dressing down. I think you'll be fine with that.

2. By ALL means, find a tactful way to say "You won't NEED two people if you hire me, so in reality, you'll be SAVING money...."

At salary negotiation time you can by all means lead with that. Let me mull it over and think of a way to put that tactfully....

neebelung · 09-16-2009, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Particle Man

? 1 - Eff casual. You can dress casually AFTER you're hired.

? 2 - Promote your skills so they'll understand that one of you = two other people.

1.)

That's my thinking. I can't even IMAGINE walking into a company where I want a job and NOT dressing to the 9's. It's just foreign to me.

2.) I'm kinda hoping to be able to do that. He told me last week they wouldn't be doing 2nd round interviews, but he responded today and said they might, that there's another person who's feedback he wants on the new hire. So I'm hoping if I can stave off nailing down #'s right now, and then impress both of them in that second interview, then maybe I can make them realize I'm worth more than they thought they wanted to pay....

Quote:

Originally Posted by HurricaneHeather

Let me mull it over and think of a way to put that tactfully....

Please do!

HurricaneHeather · 09-16-2009, 02:54 PM

If you can put it in a way that you are providing your expertise on the matter in the second interview that would be perfect. Like, 'in my experience with this and that I found that I can complete such and such task in this amount of time with just these resources.' Find something in the job description that is mentioned to be a big chunk of your responsibilities and take that as the starting point.

Ah, shit I'm still mulling....

karl_1052 · 09-16-2009, 02:57 PM

1) Wear slacks and a nice shirt, if it seems really casual unbutton the top three buttons.

neebelung · 09-16-2009, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HurricaneHeather

If you can put it in a way that you are providing your expertise on the matter in the second interview that would be perfect. Like, 'in my experience with this and that I found that I can complete such and such task in this amount of time with just these resources.' Find something in the job description that is mentioned to be a big chunk of your responsibilities and take that as the starting point.

Ah, shit I'm still mulling....

Luckily I did a good bit of that in the first interview; everything they're doing with regard to the actual roll-out (it's basically an account/database manager for one specific key account that they're rolling out a proprietary software package for, to house all of their information for some 40,000 products, from organic certifications, to certificates of insurance, to artwork/packaging).

I've BEEN a part of a similar roll out, I was on the project team for development, I wrote the training manual to train OTHER people on the product... so I know exactly what they're going to be going through (in fact, their program looks BETTER/easier to use than the one I worked with).

So all the while during the interview while he's telling me what they're doing, etc... I was giving him examples of things I'd done that related to it... It was a funny interview really - he never once asked me anything, and at the end of it, told me it was basically a personality interview.

HurricaneHeather · 09-16-2009, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karl_1052

1) Wear slacks and a nice shirt, if it seems really casual unbutton the top three buttons.

Top three?! Neebs, please don't go in there with your tatas hanging out.

Unless you really want the job and the HR person is a perv.

neebelung · 09-16-2009, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karl_1052

1) Wear slacks and a nice shirt, if it seems really casual unbutton the top three buttons.

I'm interviewing with a WOMAN!! I don't think that'd get me very far!

MissHell · 09-16-2009, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HurricaneHeather

1. Wear what you feel comfortable in. Period. If you feel perfectly comfortable with slacks and a nice blouse wear that. If you are going to feel like a dweeb wearing a t-shirt and jeans and inadvertently act like a dweeb, then by golly don't wear that.

I think of slacks and a nice blouse as dressing down. I think you'll be fine with that.

I agree. If the person specifically told you to dress down, I would.

Hawaii in general is pretty casual. If someone comes into our company over-dressed for an interview. They are laughed at behinds their backs, and if they get hired - they are ribbed forever how they looked for their interview.

09-16-2009, 02:36 PM	#2
Particle Man Custom User Title Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Central NY Moto: 2003 SV650S Posts: 14,959	? 1 - Eff casual. You can dress casually AFTER you're hired. ? 2 - Promote your skills so they'll understand that one of you = two other people. __________________ I'm not "fat." I'm "Enlarged to show texture." Handle every stressful situation like a DOG: If you can't eat it or hump it, pi$$ on it & walk away.

09-16-2009, 02:57 PM	#6
karl_1052 sergeant hatred Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Ottawa Moto: The bus Posts: 2,723	1) Wear slacks and a nice shirt, if it seems really casual unbutton the top three buttons. __________________ My wife was afraid of the dark...then she saw me naked and now she's afraid of the light.

09-16-2009, 02:32 PM	#1
neebelung Ornery, scandalous & evil Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Jacksonville, FL Moto: 2004 Scarlet R1 Posts: 5,962	Hiring Managers, H/R peeps - Couple of questions for ya.... Ok, I need some feedback here, and if any of you peeps are/have been hiring managers or H/R reps in the past, please pipe in. I've got three balls in the air right now; two positions I've already interviewed for (1 of them twice) that I should hear back on by week's end, and another I'm interviewing with tomorrow. Question 1.) The interview I've got tomorrow, the woman made a point of telling me "We're pretty casual here; I know people feel they need to dress up, put on a suit, but we're not like that here. Slacks and... well... any old top will be just fine." So do I listen to her? For some interviews, I dress up more than others, but at the very least, it's very nice dress pants and a nice blouse/tailored button down (not manly button down, but not a t-shirt, either!). Do I go with that, or do I try to dress it down a bit more???? I've just never had someone tell me to NOT dress up (normally it's recruiters telling me "Dress to impress!"), so I dunno how to handle it properly. Question 2.) I touched base with the guy I'd interviewed with last week to check status, see if there was any other info he needed from me, etc... (he told me last week they'd make a decision this week). When we spoke, he said they were POSSIBLY going to hire two people for this spot, but he wasn't sure; they'd see how hectic things were once the program rolled out, and maybe bring one person in, and then once things settled down, bring in another person, and have person #1 train/mentor them. Truth be told, I can't see in a million years how they'll need 2 people. (I could be wrong, but it doesn't sound like they will). Anyway, so in his response today, he said his only concern is that they won't be able to meet my salary requirements. Of course, salaries are always negotiable - to a point. So do I just treat that casually, and tell him it's negotiable, or is there a tactful way to tell him "You won't NEED two people if you hire me, so in reality, you'll be SAVING money...." ( ). HALP!!!!!!

09-16-2009, 02:40 PM	#3
HurricaneHeather AMA Supersport Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Sydney Moto: '98 Honda Fireblade Posts: 3,696	1. Wear what you feel comfortable in. Period. If you feel perfectly comfortable with slacks and a nice blouse wear that. If you are going to feel like a dweeb wearing a t-shirt and jeans and inadvertently act like a dweeb, then by golly don't wear that. I think of slacks and a nice blouse as dressing down. I think you'll be fine with that. 2. By ALL means, find a tactful way to say "You won't NEED two people if you hire me, so in reality, you'll be SAVING money...." At salary negotiation time you can by all means lead with that. Let me mull it over and think of a way to put that tactfully....

09-16-2009, 02:54 PM	#5
HurricaneHeather AMA Supersport Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Sydney Moto: '98 Honda Fireblade Posts: 3,696	If you can put it in a way that you are providing your expertise on the matter in the second interview that would be perfect. Like, 'in my experience with this and that I found that I can complete such and such task in this amount of time with just these resources.' Find something in the job description that is mentioned to be a big chunk of your responsibilities and take that as the starting point. Ah, shit I'm still mulling....