I used to be a recruiter. Have conducted thousands of interviews. Before I had my first big-boy developer job, I was interviewed by this rude manager and his boss (who was not rude) who thought he could get a 2 for 1 by hiring me to develop his websites while also working the phones as a recruiter.
Now, anyone with any sort of sense will tell you that it's stupid to enter into a negotiation (which is what interviews are, even if you're probably not discussing acceptance and pay right away) without knowing about who you're talking to. And while I didn't have any specific knowledge of the inner-workings of his company, I was definitely familiar with his industry.
I've always made it a point to carry a notepad with me when interviewing with people. I have a section of points I specifically want to highlight, and also a section on specific things about the company that I'd like to know more about. Turns out that rude-ass over there on the other side of the desk couldn't answer some pretty basic things about his own workplace, down to the commission structure for new hires. Things that a self-assured future captain of industry (as he presented himself) should have definitely known.
At the end of the interview, I thanked them for their time and also told them that I did not think I would be a good fit due to my perception of their corporate culture. I don't know what happened after that, but I do know that as gracious as the owner was, he was staring daggers at his employee about halfway through my grilling.
Now, anyone with any sort of sense will tell you that it's stupid to enter into a negotiation (which is what interviews are, even if you're probably not discussing acceptance and pay right away) without knowing about who you're talking to. And while I didn't have any specific knowledge of the inner-workings of his company, I was definitely familiar with his industry.
I've always made it a point to carry a notepad with me when interviewing with people. I have a section of points I specifically want to highlight, and also a section on specific things about the company that I'd like to know more about. Turns out that rude-ass over there on the other side of the desk couldn't answer some pretty basic things about his own workplace, down to the commission structure for new hires. Things that a self-assured future captain of industry (as he presented himself) should have definitely known.
At the end of the interview, I thanked them for their time and also told them that I did not think I would be a good fit due to my perception of their corporate culture. I don't know what happened after that, but I do know that as gracious as the owner was, he was staring daggers at his employee about halfway through my grilling.