Hi Friends

I am new to this Forum and I really found this Forum to be more information oreinted .

I would like to share the bad interview experience which I had encountered just a week back.

I would like to outline my interview in a short way:

The interview committe comprised of three People ( Two from Technical and one from HR)

As far as the Technical persons were concerned, they were quite friendly and more oriented towards Technical aspects and I really enjoyed the discussion with them.

Unfortunately the HR guy was very arrogant and his talks were literally defaming my personality and in turn my nation of origin.

Here are the few things questioned and told by the HR Manager

1. Are you one from 23 children for your father

2. Once when you come to Know that Germany has liberalised the immigration policy """ You packed your suitcase and came off to Germany"""", told in very sarcastic manner.

3. Looking at relieving letter from my previous company(Land of origin), he calculates the money earned to the euro currency and says that I was earning 130 to 150 euro permonth and now you are looking for such a high pay in Germany.

4. COndeming my English accent, eventhough we didnot speak a word in English during our conversation.


Have anybody encountered such a typeof interview, is it common in Germany, or else if not can I file a case againt the HR guy for defaming me and my land of origin after inviting for the interview.

YOur prompt feedbacks are highly appreciated.

It will be good if Mr Detlef can give his opinion .

Thanks

Bye

Foreigner

I feel really sorry for your bad experience.
Probably the HR guy has a bad day :-).
It is very interesting for me.
I know some company is very very conservative say BXXXX in Baden Wurttenberg.
The fact that they called you for interview, mean that they have interest for you.

There isn't any discrimination law in germany, I don't think you can sue somebody for this, but you can tell the company name in this forum, so people become aware what kind of company that is.

Hi Foreigner,

this was bad luck and I wonder, how such an idiot can be in charge of HR! I think if the whole thing was not something like a special psycholgy test, this guy costs his company a lot of money, because qualified experts would not accept such behaviour and they would search for another position in another company ;-)

I do not think that this is a typical example for interviews, but to be honest, I myself never had one, because I am one of the bloody employers.

Take it easy and be happy, that you are different from this guy, I mean better!

I do not think that you can file a case, because you are alone and the others are three, so it would be hard to proof something.

Come to our party, have a beer or two with us, and forget about this. I could tell you a story what happened to me yesterday, you wouldn't believe it.

There are good and bad everywhere and it is up to you, if you give the bad a chance to shorten your live.

Viele Grüße aus Berlin
Detlef

Just forget him ASAP. I had many interviews and met lot of different people in different moods, and they were almost all the time within the limits of the civilized behaviour. What you write is not typical at all, so I would say guy has perhaps some very serious personal problems and is probably in need of professional psychiatric help, perhaps his wife/girlfriend went away with some of your fellow countrymen :-) who knows what kind of pain he takes within himself :-) one can only guess. If you really want to do something then complain about his behaviour to his boss :-) .

Hi Foreigner,

i feel very sorry about that! But i think such people seem to be few in HR positions, but true there are!
i hadnt personally such experience. one advice: just forget it, as told by other friends. Why dont u told him that he is insulting u? one should switch to English, if need to answer such nonsense questions, dont shy to speak in english at such situations.

i dont think it was either a sycholgy test, or it was a bad mood / bad day, it was attitude of somebody, who was insulting a guest, who he himself invited for interview.

if u really want to do something for him, just send an email to top boss of his company!

Getting a job belongs to luck also, i believe!, so it was ur luck that u willnt be hired by such a company, where such people are responsible for Human Resources.

i wish next u come across a friendly guy.

The interview style of HR manager can have -according to my experiences- following reasons:

1. The company you have been applying for is in a financial pressure. Every single move of HR (in your case, whether they will hire you or not) is critical for them. This psychological pressure on the HR staff is also a direct psychological pressure on you.

2. It is a typical HR style. HR's behaviour is kind of "regression test" of you. They want to know how you react. I think this can be a kind of test. I have experienced similar one.

3. The behaviour of HR can be also a sign/view about the company. Their way = company's way. Don't forget about the fact, that when you get hired, this guy might go on communicating you, for all of your formalities.

Another fact is, that HR people cannot be touched, they have no reference, because they are the reference. No matter how bad they are, you have to be "slave" to them. This is a universal rule.

Nevertheless, after getting hired, it's the technical department who will say that you stay there or not. Technical department has the last word.

That's maybe why HR Manager behave bad, to compensate technical guys behaviour. Maybe HR guy can also be angry with them, showing his angryness thru your interview.

I'm in the same opinion Detlef has. It's impossible to file a case for them, you cannot go to court, although your way is reasonable in fact. Don't ask, it's just so impossible. Because they are the real man, they are the one who will decide.

I strongly recommend you that you analyze the company you have applied, very detailed: opportunities, financial status, layoff possibilities etc. etc.

But the more patient you are, the more you have chances to win.

Good luck!

Klenze17

Hi Foreigner

First of all, don´t you feel depressed of angry because this kind of interviews, just forget it and continue with your life.

Second, be happy. This kind of behaviour is better to suffer BEFORE you enter in a company than AFTER. After, you don´t have to many options, is not so easy to resign u.s.w. At least you knew it in advance isn´t it?

In my case, I did dreceive this kind of treatment once but comming from people with only one neuron (I feel superior because I have two). But comparing, I suffered even worse treatment with some companies who showed me a happy face but after I left the room, they showed internally the dirty face. At least you know very clear how they thought and you could defend yourself against those nonsenses.

To end, I don´t want to know the name of the company but I would like to know the name of the city in which you had the interview, just curiosity ;-)

Good Luck and keep going!

@Foreigner
Please read or go through this book once, and try to analyse again what happened with HR, you may think differently then.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1889150444/qid%3D1114071149/104-2070734-3259914

The Safe Hiring Manual : The Complete Guide to Keeping Criminals, Imposters and Terrorists Out of Your Workplace

ISBN: 1889150444

@Foreigner(s)

I may be wrong to point this fact that due to "Globalization" and a rising trend of "Hiring cheap labour" from 3rd-WC(please read as 3rd World Countries :-))has disturbed many persons/business communities/countries.

As per your experience, if the IT-persons remained friendly, then this might be some sort of "Behavioral Test", but I think, this is normally done by an Army or some other similar Institute, where "Patience" is most important amongst other(Technical) skills.

If that company does not fall into such a category, you should try to "Inform" the "Vorstand" of the company about such a behavior and request them to help avoid such a situaton rising against your fellow-countrymen.

Your situation seem to be a part of "Inter-departmental" politics, where HR seem not to be willing to give away a competent IT-position filled by a 3rd-WC.

As Mr. Detlef said, you have to and should forget this like a bad dream.


GC

Hi,
like all others, I am also sorry for your bad experience.

To my understanding when this co. has invited you for interview, they must have paid for your ticket / stay in Hotel as well as visa. This only happens when a co. is really interested in a person's skills and they have made a short list of a couple of candidates.
I don't know if there is another one in the list to whom this HR guy wants to give job and he came at you in the dirtiest possible way.(Some times there is a lot of politics between different departments in the same co.) IT Dept. may have wanted you to come and HR didn't.

I am also working in quite a big international co. and once my HR Director also gave me a piece of his mind in an email. To his surprise I didn't boged down and took that sh*t upto the MD who said sorry and took care of HR director. After that he never bothered me. (Last year he was fired b/c of his attitude problems with every one)

Take heart and forget about that idiot. I hope you'll get a better chance than that.

Also, if we get the same salaries in our home countries, why the hell will go to an other place.

Regards,

Maybe, such kind of questions are a special strategy to evaluate how can you cope with a conflictual situation.

Marius

When you receive those kind of questions again during interview, you could answer them that all personal related questions should not be accounted to what you can offer as an employee.

You dont have to file a lawsuit regards to this circumstances...it is just another path of life experience :-)

All sacarstic questions/statements should be answered with truth in tough and confident manner.

Good luck in your next interview.

Sengkiang is right.

You have to only say that you think his/her question isn't related with your interview, but somehow tell him/her about your necessary private infos elegantly.
One thing to remember in formal occasions is, try to think objectively as you can, avoid to say your subjectively thought.
I hope for your success.

EE
PS: Sengkiang are you still in Dresden? Ada orang Malaysia lagi di sana?

Hi *,
I find this topic quite interesting.
If you analyse the scenerio carefully.

-Two Technical guys.
-One HR guy.

The technical guys were cordial.
The HR guy was abrasive.

From my Prospective ;
I think the HR guy just adminstered personality test to you.
For a foreigner, the test is most likely to find out how well
you've integrated yourself into the German society.
One of the signs is not only the ability to speak Deutsch.
How strong your personality is counts too.This in context of the company
and even in the society determines how effective you can be.
When I was younger, I use to see placards like "Beware of Dogs" hung on private
properties but as I grew older I see that hung on peoples faces "Beware of wolfs" (;-))

I do not think you should see it as a bad experience.I think you should see
it as a valuable experience that has given you the opportunity to think about
how to carry yourself or even counter attack such attacks in future.

ThE POWER TO THINK IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE INTELLIGENCE YOU MAY HAVE