-1

I recently appeared for an interview in a well known software firm for position of "Java developer". Interview kicked off well, until interviewer started to argue over my answer to a question.

Edit1: [Interviewer asked if I am sure about this answer]

I told him that I am completely sure that this is the correct answer (an answer which I have told in a dozen interviews and it is correct). He insisted that answer is wrong. I asked him (reaction) to tell me where am I wrong (I don't know if this is acceptable or not) because I believe that an interview should be a two-way conversation. He lost his mind and said: "You are the interviewee and not me, so why should I tell you"?

He asked me a few more questions. Once again a question was very similar to the previous disputed question. I gave my answer. He literally was talking down on me at this point. My brain stopped working as I had never been in such situation before.

Now at last the interviewer got stuck on two vague words, which belong to English Literature and not Computer Science. He was being philosophical on these terms that there is a huge difference between both and that I am wrong. Let's say that I was wrong, what he should have done is to mark these answer as incorrect and move on. But he kept on going and belittling me.

For the past week, I am feeling very upset about this situation. I don't know what effect this would have in future. I wanted to talk to HR and complaint about rude behavior (which was very rude because despite the amount of confidence that I have, I still find it very heartbreaking)

Please guide me.

Improve this question
11
  • 1
    Related: Got into a (technical) argument with my interviewer - should I apologize? Feedback to company about a bad interview – Bernhard Barker Dec 30 '17 at 14:51
  • 3
    That's an "I think we're done here; thanks for your time" situation. – Blrfl Dec 30 '17 at 15:31
  • 9
    Remember that an interview isn't just for them to determine if they want to hire you, it is also for you to determine if you want to work for them. If that's the kind of person they put forward to represent their company to a candidate, you might want to think about whether this company is right for you. – Seth R Dec 30 '17 at 16:01
  • Maybe he wanted to test how you handle tense situations. You showed him. – AffableAmbler Dec 30 '17 at 16:51
  • It sounds like there was a language barrier. Were you and the interviewer both speaking in your native language? Sometimes even fluent non-native speakers can get confused by certain expressions. – ColleenV Dec 30 '17 at 19:47
2

You may have come off as rude to them when you said you were completely sure your answer was correct before asking where you had made an error. You might have been wrong if you misheard the question, or they misspoke when they gave it to you.

In any case, the appropriate course of action would be to evaluate whether or not you want to continue on the path forward with this company if that's even an option after such a poor interview. It's probably not though. Even if it is, do you really want to work with someone like that?

To be clear, the best way to react when an interviewer is rude is to be nice, calm, and polite and see if you might have accidentally done something inappropriate. After the interview, take that behavior into consideration when deciding if you want to continue with the hiring process from your side.

Glassdoor also has a review section for interviewees where you can provide annonymous reviews publicly.

Improve this answer
3
  • 2
    I am sorry for not writing that the interviewer asked me: "Are you sure?" to which I replied "Yes I am sure". And ofcourse no, even if they offer me double of expected salary, I would not work for someone like this. – Junejo Dec 30 '17 at 14:46
  • no this answer is crazy pants. – bharal Dec 30 '17 at 16:18
  • 3
    @bharal: "Crazy pants"? – A. I. Breveleri Dec 30 '17 at 17:45

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .