So I’ve watched enough cop shows to know how this goes. During my last interview I got the good cop / bad cop treatment. I got in, but just wanted to know how your supposed to respond to these.
Good Cop:
Way too friendly. Walk in the park.
Bad Cop:
Contredicting everything you say or do just for the Hell of it.
For those of you BSDs out there who practice this, what are you looking for, other than just a fun opportunity to haze a total stranger?
I’m no BSD, nor a hiring manager, so take my opinion for what it’s worth (which is probably nothing).
If I were interviewing somebody, I would probably want to be a bad cop. That is, without being rude or hateful, I would want to be as hard on them as I possibly can.
I wouldn’t ask any corny questions like, “What do you do when you’re done with all your work?” because the obvious answer is, “Double- and triple-check my work, then volunteer to help others, and look for more work to do.” This is a canned answer to a stupid question.
And if they fed me any cheesy lines like, “I want to work for the Greenman Corporation because they are the best in the industy,” I would immediately respond with “Who are the others in the industry and what makes us better?” That way, you’ll know whether they’ve actually done any research or they’re filling you full of bull.
Similarly, if the IRS were treating certain non-profit corps unfairly, and the the sitting POTUS said, “Those responsible will be held fully accountable,” my first question would be, “So you fired the guy who had already announced (before all this happened) that he was quitting next month? Wow!!! You really showed him!!!” His response would dictate how much thought he had really put into it, or whether he was just saying crap to make himself look good.
But that’s just me.
I think you’re just not supposed to freak out or lose composure. Pretty simple really.
I get that for the bad cop. Which is pretty simple. I don’t get all emotional. I actually like someone with contrarian thinking as I find it useful. Not at all threatened by it. Bad cop was actually much easier to deal with.
But what am I supposed to do with some really positive gushy person who, if she’s a chick sounds like she’s flirting with me, or if its a dude sounds like he wants to be my best friend?
General advice–mimic the behavior of the interviewer (to a lesser degree). If they’re laid back and informal, be (a little less) laid back and informal. If they’re smiling and happy, be (a little less) smiley and happy. If they sit foward in their chair, sit forward in your chair. If they frown and scowl, frown and scowl back.
If you have two opposites, then good luck. I guess just try to pick out which one is the dominant person and act act a little more like them than the other one.
For the good guy, just slam your water and ask him/her if you could have another as you are really thirsty since you have diarrea. Problem solved.
Have I met you before? Maybe in the bathroom of the McDonald’s down by Battery Park?
I try to be respectful of both of them and be as calm as possible. The bad cop is trying to rattle you. One time, I was in a situation like this and started to grow tired of the bad cop’s hi-jinks, trying to push back and contradict me on all kinds of things. When asked what I’d be interested in working at the firm, I said, “I had heard that your firm had a reputation for a pleasant and collegial work environment, which was one of the reasons I was excited about this conversation today. What do you guys think…is this reputation true? Love to hear any clarity on this.”
Tone of the conversation changed pretty dramatically after that, and they moved me along to the next round after a few minutes of random chat about investing topics.
^ Slick.
Is it bad to laugh a little or giggle when someone just acts absurd this way? Should I call them out on it and say, “Offier Bad Cop?” Or should I just play along and politely and show them that I can deal with all types of insanity.
Seriously, after 7 years in India I can deal with anybody.
Respond with your own Kindergarten Cop routine - “Who is your daddy and what does he do?”.
…they’ll appreciate your dedication to the cop theme and hire you immediately.
^Respect!
And Numi is the man!
Sometimes I’ve been asked to interview people in the last round. I usually play the good cop role who later stabs the candidate badly in private when it’s necessary.
Beware of the good cop.
I don’t trust good cops. Usually people enjoy playing a role opposite to their true personality.