Did I just sabotage my own job interview?

Post Reply New Topic

I needed a summer job this summer, and my college needs custodial workers; so I called and got an interview.

I went to the job interview, and I was late. This time, my lateness was due to my really erratic sleep cycle, which hadn't let me sleep until 4 a.m., and my tendency to turn off an alarm while I'm asleep, even across the room--I know I do this because I set my alarm, wake up late and see it turned off, but don't remember doing so. Sometimes I set both alarm clocks and wake up to find them both turned off. The job interview was at 3 p.m., and I managed to sleep those 11 hours, making me 20 minutes late to the interview. (My sleep pattern is a strange combination of insomnia and hypersomnia, and cannot truly be called a pattern at all.)

The interview went well, for the most part; I remembered to look at their faces (if not their eyes) and didn't tap my foot (which is one of my stereotypies, and much more vigorous than an NT's habit of tapping his foot--I usually shake the entire table when I do it).

The problem here is with my truthfulness. I don't like to lie; and am really not good at it.

I told them I was a perfectionist and might have to be told to speed up because I wanted to do a job perfectly and might work too slow...
I told them I had doctor's appointments I might have to take off work for, but would attempt to schedule when I wasn't working and would do overtime to make up for...

Those two things aren't bad to say at a job interview, though; they're both neutral as far as they affect the quality of work I might put out. But I think I might have sabotaged myself when they asked whether I would be able to make it to work at 6 a.m., which is when the job starts.

The job runs until 3 p.m. Naturally, many NTs would have problems, initially, getting up that early to get to work. For me, the problem with lateness isn't always sleeping too late; with a 6 a.m. job I would simply sleep during the daytime, as soon as I got off work, and then stay up until 6 a.m., go to work, and go to bed when I got home from work. I'm naturally nocturnal--less likely to be able to get to sleep during the night than during the day. Of course, my sleep cycle would be erratic as usual, but on average I would be awake at 6 a.m. rather than asleep.

The problem, then, would not really be the 6 o'clock starting time; rather, it would be being able to keep track of time and go to work on time. I get extremely involved in--hyperfocus on--whatever I may be interested in at any particular time. Time just seems to be nonexistant when I'm in that sort of state; even if I do notice the clock, it seems to be unimportant to me compared to what I'm currently doing. Were I to be hyperfocused on something when 6 o'clock rolled around, I might not be able to get to work on time.

So I told them the truth: Early morning would not be a problem for me; but I tended to get really involved in things, and might lose track of time and be late. That I had problems with being late to class as well.

Should I have been so truthful? Do you think they will reject me as a candidate for a job because I admitted that I had problems with tardiness?

You should not have told them that. Most NTs hear the word "late," and automatically assume the person it lazy or not dedicated. So you definitelty should have kept that to yourself. And it's not lying if you don't tell them. It's simply hiding the information that could jeopardize your chances. It's considered perfectly acceptable in the NT society.

im very truthful aswell and at my last job interview i told them that i was a perfectionist and therefore ma owrk alittle slower paced ans that i do one task before starting another.
i was lucky because my boss has an autistic son so he understands me a little more i guess he gave me the job on the spot and ive had no poblems with it a apet from being loate a couople of times cos of my alarm..

i have sleeping diffeculties aswell examole its 1 42 am now i have to be up at 6 am to start workat 7 am but im notwhere near in sleeping mood.
i have my alam by my bed and when it goes off i take it in my hands and leave it to bleep at me. and i get up and stand up out of bed before i switch it off. that way i ensure i am up.
i also cycle to work and it is so refreshing and it wakes me up. i have my MP3 player on while i cycle

i daydream sometimes at work and sometimes ive nearly actually fallen asleep. when i have no work to do i sit on my chair and rock on it or i tap drumbeats on my legs in time with the music that is playing through our cd player
or sometimes i just daydream and go off completely into my own world this is something i used to do at school aswell and ive basically done all my life is daydream and be in my own world.. my world is nicer than the real world i think

But they asked straight-out whether I would have a problem with tardiness!... I'd have had to lie straight-out--I couldn't just have conveniently not mentioned it!

Is saying they don't have a problem when they do, one of those little white lies that NTs tell? Is it understood that people never admit to their shortcomings? Or is it considered a bad thing to lie like that?

Oh, sorry... I didn't realize there was a specific Work forum...

Well, I guess I know now.

Im not the person to ask how other peoples opinions will be formed but I can tell you, from one nocturnal to another try and find night work.

Ive learned the hard way, theres no point fighting it.. people will say you're strange, your family may forever try and convert you into a night sleeper but Ive come to realise for me at least, its not going to happen. One job I had was an evening shift where I was often getting home at 4am, ideal time to shut eye. Your sleep pattern may be "unusual" but there are jobs out there for night people and its well worth finding one.

Now you mention it I wonder if Ive ever tapped my foot at interviews, ill have to be more mindful of that in the future.

OMG I have that exact problem, no one will believe me its possible so dont bother ever telling that to an employer

They told me that they couldn't hire me.

The reason they gave was that I would be absent too often. I replied to the e-mail, asking why they thought I would be absent too often, explaining I had no plans to take a vacation this summer. They replied:

When they asked during the interview about absenteeism due to illness or vacation, I told them that I was likely to have to miss a day or half a day on the first day of my period, once a month, but was quite healthy otherwise... This adds up to at the most one day a month, and possibly half a day or not at all.

Three days of absence during the summer--and more likely to be 1 1/2 to two days, figuring in weekends and times when I felt better by noon or had to go home around noon, and thus missed only half a day... This seems unrealistic, considering that most people miss work about once a month, and many girls can't do heavy physical work during their periods.

Did they lie to me, and was it really because I admitted I had a problem with lateness? Was it inappropriate to talk about having trouble with periods (the interviewer was female)? Or did I somehow just convey an attitude of irresponsibility, and they didn't want to hire me because of that?

This was my last option for a summer job... I live in a small town and have no car... what now?

Ah sorry to hear, i guess my best advice here would be don't take a single rejection to heart.. although I can relate to living in a small place with no opportunities

In my experience interviewers have some warped expectations, like you Im a pretty honest sort of person but in an interview Ive come to realise there is no choice but say what they want to hear and unfortunately they want to hear that you'll be there every day, and them some with extra hours from the goodness of your heart.

Once you actually get into a job you'll probably notice most people do average around one day off per month, but some people have this bizarre ability to take all this time off without it being collectively noticed by management.. Ive found that people dont relate well to me and seem to develop negative feelings toward me after some time, the bad thing here is that if a manager doesn't like you they'll noticed absolutely every footstep "out of line".

I think don't consider it lying, in order to compete with NTs who're prepared to lie outright about their abilities I think we must at least learn to omit certain details

Callista; do you mind if you are late? No? Then say this truthful statement:

"I have no problems with being late." They will not take it personally, they are in "interview mode" and wil assume you mean "i am never late". You gotta say it with a straight face though.

If you are of extreme confidence, you can also challenge them. Ask if they have ever been late, or if they currently employ anyone that has never been late. If they say "no" arch your eyebrow and say "Really. That is remarkable!". You will put them on the spot, and they will change the subject.. It can still hurt you, but it will get you past the question.

Note that these are not lies. You can be truthful, if you can divert their attention, or turn it internally.

NT's will lie through their teeth in a situation like this, because they know that it's much more difficult to be fired from a job than it is to simply be turned down following an interview. Of course we know this too, but we're more focused on honesty.

You mentioned that you might be absent once per month, and that planted an idea in the interviewer's head that you will follow a pattern of lateness and absenteeism. It doesn't matter that it would only be 3 days over the summer, tops-- it still makes you look bad to them. Plus they assume that everyone they interview is a liar (because 98% of people really are), so they think if you admit to one day per month, it's going to be more like 5 days.

I can guarantee you that if someone else lies through their teeth and says they're never late, they will be favored over you. Even if they end up being gone twice as often, it's highly doubtful that they will be fired for that reason. Nobody will confront the person about what was said in the interview. And there's not a snowball's chance in hell of the interviewer ever saying "Oh no, I screwed up, I should have hired that honest person who only said she'd be gone 3 days."

On a different note, however-- why couldn't you just set an alarm clock? When it goes off, that's your cue to wrap up whatever you're focused on and get to work. It'd be especially easy if you were already awake!

One thing about job interviews and being honest - it's all in the spin. Something that would have been honest to say but also not make you look as bad would have been that "sometimes you get super-involved in what you're doing and forget to look at the clock. While you'd certainly set yourself reminders/alarms and do your best, this could theoretically once in a while result in your maybe being a little bit late. (Just open the possibility for it - don't say that you hands-down will be.) However, you would almost certianly become super-involved in what you were doing at work as well, so you would probably stay late quite often, if not daily, without minding at all." Make your weaknesses into strengths for them.

Other examples: You have a free schedule to work odd hours as neccessary; there will be times when they need people at other times than 6am to 3pm and you will be available. Everyone has doctors' appointments but not everyone can make up the hours elsewhere. (Also since everyone has doctors' appointments once in a while, and half the population of the planet has periods, it's sort of assumed that you will, too, so i probably wouldn't have mentioned those things specifically.)
You're a perfectionist: so it maybe takes you a little longer the first time (and the second time, but don't mention that), but boy does it get done right. Also as you build up experience doing things you will be able to go more quickly and still be perfect.

You're not lying; you're just doing publicity.