May 7, 2009 at 3:03 am
Some time back i got a good offer from a company as a DBA which involved DBA activities and performance tuning.
During the interview process i pointed out that i did not have hands on experience in certain DBA activities like Replication,log shipping etc.
After getting the offer while discussing with development manager i pointed out again that i did not have hands on experience in certain DBA activities. He took this to mean that i was not comfortable doing the job and some days later withdrew the offer. I was only trying to give them a clear picture regarding my experience and abilities so that there be confusion later on. Did i overdo it ?
"Keep Trying"
May 7, 2009 at 3:42 am
i think that if they were happy after the interview process then it was probably abit overkill to mention it again.
unless you were thinking that maybe they didn't hear you the first time.
but its more likely that they heard you and thought that at least you were being honest and that it was something they/you could work on.
when you said it again it could have sounded like you weren't comfortable with what you would be asked to do.
May 7, 2009 at 3:46 am
Yes, you don't need to keep telling them what you can't do. You should be emphasising what you can do and when it comes to doing the tasks that you've not done yet, it shouldn't be a problem because of your existing knowledge, coupled with your ability to read books online.
May 7, 2009 at 7:03 am
Emphasis on what you can accomplish than what you can't do.
If something I am not familiar with, I would tell them the truth but I also tell them how quickly I can learn to do the job.
May 7, 2009 at 7:11 am
Was probably/possibly overkill. Nothing wrong with mentioning what you can't do yet, but the only reason to bring it up again is if they start talking about it and assuming you know what they're talking about.
- Gus "GSquared", RSVP, OODA, MAP, NMVP, FAQ, SAT, SQL, DNA, RNA, UOI, IOU, AM, PM, AD, BC, BCE, USA, UN, CF, ROFL, LOL, ETC
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May 7, 2009 at 11:13 am
Chirag (5/7/2009)
Some time back i got a good offer from a company as a DBA which involved DBA activities and performance tuning.During the interview process i pointed out that i did not have hands on experience in certain DBA activities like Replication,log shipping etc.
After getting the offer while discussing with development manager i pointed out again that i did not have hands on experience in certain DBA activities. He took this to mean that i was not comfortable doing the job and some days later withdrew the offer. I was only trying to give them a clear picture regarding my experience and abilities so that there be confusion later on. Did i overdo it ?
What did they say about that during the interview process? Was it a requirement of the job? If so, then you did NOT over do it. You did exactly right. If it wasn't an actual requirement stated in the interview even after your good asking, then, yeah... maybe you over did it. BUT, I still think you did the right thing.
I once hired a guy that didn't know the things I wanted someone to because of his ethics and absolute honesty. And, it worked out great because he was also motivated to learn and learn he did.
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
May 8, 2009 at 2:11 am
Thankyou for your comments. I get the feeling that i did over do a bit. I will keep this in mind for the next time. 🙂
"Keep Trying"
May 8, 2009 at 2:15 am
Jeff Moden (5/7/2009)
Chirag (5/7/2009)
Some time back i got a good offer from a company as a DBA which involved DBA activities and performance tuning.During the interview process i pointed out that i did not have hands on experience in certain DBA activities like Replication,log shipping etc.
After getting the offer while discussing with development manager i pointed out again that i did not have hands on experience in certain DBA activities. He took this to mean that i was not comfortable doing the job and some days later withdrew the offer. I was only trying to give them a clear picture regarding my experience and abilities so that there be confusion later on. Did i overdo it ?
What did they say about that during the interview process? Was it a requirement of the job? If so, then you did NOT over do it. You did exactly right. If it wasn't an actual requirement stated in the interview even after your good asking, then, yeah... maybe you over did it. BUT, I still think you did the right thing.
I once hired a guy that didn't know the things I wanted someone to because of his ethics and absolute honesty. And, it worked out great because he was also motivated to learn and learn he did.
Thanks Jeff. Your comments were reassuring. As to what happened during the interview there were some DBA activities that i could do very well and some that i had no prior experience. I pointed out both but i think i pointed out the things i had no experience on more "clearly".
"Keep Trying"
July 2, 2009 at 6:52 pm
The thing that's kept me going in interviews is to mention (when asked) what I don't know but to also emphasis how eager I am to learn said skill. That keeps it from being "I can't do this job" and turns it into "please grant me this golden opportunity."
July 3, 2009 at 10:46 am
Well said, Brandie.
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
July 7, 2009 at 7:05 pm
I am sure you find a better job, but I usually put all my qualifications on the resume, so in your case you would skip Replication\LogShipping, etc. And if asked on the interview you can mention about it. Once hired you might be asked to do some replication, so in this case you can mention that you never worked with it and that is reflected on your resume. But once started in the new company you can figure out quickly what others are expecting from you, so you can pick it up rather quickly within first weeks at the new place...
July 21, 2009 at 9:12 pm
I agree with Brandie.
I'd mention it clearly once and express my desire to learn new skills. I'd only mention it again once I get the final okay to start the job.
Adonia
August 18, 2009 at 5:42 am
Nothing worse then getting a job where your unsure about any aspect of it. A lot of job requirements never give you all the requirements and you normally only find out what the company wants, actually in the interview.
Personally if something comes up than i am not familiar with, I say I havent had much experience with it but I can handle it and explain how I would deal with it going forward.
As someone once said, turn every obstacle into an opportunity.
but the main things are, to be positive and confident. Positive Attitude and confidence can cover weaknesses in technical ability.
I think you done the right thing personally. Get more knowledge behind you about the basics of all sql technologies and express your willingness to learn more in your next interview and you will be fine.
~Silverfox~
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April 11, 2010 at 7:57 pm
Yes, I am sorry to say that you overdid it.
There was no reason to focus on what you don't need to know, you tried too hard and yes, there is such a thing as being too honest.
Here is why your interview did not go well in the end:
1. You burdened them with your problem, so instead of focusing on being happy that they were getting a good candidate, they were burdened with thinking about your issues
2. The Interview is also hard on the Hiring Manager because they are scared of making mistakes because of the cost of replacing candidates. So, you just increased their worry instead of making them more happy
3. You made yourself less attractive than other folks who were interviewed and who sounded more confident than you were
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