Ferrari Area 51 / Second Interview
 

As some here may know, I interviewed w/ a privately owned Ferrari shop over the winter. This place facility-wise is in a league of it's own. Has a name/website and telephone number, but if you googled any combo of those it would return ="0"

They also do other very rare cars, a true one stop shop from resto - to racing-to modification

Originally, I thought the shop manager was very rude and indifferent to me in the first interview, as in made me wait 30 mins, even though I was 3 mins early. Basically acted as if I was this meeting was completey taxing and did not even really read my resume.

I am working and going back to school to get out of this business, but did this meeting anyway, as I had sent him my profile back in Sept "10

So he emails me again last week and we set up another interview. I go there with an open mind with some preperation for his attitude.

I arrive again early, this time by 4 mins. I wait for an easy 40 mins - noticed that some of the shop guys seem not too happy as they 'scurry' around...hmmmmmmmmmm

Finally he greets me, but half-heartedly shakes my hand and does not look me in the eye. We sit down and he announces that he has an extremely long day, he's tired, really not into this but will try and make it through.

He starts off saying that.."So you're the guy that crashed the 944?"
Me.."No"

Him..."You're sure?"
Me..."Yes"

Now he starts frantically going through papers and notes.............He goes .."Oh, you're the guy that is restorring a Targa?"
Me.."Yes.....getting closer and it's almost finished!"

Him.." What? (in a *****ty tone) why isn't it finished?'
Me.." I have been working on it on and off for 4 years when time and resources allow. In the past year or so the economy has affected as well"

Him.."That's a ridiculous amount of time to restore a car"
Me...." I have a passion for motorcycles and classic cars. I own several of each. But I OWN them, they do not OWN me and when my other priorities are met, then I devote my remaining resources to those things."

Him: " So you are some kind of BMW or Porsche mechanic?"
Me "No, I am a seasoned and experienced technician.
Him " Yeah a mechanic"
Me "When I was a teenager I was a "hobbyist". Then through training and work I became a "mechanic" - After 20 years of on the job training and additional schooling I became a Technician. Today I want to continue that path and become a "craftsman" like the people working here"
Him "Oh"

On and on it went. Did not know what to think but to me it was him being more than rude, The whole interview went that way. I kept my composure, smiling when appropriate with a direct pleasant tone of voice. His demeanor never changed

It was very similar to the first interview. Over the weekend I made my mind up that if he did call or email I would politely decline. :mad:

Why politely?

This certainly does not sound like a great place to work.

+1
I was going to write the same thing.

Life is too short.

If he calls, inform him that HE failed the interview.

Sometimes people don't realize that an interview goes both ways. The interviewer (this jackass guy) can fail just as surely as a job candidate. In this case, I would have to say he failed worse than any candidate I ever interviewed, including the one who brought his mother to the interview.

angela

Don't know man.........just very condecending the entire time....

Good question!

from the info provided you got a great opportunity to see just how bad an owner can be to his team members.
This person may have very good mechanical skills but his people skills are clearly in the fail category.
To get a true sense of things you would be well advised to talk to his team members,
if they are happy you will quickly see this, otherwise he seems to not have any respect for himself as he has none for you

I'm surprised he doesn't have his own reality show yet.

He is the shop manager - all indications seem other people(s) own the biz ............

The bottom line is that if he treats you with this much contempt in the interview, imagine what it would be like once he's your boss. You cannot be an effective leader when your subordinates hate you.

Life is too short to work for azz-ho's.
If he's like that in an interview, I have to wonder how he'd respond to the slightest crisis as in something not going as planned .....

It seems that he was told to interview people by the owners and he does not want to, or does not know how to perform that task. Owners may want more labor capacity. Hard to know what the shop manager wants. Maybe just to complete task assigned, "I did 3 interviews, no good candidates."

I agree life is too short, and I also agree with Angela that he failed the interview. If he communicates with you again, I would tell him he failed to impress you on a professional level and didn't project the demeaner of a competent manager and that you are not interested.

Just as some people don't know how to present themselves in an interview - some interviewers don't know how to interview either.
he might - or might not present himself differently when working there.

Taking a job is a leap of faith by both parties. I've seen people that came across as superheros turn out to be lumps on a log - and I've seen people muff an interview and be great employees. It's a snap shot in time.

Don't limit your options. if he was that bad - by getting your foot in the door - maybe you could end up running the place. stranger things have happened.

If it truly is THE PLACE to take your Ferrari, I have to wonder how long he has been in his position, how does he manage to keep quality employees with an attitude like that? It seems to me that getting tasks done is only part of a managers job. Ensuring good chemistry and communications within a business is critical, especially in a highly technical or "craftsman" based industry where lack of attention or skill can result in big liabilities. Good luck to that business. IMHO keep looking

If I DID stay in this business, it would be a huge next step in opportunity, but why all the 'tude?
Basically I gave him a pass last time, but I know I would DREAD that guy every day. Clearly he feels superior to all others

sounds like the owner of the shop i used to manage. text book case of abusive mentality. would scream at you one minute, and then when he realized you were about to walk out the door, he'd apologize and come up with 10 reasons on why you should stay. ...even admitting that he screwed up, but "was going to work on it." it was like being in an abusive marriage.

he was regarded as the best shop in town....by customers who assumed he actually did the automotive work. he was blessed to have an awesome crew of guys who took their work personally and had the craftsman mentality. the owner, however, lied to customers, brown-nosed those who he thought he might get something out of, etc. the customers viewed him as God's gift to the high-end autobody industry.....man, if they only knew.

Sounds like you should find out who owns the place, and apply to be the shop manager

and that's the best reply yet......

Yep!
 

Yep! Replace that loser!!

He may be putting somewhat of an act on to see who is serious and who is not.

I had a manager do something like that to me; he kept bringing me in to different interviews and each time the time I spent with him got better. Still - I knew better.

He predicted in the very first interview that I would accept a counter offer from my then current employer and low and behold I did. Not because I Wanted to stay there but because he was a jerk and I didn't want to work for him.

To my knowledge he STILL hasn't found someone he felt could fill the position and it's been almost 2 years. The downside is that my current company does a lot of business with his company and I am not welcome there (He doesn't know I work for the new company).

Life is too short to be working for dicks.

And that is a fact.

Ian

You are going to get this thread sent to PARF.....

T9

Ha! :D . . .just what I was thinking.

I agree with the fact that an interview goes both ways.. however you goal right now is to get an offer. You are selling yourself to this guy, he may be testing your patience to see how you react/respond. I agree that you should remain in your element, be polite, be true to your MO etc...

I have found in interviews, the quirks you see will always be there, so if in fact you get the job there, you'll have this attitude to go along with it. It would be great to also interview some of the other mechanics that work at the shop and see if they like it etc... (not sure how you could do that)

Overall though, life is too short...

Try to find one of the mechanics that works there, and get the scoop.

agreed...............life IS too short

Almost forgot to tell you all the very first question he asked when we sat down:

Him.."So what kind of vehicles do you drive?"
Me...." I have a 99 Monte Carlo SS / 2001 Jeep Grand cherokee / '95 Harley Road King / '77 Pro street Harley Sportster / 1972 Yamaha 200 Twin

Him.."(Incredulous look) why I would have thought that you'd drive something newer than that!"
Me.." I could but I don't. I try to live below my means, especially in this uncertain economy"
Him..."Uh....ok"

I know its a Ferarri shop and all but this sounds like one of those situatons where you walk into an expensive suit shop and the snooty guy is all condescending....but you work in a suit shop.

Did you ask him what he drove?

Those kinds of questions have no place in an interview anyway.

If you're still considering it, at all, one technique I like is to ask the hiring mgr "now that you've met me, how do you think I would fit in here? " might give you the oppty to chat with the other employees on what they like about being there. Maybe he's nevr around after the hirng phase and you can do your own thing and not be bothered.

Did he think you had a garage full of exotics at home? He's sounding more like a douch nozzle more and more.

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Does Christian Horner run a Ferrari shop on the side?

Holy hell I just laughed out loud. :)

What's his website?
Why doesn't it turn up on google if you search for it???
That doesn't make sense, does it?

He could have easily (and appropriately) been testing your ability to handle arrogant, pompous jerks. D'ya think the owners of most of the cars you'd be working on would be much different?

Agree with the above - the high road is always best. Never lose your cool and never get defensive. Answer simply and honestly and (important) never be afraid to ask YOUR questions of THEM on an interview too... You are most definitely interviewing them.

I agree with Hugh 100% although given the lousy state of the job market, there's a certain amount of "beggers can't be choosers" logic that applies too. Think long and hard about what it would be like working for that guy (assuming that really was his persona and he wasn't just testing you) day-in and day-out with no breaks for 2,3,4,5 years... Could you really handle it without becoming miserable? Would it start to rub off on people at home? Would it start to change your demeanor and outlook? All perfectly valid questions.

I've walked away from offers too simply because I didn't like the "vibe" of a particular place or person I knew I'd be working for. Don't be afraid to if it really rubs you the wrong way (which it sounds like it does). No paycheck is worth hating life over (however a lot of paychecks ARE worth mild annoyance over).

In good times, you can hold out for great offers. In these times, I'd settle for anything that didn't suck. Situation I'm in - this place is fine for now and is has its upsides (low stress, decent hours, good benefits, stable) but as soon as things turn around, I'm gone. Quite a lot of people these days seem to be working jobs other than the ones they'd really prefer to be working simply because there aren't any to be had. Reality.

Great advice all........thanks for the words of encouragement

Don't think it matters now - the name of the place: Dew Motorcars

Did a little googling...looks like the manager knows he needs some leadership coaching. Asphalt, I will send to you...might be good for a LOL.