Interviews, new jobs, and gun talk

[Carter]

I was at an all day interview today, step two in getting hired at this particular company. Well, the guy I was attached to was from the UK and we ended up discussing all the places he's been. He mentioned going to Turkey and that everyone there was crazy. I asked him why he thought that and his answer was, "Everyone there carries weapons. Guns, knives, pool balls in socks." I told him a lot of people do that here in America, minus the pool ball part, and he said he didn't know why.

I stopped and thought to myself: this guy holds the fate of me getting hired in his hands. Talking gun rights and politics might not be the best thing to get in to. So, I let it go.

Ironically later in the day we were at a bail bondsman's place selling him some particular items and I got in to an extended conversation with him about CCW (he was all for it). My interviewer was busy on the phone setting up the order, so all he saw was me being sociable with a client.
I also listed marksmanship as one of my hobbies on my application. The boss is ex-military so I don't think it bothered him.

So, when at a new job or during an interview process do you ever mention your firearms hobbies? Or do you keep silent on the matter?


I ended up getting the job, so my comments didn't hurt me, but I'm curious on how things would of gone if I'd tried to convert my English interviewer.

 

[kingpin008]

In general, I keep silent. IMHO, there are certain things about me that I don't want people knowing, at least right away. My interest in guns is one. Not because I'm ashamed of it or I think it's bad..but because right now, in this economy, it's not worth risking my job over. You never know when that seemingly innocent conversation with your boss about which DAO autoloader you prefer will come back to bite you on the butt, so I keep quiet until I have a very good idea of what the "touchy" subjects are with anyone in the workplace.

As far as converting your interviewer - heck no. He's not a friend, he's an obstacle to you bringing home a paycheck. That's not the time to preach the gospel of the boomstick, ya know? Especially if he's already shown a complete inability to comprehend why someone would own such a thing. There may be a way to convert him, but it's going to take time, if nothing else. Not worth it.

Anyway, that's my two cents. Congrats on the new job!

 

[rjrivero]

I NEVER talk about my gun(s) FIRST. If my colleage begins a conversation, then I'll be happy to discuss it, but NEVER FIRST.

 

[oneounceload]

I NEVER talk about my gun(s) FIRST. If my colleage begins a conversation, then I'll be happy to discuss it, but NEVER FIRST.

Eve n that scenario, I would first determine the way my supervisor/manager felt, as they do the performance reviews - something might get back to them that could be disasterous

 

[22-rimfire]

Avoid guns, politics, and social discussions when interviewing. The truth is you probably should avoid these topics at work in general. Anything that can create a strong emotional response should not be discussed.

 

[hAkron]

In broad general terms there are lots of things about my personality that are endearing once you get to know me, but would throw up multiple red flags during a job interview. I would steer clear of any inflammatory subjects during a job interview just like I would on a first meeting of a young ladies parents. There will be plenty of opportunities for this person to judge me within the proper context later, but until I have the job, I'll keep my proper church face on.

 

[Apocalypse-Now]

So, when at a new job or during an interview process do you ever mention your firearms hobbies? Or do you keep silent on the matter?

of course not.

many employers are obviously skiddish about guns, or may in fact be anti 2nd amen. jobs are hard to come by at the moment, don't be a fool. not an appropriate interview discussion topic unless the interviewer brings it up and likes guns.

kinda like mentioning that your hobby is putting a big fish hook through your skin and suspending yourself from ropes (weird people are actually into that).

be professional, and don't mention inappropriate off topic subjects at an interview.

 

[General Geoff]

Unless the job is firearms-related, I wouldn't talk about it.

 

[Deus Machina]

If the guy brings it up or has targets posted or something, I might talk about it. After all, in today's world 'the guy with four degrees' is less likely to get hired with 'the qualified guy I like talking to.'

 

[Lex Luthier]

The subject of hobbies came up once, and we bounced them off of each other. It turned out that we both liked firearms, and that conversation seemed to secure a sense of trust in each other. As my responsibilities have grown in the workplace, some of the guys know about it, and I think it lends me a little respect sometimes. I am not asking for it, but it happens.

Non-gun people simply do not understand the responsibility and maturity necessary to maintain the hobby. Pro-gun people more often than not simply do, and it gives us something to talk about that matters.

 

[1911fan]

I was at a resume seminar and, during a break, one of the other guys was talking about how to include shooting and hunting into his resume. My advice was "Don't mention it at all. If, in the interview, the interviewer brings it up you can feel free to talk guns, but be very aware...it might be a set-up."

About this time, a nearby table full of California transplanted women starts in with the "Guns are evil, guns kill people, watta ya want guns for anyway?" rant.

I turned to her and, with a straight face, replied "Ya know, Ma'am, you're right. Why just last week, while I was out on an interview, one of my shotguns got a little frisky. From inside the gun safe, it unlocked three locks, got out, and loaded itself. Then it went out onto my balcony, through a locked slider, and proceeded to shoot a bunch of crows. Then, it came back inside, locked the slider, crawled back into its gun case, jumped back into the safe and relocked everything. Why, if not for all the dead crows and the pile of shotgun hulls on the balcony, I'd never have known anything happened."

While the gun crowd (we take 2A seriously, here in Northern Nevada) was ROFLTAO, the woman had adopted a "See, I told you so!" expression. She was about to comment when one of her friends pointed out to her that she was being mocked. The expression quickly turned to a glare. I smiled, tipped my hat and resumed my seat on the other side of the room.

As we broke for the day one of the presenters, a lovely young red-haired lass, caught me as I passed and said, "You were right. On both counts." I smiled, tipped my hat and left.

I realize that last half had no bearing on the question, I just like to tell the story.

ed

 

[45Fever]

I keep quiet about guns, never talk about guns with fellow employees and carry everyday but never tell.

 

[Onward Allusion]

Carter
Interviews, new jobs, and gun talk
<SNIP>
So, when at a new job or during an interview process do you ever mention your firearms hobbies? Or do you keep silent on the matter?

I ended up getting the job, so my comments didn't hurt me, but I'm curious on how things would of gone if I'd tried to convert my English interviewer.

Congrats on the new job.

Rule of thumb and that of pretty much all HR professionals. Never discuss religion, sex (relationships), or politics (and guns are political) during a job interview. NEVER. BTW, your interviewer should not have stated that he thought the people in Turkey were "crazy". How would you have felt if you were of Turkish decent?

 

[ants]

Congrats on the new job.

I'm not ashamed of talking about firearms.
Socially, we all need to help it become more acceptable. Like it once was.




BUT a job interview is Business. I keep it strictly Business. It's not a cocktail party.

No guns. No racecars. No literature. No movies. No politics. No romances.
You get the point.


It's business. Keep it strictly business. The best thing in business is business.

 

[Carter]

During the initial interview it was never mentioned. I just put marksmanship as one of my hobbies on the application. I would never put 3-gun or anything like that. I would never bring it up without feeling comfortable about talking about guns. The conversation I had about CCW was after I saw the bail bondsman's firearms safety certificate and he went in to talking about ccw when I asked him about it.

BTW, your interviewer should not have stated that he thought the people in Turkey were "crazy". How would you have felt if you were of Turkish decent?

This last interview wasn't an interview in the traditional sense. It was me tagging along and him seeing if I could keep up with him and be sociable. But his comment about Turkish people did surprise me. Being as pale as I am, there is no way I could ever be mistaken as Turkish, haha.


Basically, after being on here for so long and talking guns with a particular person at my last job (he was neutral about guns mostly, but leaned more pro than anti) I almost let my tongue slip. Luckily, common sense prevailed. I remember reading threads on here where people had arguments or "discussions" with co-workers about guns, so I was just curious about what others would have done.

Usually I'm pretty open about my view on guns, but like many of you have said, this wasn't the time or place.

Thanks for the congrats!

 

[wrc]

I never have spoken of my firearms hobby, my niche interest in John Hughes films, or my collection of 19th century scrimshaw erotica in a job interview. Conversely, No one I have hired has pushed any of their hobbies in an interview unless they were directly relevant to what I was hiring for.

If I were for some reason to lose control of my faculties (enough to make my HR rep cry) and start railing on the Turks, or asking about guns, rock'n'roll, or religion, I'd expect an applicant to respond with bland non-answers. Maybe a concerned stare.

I have hired people who don't like guns. They are smart and get things done, so they were able to adapt and get along with the employees who were total gun nuts.

I have hired people who like Steely Dan. They are smart and get things done, so they were able to adapt and get along with employees who liked music without all those notes.

I have hired people of multiple creeds. They are smart and get things done, so they know better than to intentionally introduce religious strife in the workplace.

 

[cambeul41]

My formerly Japanese wife is a quality and reliability engineer. There are more male engineers than female, and the interview team wanted to know how she might fit in the male environment. During one of the interviews, it was mentioned that the job was stressful and asked what she did to relieve stress.

"Well, I like to read." (Blank stares.) "I take my dog for walks." (Blank stares.) "But when I am really stressed, I go to the shooting range for some pistol practice -- I find it relaxing, like Zen meditation." (Relaxed smiles.)

She got the job.

 

[harqueb.us]

If your workplace has annual harassment training, politics is usually included in the list of "subjects that can make a person feel uncomfortable and shouldn't be discussed at work." Gun rights and shooting tend to be included in that general umbrella.

On the other hand, at some companies, they allow employee interest clubs, and discussing guns with the gun groups is OK.

In interviews, interviewers will sometimes probe for personal information from a person to use as a reason to not hire them that would be blatantly illegal if done outright - age, pregnancy status, health conditions, Horde or Alliance, etc - so avoiding talking about that stuff and sticking to the business qualifications is the way to go.

On the other hand, there are also examples where a person's hobby or interest struck a bond with the hiring persons and got the person a job.

So go with your gut.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

I don't bring it up unless asked. As I get more comfortable around my boss and co-workers I might, if they are amenable. (My current boss recently got his HCP.) If asked a more broadly phrased or general question about my hobbies or pastimes, I try to steer around it. One exception was when I saw a rifle cartridge display on the boss's desk. "Hey, is that a .223 WSSM?" I was offered the job, too, although I can't say if this helped or hurt. (I wound up declining it when the then- current employer made a counteroffer.)

 

[Pacsd]

funny part about this is that in my state lots of conversations between employees and bosses surround fishing and hunting. Vacation times and even excused absences from schools are scheduled events for opening days of hunting seasons.

 

[lot21]

I start my new job Tuesday the 5th. I did not mention firearms as a hobby either.

I was 24 years at my old job, little nervous.

 

[IBEWBULL]

I tend to avoid politically correct people. I speak on what concerns me about my country, family and politically. If people have a problem with this they can go somewhere else.
Most construction workers are like minded and perhaps that is why I work in the trades.
So now you know how I feel.
As for employers.
If you discriminate against gun owners then maybe I will see you in court.
The 2nd amendment protects the 1st.

 

[KCAce]

Not all truths need to be spoken, not all opinions need to be shared.

Congrats on the new job, and big +1 to those who said interviews should be about the job and the business. The people that know me well know about my passion for firearms, shooting, and self defense. I don't talk about it around strangers, though...more to lose than gain.

KCAce

 

[Whiskey11]

My employer sees it as a huge benefit.



Maybe that is because my job requires me to have one at all times.



But being an armed security guard isn't the world's most glamorous job, even if it is at a world famous jewelry store owned by one of the world's richest men.



As for political issues, my boss is a nice guy. Retired Army officer in the MP side of stuff. We don't see eye to eye 100% on firearm choices, but we do see eye to eye on political issues.

 

[Sig88]

Congrats on the job! I wouldn't bring up guns in an interview unless I noticed a photo of the interviewer hunting or shooting in his office. Then I would work that into the conversation but I would not bring it up first. You never know how someone would react to it, or any hobby or topic for that matter.