The Friday Interview - Terrible!

[navybloke]

Well, I’ve done the interview - in a large, urban depot - and it was by some margin the worst interview I’ve ever experienced. I’m a great believer in first impressions, and mine weren’t good this morning.

- I arrived ten minutes early. The manager came to get me ten minutes late.

- An initial handshake, but zero eye contact throughout the interview…which was weird. He just stared at his laptop and typed away for the entire time.

- I was expecting a 45-50 minute interview, and prepared accordingly. It lasted for five minutes.

- I’d prepped a bunch of answers to questions about teamwork, flexibility and van checks. None of that mattered. He simply read (from the screen), the yes/no questions that you answer online at the start of your application. Easy enough to answer, with plenty of examples, but it felt like going through the motions.

- When he asked if I had any questions, I asked ‘If I’m successful, what will my first day be like?’ Answer: ‘We’ll let you know within 48 hours’. Okay…not quite what a I was after. I tried again: ‘What is the uniform issue, and do new joiners get it on day one?’ Answer: ‘You get everything you need.’ Okay…on day one? Answer: ‘No’. Right, I guess I’ve got no more questions then!

Overall, I got a very clear impression that a) the ‘manager’ (it said ‘manager’ on his hi-viz) could do with some interview training and b) someone already has the job and he was going through the motions. Not a brilliant first impression, in all honesty.

[ted_e_bear]

Congratulations on your first experience of a royal mail "manager" sounds like you encountered pretty much a standard example of one.

Hopefully you'll be successful in getting the job and if so without any doubt that experience will be repeated time and time again when you ask tricky questions such as can I have some uniform/an id badge/when's my day off/can I have a holiday in fact anything, even can I have a pen.

Sorry for sounding a bit negative there but as you've just found out for yourself they're a f***ing disgraceful shower of shite.

[navybloke]

Now you know what you're in for navybloke. Run, run for the hills mate. The job is utterly f****d and if you take it then the only advice I would give you is "told you so"

Best of luck with whatever decision you make.

You might well be right - it’s certainly given me food for thought.

Now, to maybe give the opposing view - if you’re still a postie, what’s kept you going?

[navybloke]

Now you know what you're in for navybloke. Run, run for the hills mate. The job is utterly f****d and if you take it then the only advice I would give you is "told you so"

Best of luck with whatever decision you make.

You might well be right - it’s certainly given me food for thought.

Now, to maybe give the opposing view - if you’re still a postie, what’s kept you going?

Need money! I'm on the hunt for another job now though, the new start/finish times are a joke.

[BenacreNick]

Hey Navybloke, sorry about you first day experience, it sounded terrible for you, but I can't say I'm surprised.

If you take the job, you will get trained by a workplace coach for 2 days if all goes well.

Then you will kind of be on your own to find your own way, unless your a partner in a van share.

Otherwise, ask your office colleagues for help and advice.

Best of luck.

[yellowbelly]

Sounds like either you're a 'shoe-in' because of your background or somebody else has got the job. I'd like to believe you've got the job.

As others have said, your interview experience is symptomatic (I think that's the right word!) of many managers. If you
get the job you'll be gobsmacked at their incompetence and mismanagement. From your Navy experience you'll realise that
even the most JR's after a few years experience can manage a lot better than RM managers.

You MIGHT get trained by a workplace coach for 2 days. More likely is you'll get tagged along with a random postie who
MIGHT be a good 'un or MIGHT huff and puff as you'll invariably slow them down........

Just ask questions all the time. If you don't ask you won't find out. There's no training manual - there should be, but
there isn't. I got a Training Package to be signed off by my LM from 8 years ago. It's still sat unsigned in my locker.

[navybloke]

Sounds like either you're a 'shoe-in' because of your background or somebody else has got the job. I'd like to believe you've got the job.

As others have said, your interview experience is symptomatic (I think that's the right word!) of many managers. If you
get the job you'll be gobsmacked at their incompetence and mismanagement. From your Navy experience you'll realise that
even the most JR's after a few years experience can manage a lot better than RM managers.

You MIGHT get trained by a workplace coach for 2 days. More likely is you'll get tagged along with a random postie who
MIGHT be a good 'un or MIGHT huff and puff as you'll invariably slow them down........

Just ask questions all the time. If you don't ask you won't find out. There's no training manual - there should be, but
there isn't. I got a Training Package to be signed off by my LM from 8 years ago. It's still sat unsigned in my locker.

Yeah, it was certainly an interesting experience! A lot of years ago, I used to instruct on the Navy's Senior Rates Command Course. It wasn't perfect, but I like to think it at least offered a template for how to be a leader/manager. I did the course myself, then did it all again during Officer training, so I like to think that I at least know something about being a half-decent boss. I do now anticipate a bit of a culture shock if I do get the job...which, after this morning's experience, I'm a bit ambivalent about! We'll see.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

As a former serviceman myself, I can’t help but notice that even the most rudimentary leadership training offered to Corporals in the RAF during the late 80s far surpasses what Royal Mail provides for its managers today.

The stark contrast lies in the approach: the armed forces meticulously prepare their leaders by enrolling them in targeted courses that align with their next career progression. In contrast, Royal Mail's method seems haphazard, with managers shuffled into one-day courses at random intervals and diverse levels. It's not uncommon to find Line Managers, Office Managers, and Regional Directors all squeezed into the same training session.

When I first joined Royal Mail 20 years ago, I was struck by an eye-opening reality: managers aren’t truly managers—they’re supervisors. Their role is not to nurture the growth of their teams or foster a spirit of collaboration and efficiency. Instead, the organization operates within a rigid top-down hierarchy, where managers dutifully enforce the directives of a Corporate Command, disseminating information in a one-way flow.

Throughout my two decades there, I witnessed a pattern with industrial action—a result of imposing changes rather than skillfully guiding the workforce through them. This "my way or the highway" mentality doesn’t exactly cultivate loyalty or encourage meaningful communication between management and staff.

Yet, despite all this, I would still recommend the job, particularly if you can navigate the maze of corporate nonsense and come to terms with the less-than-ideal management practices. Outside the office, once you’ve established a rapport with the residents on your rounds, the role can prove to be genuinely rewarding.

[Tman]

The other side of the coin is that the OP has applied to be a postie, so did he expect anything other than the most basic Lidl/Aldi/food delivery bloke type interview?
Then again, RM postal "managers" are laughably inept, poorly trained semi-literate slobs, so the interview was always going to be utter rubbish anyway.

[fb1969]

Decent companies employ "people managers" who know how to treat people and get the best out of them for everyone's benefit.

RM employ "workload managers" who only focus on the work being done, regardless of how realistic it is to complete it.

[ted_e_bear]

Decent companies employ "people managers" who know how to treat people and get the best out of them for everyone's benefit.

RM employ "workload managers" who only focus on the work being done, regardless of how realistic it is to complete it.

Spot on, all do management do is attempt to get some or at the best most of whatever comes through the door that day delivered, no managerial issues whatsoever such as anything proactive to improve the do are even attempted.

[wortsenawl]

I’ve been there a few months. My interview wasn’t as bad as your, if tanned at face value. However, my few short months has thoroughly exposed the lies that were told, or if I’m being generous the deliberately misleading statements.

“You will get paid overtime for any extra time you work’s” big smile from interviewer, “and Oat is paid at 1.25x your normal rate, so about £15 per hour”

The truth is, I work a a 32 hour week and they refuse me any overtime (starting early) and only let us claim OT at the end of the shift, which means working until 8pm … no thanks as and even then, I have to do 8 hours extra before I qualify. This gem was very neatly sidestepped in the interview.

Another “you get a slight pay increase after 3 months” - that is a bold face lie! Nobody I spoke to got this.

There are plenty of other half truths (that’s the working occasional week weekends… all of them)

[Navalron]

Sounds like either you're a 'shoe-in' because of your background or somebody else has got the job. I'd like to believe you've got the job.

As others have said, your interview experience is symptomatic (I think that's the right word!) of many managers. If you
get the job you'll be gobsmacked at their incompetence and mismanagement. From your Navy experience you'll realise that
even the most JR's after a few years experience can manage a lot better than RM managers.

You MIGHT get trained by a workplace coach for 2 days. More likely is you'll get tagged along with a random postie who
MIGHT be a good 'un or MIGHT huff and puff as you'll invariably slow them down........

Just ask questions all the time. If you don't ask you won't find out. There's no training manual - there should be, but
there isn't. I got a Training Package to be signed off by my LM from 8 years ago. It's still sat unsigned in my locker.

Yeah, it was certainly an interesting experience! A lot of years ago, I used to instruct on the Navy's Senior Rates Command Course. It wasn't perfect, but I like to think it at least offered a template for how to be a leader/manager. I did the course myself, then did it all again during Officer training, so I like to think that I at least know something about being a half-decent boss. I do now anticipate a bit of a culture shock if I do get the job...which, after this morning's experience, I'm a bit ambivalent about! We'll see.

I'm ex MOB myself. AB(m) then LS(m). The job used to be like like the forces as there were a lot of ex forces in the post office. The banter was pretty much the same but since about 2000 after, the way forward agreement, everything went downhill. The job is nothing like it used to be. Now if you came from the lower decks and became an officer, why are you applying for a postman job. Not that being a postie is easy, it's hard graft, these days. I would think you came out as a lt/cmdr or cmdr as most coming from the ranks to ruperts don't get much higher. They do advertise for managers. Maybe you would be better. The RM has went like the RN. Downhill rapidly. Sad to say.

[Londonsburning]

Sounds like either you're a 'shoe-in' because of your background or somebody else has got the job. I'd like to believe you've got the job.

As others have said, your interview experience is symptomatic (I think that's the right word!) of many managers. If you
get the job you'll be gobsmacked at their incompetence and mismanagement. From your Navy experience you'll realise that
even the most JR's after a few years experience can manage a lot better than RM managers.

You MIGHT get trained by a workplace coach for 2 days. More likely is you'll get tagged along with a random postie who
MIGHT be a good 'un or MIGHT huff and puff as you'll invariably slow them down........

Just ask questions all the time. If you don't ask you won't find out. There's no training manual - there should be, but
there isn't. I got a Training Package to be signed off by my LM from 8 years ago. It's still sat unsigned in my locker.

Yeah, it was certainly an interesting experience! A lot of years ago, I used to instruct on the Navy's Senior Rates Command Course. It wasn't perfect, but I like to think it at least offered a template for how to be a leader/manager. I did the course myself, then did it all again during Officer training, so I like to think that I at least know something about being a half-decent boss. I do now anticipate a bit of a culture shock if I do get the job...which, after this morning's experience, I'm a bit ambivalent about! We'll see.

I'm ex MOB myself. AB(m) then LS(m). The job used to be like like the forces as there were a lot of ex forces in the post office. The banter was pretty much the same but since about 2000 after, the way forward agreement, everything went downhill. The job is nothing like it used to be. Now if you came from the lower decks and became an officer, why are you applying for a postman job. Not that being a postie is easy, it's hard graft, these days. I would think you came out as a lt/cmdr or cmdr as most coming from the ranks to ruperts don't get much higher. They do advertise for managers. Maybe you would be better. The RM has went like the RN. Downhill rapidly. Sad to say.

Lol navybloke lasted a whopping 3 months as a postie. Says it all really.