I had a couple of companies take a different approach with me, during interviews recently…Their angle was for me , to interview them…Seeing what questions I had of them…
I tried to come across as intelligent as possible and keep the questions focused on what I hoped would be priorities for their company…safety, equipment , maintenance, retention…ect…
If it were you and a potential employer were to ask you what questions you had ,what would you ask?
I interviewed with a company once, and asked them if I could spend a couple of days riding one of their tugs before I decided whether or not I wanted a accept the offer they had tendered. They said “no”. So I asked if I could spend a couple of hours on one of their tugs. They said “no”.
So I didn’t ask any more questions, and walked.
Wonder what they were hiding? Or did they just not like you very much?
I think they liked me, after all they had offered me a job. I sure couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t let me have a “try before you buy” moment.
My best guess as to why they would not permit that Capt_A, is lawyers. Being that this is such a litigious society, they did not want to “set” themselves up for a potential lawsuit with a “non-employee” riding or even walking onto their vessel. Just a quick thought as to why they said that.
Brian, I think your dead on with that thought…
But getting back to the original topic …
What would you guys ask a potential employer.?..Everything I have ever read about interviews says not to bring up money…That can wait…I disagree but who am I to argue with the experts?
Pay is a very important part of the scenario. If one is not satisfied with the pay they will not last. If I was asked to interview my perspective employer pay raise, advancement, longevity of employees, how the company was formed… family or corporate? Goals of the management at the time… The interviewer was probably just tired of doing the same ole boring interview and wanted to change it up for their own sake…entertainment. Depending on the position you were being interviewed for would have more to do with the questions they were looking for. All of this is obviously my own opinion.
That’s what “Hold Harmless” agreements are for. Where I work now, anyone who comes aboard as a visitor is required to fill one out, and we log not only that they are/were aboard, but that they signed the Hold Harmless Agreement. F***ing lawyers.
And now, Shellback, I’ll let the thread return to it’s original topic. 
[quote=Capt_Anonymous;7488]That’s what “Hold Harmless” agreements are for. Where I work now, anyone who comes aboard as a visitor is required to fill one out, and we log not only that they are/were aboard, but that they signed the Hold Harmless Agreement. F***ing lawyers.
And now, Shellback, I’ll let the thread return to it’s original topic. :)[/quote]
It’s not just the lawyers…although I think a good start would be to put all of them in a motorcycle race, after an all-you-can-drink party, with no helmets.
It’s the people who sue that keep the bloodsuckers in business.
Nemo
400 years ago Bill Shakespeare said…[B]“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.”
[/B]Why haven’t we done it yet?
And I suppose that if you were to get badly hurt doing your job and your employer abandoned you to your fate and refused to pay maintenance and cure that you’d feel the same way? Please don’t tell me that it doesn’t happen, either. And what if you were rendered incapable of working again? Do you really trust everyone to do the right thing?
There’s no doubt that we’re an overly litigious society, and I don’t like the ambulance-chaser’s abuses of the system and all the restrictions that exist because of a fear of litigation. The system clearly needs reform. But right now the lawyers are our only line of defense. If you have any real suggestions as to how we can get rid of the lawyers without leaving ourselves defenseless I’d be interested in hearing them.
[quote=Capt_Anonymous;7488]That’s what “Hold Harmless” agreements are for. Where I work now, anyone who comes aboard as a visitor is required to fill one out, and we log not only that they are/were aboard, but that they signed the Hold Harmless Agreement. F***ing lawyers.
And now, Shellback, I’ll let the thread return to it’s original topic. :)[/quote]
I like threads that have a mind of their own…They seem to be much more entertaining…
I’ll second that motion !!
Lawyers aren’t that bad. It’s just that 99% of them give the rest of us a bad name.
[B]Ok, here we go:[/B]
[B](from http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Humor/Lawyer.htm)[/B]
[B]Questions About Lawyers[/B]
Q: How many lawyer jokes are there?
[I]A: Only three. The rest are true stories.[/I]
Q: What’s wrong with lawyer jokes?
[I]A: Lawyers don’t think they’re funny and other people don’t think they’re jokes.[/I]
Q: What do you call 25 skydiving lawyers?
[I]A: Skeet.[/I]
Q: What do you call a lawyer gone bad?
[I]A: Senator.[/I]
Q: What’s the difference between a lawyer and an onion?
[I]A: You cry when you cut up an onion.[/I]
Q: What do you call a lawyer with an IQ of 70?
[I]A: Your honor.[/I]
Q: What do you throw to a drowning lawyer?
[I]A: His partners.[/I]
Q: How can you tell when a lawyer is lying?
[I]A: His lips are moving.[/I]
Q: What do you have if three lawyers are buried up to their necks in cement?
[I]A: Not enough cement.[/I]
Q: What’s the difference between a lawyer and a vulture?
[I]A: The lawyer gets frequent flyer miles.[/I]
Q: What do you get when you cross a bad politician with a crooked lawyer?
[I]A: Chelsea Clinton[/I]
Q: If you have a bad lawyer, why not get a new one?
[I]A: Changing lawyers is like moving to a different deck chair on the [/I]Titanic.
Q: How does an attorney sleep?
[I]A: First he lies on one side and then on the other.[/I]
Q: What’s the difference between a shame and a pity?
[I]A: If a busload of lawyers goes over a cliff, and there are no survivors, that’s known as a pity. If there were any empty seats, that’s a shame.[/I]
Q: What’s the difference between a lawyer and a leech>
[I]A: When you die, a leech will stop sucking your blood and drop off.[/I]
Q: How do you get a group of lawyers to smile for a photo?
[I]A: Just say, “Fees!”[/I]
Q: How many lawyers does it take to change a lightbulb?
[I]A: Three. One to climb the ladder. One to shake it. And one to sue the ladder compan[/I]
Q. Why won’t sharks attack lawyer-surfers?
A. Professional courtesy.
Is that why you left the field Mr. Cavo?
Sort of. I was involved in some nasty litigation arising from the bows falling off two barges on their delivery trip from New Orleans to Boston (our client was the owner of the tug) and I realized I don’t like litigation. Since there was no viable options to practice maritime law and not litigate (associates can’t be that picky) I left, first to MSC, and then the Coast Guard. My firsdt day at MSC was the day the first STCW rule came out, my boss handed me a federal register and said "there’s something in there called STCW that might effect us, see if you can figure it out. 12 years later I’m still working on that.