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Lighter side: When interviews go wrong

by September 20, 2011 Comments (1)

Interviews are a great way for employers to really get to know a potential new hire, but this may not always be a good thing for the candidate.

When prospective employees get a little too comfortable during the interview, they can go from being a top prospect to the reject pile in just a few questions.

Here are some candidates that won’t be getting a call back anytime soon:

  • A candidate mentioned to the HR coordinator that he’d risk another jail sentence by crossing the state line to come to the interview. But, he assured the coordinator, violating his probation was entirely worth it.
  • Not wanting to answer a cell phone call during their interview, the candidate asked the interviewer to leave his office so she could talk.
  • This candidate took a casual interview too far by asking his potential employer, “What happens if I wake up in the morning and just don’t feel like coming to work?”
  • One candidate unpacked her china set and napkin to feast on a tasty salad.
  • In a rush to get to her interview on time, the candidate got in a bout of road rage as a driver blocked her car from getting out of the garage. In her enraged state, she started screaming curse words and honking at the driver. When she finally made it to the interview — you guessed it — the other driver was her interviewer.

Do you have any horror interview stories? Share your stories in the comment box below.

Categories: Communication, In this week's e-newsletter, Labor/HR
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  • Tony Ellis

    I once advertised a professional position and received a resume from an applicant… written on a post card… with oily fingerprints on the card. The applicant followed up two weeks later reinterating his interest in the position and wondering if he was still in the running for the job… again, his interest was expressed on a post card with finger prints.

    I interviewed someone in 1988 for approximately 30 minutes and it was going well until he casually mentioned that he had not had a hair cut since December 12, 1981 at which time he realized that his hair was growing inside of his head.

    In another interview, I fabricated an example of a terrible day, the type that could be expected from time to time in the advertised position, and then asked the candidate how she might handle such a day. her reply, as she rose from her chair and moved to a cross-legged position on the floor, was that “the Majarishi taught us to assume this position, close our eyes, hold out our arms, and say – ‘OOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM’ [3 second pause / deep breath] ‘OOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.’ That continued for 2-3 minutes on the floor in my office.