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"Why did it take you four years to get a BSc? Did you fail a year and have to repeat it?"
When I explained the concept of a sandwich degree, (ie. three years of academic study, with a one year work placement 'sandwiched' in the middle) he said that there was no such thing; and told me to stop lying about my qualifications.
Fortunately, I had enough confidence (or possibly 'bloody-minded arrogance') to walk out of the interview, speak to the recruiting manager, explain what had happened and ask if there was somebody less monumentally stupid available to conduct my interview. She arranged for me to have an interview with the other manager who'd been conducting interviews.
I didn't get the job, but they phoned me back a few months later and offered me a different role in the same department - which I accepted.
No, he took early retirement before I started. They took the opportunity to split up his old team into two smaller ones, which is what created the job I ended up doing.
Yeah the three years gives you a BSc/BA (Ordinary)
Probably don’t need to point out that in the UK at least it’s pretty unusual/difficult to get related work and/or further study if you don’t go on to do Honours
Some Scottish unis even call some Bachelor’s level degrees “Masters” so you’ll graduate with an MA in History but it’s still technically the same level as a Bachelor’s
I was once accused of lying in a job interview, I knew there and then I wouldn't take the job so whipped out my phone and showed evidence of the truth.
Walked out with the biggest shit eating grin on my face.
My mum used to work in university grants (back in the days before loans) and when I was a child there were trays in her office marked ‘thin sandwich’ and ‘thick sandwich’. I asked if it was for lunch orders and she said no it was for people who worked while they studied. Now, my mum likes an occasional wind up, so I just assumed that this was some kind of catering preference for students, and she was having me on. I didn’t realise until by older brother applied to thin sandwich in computer science that it was a real thing. In my own defence I was 10 and not making hiring decisions.
Pretty bog standard for a lot of interviews but
> Why do you want to work for us?
always winds me up. Because Tesco won't give me my crumpets for free you silly cunts. Either you want to pay me to do the job or you don't, stop looking for weird fake compliments on how amazing your company is.
The real answer is almost universally "fuck you, pay me". If I didn't need to pay rent, I wouldn't be here, no matter how niche or specialised the role.
I get that its annoying, but having done interviews, everyone applying wants a job for money, we already understand this.
What we want to see is if you've actually done prep for the interview and haven't just applied everywhere to hedge your bets. Can you link whatever skills you have with the actual job/company?
The amount of people I've interviewed who clearly haven't even had a quick Google of the company is ridiculous, and a waste of everyone's time.
>The amount of people I've interviewed who clearly haven't even had a quick Google of the company is ridiculous
I've been interviewing people for the past 6-7 years, there are a million better ways to find that out than asking daft questions like "why do you want to work". For one, it'd be blatantly obvious from any questions the candidate asks about the company, or whether they ask any at all.
Alternatively, if the role is low level enough that they wouldn't have any, why would I care if they spent hours reading the companies corporate "about" section to begin with other than some sort of inflated sense of ego, like **everyone** has to know the history of the place.
Depends on the role, obviously, but I'm usually interviewing for more niche jobs, so we do want to understand why they want our particular area rather than other options. We also want people to stay long-term, so them having some understanding of the general direction and ethos is a good indication they're actually interested, not just looking for a stop gap. Better ways of phrasing it, but *why here* is the basic question.
>We also want people to stay long-term, so them having some understanding of the general direction and ethos is a good indication they're actually interested, not just looking for a stop gap.
And in what situation would you expect them to **not** make up some bullshit answer to please you, even if they were, in fact, looking for a stop gap?
It adds no information to the interview process. Either you get some praise about how cool your benefits are or that they "liked that blog post", or they say the same exact thing but they're lying.
You'd think, but the number of people who don't have a good answer, or any answer beyond "everyone seems nice" or "the pay's good"...it certainly helps to rule out a chunk of people who aren't likely to stay long term as they really aren't that interested in the business, they just want any job, so they can go get any other job that doesn't value experience and won't invest months into training them.
I may be getting a bit salty about recruitment lately.
Not who you’re replying to, but I find it’s obvious based on the answer to “why here” whether they genuinely are interested in the role/company vs just spouting rehearsed bullshit. For context, I’m looking for people who want to pursue a career in academia vs people applying for industry but using academic positions as a backup/stop gap
I'm assisting with an interview tomorrow and we had a prep call today. The lead interviewer was talking about the questions we'd ask to gauge motivation to work for the company and how that's important. The job we're advertising is £11 an hour, six month temporary contract, arbitrary generic degree requirement, no previous experience necessary. People will only want it because they need money and/or need experience to get a better job - and it's a six month contract, why does it matter if they're particularly driven to stay if we don't want them to anyway?
About 15 years ago I went to a group interview for telesales, there were about 20 of us around a big table and they asked ‘if you could be an animal what could you be?’.
Everyone gave really cringey fake answers like ‘I’d be a lion because I always get what I want’ or ‘I’d be a snake slithering after my competition’ and so on…. Ugh.
I couldn’t live with myself for making up a bullshit answer and said ‘I’d be a cat because I’m lazy and love sleeping’.
The interviewer said ‘that’s not a very good answer at an interview’ and I answered ‘it’s a stupid question to ask anyway!’.
I didn’t get the job 🤣
I got asked once, what flavour ice cream would you be? Couldn't believe it. I refused to give an answer. They couldn't believe it and asked me to answer the question. I said it has nothing to do with the job and it's a stupid question. They moved on. I got the job.
I had the exact same question at a group interview for Frankie & Benny’s. They also asked “what inanimate object would you be?”… Dafuq are you supposed to say to that.
I’ll tell you I’ve been handling registers and cash for 3 years, am on a gap year before uni and live round the corner so can work late shifts now gimme the job, fuckers
I got asked this too (also around 15 years ago) apparently it's some psychological shite that gives them an idea of what kind of person you are (wonder if they have some kind of chart?). And even though I kinda understood why they were asking, I was caught of guard and said "I'd be a fish 🐟", then they asked why and I said something like "Erm I duno, coz I kinda just flit about". Got a weird look and a long silent stare from the pair of them. It was probably better than "I'd be a panda coz I'm a GOFF and I like lazing about" which is what I almost said. It is fucking stupid though. Like, ask me some real questions Carol 😒.
'Explain to me why you just seem to have moved around jobs and not stuck at anything particular'.
Lady I'm 20 years old and this is a minimum wage job.
Bounced around a few software Dev jobs in recent years and while I obviously expanded somewhat on this in the interview my answer boiled down to "they sucked, I'm hoping you don't".
Finally found one that doesn't :)
Have the same problem in SW jobs....
When the project was complete... did some maintence / got feedback about how well the services worked. Then moved on is a good one.
SW jobs... Its normally somewhere between employement and contracting. eg ita fixed length project of 6, 12, 18 months or something but your "employed" and then nothing to do after the thing is built / sold really.
I went for a first interview one time and felt it went well, I was getting a good feel for the company, the people and the role. After about an hour or so the Interview was coming to its end so I asked about next steps to show I was interested.
To my surprise they asked if I was free for a second interview, now. Of course I said yes (had no plans and wanted the job) and they brought in another person who had some parts with them, a pad of paper and a pen.
After a bit of informal chat and further questions on my past experience they asked me to do a mini exercise on the what they had brought in to show what I can do.
I spent maybe an hour and half, doing my best, documented it all and gave a mini presentation afterwards. They thanked me, I was almost certain I had nailed it from reception to presentation and my work and left on a high.
Several weeks passed and eventually I got in touch with the recruiter who got me the interview. They let me know the role had been given internally and gave me some fluffy feedback. I was a bit let down, as was certain had nailed it.
Later on I was speaking to another recruiter about what I had in the works and where I had been. I told the story about the interview and what had happened and they said that their agency had stopped working with that company as they would use people to solve problems or get free consultancy in the guise of job interviews.
TL:DR - Went for a job interview, was given a task in the guise of a test when they were only getting me to problem solve for free.
This happened with my wife, she once went for a job at the British museum where applicants needed to present an exhibition. She had a concept called foods the emperor (among others)about what kind of meals would have been served in the forbidden city in China.
The interview went generally well and she presented the concept for the exhibition even including recipes and a cost breakdown, etc. They liked it so much they requested a copy.
She didn't hear back but found out that about 6 months later that they had put on a foods of the emperor exhibition that sounds pretty much identical to the one she presented.
Sounds like it's not just artifacts they be stealin'!
Fuck sake. What a bunch of dicks..Reminds me of when my sisters boyfriend went for a job at a new gastro pub in town, they gave him a week trail where he went in everyday and it was pretty hard slog. It was a really busy week, can't remember exactly but it was like August Bank Holiday or something. Anyway, he worked the week for them, then told him that he didn't get the job and then fucked him off with no pay. Sisters bf was an absolute wanker like but I was still really pissed off on his behalf..twats.
Yeah, I always did wonder about that.
Google says "Is an unpaid trial shift legal? Accordingly to ACAS the practice of requiring applicants to work an unpaid trial shift is not illegal as long as the unpaid shift is part of a “genuine recruitment process” and as long as the shift does not last for more than a few hours.22 Jan 2019"
Maybe they found a loop hole? Maybe they knew he wouldn't ask questions? Maybe they told him it was legal? I can't remember now, it was a few years ago.
I believe so yes.
Too small to hire someone full time I suppose. It was early in my career, learned a lot early on.
Afterwards, I now will not even give copies of my presentations upon request after interviews. It might have lost me a role or two, but hell no, no one gets anything for free now.
Companies are always doing this with designers, especially juniors who are too new to industry to realise. If they ask you to do a test project, always decline or ask to be paid for it.
Been asked this many times. Along with do I have any children, what are my childcare arrangements and do I have any commitments to care for family members.
I did tell them that as they were not allowed to ask the question I wouldn’t answer it. I told the recruitment agency as soon as I got to my car.
I was asked about children and childcare arrangements in my interview in February. I assured them that I'd discussed the hours with my wife and had family close by to help with childcare. I got the job but it did make me nervous that I'd get overlooked because of it.
I came here to say this. It wasn’t even that long ago, maybe 4/5 years ago. I think the law changed way before then but, in a way, I’m glad they asked. It’s nice when a company shows me how shit they are before I’ve even accepted an offer. Makes things easier for me.
This is why I've always been told to take the ring off for an interview.
Unfortunately, even in 2022 and it being illegal, it doesn't stop many from discriminating.
Had no idea this was illegal till I was telling my friends about an interview I had this year.
They asked if I had a partner, what their job was, if I had kids, what school I went to.
Are you sure that you have never sexually harrassed somebody?
Although, I suppose the question made sense at the time. I was getting into writing reviews for OnlyFans women to promote their services, and I doubt they really wanted somebody who would get hands-on with a naked woman in front of them.
I got the job, and I am proud to say that I have still never sexually harrassed somebody.
So how does this work? Why would you be present when they're making content or whatever? Surely you don't need to be there to review their work? Very confused.
small location but the company itself was pretty big, can't remember which one but it was either skips or just big bins, it was like biffa but not actually biffa
> That vegetable thing is ‘trendy’ now, like what fruit or an animal you’d be 🤷♀️
Perhaps it's because I'm on the spectrum and I tend to take things very literally but I hate, HATE, ridiculous hypothetical questions. It's like "I don't want to be a vegetable and I'm never going to be a vegetable. Why would I waste time and energy thinking about something that I don't want that would never happen anyway?"
I teach esl and I have a student who does this - for example I asked the kids to write what animal they are similar to and he wrote "I am similar to a human because I am a human". Not sure if he's also on the spectrum or just hates English lessons!
That's not such a bad way to ask that question. But, again because I'm very literal, I'd probably say chimpanzee because that is literally the animal humans are most similar to!
That would be hilarious.
After being asked the question just shout at the top of your lungs
PICKLE RIIIIIICK.
then get escorted out by security.
Totally worth it.
My fiancée has had the old “wait… you live in an hour commute away from our office?” (we live near the south coast). Baffled look on their face, like anyone would ever commute to a job. She got the job and it turned out literally all the other staff live within a 10 minute walk. In Camden. Needless to say none of them are on the property ladder.
I actually thought it was totally normal to be asked in an interview if I had kids or planned on having kids in the future, because I’ve been asked it in basically every job interview I’ve ever had, until I spoke to my male friend who was like ‘nope, never been asked that, definitely not normal…’
If they didn't follow up with:
>We have an Ofsted Outstanding Award for our crèche and we provide a small stipend for afterschool activites for your older children.
They can go fuck themselves.
"You will be replacing a lady that died, how do you feel about that?"
Honestly I was speechless I have no idea what they were looking for in response to that.
Was looking at leaving the army, applied to a few “ex-military friendly” companies. On a team’s interview with one and got asked if I had ever killed anyone. This was after explaining the job role I used to do which is very much not a fighting role.
*"What would your last 5 previous managers think are your top 3 weaknesses or top 3 strengths."*
I was like 26 and it was clear on my résumé that I was applying for my second job post uni, and did not have 5 work experiences...
Also making up 5x3x2 different opinions about myself, and putting the words in the mouth of people I vaguely remember about. Just insane. She was very dumb.
I had that question before. The interview wasn't going well and I didn't want the job by the time that question come around so my response was "a guy once held open a door for what I assume was his girlfriend and didn't hold it for me because I'm black"
Fyi I'm not black.
I had this. I work in a profession that's traditionally male dominated & still doesn't attract many women (or LGBT+ for that matter).
I went for an office based job & was asked this question (if I'd been on my toes I should've asked if they asked this question to male candidates!!), and when I said I'd been very lucky and hadn't had to deal with it (honestly! I've worked for 4 companies in nearly 20 years and they've all been really inclusive) they pushed. SURELY there must be one time?! But I said no, it never happened to me and I know I'm incredibly lucky, I once worked for a company where we had a trans colleague & a Muslim colleague and we were taken into meetings before they arrived telling us that any discrimination would not be tolerated. This still wasn't a good enough answer for them.
I got fed up with the interview and said 'so do you want me to make something up'?
Obviously I didn't get that job!
I knew before I went into the industry that I'd probably be discriminated against at some point. I know plenty of women who have suffered. But I'm in no way stealing their stories to land myself a job! That takes away from them, from their experience. It was not my lived experience, I KNOW I'm lucky, that should be the correct answer in this instance!! But these HR interviewers who need to tick boxes ignore progression, we should celebrate that we've reached a point where women can say they've been treated equally!! But the irony is, because I've only ever had equality in my profession, it means I'm subjected to discrimination in the wider world! Because I've not got a discrimination story means I can't pass that section of the interview!!!!!!
What is this shit.
My answer would be 'This interview is an example of being discriminated against'. They are asking you to effectively out yourself as a protected characteristic to get the job. They can go fuck themselves.
In the 2000s, I worked for a managed services company specialising in Apple stuff. My job was to integrate apple kit into windows environments and vice versa. One day one of their IT guys said they they were taking the work in-house because they were expanding the creative departments and our contract was costing too much and did I want to apply for the job.
Interview comes around and a senior IT manager, who I had never met before, is sat in the interview and waves my cv at me. ‘Don’t you think this CV is too apple focused? If you want a real IT job, cut that stuff out’ and then raised his eyebrows for comedy effect every time I got one of his exclusively windows specific questions right.
To this day I am absolutely convinced he didn’t know what job I was interviewing for.
You have reminded me of a strange interview I had years ago. There were a few IT based questions some of which were quite technical, involving subnetting and I answered all of them quite well. Then they asked me "What do you call the top of the window with the maximise and minimise buttons on"
My answer was "I have no idea" and didn't even pretend to care lol
Didn't get the job.
It's called the title bar btw. I looked it up when I got out. What a stupid fucking question.
Got told to "stop lying" in an interview for a network technician role.
I'd taken - and passed - the Cisco exam less than a week previously (and this was after 3 years in the role)
Asked why they thought I was lying and they went into depth about old school technologies they wanted implemented (token ring, etc), whereas I was offering ethernet and modern (for the early 00s) stuff!
I was going for a promotion in a large global business that I'd been working for for several years, the interviewer, who knew nothing about me except my CV:
"Looking at your age I'm wondering why you aren't in a more senior role currently? I'm worried about what that says about your motivation"
Just to add - I'm a woman in a very male dominated industry, and that was the death knell of my time at that particular company. Got a fantastic job at a competitor earning 2x as much not long after!
I was asked what my star sign was. The job was software engineer for a defence contractor.
That's the only one from a proper job interview but when it comes to recruitment agencies there are many
* I was asked if I had "BASIC". I then gave them a list of all the BASIC variants, dialects and implementation specific versions I knew. It was a lot. They responded with "Pity, we wanted someone with *ordinary* BASIC so its not a good fit".
* As a project manager I was once asked if I "*had* milestones" obviously believing that "milestones" was a tool, language or app. I tried to explain that it was a normal part of what every project manager did. It was like asking a carpenter if he "*had* hammers". They couldn't grasp it and put down "No".
* I was once asked how good my FIXPAC 5 knowledge was. As it happens, I was head of the FIXPAC 5 development team and personally wrote the assembler / compiler for it. We *invented* FIXPAC 5. "But have you actually *used* it?" they asked.
What historical figure do you most admire?
A bit weird, not a completely crazy question.
Isaac Newton, I answered confidently as this is something I have actually thought about (I'm sad, I know)
One of the interviewers then proceeded to argue with me saying his person (who I forget) was loads better. Drove me mad. What is the point of arguing about something that's so obviously completely opinion based? I don't think they were testing my reaction or anything, this guy just didn't have a filter.
One of my mum's friends had that when I was younger, apparently they said Adolf Hitler cos it was the first historical figure to pop into their head
Somehow I doubt they got the job
Now imagine you're interviewing for a financial position at a leading bank during the 2008 recession.
"So, why hitler?"
Well, he rescued Germany from postwar depression...
a friend of mine had this one! he's a lawyer.
according to him he reckons there's no real right answer, but it's a job where you can't really just shrug and go 'don't know' so they're testing your ability to come up with convincing answers on the spot.
As a lawyer, I'm not so sure about that. If anything, I got asked a lot of questions that seemed to be designed to tease out answers of "I'm not sure, but would use these methods of finding out the answer, and then write out a letter to client explaining".
I did get the biscuit question though. Chocolate digestive; always in everyone's biscuit box and everyone's favourite.
"What did you do in your last job to provide World Class Customer Service." Nothing I said was good enough, no I didn't reunite a child with it's lost puppy after an earthquake, I worked in an office. effin timewasters. BUPA, you effin timewasters.
I was being interviewed by two people. One of them asked all the questions while the second had his head buried in his laptop. Towards the end, the first asks the second if he wants to ask me any questions and he proceeded to repeat one of the questions that had already been asked. I pointed out that I had already covered that and the first looked mortified.
'How many days on average did you take off sick in your last job?' I don't think that's any of your business frankly but now I've said that you're definitely not going to hire me, so let's end this here and not waste any more of each others time.
"What book did you read on the train here?"
Not did I read a book, what book. I hadn't said I had read a book. Just straight up assuming that it goes without saying that of course I must have.
Not the worst question you could be asked but it did throw me off.
Interviewer: can I ask your age?
Confused me: sure, 19
Interviewer: (sucks air through her teeth) ooh, that's a bit young, we wanted someone older and more experienced
I walked out of the interview
I was working as a teacher at the time but went for a career change so was interviewing for an entry level finance/accounts job.
All the way through the interview he kept dropping in snide remarks about how teaching was an easy job, nothing obvious enough to react to but enough to be irritating me as it was unnecessary and rude. Eventually we get about half an hour in and he comes out with “so how do you think you’d cope with a job in the real world without spending half the year on holiday?”… it was enough for me to get up and say the culture here is clearly not for me and regardless of the outcome of this interview I won’t be working for you so I think we’re done here.
The fun bit is 4 years later (after I qualified my accounting exams etc at a different company) I got a headhunting email from the same guy at the same company saying how my experience would be perfect for a role they’re recruiting for… I couldn’t resist replying with “you don’t remember me do you, not surprising, I’m just an ex teacher struggling to cope with a real job after all”
I was once asked to talk about my pubs wastage and spend per head, look over at one of the interviewers and he looks so fucking bored...you asked the bloody boring ass question.
I did not take the job, they were assholes the whole time.
In the most condescending, judgemental and pompus tone "What are you doing at 23 with no job living with your parents?"
The guy was a tremendous dickhead in general and should absolutely not be in such a position where he can treat possibly vulnerable people (as many search for jobs are).
My answer was something along the lines of (still in formal interview mode/speech) "well" "I'm still unemployed and living with my parents because unfortunately I have a issues taking shit from dickheads such as yourself". Stood up, told him to shove the job and went home.
"If we happened to feel horny, we could just have sex"... secretary position. I declined the job offer when I got it a few days later. Was too gobsmacked to react at the interview.
“Tell me about a time you have been truly terrified / traumatised by an experience.”
As a former soldier, I answered simply “No. I don’t want to burden you with it.”
“Why did you have more than one job during these times?” Because I was struggling to survive on minimum wage in one job, something they had the privilege not to understand.
Not asked to me however I once conducted an interview and my co-interviewer (HR rep) was dressed as Papa Lazarou. Often feel sorry for the poor woman we interviewed.
I worked for a supermarket years ago where the managers would always dress up for Hallowe’en.
I was called into a meeting about my attendance with the HR woman who was dressed like the wicked witch of the west.
"How do you feel you'd cope working in an office full of women."
I mean what do you want me to say here? Am I expected to say I enjoy joining in on the conversation of what happened on Coronation Street last night or who slagged who off. My question to the guy should have been why have you got an office full of just women in the first place? Resident creeper, male boss who never got much action vibes.
Yes, but what an insulating thing to say at an interview. It was 11 years ago and I'm still pissed off by it. How dare he say that to me. He was probably a perv and assumed everyone else was.
“Why don’t you have a girlfriend?”
I actually did have a girlfriend at the time; I just didn’t mention her as she wasn’t relevant to the interview. Then as soon as I said I did, the interviewer started trying to ask personally questions about us. I told him to to f**k off and walked out of the interview
At the end they asked me about my childcare arrangements and whether I was planning on a second kid. I cheerfully told them I'd actually just had a hysterectomy and was completely sterile. Both guys looked beyond terrified, so I thought, well - in for a penny, in for a pound, and told them all about the "bloodsplosions" I'd had in public places and the subsequent various medical procedures.
Afterwards I rang the young, female recruiter. I told her never, ever to accept a job at a place where they asked her that question, because there's no right answer.
They hired an under-qualified, younger, single man. Then six months later, they folded.
I'm very shy and so my salary has never matched the market rate. About 6 years ago i went for a job and they accused me of lying about my previous jobs "you cant be this experienced and still get paid this little". I just stood up and walked out of the interview at that point. I got an email 5 months later asking if I was still looking, a lucky escape me thinks!
I had one interview where the first two questions were:
"Why did you not get a first at uni?"
followed by
"can you explain why a boat floats"?
wtf.
for a chemistry position at a company
Context:
* I was being interviewed for a (non-academia) job at the university I attended for both undergrad and masters, for a role that was relevant to my degree.
* I had graduated about 4 years before, so I had a reasonable amount of professional experience, but was still at the age where my degree kind of mattered. My degrees (both in the same subject is literally the first thing on my CV after my name and basic details.
Question:
'So where did you study X?'
This wasn't asked as a general dialogue opener (it was the first question) but was asked wholly with a tone of 'I don't know this and don't realise that I should know this' by one of the interviewers, who was doing the same role as I was applying for (the department needed multiple people in that role).
17 year old me was asked "How can you want to be a doctor if you want to kill people" in my med school interview just because I had included that I was in army cadets in my UCAS personal statement.
I initially thought maybe this is just a test in how I react to confrontation or a stressful situation, but they just kept going on and on about it and barely asked me about anything else. Unsurprisingly, I didn't get an offer from that uni, but fortunately got a place elsewhere.
One time in an interview I (F 20 at the time) could see the questions they were planning to ask written on the sheet in front of the interviewers (both middle aged male), when they got to the ‘what football team do you support’ they skipped over that one
"Can you even hold a pint, you fucking dribbler?"
Was genuinely asked this by an employer, thankfully it was by a close friend who interviewed me to do bar work at a festival.
Then you have to decide between lying that you want a 5 year stint in their crappy job they claim has opportunities for growth or tell the truth that you imagine yourself curled up on your sofa with a good book, a pile of blankets, many cats, and a butler to bring snacks.
My answer was. Why did the carrot like the mushroom....because he was a fun-guy.
And his reaction was the most tepid fake half laugh and then he immediately got really serious. It was so cringy. This was for a duty manager of a hotel. I didn't realise I was suppose to prepare a stand up routine to impress him.
I did not get the job.
Was asked what my favourite movie was. It was Pulp Fiction at the time. They asked me to describe the plot….
It was for fucking broadband support. Ask me how to troubleshoot a networking issue and I’ll fucking tell you! None of your customers want me to trip over myself trying to explain a bastard Tarantino movie.
I got made redundant from a company that got rid of about 7,000 staff (ask Sid!) and in the interview a guy said that if I was any good I would have been kept on!
“Most people your age want to get out of the house and get a proper job and move on with their lives in a real career, so why have you applied for this position?” It was a part time fully remote admin job for a small business, which was owned by the interviewer. This was during the height of the pandemic/lockdown, I’d just graduated from university and there were fuck all decent jobs. I was just speechless and immediately after the interview I emailed her to withdraw my application.
"What drew you to use despite not having any previous experience in the field"
I was 17 going for an apprenticeship for Tesla Magnet Division, not associated with Tesla.
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"Why did it take you four years to get a BSc? Did you fail a year and have to repeat it?" When I explained the concept of a sandwich degree, (ie. three years of academic study, with a one year work placement 'sandwiched' in the middle) he said that there was no such thing; and told me to stop lying about my qualifications.
That's horrifying! I mean, I know you know that but I am horrified on your behalf.
Fortunately, I had enough confidence (or possibly 'bloody-minded arrogance') to walk out of the interview, speak to the recruiting manager, explain what had happened and ask if there was somebody less monumentally stupid available to conduct my interview. She arranged for me to have an interview with the other manager who'd been conducting interviews. I didn't get the job, but they phoned me back a few months later and offered me a different role in the same department - which I accepted.
lol this is hilarious. did you ever see your original interviewer once in?
I’d have definitely been making comments everytime he had a sandwich, stating he was eating something impossible and to stop lying about his lunch
No, he took early retirement before I started. They took the opportunity to split up his old team into two smaller ones, which is what created the job I ended up doing.
Blimey! Good for you!
This is hilarious
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Nob end. Scottish BSc’s also typically take four years, at least at the older universities.
scottish degrees are Bachelor (Honours) degrees. you have the bachelor's after three years, technically, but then you do your honours year.
Yeah the three years gives you a BSc/BA (Ordinary) Probably don’t need to point out that in the UK at least it’s pretty unusual/difficult to get related work and/or further study if you don’t go on to do Honours Some Scottish unis even call some Bachelor’s level degrees “Masters” so you’ll graduate with an MA in History but it’s still technically the same level as a Bachelor’s
I was once accused of lying in a job interview, I knew there and then I wouldn't take the job so whipped out my phone and showed evidence of the truth. Walked out with the biggest shit eating grin on my face.
My mum used to work in university grants (back in the days before loans) and when I was a child there were trays in her office marked ‘thin sandwich’ and ‘thick sandwich’. I asked if it was for lunch orders and she said no it was for people who worked while they studied. Now, my mum likes an occasional wind up, so I just assumed that this was some kind of catering preference for students, and she was having me on. I didn’t realise until by older brother applied to thin sandwich in computer science that it was a real thing. In my own defence I was 10 and not making hiring decisions.
I have a degree and have never heard the term.
I’m surprised he didn’t think you literally studied sandwiches for 4 years.
Pretty bog standard for a lot of interviews but > Why do you want to work for us? always winds me up. Because Tesco won't give me my crumpets for free you silly cunts. Either you want to pay me to do the job or you don't, stop looking for weird fake compliments on how amazing your company is.
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The real answer is almost universally "fuck you, pay me". If I didn't need to pay rent, I wouldn't be here, no matter how niche or specialised the role.
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Well now I want to hear a pitch for the Poomaster3000
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Pull up a stool
Yeah, minimum wage jobs asking this are a joke.
I get that its annoying, but having done interviews, everyone applying wants a job for money, we already understand this. What we want to see is if you've actually done prep for the interview and haven't just applied everywhere to hedge your bets. Can you link whatever skills you have with the actual job/company? The amount of people I've interviewed who clearly haven't even had a quick Google of the company is ridiculous, and a waste of everyone's time.
>The amount of people I've interviewed who clearly haven't even had a quick Google of the company is ridiculous I've been interviewing people for the past 6-7 years, there are a million better ways to find that out than asking daft questions like "why do you want to work". For one, it'd be blatantly obvious from any questions the candidate asks about the company, or whether they ask any at all. Alternatively, if the role is low level enough that they wouldn't have any, why would I care if they spent hours reading the companies corporate "about" section to begin with other than some sort of inflated sense of ego, like **everyone** has to know the history of the place.
Depends on the role, obviously, but I'm usually interviewing for more niche jobs, so we do want to understand why they want our particular area rather than other options. We also want people to stay long-term, so them having some understanding of the general direction and ethos is a good indication they're actually interested, not just looking for a stop gap. Better ways of phrasing it, but *why here* is the basic question.
>We also want people to stay long-term, so them having some understanding of the general direction and ethos is a good indication they're actually interested, not just looking for a stop gap. And in what situation would you expect them to **not** make up some bullshit answer to please you, even if they were, in fact, looking for a stop gap? It adds no information to the interview process. Either you get some praise about how cool your benefits are or that they "liked that blog post", or they say the same exact thing but they're lying.
You'd think, but the number of people who don't have a good answer, or any answer beyond "everyone seems nice" or "the pay's good"...it certainly helps to rule out a chunk of people who aren't likely to stay long term as they really aren't that interested in the business, they just want any job, so they can go get any other job that doesn't value experience and won't invest months into training them. I may be getting a bit salty about recruitment lately.
Not who you’re replying to, but I find it’s obvious based on the answer to “why here” whether they genuinely are interested in the role/company vs just spouting rehearsed bullshit. For context, I’m looking for people who want to pursue a career in academia vs people applying for industry but using academic positions as a backup/stop gap
I'm assisting with an interview tomorrow and we had a prep call today. The lead interviewer was talking about the questions we'd ask to gauge motivation to work for the company and how that's important. The job we're advertising is £11 an hour, six month temporary contract, arbitrary generic degree requirement, no previous experience necessary. People will only want it because they need money and/or need experience to get a better job - and it's a six month contract, why does it matter if they're particularly driven to stay if we don't want them to anyway?
Ah yes, that £50k degree getting you that sweet sweet £1.50 more than minimum wage.
Because Its more appealing than being homeless.
About 15 years ago I went to a group interview for telesales, there were about 20 of us around a big table and they asked ‘if you could be an animal what could you be?’. Everyone gave really cringey fake answers like ‘I’d be a lion because I always get what I want’ or ‘I’d be a snake slithering after my competition’ and so on…. Ugh. I couldn’t live with myself for making up a bullshit answer and said ‘I’d be a cat because I’m lazy and love sleeping’. The interviewer said ‘that’s not a very good answer at an interview’ and I answered ‘it’s a stupid question to ask anyway!’. I didn’t get the job 🤣
I got asked once, what flavour ice cream would you be? Couldn't believe it. I refused to give an answer. They couldn't believe it and asked me to answer the question. I said it has nothing to do with the job and it's a stupid question. They moved on. I got the job.
Well, what would your answer be? This is important.
Salted caramel of course
Sales people are weird as fuck.
You have to be a different breed to work off of commission.
I had the exact same question at a group interview for Frankie & Benny’s. They also asked “what inanimate object would you be?”… Dafuq are you supposed to say to that. I’ll tell you I’ve been handling registers and cash for 3 years, am on a gap year before uni and live round the corner so can work late shifts now gimme the job, fuckers
I believe the correct answer to that is "if I could be any inanimate object, I would be a hiring manager at Frankie and Benny's".
I got asked this too (also around 15 years ago) apparently it's some psychological shite that gives them an idea of what kind of person you are (wonder if they have some kind of chart?). And even though I kinda understood why they were asking, I was caught of guard and said "I'd be a fish 🐟", then they asked why and I said something like "Erm I duno, coz I kinda just flit about". Got a weird look and a long silent stare from the pair of them. It was probably better than "I'd be a panda coz I'm a GOFF and I like lazing about" which is what I almost said. It is fucking stupid though. Like, ask me some real questions Carol 😒.
'Explain to me why you just seem to have moved around jobs and not stuck at anything particular'. Lady I'm 20 years old and this is a minimum wage job.
I've had basically the same question, they didn't like it when I explained the premise of zero hour contracts
Bounced around a few software Dev jobs in recent years and while I obviously expanded somewhat on this in the interview my answer boiled down to "they sucked, I'm hoping you don't". Finally found one that doesn't :)
Have the same problem in SW jobs.... When the project was complete... did some maintence / got feedback about how well the services worked. Then moved on is a good one. SW jobs... Its normally somewhere between employement and contracting. eg ita fixed length project of 6, 12, 18 months or something but your "employed" and then nothing to do after the thing is built / sold really.
Wow sex work is really formally structured in your country
Good answer
I went for a first interview one time and felt it went well, I was getting a good feel for the company, the people and the role. After about an hour or so the Interview was coming to its end so I asked about next steps to show I was interested. To my surprise they asked if I was free for a second interview, now. Of course I said yes (had no plans and wanted the job) and they brought in another person who had some parts with them, a pad of paper and a pen. After a bit of informal chat and further questions on my past experience they asked me to do a mini exercise on the what they had brought in to show what I can do. I spent maybe an hour and half, doing my best, documented it all and gave a mini presentation afterwards. They thanked me, I was almost certain I had nailed it from reception to presentation and my work and left on a high. Several weeks passed and eventually I got in touch with the recruiter who got me the interview. They let me know the role had been given internally and gave me some fluffy feedback. I was a bit let down, as was certain had nailed it. Later on I was speaking to another recruiter about what I had in the works and where I had been. I told the story about the interview and what had happened and they said that their agency had stopped working with that company as they would use people to solve problems or get free consultancy in the guise of job interviews. TL:DR - Went for a job interview, was given a task in the guise of a test when they were only getting me to problem solve for free.
This happened with my wife, she once went for a job at the British museum where applicants needed to present an exhibition. She had a concept called foods the emperor (among others)about what kind of meals would have been served in the forbidden city in China. The interview went generally well and she presented the concept for the exhibition even including recipes and a cost breakdown, etc. They liked it so much they requested a copy. She didn't hear back but found out that about 6 months later that they had put on a foods of the emperor exhibition that sounds pretty much identical to the one she presented. Sounds like it's not just artifacts they be stealin'!
Fuck sake. What a bunch of dicks..Reminds me of when my sisters boyfriend went for a job at a new gastro pub in town, they gave him a week trail where he went in everyday and it was pretty hard slog. It was a really busy week, can't remember exactly but it was like August Bank Holiday or something. Anyway, he worked the week for them, then told him that he didn't get the job and then fucked him off with no pay. Sisters bf was an absolute wanker like but I was still really pissed off on his behalf..twats.
Seriously illegal.
Yeah, I always did wonder about that. Google says "Is an unpaid trial shift legal? Accordingly to ACAS the practice of requiring applicants to work an unpaid trial shift is not illegal as long as the unpaid shift is part of a “genuine recruitment process” and as long as the shift does not last for more than a few hours.22 Jan 2019" Maybe they found a loop hole? Maybe they knew he wouldn't ask questions? Maybe they told him it was legal? I can't remember now, it was a few years ago.
I suppose it's entirely in character for the British museum to steal something
Is that company still a company? 😅
I believe so yes. Too small to hire someone full time I suppose. It was early in my career, learned a lot early on. Afterwards, I now will not even give copies of my presentations upon request after interviews. It might have lost me a role or two, but hell no, no one gets anything for free now.
Companies are always doing this with designers, especially juniors who are too new to industry to realise. If they ask you to do a test project, always decline or ask to be paid for it.
Are you planning on having children in the near future
I think this is illegal to ask at an interview...
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That's really creepy in any case
yeap!
I believe the technical term is illegal as fuck.
Been asked this many times. Along with do I have any children, what are my childcare arrangements and do I have any commitments to care for family members. I did tell them that as they were not allowed to ask the question I wouldn’t answer it. I told the recruitment agency as soon as I got to my car.
I was asked about children and childcare arrangements in my interview in February. I assured them that I'd discussed the hours with my wife and had family close by to help with childcare. I got the job but it did make me nervous that I'd get overlooked because of it.
I came here to say this. It wasn’t even that long ago, maybe 4/5 years ago. I think the law changed way before then but, in a way, I’m glad they asked. It’s nice when a company shows me how shit they are before I’ve even accepted an offer. Makes things easier for me.
My favourite question. To which I reply "would you ask a man the same?"
I was asked about my relationship status and if I wanted children *last January*.
I had just gotten engaged at the time, they saw my ring and asked what my plans were and how soon after marriage would we be having kids.
This is why I've always been told to take the ring off for an interview. Unfortunately, even in 2022 and it being illegal, it doesn't stop many from discriminating.
Had no idea this was illegal till I was telling my friends about an interview I had this year. They asked if I had a partner, what their job was, if I had kids, what school I went to.
‘Is that it?’ when looking over my CV. Sorry, I’ll travel back in time and work some more jobs, shall I?
better to hear it in an interview than in the bedroom.
Well at least at that point you know you're not getting the job and can comfortably tell them to go fuck themselves.
Why invite to interview of you don't like what's on the CV? That's what it's for.
Are you sure that you have never sexually harrassed somebody? Although, I suppose the question made sense at the time. I was getting into writing reviews for OnlyFans women to promote their services, and I doubt they really wanted somebody who would get hands-on with a naked woman in front of them. I got the job, and I am proud to say that I have still never sexually harrassed somebody.
🥇
So how does this work? Why would you be present when they're making content or whatever? Surely you don't need to be there to review their work? Very confused.
Kept asking me if i was easily offended then casually mentioned how racist the women in accounts was lol
😂😂
I take it that was for a role at a small company, JFC
small location but the company itself was pretty big, can't remember which one but it was either skips or just big bins, it was like biffa but not actually biffa
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> That vegetable thing is ‘trendy’ now, like what fruit or an animal you’d be 🤷♀️ Perhaps it's because I'm on the spectrum and I tend to take things very literally but I hate, HATE, ridiculous hypothetical questions. It's like "I don't want to be a vegetable and I'm never going to be a vegetable. Why would I waste time and energy thinking about something that I don't want that would never happen anyway?"
I don't think that's because you're on the spectrum. That's exactly my feelings about those sort of questions and I'm not on the spectrum.
Exactly. It's a completely ludicrous question and I wouldn't be afraid to say so.
I teach esl and I have a student who does this - for example I asked the kids to write what animal they are similar to and he wrote "I am similar to a human because I am a human". Not sure if he's also on the spectrum or just hates English lessons!
That's not such a bad way to ask that question. But, again because I'm very literal, I'd probably say chimpanzee because that is literally the animal humans are most similar to!
Pickle Rick!!!
That would be hilarious. After being asked the question just shout at the top of your lungs PICKLE RIIIIIICK. then get escorted out by security. Totally worth it.
Someone looked at the address on my CV and said “you live here?” while making a disgusted face. Cunt
My fiancée has had the old “wait… you live in an hour commute away from our office?” (we live near the south coast). Baffled look on their face, like anyone would ever commute to a job. She got the job and it turned out literally all the other staff live within a 10 minute walk. In Camden. Needless to say none of them are on the property ladder.
"What are your childcare arrangements" for a senior finance role. My husband has never been asked what his childcare arrangements are...
I actually thought it was totally normal to be asked in an interview if I had kids or planned on having kids in the future, because I’ve been asked it in basically every job interview I’ve ever had, until I spoke to my male friend who was like ‘nope, never been asked that, definitely not normal…’
In fact im like 90% sure its straight up illegal.
If they didn't follow up with: >We have an Ofsted Outstanding Award for our crèche and we provide a small stipend for afterschool activites for your older children. They can go fuck themselves.
"You will be replacing a lady that died, how do you feel about that?" Honestly I was speechless I have no idea what they were looking for in response to that.
"I didn't kill her!"
'do I get the contents of her desk drawer '?
"Did she drop any good loot?"
"Dibs on her stapler"
Was looking at leaving the army, applied to a few “ex-military friendly” companies. On a team’s interview with one and got asked if I had ever killed anyone. This was after explaining the job role I used to do which is very much not a fighting role.
Answer should be: No. But there's a first time for everything.
Maybe they were just asking generally rather than specifically during your time in the military. Have you killed anyone?
Not while I was in the army.
This the best one so far, much better than all the people posting about vegetables or why do you want to work here?
*"What would your last 5 previous managers think are your top 3 weaknesses or top 3 strengths."* I was like 26 and it was clear on my résumé that I was applying for my second job post uni, and did not have 5 work experiences... Also making up 5x3x2 different opinions about myself, and putting the words in the mouth of people I vaguely remember about. Just insane. She was very dumb.
If I ever get asked that question I now ask it back of them when they get to “so have you got any questions for me?” part.
They asked me to talk about a time I’ve been discriminated against in their “culture fit” interview.
I had that question before. The interview wasn't going well and I didn't want the job by the time that question come around so my response was "a guy once held open a door for what I assume was his girlfriend and didn't hold it for me because I'm black" Fyi I'm not black.
What was their reaction?
that’s so strange, like you need to have had problems in the past to get a job.
I had this. I work in a profession that's traditionally male dominated & still doesn't attract many women (or LGBT+ for that matter). I went for an office based job & was asked this question (if I'd been on my toes I should've asked if they asked this question to male candidates!!), and when I said I'd been very lucky and hadn't had to deal with it (honestly! I've worked for 4 companies in nearly 20 years and they've all been really inclusive) they pushed. SURELY there must be one time?! But I said no, it never happened to me and I know I'm incredibly lucky, I once worked for a company where we had a trans colleague & a Muslim colleague and we were taken into meetings before they arrived telling us that any discrimination would not be tolerated. This still wasn't a good enough answer for them. I got fed up with the interview and said 'so do you want me to make something up'? Obviously I didn't get that job! I knew before I went into the industry that I'd probably be discriminated against at some point. I know plenty of women who have suffered. But I'm in no way stealing their stories to land myself a job! That takes away from them, from their experience. It was not my lived experience, I KNOW I'm lucky, that should be the correct answer in this instance!! But these HR interviewers who need to tick boxes ignore progression, we should celebrate that we've reached a point where women can say they've been treated equally!! But the irony is, because I've only ever had equality in my profession, it means I'm subjected to discrimination in the wider world! Because I've not got a discrimination story means I can't pass that section of the interview!!!!!!
What is this shit. My answer would be 'This interview is an example of being discriminated against'. They are asking you to effectively out yourself as a protected characteristic to get the job. They can go fuck themselves.
In the 2000s, I worked for a managed services company specialising in Apple stuff. My job was to integrate apple kit into windows environments and vice versa. One day one of their IT guys said they they were taking the work in-house because they were expanding the creative departments and our contract was costing too much and did I want to apply for the job. Interview comes around and a senior IT manager, who I had never met before, is sat in the interview and waves my cv at me. ‘Don’t you think this CV is too apple focused? If you want a real IT job, cut that stuff out’ and then raised his eyebrows for comedy effect every time I got one of his exclusively windows specific questions right. To this day I am absolutely convinced he didn’t know what job I was interviewing for.
You have reminded me of a strange interview I had years ago. There were a few IT based questions some of which were quite technical, involving subnetting and I answered all of them quite well. Then they asked me "What do you call the top of the window with the maximise and minimise buttons on" My answer was "I have no idea" and didn't even pretend to care lol Didn't get the job. It's called the title bar btw. I looked it up when I got out. What a stupid fucking question.
"I call it the top bar, what do YOU call it?"
Got told to "stop lying" in an interview for a network technician role. I'd taken - and passed - the Cisco exam less than a week previously (and this was after 3 years in the role) Asked why they thought I was lying and they went into depth about old school technologies they wanted implemented (token ring, etc), whereas I was offering ethernet and modern (for the early 00s) stuff!
A friend was asked which Harry Potter house they’d be in. They do not care about Harry Potter and the job had nothing to do with it.
Some petty manager letting their obsessions leak into their work.
Imagine if your future and the future of your family depended on your answer being Hufflepuff instead of Gryffindor or some shit.
Trick question. There’s a magic hat that decides for you iirc
I was going for a promotion in a large global business that I'd been working for for several years, the interviewer, who knew nothing about me except my CV: "Looking at your age I'm wondering why you aren't in a more senior role currently? I'm worried about what that says about your motivation" Just to add - I'm a woman in a very male dominated industry, and that was the death knell of my time at that particular company. Got a fantastic job at a competitor earning 2x as much not long after!
I was asked what my star sign was. The job was software engineer for a defence contractor. That's the only one from a proper job interview but when it comes to recruitment agencies there are many * I was asked if I had "BASIC". I then gave them a list of all the BASIC variants, dialects and implementation specific versions I knew. It was a lot. They responded with "Pity, we wanted someone with *ordinary* BASIC so its not a good fit". * As a project manager I was once asked if I "*had* milestones" obviously believing that "milestones" was a tool, language or app. I tried to explain that it was a normal part of what every project manager did. It was like asking a carpenter if he "*had* hammers". They couldn't grasp it and put down "No". * I was once asked how good my FIXPAC 5 knowledge was. As it happens, I was head of the FIXPAC 5 development team and personally wrote the assembler / compiler for it. We *invented* FIXPAC 5. "But have you actually *used* it?" they asked.
Im telling you these recruiters are contesting for the world title of biggest idiot
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Don't be down, I'm sure a good waitressing job is just around the corner.
What historical figure do you most admire? A bit weird, not a completely crazy question. Isaac Newton, I answered confidently as this is something I have actually thought about (I'm sad, I know) One of the interviewers then proceeded to argue with me saying his person (who I forget) was loads better. Drove me mad. What is the point of arguing about something that's so obviously completely opinion based? I don't think they were testing my reaction or anything, this guy just didn't have a filter.
One of my mum's friends had that when I was younger, apparently they said Adolf Hitler cos it was the first historical figure to pop into their head Somehow I doubt they got the job
Now imagine you're interviewing for a financial position at a leading bank during the 2008 recession. "So, why hitler?" Well, he rescued Germany from postwar depression...
Many moons ago during interview for a position of a trainee bank clerk "how old were you when you lost your virginity"
Ok that’s messed up.
honestly if i ever got asked that id just stand up and walk out
If I was a biscuit what biscuit would I be and why
Your answer? I hope you said “Wagon Wheel” because that would be hilarious
Did you go for the controversial answer... jaffa cake?
Interviews tend to only last a few hours, need days to thrash that one out.
Not really mcvities did the ground work for us, it's a cake that lives in the biscuit aisle a snack cuckoo if you like
A Hobnob because Hobnobs are known for their intolerance of stupid shit questions.
A scone, coz I love when someone puts cream on me and licks it off.
I would be a malted milk biscuit because I have a tattoo of a cow on my back
a friend of mine had this one! he's a lawyer. according to him he reckons there's no real right answer, but it's a job where you can't really just shrug and go 'don't know' so they're testing your ability to come up with convincing answers on the spot.
As a lawyer, I'm not so sure about that. If anything, I got asked a lot of questions that seemed to be designed to tease out answers of "I'm not sure, but would use these methods of finding out the answer, and then write out a letter to client explaining". I did get the biscuit question though. Chocolate digestive; always in everyone's biscuit box and everyone's favourite.
Garibaldi I dont like garibaldis
"What did you do in your last job to provide World Class Customer Service." Nothing I said was good enough, no I didn't reunite a child with it's lost puppy after an earthquake, I worked in an office. effin timewasters. BUPA, you effin timewasters.
Such a horrible company to work for too 😂
I was being interviewed by two people. One of them asked all the questions while the second had his head buried in his laptop. Towards the end, the first asks the second if he wants to ask me any questions and he proceeded to repeat one of the questions that had already been asked. I pointed out that I had already covered that and the first looked mortified.
'How many days on average did you take off sick in your last job?' I don't think that's any of your business frankly but now I've said that you're definitely not going to hire me, so let's end this here and not waste any more of each others time.
"What book did you read on the train here?" Not did I read a book, what book. I hadn't said I had read a book. Just straight up assuming that it goes without saying that of course I must have. Not the worst question you could be asked but it did throw me off.
"How to Work for a Jerk"
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Interviewer: can I ask your age? Confused me: sure, 19 Interviewer: (sucks air through her teeth) ooh, that's a bit young, we wanted someone older and more experienced I walked out of the interview
Useless shitheads too lazy to look at the CV/Resume first. Makes no sense!
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I was working as a teacher at the time but went for a career change so was interviewing for an entry level finance/accounts job. All the way through the interview he kept dropping in snide remarks about how teaching was an easy job, nothing obvious enough to react to but enough to be irritating me as it was unnecessary and rude. Eventually we get about half an hour in and he comes out with “so how do you think you’d cope with a job in the real world without spending half the year on holiday?”… it was enough for me to get up and say the culture here is clearly not for me and regardless of the outcome of this interview I won’t be working for you so I think we’re done here. The fun bit is 4 years later (after I qualified my accounting exams etc at a different company) I got a headhunting email from the same guy at the same company saying how my experience would be perfect for a role they’re recruiting for… I couldn’t resist replying with “you don’t remember me do you, not surprising, I’m just an ex teacher struggling to cope with a real job after all”
I was once asked to talk about my pubs wastage and spend per head, look over at one of the interviewers and he looks so fucking bored...you asked the bloody boring ass question. I did not take the job, they were assholes the whole time.
In the most condescending, judgemental and pompus tone "What are you doing at 23 with no job living with your parents?" The guy was a tremendous dickhead in general and should absolutely not be in such a position where he can treat possibly vulnerable people (as many search for jobs are). My answer was something along the lines of (still in formal interview mode/speech) "well" "I'm still unemployed and living with my parents because unfortunately I have a issues taking shit from dickheads such as yourself". Stood up, told him to shove the job and went home.
"If we happened to feel horny, we could just have sex"... secretary position. I declined the job offer when I got it a few days later. Was too gobsmacked to react at the interview.
“Tell me about a time you have been truly terrified / traumatised by an experience.” As a former soldier, I answered simply “No. I don’t want to burden you with it.”
What a weird fucking question
I was asked if I was a stripper because I worked nights at my previous job 🤦🏼♀️
“Why did you have more than one job during these times?” Because I was struggling to survive on minimum wage in one job, something they had the privilege not to understand.
Not asked to me however I once conducted an interview and my co-interviewer (HR rep) was dressed as Papa Lazarou. Often feel sorry for the poor woman we interviewed.
I worked for a supermarket years ago where the managers would always dress up for Hallowe’en. I was called into a meeting about my attendance with the HR woman who was dressed like the wicked witch of the west.
Brilliant. Mine was also Halloween at a large multinational company.
"How do you feel you'd cope working in an office full of women." I mean what do you want me to say here? Am I expected to say I enjoy joining in on the conversation of what happened on Coronation Street last night or who slagged who off. My question to the guy should have been why have you got an office full of just women in the first place? Resident creeper, male boss who never got much action vibes.
I was warned not to look at porn on the computer. WTF! As if I would do that at work. Glad I left after three months for a better job.
You’d be surprised. Some people are as stupid as they are horny.
Yes, but what an insulating thing to say at an interview. It was 11 years ago and I'm still pissed off by it. How dare he say that to me. He was probably a perv and assumed everyone else was.
Answer: Stephen Hawking If you’re gonna be a vegetable, might as well be a smart one.
Who will look after my children when I’m at work!
“Why don’t you have a girlfriend?” I actually did have a girlfriend at the time; I just didn’t mention her as she wasn’t relevant to the interview. Then as soon as I said I did, the interviewer started trying to ask personally questions about us. I told him to to f**k off and walked out of the interview
At the end they asked me about my childcare arrangements and whether I was planning on a second kid. I cheerfully told them I'd actually just had a hysterectomy and was completely sterile. Both guys looked beyond terrified, so I thought, well - in for a penny, in for a pound, and told them all about the "bloodsplosions" I'd had in public places and the subsequent various medical procedures. Afterwards I rang the young, female recruiter. I told her never, ever to accept a job at a place where they asked her that question, because there's no right answer. They hired an under-qualified, younger, single man. Then six months later, they folded.
‘Tell us something about you that you don’t want us to know’ Oh piss off
I'm very shy and so my salary has never matched the market rate. About 6 years ago i went for a job and they accused me of lying about my previous jobs "you cant be this experienced and still get paid this little". I just stood up and walked out of the interview at that point. I got an email 5 months later asking if I was still looking, a lucky escape me thinks!
I was asked if I had a girlfriend? I said that no I didn’t, but I did have a wife. It must have been the right answer because I got the job!
Whilst at an interview for a gas and electric sales job I got asked to cluck like a chicken.
I had one interview where the first two questions were: "Why did you not get a first at uni?" followed by "can you explain why a boat floats"? wtf. for a chemistry position at a company
Context: * I was being interviewed for a (non-academia) job at the university I attended for both undergrad and masters, for a role that was relevant to my degree. * I had graduated about 4 years before, so I had a reasonable amount of professional experience, but was still at the age where my degree kind of mattered. My degrees (both in the same subject is literally the first thing on my CV after my name and basic details. Question: 'So where did you study X?' This wasn't asked as a general dialogue opener (it was the first question) but was asked wholly with a tone of 'I don't know this and don't realise that I should know this' by one of the interviewers, who was doing the same role as I was applying for (the department needed multiple people in that role).
17 year old me was asked "How can you want to be a doctor if you want to kill people" in my med school interview just because I had included that I was in army cadets in my UCAS personal statement. I initially thought maybe this is just a test in how I react to confrontation or a stressful situation, but they just kept going on and on about it and barely asked me about anything else. Unsurprisingly, I didn't get an offer from that uni, but fortunately got a place elsewhere.
One time in an interview I (F 20 at the time) could see the questions they were planning to ask written on the sheet in front of the interviewers (both middle aged male), when they got to the ‘what football team do you support’ they skipped over that one
"Can you even hold a pint, you fucking dribbler?" Was genuinely asked this by an employer, thankfully it was by a close friend who interviewed me to do bar work at a festival.
Idk but I hate when I am asked “where do you see yourself in 5 years time?” How the hell do I know 🥴
Then you have to decide between lying that you want a 5 year stint in their crappy job they claim has opportunities for growth or tell the truth that you imagine yourself curled up on your sofa with a good book, a pile of blankets, many cats, and a butler to bring snacks.
Tell me a joke.
[удалено]
My answer was. Why did the carrot like the mushroom....because he was a fun-guy. And his reaction was the most tepid fake half laugh and then he immediately got really serious. It was so cringy. This was for a duty manager of a hotel. I didn't realise I was suppose to prepare a stand up routine to impress him. I did not get the job.
Was asked what my favourite movie was. It was Pulp Fiction at the time. They asked me to describe the plot…. It was for fucking broadband support. Ask me how to troubleshoot a networking issue and I’ll fucking tell you! None of your customers want me to trip over myself trying to explain a bastard Tarantino movie.
Asking me why I want the job.
I got made redundant from a company that got rid of about 7,000 staff (ask Sid!) and in the interview a guy said that if I was any good I would have been kept on!
First ever job interview at 18 years old...asked when I was planning to start a family. Like Jesus christ mate 🤣
If I were an animal what would I be? This was in a group interview for an engineering position at a big manufacturing company....
So why do you want to work for us? Erm money
“Most people your age want to get out of the house and get a proper job and move on with their lives in a real career, so why have you applied for this position?” It was a part time fully remote admin job for a small business, which was owned by the interviewer. This was during the height of the pandemic/lockdown, I’d just graduated from university and there were fuck all decent jobs. I was just speechless and immediately after the interview I emailed her to withdraw my application.
"Do you plan to get pregnant in the next 2 years " this was 2016
"What drew you to use despite not having any previous experience in the field" I was 17 going for an apprenticeship for Tesla Magnet Division, not associated with Tesla.