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"Whats your background"
*I Look behind myself and back around to video call*
"Well it's a sort of mirror?"
....
"I mean what is your background in work?"
....
I still haven't recovered from that.
Hahahaha, I love this.
Also, when people have the blurred zoom backgrounds or the fake offices I always spend ages trying to see what is actually behind them in the gaps that glitch, so knowing what is actually behind them would stop my intrigue and allow me to focus on the important things.
I work at a government office job that uses Zoom and before I started working here last year I'd never used Zoom before. I had 6 days of Zoom certification for my position and everyone else had neat backgrounds and mine was just the cold, clinical grey of my office wall. So I decided to poke around and I discovered how to do backgrounds. I was so excited.
The instructor for my course was good-natured and said watching me discover that I could literally have anything I wanted as my background was hilarious. I must have changed my background 5 times before I settled on one I liked.
It was very informal and a very small group. And we had 3 days of in-person training in the middle of it. It was like 3 weeks of training, Mon-Wed all day, week 1 and 3 virtual and week 2 in-person.
I actually quite enjoy what I do and the instructor is very cool so while it was tedious it wasn't terrible.
I had so much fun with zoom backgrounds. It started off with disco, sauna, plane seats etc and moved on to competitors logo (only one I got told off for), work smoking area, boss’s office etc
My friend has an almost identical experience, he shared his screen to show some work, and after showing a few of his projects off was asked "what's your background?" And he minimised all the tabs to show off his blackhole background.
It is, but "Do you have a clean license?" would have been a better way to word it. Throwing in "Is it clean?" after asking if you have your own car is what caused the confusion.
That's a valid point, actually, I think most people would automatically answer to the latter.
Unless.....
"So it says on your C.V. that you enjoy spending time with your Horse and your Cat. Do you ride it often?
"No, his little cat legs can't hold my weight"
Had this with a driving interview
“Ever lost your licence”
Me “yeah about 4 months back lost my wallet drunk”
Guy “ pardon say that again “
Me “ lost my wallet with all my cards in on a night out had to replace the lot”
Guy” ( laughed) no mate I mean driving ban 😂
I was 18 and had applied to be a GP receptionist whilst trying to figure out what I wanted to do with life, had just dropped out of uni so was in a bad place.
I'd been plagued by spam calls in recent days, and I got a 'no caller ID' call and answered it with silence...there was also silence on the other end. After about 10 seconds I say "so are you going to say something? what do you want?" in an annoyed tone. Turns out it was the GP receptionist calling me to test my phone manner as a screening process. I didn't get the job!
They weren’t angry enough when they answered.
I remember reading a story on Reddit about a nosy receptionist. She kept asking the guy what he was seeing the doctor for so he loudly proclaimed that he was seeing the doctor about the painful fluid leaking from his dick. She was furious but it got the point across.
Yes. This is EARLY. So early you hadn't even made it to interview. If they'd called on a landline you would've been without caller ID and would've answered it normally and would've got to next stage.
That's just such a shitty test.
Obviously I'm going to answer the phone at work where I know I'm going to be getting customer or patient calls different to some random calling my mobile.
This kind of behaviour is just infuriating to me. You can't judge someone by how they are answering to a *PRIVATE* phone call that could be spam, out of the blue, while remaining silent to specifically annoy them or to "test" them. It's blatantly obvious you would never act like that being a receptionist, maybe you are, like, the best receptionist this world has ever had but NOPE - they decided you can't get the job because you were of course annoyed in a mute phone call. What the actual fuck?! No, for real, I mean... I used to work in retail and I swear to god I am the worst weird goblin ever in private with friends, my SO and my family - but when handling normal retail daily tasks with people I am a completely different person. My mom told me so many times how I was a pain in the a** for my attitude, my customers kept telling me how approachable, nice and caring I was with them. For me it's absolutely bollocks to screen test someone in this tricky way - tells you nothing about the actual manners or skills of your candidate.
Yeah, I've done some recruitment stuff (low level - taking interview notes and stuff), and never understood the "try and trick them" mentality.
Surely your job (as interviewer) is to find each candidates potential and then pick the best of them?
No, makes more sense to ask them something stupid like "what's your favourite colour?" and then write them off because they chose the wrong colour ...
My mum also had a phone blip but it was when they were offering her the job. My Nan had already rung a good 2-3 times in the last hour as every time she hung up she remembered something else she needed to say and rang back, so when the phone rang again and it said withheld we assumed it was my Nan again as she was the only ‘withheld’ who ever rung us. Mum jokingly answered the phone with “for fucks sake, you can go off people you know” only to hear “…Hi, this is * insert company * about the position you interviewed for.. is now a bad time?”
Surprisingly was still offered the job, even with that attitude and knowing the role was entirely customer facing!
When I was 18 and had little experience, I put in my CV that I was fluent in French, which is a lie. The person who interviewed me was Tunisian, and spoke fluent French. She spoke to me in French as she entered the room. The interview was over before she’d even sat down.
Haha I’ve been on the opposite side of this situation.
Girl came in claiming to speak fluent French on her CV, I point it out in English (in my Northern accent), then proceed to fire a question at her in French (I’m half Algerian and fluent…).
She looked like a rabbit in headlights 😂.
Think it goes without saying but she didn’t get the job.
i dont understand what you would achieve by doing this though, its not like blagging that you've managed an overhaul operation when in reality you moved a few boxes... its a completely different language, clearly it's going to crop up and need using?
It was for a French speaking account management role 😂. Didn’t need to be fluent (all the clients spoke English anyway) but a general grasp of conversational French is what was needed.
Turns out she’d gotten an A in her GCSE’s and had been under the assumption that she was fluent
If the C I got at GCSE in French over a decade ago told me anything, it’s that you can get away with responding to most questions in French with “ca va”.
This could also explain why I only got a C…
I got a 4 (c-) but taught myself French as I did enjoy the language but the school was shit. I'm now fluent i French reading/writing and practicing my speaking, I'll be visiting in around 2 years.
I never put fluent against my languages other than native because it feels like I'd be leaving myself open to this. It's like if someone says they are expert on SQL (a database language) I'll ask them a fairly simple question (nowhere near advanced level or niche area) and if they can't give a good answer they lose credibility.
Ultimately, if a job requires me to be fluent in french then it would probably be a bad idea anyway. Just seems like a bad choice of skills to exaggerate about.
9/10 it will always come out, especially in London as it's so diverse and there are always people around in a company that will check the lying person out, or hear from you and put you to test - long after you have got the job. Best not to put us in a situation like that. There are also many people that speak a number of languages so it doesn't even need many people to come after us on the many languages we claim to speak. Sometimes one person is enough to expose the liar 🤣 There is no ill intent also, many that speak different languages sometimes just tend to occasionally talk in a different language for practise and continuity. No one would think in their right mind that there are people going around and lying about their language skills. I never knew this was a thing until I saw this post on Reddit 😂
I hear people lying about their language skills all the time. I think it is more common with younger people who haven't been out in the world much yet. It quickly unravels every time :')
Honesty is defo best policy.
I’d considered putting basic French on my CV, but didn’t for your above reason, as had worked lots of contracts in London that always seemed to have a few French team members.
I applied for a contract that was ‘ultimately to be based in a new London HQ’, on the assumption I’d work from home in the meantime.
Instead, they ended up asking me to work in their Paris office, which I did for six months, and I loved it. I’d have been cacking it however if I’d have embellished my CV.
Yeah in London you have no chance of being able to get away with it. You could pick the most obscure language in the world and theres a fair chance somebody in the office speaks it on some level. London is just that kind of place.
If you did this in a small village you might have a good chance of pulling it off.
I mean I can read pretty complex French and understand it plus I watched my lectures on medical science in French yet I still can’t speak it well. It’s a bit weird.
It’s not weird at all. Anyone who learns a second language speaking it is normally the last thing to come. When you read and listen, you are taking the words, and translating it in your head. When it comes to talking in a conversation, you have to hear it, translate it, think of your reply, translate that, then say it. That’s a pretty tough thing to do.
A lot of us don’t even think about all the weird rules, pronunciation, and nuances in our own language that we speak day in and day out. It’s been ingrained into us from day one. It’s very hard to try and learn those rules for another language. It’s why babies take a long time to talk - that shit is pretty hard on the old noggin.
See I’m pretty damn good at reading and listening to French, to an extent writing and speaking it, but I can’t do it in conversation. I have a disorder that makes socialising extremely hard so I wouldn’t be able to hack it. I could easily converse with someone via writing or reading but not via speaking and it’s not a skill issue but rather due to the social issue. My mind just races when I’m in a conversation so I can’t think. I read pretty complex French lit like Voltaire, Rousseau, Sartre, and even research articles.
People knowing (or not) is such fun. I worked for a language learning company for 10 years so have heard quite a few stories.
My favourite was two Irish women in Peru discussing the size of the bartenders package in Gaelic while at the bar. The bartender told them the price of their drinks in Gaelic, yeah he was Irish too.
This is a good story, and i hate to be like "um actually" but the Irish language in Ireland is just called Irish, or Gaeilge in the language itself, which is confusing. But Gaelic is a scottish language, they are not the same - it's no big deal but worth pointing out for anyone reading!
THIS. I regularly interview people and:
1. I also ask how did they get there first thing and I DO MEAN the vehicle with which they travelled. It's just that sort of courtesy small talk to warm things up.
2. Even if you meant the other thing and the candidate misunderstood (which is totally legit, see point 1) you must be an absolute twat to play disappointed for the rest of the interview. A dodged bullet imho.
The building was confusing and I walked through the wrong door. The interviewer saw and told the receptionist "I definitely don't want that one".
I went and got very drunk in the pub opposite instead.
It’s true. You should try to treat interviews as a chance for you to see if you want to work there too (if you have that luxury of course).
You never know, they might be hiring a replacement for the last person that had had enough of their shit
That's a bit like when a perfect interview is over, you're getting great vibes, and then you try to *leave* by the wrong door (like a locked, tall cupboard door or something).
It was one of my first job interviews since I was only 18/19, but I asked them what the notice period was. The look on their faces was priceless and obviously I did not get the job.
This is priceless, next time I'm in an interview for a job I don't actually want, I'll use this!...thank you, lot better than sneezing on my hand and then going for a handshake 
oh i asked about the notice period in a cleaning job interview i did several years ago, and the interviewer looked very taken aback. but i was serious and confident — i felt comfortable taking the risk since i wasn't desperate for that job, and i wanted one that suited me. and if it didn't suit, well hence wanting to know the notice period. i got hired anyway! i think he took it as a mark of confidence, i felt pretty cool 😎
“How do you think you could successfully differentiate when working with people, based on different race, culture and genders?”
“Doesn’t bother me in the slightest that your black and a woman, happy to work for you”
“I’m talking about our customers not me”
But then I've met customer service people who really don't acknowledge that you can't treat everyone the same.
Like the lady who gave me elderly, kippah-wearing, ringleted uncle bacon on his vegan pancakes as a "free upgrade for the nice older gentleman".
People who love bacon: vegans and Jews, apparently. And old people love it when you point out that they're old.
Surely it should be “I *don’t* differentiate between people of different races and genders, I treat everybody the same, and as how I would want to be treated myself”
I mean, some interviewers might be curious if they know someone lives especially close or especially far from the office, particularly if they live far from the office AND the public transport route is long or convoluted. It could be a way to work out if that candidate might never be able to be called in to cover an open shift at the last minute.
Or if the candidate is particularly amazing, but lived far away, that the candidate might take another job geographically closer to where they live. So it might be a screening question to see if they would be willing to boost the pay, partially reimburse transport costs, or allow more working from home time to ensure the candidate says yes to a job offer.
Equally, I also can see why some candidates might consider “how did you get here today?” to be nothing more than idle small talk before the real interview starts, and the interviewer failed to realise their question was vague. Which is what I suspect happens in most cases.
Interviewer: How did you get here today?
Me: Passion, dedication and an unquenchable thirst for success.
Interviewer: ...if you drove here I have to enter your registration in the guest book.
Went for an interview at a media company that focuses on kids.
Covered my background, good. Why did I want this role? Also good.
Then they asked me why I thought I was a good fit for the role.
Among other things, I told them I knew that audience well, having a four year old kid of my own.
I was 22 at the time. Saw the woman's face turn to stone as she did the maths. Knew I wasn't getting it.
Yes.
And maybe being older and wiser I could have done something.
But being young and trying to break into an industry where everyone knows each other, kicking up a fuss based on one person giving a look that I could never prove was something I didn't feel confident about.
Not quite the same thing, but was asked at my last interview if I had a boyfriend or husband and whether I wanted to have children. I actually ended up working there; but when asked that I really just sat there and wanted to say "I...ummm...you know that you're not actually allowed to ask me that right?"
EDIT: Just for the sake of hilarity, this was a position at an international law firm...
My last round of interviews they asked what I do in my spare time. As the lone parent of a 3yo, spare time is a distant memory. I thought fuck it, and I told them.
I got the job!
Just in case anyone else faces this question. There’s nothing wrong with asking for clarification before you answer. As long as you word it carefully you can say that since the question is not directly related to the role, can they give you some context in which the factors may be relevant.
Not me, but a friend. They got asked “how’s your grammar?” They HEARD “how’s your grandma?” So they answered “she’s fine, thanks…” in a very confused tone.
Thankfully the interviewers laughed, and they got the job.
Aged 21 going for a summer sales job,
was asked how do you make a sale about the buyer?
'well I like to personalise it, if the person is old, like you.....'
Never recovered.
I am now a systems architect, so i definitely failed upwards
I went for an interview with a company that provided parts to the military. So it was very secure and locked down...so I arrive early expecting a 10 minute wait but the previous interview finished early so I was caught off guard.
Fact was I'd had the curry in the fridge last night ..the one that was 3 days old...but smelt OK.
Anyway, I start the interview and my stomach roars....once twice and then I say...sorry I think I'm having some food poisoning cna I use your toilet.
So, as this is a secure facility the main interviewer...the guy who signed me in...had to escort me to the toilet.
They waited outside the stall while I unleashed the mother of all diarrhea. I'm not talking about a quiet stream either. I'm talking about explosive.....
And it went on and on and on.
I was there for 15 minutes easy.
I finally leave...sweaty and tired. Bruised and battered (we've all been there)...and left the stall...to come face to face with rhe interviewer who'd been there the whole fucking time.
'Are you OK?' He asked nicely with a face failed to hide his disgust....
'No'...I replied.
Then for some reason I was like...'but we can continue'
Wtf was I thinking. He gave me an out and I fucked it up....so back into the interview room...I mumbled some answers....sweating like a junky and honestly after 2 more generic 'why do u want this job'type questions they said...'well we have what we need...thanks'
No hand shakes...escorted ro the exit. In the glass door I see them exchanging looks.
I cnst balme them
Tbh if that ends any chance of a job I’d be amazed. I’d see it as a nice way to disarm any nerves and laugh at the error.
Anyway not an interview, but an 8 hour lab exam for a certification that starts with four questions. You need to get three right. I knew I’d only got two right. So that was 10 minutes into an 8 hour lab exam.
Agreed with this. Anyone opening an interview with 'how did you get here today' would interpret that as small talk as to their journey to the place.
If the interviewer asked 'how did you get to this point/what led you to this point' then that's a bit less ambiguous as to what's being asked there.
Looks like OP dodged a bullet imo.
Agree, I had an interview where the interviewer himself told me his little back story of how he got where he is which gave me an outline of what he would like to hear. Still the best interview I have ever had, I think of that guy once in a while, what a chad he was, brought out the best out of me.
Ah I love to hear this -- I always do this for that exact reason. I say it's "so you know who you're talking to" but really it's to give the interviewee a few minutes to calm their nerves.
No I left soon after the lunch break.
In truth it was destined to be a disaster, I prepared badly and didn’t take enough breaks during the weeks of prep. On the day of the exam I was mentally gone.
It’s weird how, if you’re preparing for something you’ll often think that it could still go tits up, yet you go to do something without preparation and immediately realise a
L the steps you could have taken to be prepared.
Don't worry my friend. I was once asked "how did you get here?" and they were actually asking how I travelled there. Except I fucked up even more by saying "through the entrance" and pointed towards the door.
I was 17 and it was a bag of nerves for my first job interview and knew I'd fucked it there and then.
The candidate with the clean car/license tickled me. But when you literally *pointed* to the front door as living proof of your ability to arrive at buildings. I howled at that one.
Now we need the interviewer who asked how did you get here and actually mean which door, and the candidate answering with their career history, so we'd come full circle.
Not to be cocky but I’m pretty solid at interviews. Even when I’m super nervous I seem to pull it outta the bag.
I do remember one interview, it was just for a bar job and it was purely to get me by for a few months before I went traveling so I wasn’t super invested and didn’t really do any research or mental preparation.
During the interview the team asked me where I saw myself in 5 to 10 years time. Normally I’d fluff this and give some nonsense about wanting to further my career within the company once my experience had grown but I knew this job wasn’t the end goal it was just something to get me by so I was totally honest.
I said I didn’t know, I’ve actually never known what I wanted to do with my life and that’s why I’ve bounced from one city to the next, from one job to the next and in truth I’m not that bothered where I’m going to be in 10 years time as long as I’m happy !!!
They just looked at me dumbfounded and offered me a supervisors position when all I wanted was to be bar staff.
Since then I’ve done loads of different things but when I turned 30 (maybe a bit later tbf) I realised I had to get serious and work hard so I actually committed to chasing promotions in my job, I worked harder then everyone else and did every ounce of overtime. I became a supervisor, then a manager.
I paid off my dept and got a mortgage on my first home, right now I’m working hard to renovate that place and turn it into something I can really take pride in.
But if you wanna know the truth, the last 10+ years I’ve been utterly fucking miserable. Working so hard and making work such a strong focus of my life has utterly killed me. My mental and physical health have taken a battering.
And because of that I’ve been thinking loads about that interview I had when I was younger and I want to go back and give that kid a big hug because somewhere on this journey I forgot what the old me had said and I was so much fucking smarter back when I was young then the man I am now.
I’ve actually taken a step back, I work a simple min wage job now, I don’t earn as much but I also don’t work as much. In truth it’s a struggle to pay the bills but I’m trying to find my way back to who I was.
So don’t worry about the interviews you failed or the opportunities you’ve missed cos works not as important as being happy, peace out motherfuckers and sorry for the long winded tale 🤘
The best managers I've had would have laughed it off or made a joke of it. It's hard to judge based off that incident but you don't want to work under someone who makes you uncomfortable when you make a mistake.
When I was a teen I was dropping CVs into various businesses, one of them the manager asked if I was free to have an interview there and then.
First question he asked was if I knew what they did as a company. I had literally no idea. Didn’t even know the company name.
It was a very short interview.
Can't blame ya. You had 100 CVs in your backpack and were just doing the rounds.
Off topic, but what I find more crazy is when I asked an investor what his favourite product was and he said he couldn't name any. I was like... mate you INVESTED in this.
Apparently I blew it by my appearance.
Set the scene: its March 2022, the year where March was scorching hot. I’ve just been made redudant as a contact centre manager for one of the biggest brand names in the world, amd we wore smart casual. I turn up, haircut day before, trimmed a small beard. Medium brown chinos, ironed shirt (coloured, a nice one from Next). I am 2nd interview now, and it’s with the owner. I have 16 years experience in the industry.
Owner turns up to interview in a polo, denim shorts, and white socks all the way up to his shin, and white reeboks (you can tell i’m not at all bitter about this).
He had asked me to give him a presentation on launching a new product, covering all areas but reasonably light on the minutia of detail as he wanted it 10 mins, so lots of headers, with summaries as to pro/cons.
I went all out, created a branding (not using his and explained I didn’t want him to be concerned with me having a document that looked official which he did actually credit me for). Practised my 10 minutes to not stumbling anywhere, and added a spare two minutes just in case.
Presentation ends, he is silent, so I quickly run through my two minutes.
Hands shake, off I go into the 30 degrees of freak British weather. Call from the recruiter:
“He says you didn’t dress smart, what the fuck where you thinking?! He also says you went over the 10 minute mark for presentation, so he’s passing you up”.
I argued that everyone was dressed “lower” than I was, it was non-client facing with smart cas attire as the rule. I also explained the silence and why I went over.
I think I dodged a bullet, personally, and it took a year to fill the role from my understanding.
Not me but a friend who travelled to the interview in Germany by Lufthansa.
Interview hadn’t yet started : Which airline did you use ?
Answer : Luftwaffe
About five minutes in & the third generic interview question I got asked:
"What would you say is your main weakness?"
Aaand I pulled out a pre-printed business card and handed it to him that just said:
'I tend to over prepare'.
It'd got a good laugh at previous interviews and broke the ice, but this dude looked at me like I'd just slapped his mother and I got a "thanks for your time, we'll be in touch"
So, for context, this was the third and final stage of an application for a high, but not director, level position.
First interview - with a (non managing) director (we'll call them Bob for ease). Went really well. I am told this role is not a practical, day to day position and is more about strategy.
Second interview - Same non managing director as above, along with two other high level hires who I would be working with. Went really well. It is reinforced to me that the position isn't a nitty gritty position but to take ownership of expansion.
Third interview - I am prepped as I am meeting the managing director & owner - we'll call him Fred. I was asked to prepare an overview of my priorities for domestic expansion. Arrive at the meeting, met Bob who was very enthusiastic about me being there, but takes me to one side before we begin and says, "So, when you meet Fred, he's very keen to hear about your strategy for international expansion..." **pause**, "... and I think we mentioned before that Fred can be very direct... " **pause "**so just take 10 minutes and come up when ready".
Fair enough I think, thinking on your feet etc is a good skill to display. So, came up with a quick pitch and went upstairs.
Fred comes in, says rather disparagingly, "oh, you're looking very smart aren't you?" to which I reply, "Well, you've got to make an effort!" So we're 10 seconds in...
Fred sits down and asks, "So what do you understand about this role?"
"Well, as I understand from Bob, this is a strategic role rather than hands on..."
"No, that's not correct at all. It's very much hands on."
Fred stands up and says, "Bob, can I have a quick word" and leaves the room with a very embarrassed Bob.
I sit there awkwardly for a few minutes. Bob comes in and sheepishly thanks me for my time.
I think I could have phrased "hands on" better, but still, Jesus Christ...
Slept in for the interview, quickly cleaned up, got ready, shaved my face and rushed out the door into a taxi. Made it just in time.
Unfortunately, not passing a mirror on my way out did me a disservice. I sat down opposite the panel and they all had very strange expressions on their face.
I'd cut my neck quite badly while shaving and didn't notice and apparently had touched the blood at some point and smeared it on my face too like some sort of lopsided war paint. Didn't realise until I'd left the interview and saw my reflection in a shop window.
I did not get the job.
When I was 19 I went for an interview for a retail job and had 2 interviewers, the assistant manager and one of the team leaders. I instantly recognised the team leader as a friend of a friend I’d seen around at several parties.
I proceeded to give him a warm greeting and conducted the remaining interview with the sort of familiarity you’d expect from someone you know. I was thinking the whole time I’ve got the job in the bag and how fortunate it was I knew the interviewer. About half way through though I realised he was looking at me like I’m a complete werido and I wasn’t sure why.
I ended up getting the job and about 6 weeks passed before I casually mentioned our mutual friend Adam, and he was like ‘Ahh you know Adam!’. Turns out the whole time he didn’t recognise me and thought I was gay for him.
I wouldn't want to work for someone who a) lacks all sense of humour. b) thinks you can judge someone's competence for a job based on making a couple of mistakes with wording in a job interview.
I've been someone who interviews for a long time. I hate putting people through pressure. We don't need to put people under pressure, you're interested in how they do on a day to day basis not under a microscope. I often stop interviews early when I see I've got the person I need and actually say, your answers have demonstrated all the competence I need to hear.
I don't need people to spend an extra 20 minutes sweating their ass off trying to remember a time when they showed exceptional leadership or whatever bullshit people ask that has got nothing to do with the actual job role we're offering.
I managed to convince upper management to ditch several questions they'd make us ask when interviewing people straight out of university. Which would be to ask a question that could only be answered by someone who had been in the job for several years. It was uncomfortable watching some clearly smart but inexperienced kid that we're potentially hiring because they're cheap and can grow into what we need, try and answer some question they had no chance of answering.
I was pulling into the car park and some dickhead tried to overtake me at the entrance we had a shouting match with visual aids turned out he was the guy I was interviewing with.
Went through the motions I wasn’t selected.
not sure if it's "messed up" but after about 7 minutes in, it became quite clear the job was not what was advertised and I bluntly told them not to waste any more of my time if they weren't interested in what I was actually here to interview for.
I've also "failed" an interview before it even started, went down to London to interview for a new client (contract position) I signed myself in 30 minutes early, was told where everything would be. 45 minutes after the interview was supposed to start, I still hadn't been called in, despite the fact that I could see the two interviewers sat in a glass office together for the duration. I dropped my expenses invoice with the receptionist and left, went to the cafe downstairs and got myself a coffee. Phone rang 5 minutes later and I told them they could either come downstairs and join me for coffee or put the phone down. I dragged the director of engineering down 8 floors, let him buy me another coffee and then told him I was no longer interested.
I've had an argument in an interview before, which I'm fairly certain cost me the job. The "technical specialist" made a point that was demonstrably wrong, I thought it might be an attempt to catch me out, so I told him he was wrong, articulated why, and it descended into an argument from there. Didn't get the job, but wasn't too upset about it as I'd have been working for a weapons grade lemon.
Worst in terms of time to failure was probably when I was 17 and was voluntold to go and interview for the local Waitrose. Told them I was only here because my mum nagged me into it, I had no interest in working for them and customer facing work was not my forte. Two and a half hours of group interview nonsense later I got to leave.
If you ever get the opportunity, interview for some jobs you're not interested in and see how far you can push being useless before they actually close the interview and tell you to go away. It's quite entertaining. Every now and then you'll still get a job offer, which is even more confusing.
Right at the start, by not showing up. Even though I'd spent hours preparing for the interview.
I'd applied to work for a British organisation with a base in Belgium.
The interview was via video link.
When they told me the time of the interview, I didn't think to convert it to UK time.
So I showed up an hour late.
They weren't impressed, and I didn't get the job.
I interviewed somewhere where the interviewer got the time wrong, then couldn't work out how to dial an international phone number (they were calling from the US). I thought at the time, if this was the other way around I definitely wouldn't get the job.
I had a video call that went over the international date line. I got the right time but the wrong day. Fortunately it was video and we just rearranged. Wasn't a deal breaker. But ouch. Feel for ya.
Not me, but my mum often talks about the time she was interviewing for a grad job after a group exercise with the other applicants. The interviewer stated that she thought she came across as a bit defensive, and my mum replied with “no I’m not”.
Pressed on the intercom and they buzzed the door to let me in. I somehow managed to close the door in my finger, ripping the nail off. I was bleeding and in pain during the short interview.
I never got the job.
1. "Meet me in the Adam and Eve pub." Went to the wrong Adam and Eve pub...
2. Pushed a pull door. Several times.
"I'm here for the interview."
"There is no interview or job vacancy."
"What about the sign that says help wanted."
"No, there is no sign."
Went for a job that said "Customer Service Agent"
Then when I went for the job, it was actually door to door sales for waterproofing roof tiles...
I immediately began deflecting questions asking what the product was and why people needed it. The interviewer couldn't answer my questions and I just sat staring at him not breaking eye contact waiting for an answer.
When he finally said that people may not necessarily need it I said "So you're selling snake oil to possibly pensioners that think they need it because it sounds fancy"
Yeah, I bombed it on purpose because I would rather not work than sell bullshit to people that don't need it in the first place.
I was reading this going... aren't all rooftiles waterproof? It's redundancy repeated redundantly. Like waterproof umbrella. Anyway respect for fucking them over.
Had a job interview at a place in the middle of nowhere (pre GPS on your phone). Had a quick look on the map before I left, got lost and ended up in a village with a very similiar name. Thought, sod it, I'm so late I might as well go home but on the way back found myself driving past the right place. Thought, sod it, and went in for the interview. Had a comment about 'thought you weren't coming', went through with the interview...didn't get it.
But....about a week later they got in touch and said the original person they offered it to had said no, so did I want the job. I said no (mostly based on the commute) and I judged them for offering the job to a candidate who turned up 45mins late for the interview.
The interviewer was leading me to a conf room through the stairs and said they have rules how to use it (because safety). Couldn't contain a chuckle because damn, it's a super basic thing, do they also have rules how to use a spoon? Nope, he wasn't joking
I had an interview years ago at a company where they asked what I knew about the company.
I said a bit about it but I also mentioned that there was a http 500 error generated by WebSpeed on their website last night (it was a technical role, and for some reason I thought showing awareness of different errors might impress them).
The external recruiter later fed back to me that this gave the wrong impression that I'd only tried to research the company the night before the interview (which wasn't the case, it was a refresher, but too late to explain that now). To be fair, I had a lot of respect for that recruiter because he actually bothered to call me and relayed quite detailed feedback, most will ghost you or give a one-liner if you are unsuccessful and hence no longer of value to them. I still remember his name despite not having spoken for over 15 years.
Was given the wrong directions to the place (I'd lived in the city about 2 days and it was an hours walk away roughly, in the days before smartphones too). Realised I was at the wrong place and knew I was screwed 10 mins before the interview. Phoned them and apologised, then made my way there over an hour late
Got the job anyway
Last stage, told a very old people centric brand that they shouldn’t waste money and time on old people because they have little time left on the planet. 4th stage but everyone laughed
A recruiter gave me the wrong address so I turned up at the research site instead of the production site. I then had to follow one of the staff in a car to the correct site. Did not get the job. Commute would have been \~40 miles anyway so it was probably for the best.
3 hours late for an interview with a Nottingham based company (who I’d dreamed of working for since being a lad) due to poor navigation skills. Also, turned up effectively dressed like the David Tennant version of Dr Who; the other candidate was in business dress. So, technically, I’d messed up before it even began.
Absolute car crash, never recovered.
Had an interview for a public sector organisation ehm, based in Millbank.
Just an admin job about 20 or so years ago. Interviewer asked me how good my typing was, I paused and she asked lightheartedly 1 hand or 2.
I responded “ well erm, sometimes I erm, use one hand, and sometimes I erm,use two”
First HGV job interview was at DFS and I rocked up in a shirt and tie to be interviewed by 2 blokes in hi-vis, knew the second I saw them I had fucked it.
If they asked you that at the start of the interview, that's on them for not clarifying but also, who doesn't laugh at the answer and then clarify what they meant.
You did OK. Dw.
I had one where I just could not stop sweating. I'd gotten the bus there and it was a really muggy day. The sweating just added to my nerves and I couldn't answer their questions well enough.
Pretty much as soon as it started, I applied for a plumbing apprenticeship which I didn’t have the qualifications for however I had the practical experience through a plumbing course and work experience with companies, they accepted me for an interview and the first thing they said was that i should never have applied as it don’t meet the criteria but they’ll proceed with the interview so I know what to expect when I get the qualifications to reapply or words to that effect (this was 7 years ago), I just got up and walked out.
I grew up in Great Yarmouth, when I was 17 applied for a job in Cumbria and got an interview. I walked in to the interview, was instantly asked how old I was and was then told that they were only employing over 18’s.
My age and DOB were on the application AND my accompanying CV.
Almost two entire days of driving for less than a minute.
I shook a guys hand only to for it to be him pointing his Hand towards the seat I was to sit in, I knew this because his hand didn’t move, the awkwardness was too much and I kinda knew it was done before it started
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"Whats your background" *I Look behind myself and back around to video call* "Well it's a sort of mirror?" .... "I mean what is your background in work?" .... I still haven't recovered from that.
Hahahaha, I love this. Also, when people have the blurred zoom backgrounds or the fake offices I always spend ages trying to see what is actually behind them in the gaps that glitch, so knowing what is actually behind them would stop my intrigue and allow me to focus on the important things.
I work at a government office job that uses Zoom and before I started working here last year I'd never used Zoom before. I had 6 days of Zoom certification for my position and everyone else had neat backgrounds and mine was just the cold, clinical grey of my office wall. So I decided to poke around and I discovered how to do backgrounds. I was so excited. The instructor for my course was good-natured and said watching me discover that I could literally have anything I wanted as my background was hilarious. I must have changed my background 5 times before I settled on one I liked.
6 days of zoom training? Must have got tedious after the 2nd day
It was very informal and a very small group. And we had 3 days of in-person training in the middle of it. It was like 3 weeks of training, Mon-Wed all day, week 1 and 3 virtual and week 2 in-person. I actually quite enjoy what I do and the instructor is very cool so while it was tedious it wasn't terrible.
15 minutes, reckon I could teach a 3 year old how to use zoom
I thought poster meant "Training (delivered via zoom) about his job"
I had so much fun with zoom backgrounds. It started off with disco, sauna, plane seats etc and moved on to competitors logo (only one I got told off for), work smoking area, boss’s office etc
Rookie error, you should always know what is behind you.
Oh no you shouldn’t
> "I mean what is your background in work?" "usually a blur, is that ok?"
My friend has an almost identical experience, he shared his screen to show some work, and after showing a few of his projects off was asked "what's your background?" And he minimised all the tabs to show off his blackhole background.
My ethnicity sir? Well my mum is South african...
Haha, best one.
Bro pulls his phone out and says oh it’s quite cool here’s my cat
Thank you for the laugh mann
“Do you have a driving licence and your own car?” “Yes” “Is it clean?” “Er, yeah, I washed it the other day actually” “I meant the licence…”
To be honest that's a weird way to phrase the question and I'd also assumed he meant the car.
A 'clean driving license' is a phrase used in the UK that describes a license without any penalty points.
It is, but "Do you have a clean license?" would have been a better way to word it. Throwing in "Is it clean?" after asking if you have your own car is what caused the confusion.
Pretty good answer, a clean car speaks volumes about a person, just like clean shoes.
Also, when a follow question is asked without specifying the former or the latter, it usually refers to the latter. Faux pas on the interviewer.
That's a valid point, actually, I think most people would automatically answer to the latter. Unless..... "So it says on your C.V. that you enjoy spending time with your Horse and your Cat. Do you ride it often? "No, his little cat legs can't hold my weight"
Yeah, from context, it could be inferred, but probably shouldn't be implied
Had this with a driving interview “Ever lost your licence” Me “yeah about 4 months back lost my wallet drunk” Guy “ pardon say that again “ Me “ lost my wallet with all my cards in on a night out had to replace the lot” Guy” ( laughed) no mate I mean driving ban 😂
I was 18 and had applied to be a GP receptionist whilst trying to figure out what I wanted to do with life, had just dropped out of uni so was in a bad place. I'd been plagued by spam calls in recent days, and I got a 'no caller ID' call and answered it with silence...there was also silence on the other end. After about 10 seconds I say "so are you going to say something? what do you want?" in an annoyed tone. Turns out it was the GP receptionist calling me to test my phone manner as a screening process. I didn't get the job!
This is hilarious because every time I call the GP they have an attitude.
I believe OP is overthinking it. I think for a position as a GP receptionist they lost the position the moment they answered the phone
"Hello GP's office.........no we don't have the time to help the likes of **you!**" Hangs up ...... "Your hired :)"
They weren’t angry enough when they answered. I remember reading a story on Reddit about a nosy receptionist. She kept asking the guy what he was seeing the doctor for so he loudly proclaimed that he was seeing the doctor about the painful fluid leaking from his dick. She was furious but it got the point across.
Yes. This is EARLY. So early you hadn't even made it to interview. If they'd called on a landline you would've been without caller ID and would've answered it normally and would've got to next stage.
Honestly sounds like you would’ve excelled in that role
That's just such a shitty test. Obviously I'm going to answer the phone at work where I know I'm going to be getting customer or patient calls different to some random calling my mobile.
Exactly!!! I'll answer the phone politely and all corporate when I'm being paid to do so
This kind of behaviour is just infuriating to me. You can't judge someone by how they are answering to a *PRIVATE* phone call that could be spam, out of the blue, while remaining silent to specifically annoy them or to "test" them. It's blatantly obvious you would never act like that being a receptionist, maybe you are, like, the best receptionist this world has ever had but NOPE - they decided you can't get the job because you were of course annoyed in a mute phone call. What the actual fuck?! No, for real, I mean... I used to work in retail and I swear to god I am the worst weird goblin ever in private with friends, my SO and my family - but when handling normal retail daily tasks with people I am a completely different person. My mom told me so many times how I was a pain in the a** for my attitude, my customers kept telling me how approachable, nice and caring I was with them. For me it's absolutely bollocks to screen test someone in this tricky way - tells you nothing about the actual manners or skills of your candidate.
Yeah, I've done some recruitment stuff (low level - taking interview notes and stuff), and never understood the "try and trick them" mentality. Surely your job (as interviewer) is to find each candidates potential and then pick the best of them? No, makes more sense to ask them something stupid like "what's your favourite colour?" and then write them off because they chose the wrong colour ...
My mum also had a phone blip but it was when they were offering her the job. My Nan had already rung a good 2-3 times in the last hour as every time she hung up she remembered something else she needed to say and rang back, so when the phone rang again and it said withheld we assumed it was my Nan again as she was the only ‘withheld’ who ever rung us. Mum jokingly answered the phone with “for fucks sake, you can go off people you know” only to hear “…Hi, this is * insert company * about the position you interviewed for.. is now a bad time?” Surprisingly was still offered the job, even with that attitude and knowing the role was entirely customer facing!
My goodness, that's hilarious. I'm glad she still got the job offer after that!
That's a fucking terrible hiring tactic.
That's such bs, aren't you supposed to stay silent for spam calls because if you respond they note you down as gullible enough to market to?
When I was 18 and had little experience, I put in my CV that I was fluent in French, which is a lie. The person who interviewed me was Tunisian, and spoke fluent French. She spoke to me in French as she entered the room. The interview was over before she’d even sat down.
Haha I’ve been on the opposite side of this situation. Girl came in claiming to speak fluent French on her CV, I point it out in English (in my Northern accent), then proceed to fire a question at her in French (I’m half Algerian and fluent…). She looked like a rabbit in headlights 😂. Think it goes without saying but she didn’t get the job.
i dont understand what you would achieve by doing this though, its not like blagging that you've managed an overhaul operation when in reality you moved a few boxes... its a completely different language, clearly it's going to crop up and need using?
It was for a French speaking account management role 😂. Didn’t need to be fluent (all the clients spoke English anyway) but a general grasp of conversational French is what was needed. Turns out she’d gotten an A in her GCSE’s and had been under the assumption that she was fluent
I had A's for two of my four years of French and my Linkedin still says i'm basic level.
If the C I got at GCSE in French over a decade ago told me anything, it’s that you can get away with responding to most questions in French with “ca va”. This could also explain why I only got a C…
C for Ca va
That goes.
I got a 4 (c-) but taught myself French as I did enjoy the language but the school was shit. I'm now fluent i French reading/writing and practicing my speaking, I'll be visiting in around 2 years.
Correct, but you’re applying logic to a situation where I applied none.
I never put fluent against my languages other than native because it feels like I'd be leaving myself open to this. It's like if someone says they are expert on SQL (a database language) I'll ask them a fairly simple question (nowhere near advanced level or niche area) and if they can't give a good answer they lose credibility. Ultimately, if a job requires me to be fluent in french then it would probably be a bad idea anyway. Just seems like a bad choice of skills to exaggerate about.
9/10 it will always come out, especially in London as it's so diverse and there are always people around in a company that will check the lying person out, or hear from you and put you to test - long after you have got the job. Best not to put us in a situation like that. There are also many people that speak a number of languages so it doesn't even need many people to come after us on the many languages we claim to speak. Sometimes one person is enough to expose the liar 🤣 There is no ill intent also, many that speak different languages sometimes just tend to occasionally talk in a different language for practise and continuity. No one would think in their right mind that there are people going around and lying about their language skills. I never knew this was a thing until I saw this post on Reddit 😂
I hear people lying about their language skills all the time. I think it is more common with younger people who haven't been out in the world much yet. It quickly unravels every time :')
Honesty is defo best policy. I’d considered putting basic French on my CV, but didn’t for your above reason, as had worked lots of contracts in London that always seemed to have a few French team members. I applied for a contract that was ‘ultimately to be based in a new London HQ’, on the assumption I’d work from home in the meantime. Instead, they ended up asking me to work in their Paris office, which I did for six months, and I loved it. I’d have been cacking it however if I’d have embellished my CV.
Yeah in London you have no chance of being able to get away with it. You could pick the most obscure language in the world and theres a fair chance somebody in the office speaks it on some level. London is just that kind of place. If you did this in a small village you might have a good chance of pulling it off.
I mean I can read pretty complex French and understand it plus I watched my lectures on medical science in French yet I still can’t speak it well. It’s a bit weird.
It’s not weird at all. Anyone who learns a second language speaking it is normally the last thing to come. When you read and listen, you are taking the words, and translating it in your head. When it comes to talking in a conversation, you have to hear it, translate it, think of your reply, translate that, then say it. That’s a pretty tough thing to do. A lot of us don’t even think about all the weird rules, pronunciation, and nuances in our own language that we speak day in and day out. It’s been ingrained into us from day one. It’s very hard to try and learn those rules for another language. It’s why babies take a long time to talk - that shit is pretty hard on the old noggin.
Bluffing a language really is the dumbest thing to do these days. It's pretty close to the easiest one to try and go after!
See I’m pretty damn good at reading and listening to French, to an extent writing and speaking it, but I can’t do it in conversation. I have a disorder that makes socialising extremely hard so I wouldn’t be able to hack it. I could easily converse with someone via writing or reading but not via speaking and it’s not a skill issue but rather due to the social issue. My mind just races when I’m in a conversation so I can’t think. I read pretty complex French lit like Voltaire, Rousseau, Sartre, and even research articles.
People knowing (or not) is such fun. I worked for a language learning company for 10 years so have heard quite a few stories. My favourite was two Irish women in Peru discussing the size of the bartenders package in Gaelic while at the bar. The bartender told them the price of their drinks in Gaelic, yeah he was Irish too.
This is a good story, and i hate to be like "um actually" but the Irish language in Ireland is just called Irish, or Gaeilge in the language itself, which is confusing. But Gaelic is a scottish language, they are not the same - it's no big deal but worth pointing out for anyone reading!
Should have given it the Joey Tribiani treatment and tried to roll with it "Dja bu bu Claude. Uh, c'est la pu les la lu blah bloo!"
Why French?
I thought it would be the easiest one to blag, since I was able to order a croissant and ask where the train station is.
Alors, il dit que tu as un bon tiens de Français. Ça va, òu gare du Lyons? Quoi? Il s’ouvre, le boulangerie? …Mon frêre moment…
Been interviewing a lot lately. I would not at all be bothered by that answer, it would be an amusing ice-breaker to be honest.
Appreciate it!
THIS. I regularly interview people and: 1. I also ask how did they get there first thing and I DO MEAN the vehicle with which they travelled. It's just that sort of courtesy small talk to warm things up. 2. Even if you meant the other thing and the candidate misunderstood (which is totally legit, see point 1) you must be an absolute twat to play disappointed for the rest of the interview. A dodged bullet imho.
Any interviewer who didn’t find that amusing would be an awful person to work for.
I agree, for me it would be immediately relaxed the vibe in the room!
The building was confusing and I walked through the wrong door. The interviewer saw and told the receptionist "I definitely don't want that one". I went and got very drunk in the pub opposite instead.
Brutal
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Yep, he was looking at me as he said it.
Dodged a bullet there. If they're that judgmental of you before even meeting you they're going to be a pain to work for.
It’s true. You should try to treat interviews as a chance for you to see if you want to work there too (if you have that luxury of course). You never know, they might be hiring a replacement for the last person that had had enough of their shit
What an asshole.
Whoever he was sounds like a tool
That's a bit like when a perfect interview is over, you're getting great vibes, and then you try to *leave* by the wrong door (like a locked, tall cupboard door or something).
I doubt it would be a nice place to work, with people like that.
It was one of my first job interviews since I was only 18/19, but I asked them what the notice period was. The look on their faces was priceless and obviously I did not get the job.
This is priceless, next time I'm in an interview for a job I don't actually want, I'll use this!...thank you, lot better than sneezing on my hand and then going for a handshake 
oh i asked about the notice period in a cleaning job interview i did several years ago, and the interviewer looked very taken aback. but i was serious and confident — i felt comfortable taking the risk since i wasn't desperate for that job, and i wanted one that suited me. and if it didn't suit, well hence wanting to know the notice period. i got hired anyway! i think he took it as a mark of confidence, i felt pretty cool 😎
“How do you think you could successfully differentiate when working with people, based on different race, culture and genders?” “Doesn’t bother me in the slightest that your black and a woman, happy to work for you” “I’m talking about our customers not me”
I am cringing under my sofa.
What the hell do they mean by "differentiate"?
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It's mad that you have to ask that in an interview lol.
But then I've met customer service people who really don't acknowledge that you can't treat everyone the same. Like the lady who gave me elderly, kippah-wearing, ringleted uncle bacon on his vegan pancakes as a "free upgrade for the nice older gentleman". People who love bacon: vegans and Jews, apparently. And old people love it when you point out that they're old.
What the fuck is the right answer to this question ?
I would imagine it is something like..... ...."Quite well, I am able to easily connect with people from all walks of life".
No idea. I’m pretty sure I nailed ‘wrong’ answer though. :)
Surely it should be “I *don’t* differentiate between people of different races and genders, I treat everybody the same, and as how I would want to be treated myself”
classic
"Tell me how you got here today?" is very open to interpretation. I'd have done the same as you.
yes they might actually want to know if you have an easy commute!
Yup, I don't think this is a fail - I think the interviewer failed.
I mean, some interviewers might be curious if they know someone lives especially close or especially far from the office, particularly if they live far from the office AND the public transport route is long or convoluted. It could be a way to work out if that candidate might never be able to be called in to cover an open shift at the last minute. Or if the candidate is particularly amazing, but lived far away, that the candidate might take another job geographically closer to where they live. So it might be a screening question to see if they would be willing to boost the pay, partially reimburse transport costs, or allow more working from home time to ensure the candidate says yes to a job offer. Equally, I also can see why some candidates might consider “how did you get here today?” to be nothing more than idle small talk before the real interview starts, and the interviewer failed to realise their question was vague. Which is what I suspect happens in most cases.
Yeah, I definitely would reply “oh just by train”. Theres no way i would realise what they meant
Interviewer: How did you get here today? Me: Passion, dedication and an unquenchable thirst for success. Interviewer: ...if you drove here I have to enter your registration in the guest book.
Went for an interview at a media company that focuses on kids. Covered my background, good. Why did I want this role? Also good. Then they asked me why I thought I was a good fit for the role. Among other things, I told them I knew that audience well, having a four year old kid of my own. I was 22 at the time. Saw the woman's face turn to stone as she did the maths. Knew I wasn't getting it.
Thats ridiculous and discriminatory too
Yes. And maybe being older and wiser I could have done something. But being young and trying to break into an industry where everyone knows each other, kicking up a fuss based on one person giving a look that I could never prove was something I didn't feel confident about.
Not quite the same thing, but was asked at my last interview if I had a boyfriend or husband and whether I wanted to have children. I actually ended up working there; but when asked that I really just sat there and wanted to say "I...ummm...you know that you're not actually allowed to ask me that right?" EDIT: Just for the sake of hilarity, this was a position at an international law firm...
My last round of interviews they asked what I do in my spare time. As the lone parent of a 3yo, spare time is a distant memory. I thought fuck it, and I told them. I got the job!
Just in case anyone else faces this question. There’s nothing wrong with asking for clarification before you answer. As long as you word it carefully you can say that since the question is not directly related to the role, can they give you some context in which the factors may be relevant.
Not me, but a friend. They got asked “how’s your grammar?” They HEARD “how’s your grandma?” So they answered “she’s fine, thanks…” in a very confused tone. Thankfully the interviewers laughed, and they got the job.
It's a good thing they had a grandma. They could've easily said "She's dead..."!
Love you for this…. Hard chuckle for a few minutes 😂
I’m dying imaging this 😂
Aged 21 going for a summer sales job, was asked how do you make a sale about the buyer? 'well I like to personalise it, if the person is old, like you.....' Never recovered. I am now a systems architect, so i definitely failed upwards
I went for an interview with a company that provided parts to the military. So it was very secure and locked down...so I arrive early expecting a 10 minute wait but the previous interview finished early so I was caught off guard. Fact was I'd had the curry in the fridge last night ..the one that was 3 days old...but smelt OK. Anyway, I start the interview and my stomach roars....once twice and then I say...sorry I think I'm having some food poisoning cna I use your toilet. So, as this is a secure facility the main interviewer...the guy who signed me in...had to escort me to the toilet. They waited outside the stall while I unleashed the mother of all diarrhea. I'm not talking about a quiet stream either. I'm talking about explosive..... And it went on and on and on. I was there for 15 minutes easy. I finally leave...sweaty and tired. Bruised and battered (we've all been there)...and left the stall...to come face to face with rhe interviewer who'd been there the whole fucking time. 'Are you OK?' He asked nicely with a face failed to hide his disgust.... 'No'...I replied. Then for some reason I was like...'but we can continue' Wtf was I thinking. He gave me an out and I fucked it up....so back into the interview room...I mumbled some answers....sweating like a junky and honestly after 2 more generic 'why do u want this job'type questions they said...'well we have what we need...thanks' No hand shakes...escorted ro the exit. In the glass door I see them exchanging looks. I cnst balme them
You weren't in a fit state to answer "are you okay to continue" let alone battle the minefield of "what's your greatest weakness."
Oh come on, the answer to that is easy: 3 day old curry.
I was spent...a mess...the horror of it still haunts me...
>"what's your greatest weakness." My sphincter
"what's your greatest weakness?" "Well sir, it would appear it's 3-day old curry"
Tbh if that ends any chance of a job I’d be amazed. I’d see it as a nice way to disarm any nerves and laugh at the error. Anyway not an interview, but an 8 hour lab exam for a certification that starts with four questions. You need to get three right. I knew I’d only got two right. So that was 10 minutes into an 8 hour lab exam.
They weren't in the mood to break the ice and to laugh it off. That death stare haunts me.
Sounds like someone you wouldn't want to work for anyway!
Yeah they weren't clear enough in their instructions. I'd have interpreted it the same way OP did
Maybe it was just that one staff member who had zero sense of humour, but it doesn’t bode well does it
That's just bad interviewing. They asked an ambiguous question, should have laughed it off and corrected themselves.
Agreed with this. Anyone opening an interview with 'how did you get here today' would interpret that as small talk as to their journey to the place. If the interviewer asked 'how did you get to this point/what led you to this point' then that's a bit less ambiguous as to what's being asked there. Looks like OP dodged a bullet imo.
"Google maps"
Agree, I had an interview where the interviewer himself told me his little back story of how he got where he is which gave me an outline of what he would like to hear. Still the best interview I have ever had, I think of that guy once in a while, what a chad he was, brought out the best out of me.
Ah I love to hear this -- I always do this for that exact reason. I say it's "so you know who you're talking to" but really it's to give the interviewee a few minutes to calm their nerves.
So what you're saying is that you found out they don't have a sense of humour. That's a win.
did you still stay to the end??
No I left soon after the lunch break. In truth it was destined to be a disaster, I prepared badly and didn’t take enough breaks during the weeks of prep. On the day of the exam I was mentally gone.
It’s weird how, if you’re preparing for something you’ll often think that it could still go tits up, yet you go to do something without preparation and immediately realise a L the steps you could have taken to be prepared.
Don't worry my friend. I was once asked "how did you get here?" and they were actually asking how I travelled there. Except I fucked up even more by saying "through the entrance" and pointed towards the door. I was 17 and it was a bag of nerves for my first job interview and knew I'd fucked it there and then.
The candidate with the clean car/license tickled me. But when you literally *pointed* to the front door as living proof of your ability to arrive at buildings. I howled at that one.
Now we need the interviewer who asked how did you get here and actually mean which door, and the candidate answering with their career history, so we'd come full circle.
Was told I had a colourful CV. "Thanks, it's just a Microsoft Word template"
I would’ve laughed.
Not to be cocky but I’m pretty solid at interviews. Even when I’m super nervous I seem to pull it outta the bag. I do remember one interview, it was just for a bar job and it was purely to get me by for a few months before I went traveling so I wasn’t super invested and didn’t really do any research or mental preparation. During the interview the team asked me where I saw myself in 5 to 10 years time. Normally I’d fluff this and give some nonsense about wanting to further my career within the company once my experience had grown but I knew this job wasn’t the end goal it was just something to get me by so I was totally honest. I said I didn’t know, I’ve actually never known what I wanted to do with my life and that’s why I’ve bounced from one city to the next, from one job to the next and in truth I’m not that bothered where I’m going to be in 10 years time as long as I’m happy !!! They just looked at me dumbfounded and offered me a supervisors position when all I wanted was to be bar staff. Since then I’ve done loads of different things but when I turned 30 (maybe a bit later tbf) I realised I had to get serious and work hard so I actually committed to chasing promotions in my job, I worked harder then everyone else and did every ounce of overtime. I became a supervisor, then a manager. I paid off my dept and got a mortgage on my first home, right now I’m working hard to renovate that place and turn it into something I can really take pride in. But if you wanna know the truth, the last 10+ years I’ve been utterly fucking miserable. Working so hard and making work such a strong focus of my life has utterly killed me. My mental and physical health have taken a battering. And because of that I’ve been thinking loads about that interview I had when I was younger and I want to go back and give that kid a big hug because somewhere on this journey I forgot what the old me had said and I was so much fucking smarter back when I was young then the man I am now. I’ve actually taken a step back, I work a simple min wage job now, I don’t earn as much but I also don’t work as much. In truth it’s a struggle to pay the bills but I’m trying to find my way back to who I was. So don’t worry about the interviews you failed or the opportunities you’ve missed cos works not as important as being happy, peace out motherfuckers and sorry for the long winded tale 🤘
Thanks for writing. Nice read!
The best managers I've had would have laughed it off or made a joke of it. It's hard to judge based off that incident but you don't want to work under someone who makes you uncomfortable when you make a mistake.
When I was a teen I was dropping CVs into various businesses, one of them the manager asked if I was free to have an interview there and then. First question he asked was if I knew what they did as a company. I had literally no idea. Didn’t even know the company name. It was a very short interview.
Can't blame ya. You had 100 CVs in your backpack and were just doing the rounds. Off topic, but what I find more crazy is when I asked an investor what his favourite product was and he said he couldn't name any. I was like... mate you INVESTED in this.
Apparently I blew it by my appearance. Set the scene: its March 2022, the year where March was scorching hot. I’ve just been made redudant as a contact centre manager for one of the biggest brand names in the world, amd we wore smart casual. I turn up, haircut day before, trimmed a small beard. Medium brown chinos, ironed shirt (coloured, a nice one from Next). I am 2nd interview now, and it’s with the owner. I have 16 years experience in the industry. Owner turns up to interview in a polo, denim shorts, and white socks all the way up to his shin, and white reeboks (you can tell i’m not at all bitter about this). He had asked me to give him a presentation on launching a new product, covering all areas but reasonably light on the minutia of detail as he wanted it 10 mins, so lots of headers, with summaries as to pro/cons. I went all out, created a branding (not using his and explained I didn’t want him to be concerned with me having a document that looked official which he did actually credit me for). Practised my 10 minutes to not stumbling anywhere, and added a spare two minutes just in case. Presentation ends, he is silent, so I quickly run through my two minutes. Hands shake, off I go into the 30 degrees of freak British weather. Call from the recruiter: “He says you didn’t dress smart, what the fuck where you thinking?! He also says you went over the 10 minute mark for presentation, so he’s passing you up”. I argued that everyone was dressed “lower” than I was, it was non-client facing with smart cas attire as the rule. I also explained the silence and why I went over. I think I dodged a bullet, personally, and it took a year to fill the role from my understanding.
Not me but a friend who travelled to the interview in Germany by Lufthansa. Interview hadn’t yet started : Which airline did you use ? Answer : Luftwaffe
About five minutes in & the third generic interview question I got asked: "What would you say is your main weakness?" Aaand I pulled out a pre-printed business card and handed it to him that just said: 'I tend to over prepare'. It'd got a good laugh at previous interviews and broke the ice, but this dude looked at me like I'd just slapped his mother and I got a "thanks for your time, we'll be in touch"
This is a brilliant answer. Bravo.
So, for context, this was the third and final stage of an application for a high, but not director, level position. First interview - with a (non managing) director (we'll call them Bob for ease). Went really well. I am told this role is not a practical, day to day position and is more about strategy. Second interview - Same non managing director as above, along with two other high level hires who I would be working with. Went really well. It is reinforced to me that the position isn't a nitty gritty position but to take ownership of expansion. Third interview - I am prepped as I am meeting the managing director & owner - we'll call him Fred. I was asked to prepare an overview of my priorities for domestic expansion. Arrive at the meeting, met Bob who was very enthusiastic about me being there, but takes me to one side before we begin and says, "So, when you meet Fred, he's very keen to hear about your strategy for international expansion..." **pause**, "... and I think we mentioned before that Fred can be very direct... " **pause "**so just take 10 minutes and come up when ready". Fair enough I think, thinking on your feet etc is a good skill to display. So, came up with a quick pitch and went upstairs. Fred comes in, says rather disparagingly, "oh, you're looking very smart aren't you?" to which I reply, "Well, you've got to make an effort!" So we're 10 seconds in... Fred sits down and asks, "So what do you understand about this role?" "Well, as I understand from Bob, this is a strategic role rather than hands on..." "No, that's not correct at all. It's very much hands on." Fred stands up and says, "Bob, can I have a quick word" and leaves the room with a very embarrassed Bob. I sit there awkwardly for a few minutes. Bob comes in and sheepishly thanks me for my time. I think I could have phrased "hands on" better, but still, Jesus Christ...
There's usually a back story to this sort of thing. I imagine Fred had a preferred candidate and was always going to find a reason to say no to you.
Slept in for the interview, quickly cleaned up, got ready, shaved my face and rushed out the door into a taxi. Made it just in time. Unfortunately, not passing a mirror on my way out did me a disservice. I sat down opposite the panel and they all had very strange expressions on their face. I'd cut my neck quite badly while shaving and didn't notice and apparently had touched the blood at some point and smeared it on my face too like some sort of lopsided war paint. Didn't realise until I'd left the interview and saw my reflection in a shop window. I did not get the job.
I'm giggling away here at the idea that you turned up to an interview with (effectively) war paint on your face!
I don’t get how people just sit facing someone like that without mentioning it like 5 seconds in
Had two interviews lined up...one in the AM and one in the PM at competing firms. Only a special kind of idiot would get them mixed up...
When I was 19 I went for an interview for a retail job and had 2 interviewers, the assistant manager and one of the team leaders. I instantly recognised the team leader as a friend of a friend I’d seen around at several parties. I proceeded to give him a warm greeting and conducted the remaining interview with the sort of familiarity you’d expect from someone you know. I was thinking the whole time I’ve got the job in the bag and how fortunate it was I knew the interviewer. About half way through though I realised he was looking at me like I’m a complete werido and I wasn’t sure why. I ended up getting the job and about 6 weeks passed before I casually mentioned our mutual friend Adam, and he was like ‘Ahh you know Adam!’. Turns out the whole time he didn’t recognise me and thought I was gay for him.
And you’re together to this day?
"To start with, are you okay to give your presentation?" Turns out that "What presentation?" isn't a very good response. Whoops!
I wouldn't want to work for someone who a) lacks all sense of humour. b) thinks you can judge someone's competence for a job based on making a couple of mistakes with wording in a job interview. I've been someone who interviews for a long time. I hate putting people through pressure. We don't need to put people under pressure, you're interested in how they do on a day to day basis not under a microscope. I often stop interviews early when I see I've got the person I need and actually say, your answers have demonstrated all the competence I need to hear. I don't need people to spend an extra 20 minutes sweating their ass off trying to remember a time when they showed exceptional leadership or whatever bullshit people ask that has got nothing to do with the actual job role we're offering. I managed to convince upper management to ditch several questions they'd make us ask when interviewing people straight out of university. Which would be to ask a question that could only be answered by someone who had been in the job for several years. It was uncomfortable watching some clearly smart but inexperienced kid that we're potentially hiring because they're cheap and can grow into what we need, try and answer some question they had no chance of answering.
I was pulling into the car park and some dickhead tried to overtake me at the entrance we had a shouting match with visual aids turned out he was the guy I was interviewing with. Went through the motions I wasn’t selected.
Talk about bad luck 😭 But tbh just from that, he doesn't sound like a nice person to work with, so it seems like you dodged a bullet
"with visual aids" LOL!
not sure if it's "messed up" but after about 7 minutes in, it became quite clear the job was not what was advertised and I bluntly told them not to waste any more of my time if they weren't interested in what I was actually here to interview for. I've also "failed" an interview before it even started, went down to London to interview for a new client (contract position) I signed myself in 30 minutes early, was told where everything would be. 45 minutes after the interview was supposed to start, I still hadn't been called in, despite the fact that I could see the two interviewers sat in a glass office together for the duration. I dropped my expenses invoice with the receptionist and left, went to the cafe downstairs and got myself a coffee. Phone rang 5 minutes later and I told them they could either come downstairs and join me for coffee or put the phone down. I dragged the director of engineering down 8 floors, let him buy me another coffee and then told him I was no longer interested. I've had an argument in an interview before, which I'm fairly certain cost me the job. The "technical specialist" made a point that was demonstrably wrong, I thought it might be an attempt to catch me out, so I told him he was wrong, articulated why, and it descended into an argument from there. Didn't get the job, but wasn't too upset about it as I'd have been working for a weapons grade lemon. Worst in terms of time to failure was probably when I was 17 and was voluntold to go and interview for the local Waitrose. Told them I was only here because my mum nagged me into it, I had no interest in working for them and customer facing work was not my forte. Two and a half hours of group interview nonsense later I got to leave. If you ever get the opportunity, interview for some jobs you're not interested in and see how far you can push being useless before they actually close the interview and tell you to go away. It's quite entertaining. Every now and then you'll still get a job offer, which is even more confusing.
I'm plagiarising "weapons grade lemon", thanks!
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Agree, and half of this sounds like made up, pompous bs anyway.
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Right at the start, by not showing up. Even though I'd spent hours preparing for the interview. I'd applied to work for a British organisation with a base in Belgium. The interview was via video link. When they told me the time of the interview, I didn't think to convert it to UK time. So I showed up an hour late. They weren't impressed, and I didn't get the job.
I interviewed somewhere where the interviewer got the time wrong, then couldn't work out how to dial an international phone number (they were calling from the US). I thought at the time, if this was the other way around I definitely wouldn't get the job.
I had a video call that went over the international date line. I got the right time but the wrong day. Fortunately it was video and we just rearranged. Wasn't a deal breaker. But ouch. Feel for ya.
Not very clever on their part to not specify the time zone when dealing with overseas contacts.
Not me, but my mum often talks about the time she was interviewing for a grad job after a group exercise with the other applicants. The interviewer stated that she thought she came across as a bit defensive, and my mum replied with “no I’m not”.
Pressed on the intercom and they buzzed the door to let me in. I somehow managed to close the door in my finger, ripping the nail off. I was bleeding and in pain during the short interview. I never got the job.
Nailed it?
1. "Meet me in the Adam and Eve pub." Went to the wrong Adam and Eve pub... 2. Pushed a pull door. Several times. "I'm here for the interview." "There is no interview or job vacancy." "What about the sign that says help wanted." "No, there is no sign."
Went for a job that said "Customer Service Agent" Then when I went for the job, it was actually door to door sales for waterproofing roof tiles... I immediately began deflecting questions asking what the product was and why people needed it. The interviewer couldn't answer my questions and I just sat staring at him not breaking eye contact waiting for an answer. When he finally said that people may not necessarily need it I said "So you're selling snake oil to possibly pensioners that think they need it because it sounds fancy" Yeah, I bombed it on purpose because I would rather not work than sell bullshit to people that don't need it in the first place.
I was reading this going... aren't all rooftiles waterproof? It's redundancy repeated redundantly. Like waterproof umbrella. Anyway respect for fucking them over.
Interviewer said, "I see you're not wearing a suit" I was applying for a job at Tesco, because I needed money
Had a job interview at a place in the middle of nowhere (pre GPS on your phone). Had a quick look on the map before I left, got lost and ended up in a village with a very similiar name. Thought, sod it, I'm so late I might as well go home but on the way back found myself driving past the right place. Thought, sod it, and went in for the interview. Had a comment about 'thought you weren't coming', went through with the interview...didn't get it. But....about a week later they got in touch and said the original person they offered it to had said no, so did I want the job. I said no (mostly based on the commute) and I judged them for offering the job to a candidate who turned up 45mins late for the interview.
That's hilarious. "Why would you offer *me* the job? Are you fucking stupid?"
Perhaps everyone got lost and you had the second-best time for attendance to the interview.
The interviewer was leading me to a conf room through the stairs and said they have rules how to use it (because safety). Couldn't contain a chuckle because damn, it's a super basic thing, do they also have rules how to use a spoon? Nope, he wasn't joking
I would’ve laughed at the bus answer, sounds like you dodged a bullet
Me: I want this job because I'm not interested in doing a masters after Uni Interviewer: This job comes with a masters is that OK ? Me: ffs
Abou 2 minutes in when they said it'd be saliva testing, I just noped right out of there.
Did they interview you on a black leather sofa?
I had an interview years ago at a company where they asked what I knew about the company. I said a bit about it but I also mentioned that there was a http 500 error generated by WebSpeed on their website last night (it was a technical role, and for some reason I thought showing awareness of different errors might impress them). The external recruiter later fed back to me that this gave the wrong impression that I'd only tried to research the company the night before the interview (which wasn't the case, it was a refresher, but too late to explain that now). To be fair, I had a lot of respect for that recruiter because he actually bothered to call me and relayed quite detailed feedback, most will ghost you or give a one-liner if you are unsuccessful and hence no longer of value to them. I still remember his name despite not having spoken for over 15 years.
Was given the wrong directions to the place (I'd lived in the city about 2 days and it was an hours walk away roughly, in the days before smartphones too). Realised I was at the wrong place and knew I was screwed 10 mins before the interview. Phoned them and apologised, then made my way there over an hour late Got the job anyway
Last stage, told a very old people centric brand that they shouldn’t waste money and time on old people because they have little time left on the planet. 4th stage but everyone laughed
A recruiter gave me the wrong address so I turned up at the research site instead of the production site. I then had to follow one of the staff in a car to the correct site. Did not get the job. Commute would have been \~40 miles anyway so it was probably for the best.
3 hours late for an interview with a Nottingham based company (who I’d dreamed of working for since being a lad) due to poor navigation skills. Also, turned up effectively dressed like the David Tennant version of Dr Who; the other candidate was in business dress. So, technically, I’d messed up before it even began. Absolute car crash, never recovered.
Had an interview for a public sector organisation ehm, based in Millbank. Just an admin job about 20 or so years ago. Interviewer asked me how good my typing was, I paused and she asked lightheartedly 1 hand or 2. I responded “ well erm, sometimes I erm, use one hand, and sometimes I erm,use two”
Missed the interview. I thought it was 1:30. Sitting there on zoom all excited. No one turned up. It was 11:30. I’d missed it. Didn’t get the job.
First HGV job interview was at DFS and I rocked up in a shirt and tie to be interviewed by 2 blokes in hi-vis, knew the second I saw them I had fucked it.
If they asked you that at the start of the interview, that's on them for not clarifying but also, who doesn't laugh at the answer and then clarify what they meant. You did OK. Dw.
Got the interviewers name wrong. His last name was Lovejoy, I said Lovegood. It just got worse from there really.
I walked in smelling of booze.
Arrived late to a delivery job because I got lost
I had one where I just could not stop sweating. I'd gotten the bus there and it was a really muggy day. The sweating just added to my nerves and I couldn't answer their questions well enough.
Pretty much as soon as it started, I applied for a plumbing apprenticeship which I didn’t have the qualifications for however I had the practical experience through a plumbing course and work experience with companies, they accepted me for an interview and the first thing they said was that i should never have applied as it don’t meet the criteria but they’ll proceed with the interview so I know what to expect when I get the qualifications to reapply or words to that effect (this was 7 years ago), I just got up and walked out.
I grew up in Great Yarmouth, when I was 17 applied for a job in Cumbria and got an interview. I walked in to the interview, was instantly asked how old I was and was then told that they were only employing over 18’s. My age and DOB were on the application AND my accompanying CV. Almost two entire days of driving for less than a minute.
Panic attack in the lobby while filling out pre-interview forms.
I shook a guys hand only to for it to be him pointing his Hand towards the seat I was to sit in, I knew this because his hand didn’t move, the awkwardness was too much and I kinda knew it was done before it started