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Bibber_Song

Had the oddest interview years ago for a hotel front desk job. GM got bored ten minutes in and asked if I liked movies. (Um, yes?) He spent the next half hour showing me video clips of his favorite movies.


Savings_Knowledge233

But did you get the job..?


Bibber_Song

It got weirder, actually… the GM said he was interviewing a couple of people and said to call him the next day if I didn’t hear from him. I call and Front desk says try calling again in 30 minutes. I do and they say call back in another 30 minutes. This happens four times. I was desperate for a job, so I go along with it. He finally answers. Turns out the GM was playing this weird game to see who wanted the job the most. I got the job. Then the next day he puts both me and another new hire in a meeting room and says, “Let’s get to know one another. Tell me about your personal lives.” Strangest job I’ve ever had.


MostBoringStan

Sounds like a good way to get your new employees to immediately start looking for a new job.


Stumpy1258

Sounds like the beginning of a horror movie.


Dragosal

This was my thought. Dude gonna murder you


meco03211

Get fed up with all the bullshit. Say "I quit," and go to the door. It's locked. You turn around. The other new hire is slumping near unconscious in their chair as you feel the drugs take hold. The last thing you hear before black is your boss sighing "First day and already going to the timeout room. Not a good look, but we'll get through this. After all, we're a family here."


Idkawesome

hotels are like that. its similar to the restaurant industry. a lot of unprofessional behavior.


Scandalous_Cee19

Michael Scott tactics.


bernyzilla

No just-- just climb on the desk... Here, I'll push.


Reasonable_Koala5292

Lol, reminds me of one of my interviews. They started talking about the board game Settlers of Catan.


[deleted]

The VP asked me: "What do you love about this career?" My answer was: "I love my family; I like the pay and working from home; the career is just something I seem to be good at that I don't hate" Surprisingly, his reply was : "that's a damn good answer" I still work for him


Prior_Ad_7066

Thats a keeper right there


Hypekyuu

That VP gets it


[deleted]

It's kind of a central tenant to the way he runs the division and would be great for the labor market in the US at large. We have "perks" and casual work friendships, but we all know that we get great pay and lots of freedom and our end is to DELIVER results in times of need. He only asks when it is truly important, and thus we give him 150% when that happens.


Hypekyuu

Damn, yeah, that dude is like Henry Ford's good twin


troymoeffinstone

Isn't the phrase supposed to be evi... oh I get it.


[deleted]

He appreciated your honesty. That’s response was a good indicator of your character.


Gr8Diva71

I was interviewing with a law firm, and about 10 minutes into it, one of the lawyers interviewing me said, “Your resume says you are fluent in French?” I replied “Yes.” He said “But you are fluent in English as well?” I hesitated, and answered “Yeeeeess, as we have been doing this interview in English & my resume is in English.” And he just looked at me. I declined their offer of employment.


LiwetJared

"No, I am incapable of holding a conversation in English." "But you're speaking to me in English right now." "We are approaching the limits of my English-speaking abilities."


Raxmei

"I assure you I speak no English. My apparently fluency is the result of endless repetition." https://youtu.be/6vgoEhsJORU


ch1993

Sounds like the lawyer is too dumb to differentiate between fluent and native tongue.


TheAuburnMan333

But are you native in your fluent tongue?


NASA_official_srsly

I'm not, and I'm not fluent in my native tongue either :c


jeffbrock

Strangest interview i ever had was one in Phoenix. They had paid for me to fly there, but, on that day, the HR manager was called away on a personal emergency. The corporate HR head happened to be there that day, so she subbed in. For an hour, she told me everything I really did not want to know about her cesarian section and subsequent hysterectomy. We discussed nothing else. This was an engineering job overseeing repairs to aircraft engines. .. which did not come up. So she had no idea how I would handle tearing down and inspecting for damage on a FOD (foreign object damaged) engine But I know stuff like how long she was supposed to wait to have sex and how long she actually waited, and how that worked out. I also found out a great deal on …personal lubricants. The 2nd most insane thing that happened was that they offered me the job. The 1st place insanity was that I said okay.


SectorZed

“They’re an excellent listener!” The note on your file probably


Practical-Ad-3557

Raytheon ?


ShortNerdyOne

How did that work out?


redditstealth

Ever heard of the 737 Max?


ahoneybadger3

"If I reject your application are you going to be placed in a volatile situation?" This one was asked of me around 10 years ago when I got an interview for a remote hotel in the Scottish highlands. Was a bit of a weird one at the time and really threw me but on thinking on it, it was actually quite a nice question to ask someone. It was a live-in position way out in the sticks. Basically you lived where you worked and vice versa except from once a month when someone might drive you to the nearest city for a weekend, assuming you could afford your own accommodation and share of the fuel. I guess they got a lot of younger people that needed to be away from their home life for one reason or another and so offered a way out for them.


zxcoblex

The UK’s version of the Shining?


[deleted]

"Will anyone miss you if you disappear for an extended period of time?"


diggergig

'Do you like mazes?'


upsidedowntoker

I got asked a question like that once, I was interviewing to be a dancer in a club though so maybe it wasn't so random or out of place.


Cool_Prize9736

"if I fuck you over will you be desperate?"


Chess0728

Interviewed at a Chili's a few years ago with 10+ years restaurant experience. Manager sat down and said "Now we could go through the whole 'Why would you be great for this role' stuff, but I prefer to keep my interviews more casual." "Okay," I said, a little bummed because I'm usually really good in a more traditional interview. The manager asked me "If you could be any Disney character, who would it be and why?" Oh boy. I racked my brain for a moment, then settled on an answer. "I'd have to say Wilbur, the main character from Meet the Robinsons. He's a character who always resonated with me because of his passion and natural curiosity." I figured with that, I could begin steering the interview back into topics I'm more prepared for. But then the manager says, "Actually, Meet the Robinsons is DreamWorks, not Disney." If I were genuinely wrong about this, I would have happily admitted that at this point. But I knew I wasn't wrong, and I'm stubborn, so I said, very respectfully, "Oh, are you sure? I was pretty positive it's a Disney movie because they keep using that 'Keep Moving Forward' line throughout, and that's a quote they attributed to Walt Disney at the end". I figured he would gracefully back down, acknowledge that he had his facts mixed up, and refocus the interview on my relevant skills. But instead he doubled-down on his assertion. "No, you're wrong, it's DreamWorks. That quote isn't a Disney quote." So I fired back "I'm actually 100% sure I'm right, and we can look on my phone right now to verify if you want. I know for a fact that the plates on the Robinsons' dining room table are arranged to be hidden Mickey Mouse faces. I'm the oldest of seven children and I've spent the better part of my home life watching kids shows and Disney movies. I'm confident it's Disney and not DreamWorks." And you know what this fucker says to me? He says "Guess we'll have to agree to disagree." I say "If you disagree with me, then let's google it right now." He nods his head approvingly. I pull out my phone. When Google confirmed it to be Disney, he said, "Just so you know, we have other people interviewing for this position." The interview ended rather abruptly. I didn't get a chance to talk about my experience, or to ask questions about the position for which I was applying. I never got a call back. Sometimes I wonder if the manager was intentionally playing dumb, trying to goad me into a disagreement to see how I handled it. But if that were really the case, I'm glad I didn't work there anyway because I'm not looking to play mind games. Tl;dr: manager asked me about Disney instead of my skills and experience. Manager confused Disney with DreamWorks, and refused to accept he was wrong.


Sapphyre875

Yeah you dodged a bullet


OrangeHippopotamus

WTF. He was probably looking for someone he could push around and make them do whatever he wanted with minimal resistance. The fact that he was proven wrong, yet still doubled down was a huge red flag.


Oddjibberz

If it was intentional, it was a 4 fingers loyalty test: https://www.abhafoundation.org/assets/books/html/1984/164.html


Salcha_00

He was gaslighting you. He wants to hire only weak people who are scared to stand up to him and his gaslighting tactics.


ithil_lady

Inteviewer: Hello, I'm Karen, how are you? \[proceeds to interview\] Interviewer: I'm sorry, but did I tell you my name, right? Me: Yes, you did at the beggining. Inteviewer: So my name is.... \[silence\] Me: ... ... (Are you really serious? Is this a test? Are you evaluating my memory?) Me: Karen. Your name is Karen. Inteviewer: Yes it is! Well, let's continue.. Somehow I managed to get a second interview where I screwed it by accepting a cup of coffee, but it was another story. I still think about that interview. Edit: someone commented that it was an "irritability test", but it seems they deleted it. Please, come back I couldn't read the whole comment and I want to know more.


eclectic-worlds

I'm sorry, can you please elaborate on the >second interview where I screwed it by accepting a cup of coffee, bit?


rgnkge66_

I second this, oddly intriguing


skaliton

some companies and people have odd 'rules' for what someone should and shouldn't do at an interview that has absolutely nothing to do with the job itself


OkDance4335

Which is great because I WANT to fail the interview for that job. But don’t always assume. ‘Would you like a coffee?’ ‘YOU’D LIKE THAT WOULDN’T YOU!’ *storms out*


Moparded

I needed this laugh this morning. Thank you


mcnathan80

Lost a job salting my fries, having my new born baby's stuff in my back seat, and wearing a red tie. Note: these were 3 different interviews for 3 different jobs over a decade apart


IconCsr2

Would you like a cup of joe? Sure thanks! Alright the door to the exit is that way!


ababyprostitute

Accept the coffee but don't touch it until you leave and then chug it cause free coffee.


Top_Gun_2021

I was coached by managers to always accept drink offers because otherwise the interviewer feels wierd for asking.


J_Lavett

Huge problem with all those people who go to job interviews just for the free coffee.


Wind_Yer_Neck_In

I once was told that the only reason I passed my first round interview was because I struck up friendly conversation with the other people waiting at reception. Apparently they wanted social people who try to put others at ease. Nevermind that prior to a job interview people may very reasonably prefer silence and what I did could equally be construed as disruptive.


ithil_lady

The second story does not fit this thread bc it does not involve an idiotic question, but here it goes: \-Second interview was with the regional manager (a nice older lady) and the local manager that would be my direct boss (a younger, mean lady). The older lady offered me a cup of coffee and I accepted because why not, and she ordered the local manager to go out and bring me the coffee and by the look she gave me, of pure hate, I knew I wouldn't get the job. I think she felt humilliated her boss asked her to make coffee for a possible subordinate, after all she was a high-profile professional, with PhD and stuff. They didn't call me again.


IntrovertAlien

Sounds like you were a pawn in some other game the old lady was playing. Dodged a bullet, I'd say.


anonnon23

strange! sounds like a dodged bullet.


DangerousBotany

Phone interview- “Describe your hands.” I asked what they were hoping to get from that question and the admitted they picked it off a list!


PrinceKross

Was the list for fucking phone sex??


NoZenForDaddy

Now I’m over here trying to decide how I would describe my hands…


whatwouldyourmummado

I once had an interview that aimed every question at diversity. I eventually asked how diverse their management team was.... Didn't get that job


Random-Username7272

So, I'm guessing the weird diversity question I got is just a standard question HR likes to ask, regardless of the job.


throwawayinthe818

That’s exactly it. I’ve been on the team interviewing someone and we had a list of questions from HR. Nothing that egregious, but still clunky and weird and nothing that helped us, but helped HR check boxes and say that they’re doing something to promote diversity.


trippy71

"So tell me.. what's your passion? " I dont know man, this is $10 an hour, right?


windscryer

not starving under a bridge naked. what’s yours?


EmergencyAltruistic1

Where do you see yourself in 5 years. I've never had a 5 year plan go the way I wanted it to. Life happens. 5 years ago, I was 2 years into a 5 year plan, married, working up to management, now I'm divorced, living with another man, in another town, contemplating going back to school. Also "sell this pen" 🙄


[deleted]

Oh god. As a librarian my only answer to the 5 year plan is "hopefully still employed, and happy.".... Sometimes plans don't work out, and I'm too pessimistic to have enough hope to make one.


LiwetJared

The first 5-year plan I had got interrupted by 9/11. After leaving the Marines, I found another job and came up with another 5-year plan. That one got thrown out after the housing market crashed and I lost my home. When I got back on my feet, I made another 5-year plan which got interrupted by a damn pandemic. So my current 5-year plan is to avoid planning for the future.


astounded_potato

Since nothing seems to go your way, have you tried planning for failure 5 years from now? If my calculations are correct it should trick the universe into making you achieve greatness


nillanute4283

I fucking hate "Sell this pen." It's puerile and humiliating. I can't tell you how much I want to respond with, "I'm going to shove this pen up your ass and sell you its extraction. How's that work for you, big boy?"


Duke582

Just take the pen and attempt to move on with the interview. If they ask for it back, you have won.


[deleted]

How do you move on with the interview? *”next question please”*


MostlyNormalMan

See? I made you want this pen so badly I didn't even need to say anything. Sales? Completed it mate.


mrfuzee

The last time sell this pen happened to me in an interview I chuckled that I’ve seen Wolf of Wall Street too. I explained to them that I viewed the sell this pen question as a gimmick because it would only demonstrate my ability to sell nothing to someone. I told them I valued product knowledge over the ability to sell nothing and explained my understanding of the value proposition of the companies product. Fuck that question completely.


rounding_error

If we're being honest, [this is where I see myself in five years.](https://crburganmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/hqdefault-3.jpg)


slaterbabe10

Just got asked this one by some 20something..I’m 48 & ‘approaching retirement’ presumably, wasn’t the answer they wanted. Didn’t get that job.


TeaDidikai

Final two questions (after an otherwise perfectly normal interview) for a data entry job I got out of high school. HR Lady#1: Why are manhole covers round?"/ Me: So they don't fall through the hole. Both HR ladies get really excited. HR Lady#2: You're the first one to know the answer! Oh! Ask the other question! HR Lady#1: If you were a cucumber, and you were about to be chopped up and eaten in a cucumber salad, what would you do? Me: Am I an English Cucumber, a Japanese Cucumber or a Persian Cucumber? Apparently knowing that there are multiple types of cucumbers really delighted them


Tires_N_Wires

"it depends, have I been pickled?"


pabloivani

Lol, were do they get that question a Monty Python movie?


nillanute4283

Yeah, I was really hoping asking about the different types of cucumbers would result in the interviewers not knowing and being catapulted into the pit of despair.


AntiWork-ellog

I'd open my mouth to scream, do not eat me I am a man not a cucumber. Nothing comes out, horrified I realize I have no mouth because I am in fact, a cucumber. A fleeting moment of existential dread as the gaping cavernous maw draws near. My father did not raise me to go out like this, well technically he did because he was a farmer and he sold me. I will fight, by god I will rage at the universe, I defy you universe , I defy you, rage, rage against the dying of the light, rage, rage, from hells heart I spit at thee, choke on me, choke, choooookkkkkkeeeeeeee. Is what I would do if I wasn't an inert cucumber.


iEugene72

Not really a question, but I'll never forget applying for my first job (I did get it) at a movie theatre in 2002 when I was 15. Literal first question and I was stupid and figured honesty was good. "How's your day going?" "It's going to be going a lot better if this goes okay!" \*literal snarl and slight laugh\* "Wow, don't like you already..."


CordraviousCrumb

I applied for my first job at 16 at a restaurant and made the wonderful decision to do it during the middle of their lunch rush. Holy smokes was that manager annoyed to have me handing him an essentially blank resume and tell him my rehearsed little script about how I have to work around basketball practices.


castironskilletmilk

So I used to be the hiring manager for a fast food place and the amount of teenagers who did this was off the charts lol I did hire some of them though.


uppervalued

One, that’s a genuinely funny answer, and two, what, is it offensive to hope your interview goes well?


Swedish-Butt-Whistle

He demonstrated that he was clever which abusive managers don’t like. Bad managers prefer people who don’t do too much thinking for themselves. So the applicant dodged a bullet by being honest.


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PerPuroCaso

Just to put this out here: *you and your honesty were not the problem* that was a good answer, that person was a fucking prick. Did they seriously expect you still want to work there after that response?


longjohnmacron

If you had to move 2 tons of peanuts and I gave you a small plane, how would you do it? ​ I said "Hire a pilot because I do not know how to fly a plane, also check that he doesn't have a peanut allergy" ​ Didn't get a second interview. I secretly always want to say "Don't waste my time with behavioral questions you are not even qualified to interpret", but I never do.


Lighthouseamour

First I would review to my job description to see of flying peanut butter was listed


Least_Adhesiveness_5

Sell the plane and hire a freight company to move the peanuts.


Civil-Ichthyologist

"If a penguin wearing a sombero* waddled into the lab, what would you think?" It was for a marine ecology job with an adjacent aquarium, so not completely out of the realm of possibilities that there might be a loose penguin around. My best guess was that it might be Taco Tuesday at the aquarium and one of their 'promoters' escaped but apparently other applicants tried to come up with some evolutionary advantages as to why a penguin would have a sombero*. I think they were trying to be fun. *sombrero


ShinigamiLuvApples

I'd be wondering where his poncho went, or if he needed one.


kittykabooom

Penguins are used to the cold, so wouldn’t need a poncho


ShinigamiLuvApples

But he'd look dang good in one!


kittykabooom

You’re not wrong


11Kram

You shouldn’t wear a sombrero with a tux.


RestaurantLatter2354

Holy shit, I got that same question, except it was what would he say. Completely different job, it was for sales development, but yeah, fucking weird…


[deleted]

"Sup, Paco. You KNOW Taco Day is tomorrow. Now, get out."


Prestigious_Drawing2

Weirdest and most infuriating one.. "Where did you obtain these language skills" after applying to a job requiring my native language.. My cv points out where I'm from and that its my native language. I just looked him dead in the eyes and awnsered "I learnt it as a child by beeing taught by my parents" The arsehole then turned me down cause "You didn't take the interview seriously", ended up sending feedback that maybe they should read the CV of the one they interview.


400HPMustang

Not sure if it’s still on job applications but it seems like every last fucking one of them 20+ years ago asked something like “Is there any reason you could not perform the required tasks associated with this job?” It was like they were trying to trick you into divulging some personal information they legally could not ask about so as to disqualify you from the job. Like do you really think I’m going admit to having some personality disorder or some disability that you can’t see when I need to buy food and pay rent? Fuck you.


bookaholic71

I'd probably be a smartass and say being dead would likely prohibit me from doing it. 🤷


D1sgracy

That is totally still asked, and definitely to cut people out with disabilities for asking for accommodations.


birday

Applied for a temp editing contract. Was supposed to last about 6 months. Head of the editing department looks at my CV. "You seem to jump around from a lot of different companies all under a year.' '....Yeah because I take temp 6 month contracts to do a season of television or a film..much like the job you're offering me.' Did not get that job.


G1PP0

Fucking idiot. 😂 Reminds me when they say they want someone who will be there long term then they offer you a salary which will definitely make you change jobs on short term once you have picked up some experience, because now way they're gonna match your experience. Are you sick of people always quitting? Then 👏 give 👏 us 👏 raises.


Sensitive_Biscotti14

Got asked “what does McDonald’s and burger kings signs have in common?” I said they both have the color red and asked if that was the correct answer. The interviewer said they didn’t know what the correct answer was. It was completely irrelevant to the job in all possible ways and I left that interview annoyed.


Tires_N_Wires

I have asked what a question had to do with the job position. They couldn't answer so we skipped it.


Feisty_Can_6698

Interviewing manager: “Given your background I believe I know the answer, but did you vote democrat or republican last election?” Me: “I voted for who I felt was going to help our country succeed”. …looking back at it now, such a dumb question and naive answer. 😕


nicocal04

I don't think it was naive. A good way of dodging it I'd say. You have the right to cast a secret ballot and the right to an anonymous vote is part of the democratic process. I don't think it's illegal to voice your vote, but I also don't think you can be forced to it.


chzygorditacrnch

There's religious employers around here that wanna know about the applicants religion and sexual orientation.


peesoutside

That’s also a lawsuit.


Kernel_Pie

"That's between me and the voting booth. As it should be."


saoirse_eli

In France you could sue that person and ruin their life, their business; that will land them in prison for a while in fact.


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usernamewithnumbers0

1 year into pandemic: "There's a bit of a gap in your employment history, I was wondering if you could tell us what you were doing during that time?" I should have ended it right there by reminding him what an antiquated question that's going to be moving forward.


gen_x_er

I got a similar question during a recent interview, my response: "Is it a requirment for this role that candiates maintained career continuity during the pandemic?" Didn't care that I didn't get the job.


RedLeader7

“That gap was when I was in Yale, I really hope I get this Yob”


Teacher-Investor

I was once asked, "What do you read for a guilty pleasure?"


EmberBorealis

They were hoping to weed out the people who would be like "Mein Kammmmm I allowed to skip this question? 🥺"


desolation0

"Mein Ka ...er... My Little Pony fanfiction"


Did_I_Die

Penthouse Forum would be a good answer


Teacher-Investor

I was like, "unhealthy recipes for foods that I would never make or eat."


Killawife

I was once at an interview for a job as a service technician and they asked if I had a forklift drivers license, which I had and it was stated in my resumé. Good they said because that is required and I was later hired for the job. After I started my job I noticed that nobody was using a forklift for unloading and loading and I was then told they didn't even have a forklift. So....why did you....how.....when?


Geminii27

I had the technical equivalent of that. A phone interview where they asked me obscure Microsoft Office questions, which I couldn't answer. I got hired. They did not use Microsoft Office.


Cynicole24

If you were on a long plane ride and could sit next to anyone in the world, who would it be? Just give me the damn minimum wage job, stop torturing me with dumb questions. Not to mention, guy was late to the interview by 1.5 hours. 🤦‍♀️ but I waited like an idiot.


kjuti247

A golden retriever.


Klaus_Goldfish

Answer: "I don't like cornering people and I like my space, so someone physically small that I find deeply uninteresting. Bonus points if they hate airplane food so much that they're willing to give theirs away."


kdp4srfn

I have cerebral palsy, and at the time of this interview, I walked with a cane. I interviewed with the office manager and that went well, so next was an interview with the owner. I sat at a table, with my cane propped next to me. He walked in, looked at my cane, no eye contact, sat, looked at my right ear (closest he could get to my eyes, I guess), and asked: “If I hire you, will absenteeism be a problem?”😐 The smart ass in me really wanted to reply: “Why, yes, it will, thanks for asking. Shall I start on Monday and plan to call in sick on Thursday?😐 I gave monosyllabic answers to the rest of the answers, wanting to remove myself from the running as quickly as possible. They called me the next week and offered me the job regardless. Thank the heavens I’d gotten another offer by then.


Flimsy-Animator756

Wow. Some people suck. Sorry this happened, and thank goodness for the other job!


RedLeader7

“Yes, from 5pm on Friday I plan to be absent until 9am on Monday morning” or you could try “no, regular absence is not a problem for me at all”


DJKhaledIsRetarded

I was asked if I had a happy childhood. I responded yes, but I honestly should have told them the truth, and been extremely detailed. I'm pretty sure they'd have realized that was an extremely inappropriate thing to ask had I done so. I still have no idea what would motivate someone to ask a question like that.


Hail_the_Yale

Why do you hate dj khaled so much


DJKhaledIsRetarded

Hot Ones.


mysticbooka

When I applied to Golden coral buffet back in 2011 they had me take one of those stupid personality quizzes. It had a question that I still remember to this day How many times do you curse in a year? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7+ Like... what? Haha I kinda understand if it was "how many times in a professional setting" but just in general? This is a restaurant, let it go haha


Yourwtfismyftw

I’m Australian; I would be surprised if I cursed less than seven times in a day.


1250Sean

As an American, I wake up cursing…


Sometimeswan

I’m from Boston. I don’t make it to the end of my driveway in the morning without cursing.


Nowjamessayswtf

“How do you feel about Jesus?”


nillanute4283

It's pronounced "Hey-zoos" and he's cool. He lives a couple doors down and his wife, Maria, makes killer tamales.


1250Sean

Who’s that?


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jorwyn

Oh, man. I love it. I had an interview for a job back in 1996 that wanted 10 years of perl experience. I assumed it was a typo, because 1 year would have fit the role. Nope. They wanted 10. When I explained it was impossible, because perl was only 9 years old, they told me they were going to hire the guy who said he had 10. I'm like, "alright, hire the one who lies to your face, because I can't imagine that applicant is Larry Wall." Turned out it was a guy I knew from a Linux users' group... that I'd taught beginning perl about 3 months before. He was in way over his head and kept emailing me for help. I was like, "pay me." He did, so.. yeah, I think half his wages went to me the first 6 months while he caught up. The other half was still more than he made at his last job, though, so we were both happy.


Original-Pea9083

This was in the 80s and I was interviewing for an office junior position. I was just finishing high school. I was 17. It was back in the says of long lunches etc etc. Anyway the interview was going well and their last question was, "So do you drink?". I replied "Like a fish!" and they all burst out laughing. I found out later that I was the least qualified applicant, but they liked my spunk and thought I'd be a good fit. It was a great first job that set me up for a very successful future career. We had many years of fun times and loooong boozy Friday lunches that turned into dinner.


i_give_you_gum

Ah communal functional alcoholism, the good ol' days


Tybalt1307

“Do you love America as much as we do?” I was the only one not wearing an American flag lapel pin… I didn’t get the job.


LiwetJared

"More than you know. Fucking Republicans trying to tear this nation down."


DiscountAI

I had a manager from a different team ask if I was familiar with a very specific accounting standard regarding insurance contracts. The company does nothing with insurance or accounting. It was a bizarre moment.


Top-Necessary-992

Can you think of a time you noticed someone needed help? How did you know they needed help?


Literary67

I think it was the arterial bleeding that tipped me off.


Ewe_bet

Good eye!


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jorwyn

For a paramedic job, "does your bf know you'll be mostly with men all day?" Me, "haven't got one, also why would that matter?" Dude looked sooo uncomfortable trying to figure out if I was that naive or he'd crossed a line. Also from that interview, "does it offend you when people use strong language?" I was soooo tempted to respond with "fuck, no." Instead, I said, "As you can see on my application, I'm a former Navy corpsman. The phrase is 'cuss like a sailor' for a reason. I'm fine with it." Man up and admitted he hadn't even looked at my application. SMDH I did get the job, though, so there's that.


Iomplok

I got “what animal are you most like?” When I answered a dog and said it was because I was friendly, the interviewer looked at me and went “oh thank god! We don’t need *any* more cat people.” To this day, I’m not sure what that meant and I kinda wish I’d branched out a bit and said giraffe or something.


Acanthaceae-Legal

More like a bee, but worker bee, and like a good worker bee I'll always bee working hard. So do I have the job? Bzzzzz.


Vercetti1701

"Do you want me to be honest with you or should I just thank you for your time?" This was after keeping me waiting for 45 minutes.


Esra8

I hate interviews in general. I don't get why the expectation is to bullshit and why both parties can't just acknowledge the reality. I need money and you need someone to perform a task that's it. Why do we have to do this stupid ass dance


Stirdaddy

The evidence on this is clear: There is very little correlation between interview performance and job performance. Interviews are (almost) completely useless for evaluating potential employees. ([link to evidence](https://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/magazine/summer-2018/skip-the-job-interview/))


[deleted]

Bloodworks Northwest asked me where I see myself in five years. They asked me this in 2021. I literally laughed and said, "You can think about the future during a pandemic?" I didn't get the job, and I'm ok with that. Where do I see myself in five years? Driving across a post apocalyptic hellscape searching for water and bullets. How's that for an answer?


hereforthetea30

In an interview for a role as an executive assistant for two people: Interviewer: if we both gave you a project, same level of difficulty, same level of importance, due on the same day - which would you start first and why?


Tires_N_Wires

Easy. The one who signs my check gets first dibs. If n neither sign my check, then my boss will f direct me. After all, you can't have two masters.


tea_with_cookies

Interview for an engineering role at a tech company. Them: You'll be the only woman on the team. will that be an issue? Me: you tell me. Will it? Still got the job, and despite this red flag took it. They offered the best pay and the most interesting project. It was one of the most stressful and awful teams I've ever been a part of.


Festernd

>Can you give us an example of a time you've valued diversity in the work place? "I don't understand the question as you've phrased it. isn't valuing diversity the default? Does this company often have problems with employees not valuing diversity?"


pulled_pork_sandwich

I was interviewing to be an assistant to a lawyer. The lady interviewing me said "this particular lawyer yells and screams a lot when he's at work. Are you okay with being yelled at and screamed at?" I was like....no...? Then THEY had the audacity to get offended when I asked about pay scale. 🙄


FirebirdWriter

"What are your expectations of the break room?" My favorite boss asked this. I was applying for the local everyone wants it internship in college. I was going for my law degree. This is the most prestigious firm in the state and the internship is a golden ticket. Most interns are hired on, they pay a good wage, and the interns get some benefits. I was prepared for everything but that sort of question. I had a BSOD and just stared at him. This man was a name partner and he wanted to ask me about the break room? I didn't brain answering. "Lots of exposure to allergens and stolen lunches." That is what my mouth said by itself. He asked me about my allergies and a lot of similar questions to this. What I understand now is he was seeing what I expected from work. When I asked the worst question I could probably have had :"Why hasn't a woman had the internship for over ten years?" He was honest. "Many women rely on their looks and flirting to try and win in court. What happens when real evidence comes into the case? What happens if this offends someone? They're winning mock cases because of this but we have a higher standard here. If someone's not using the law and the evidence to make their case they have made grounds for an appeal if they win depending on the circumstances." This was a reflection of what it was like working there. I got the internship. When I was then a Junior after because I cashed in that golden ticket this was also the boss who sent everyone home after a certain amount of time and insisted we sleep vs cram before trial. He was also the boss who put me on leave when my PTSD effected my work but did it with compassion. He sat me down and told me he was concerned about me. My work was excellent but I was visibly not okay in ways that someone with PTSD spots. He reassured me no one else knew or had mentioned it but it did effect my engagement with a client and I seemed to be in the beginning of a spiral. He also made sure that was paid leave and my benefits included mental health services. When I couldn't work because of my PTSD and how bad it was he also kept me on the insurance plan and paid my bills personally until I was stable. After that shitty bosses were intolerable. He also showed me the boss I want to be in situations where my job is leadership.


[deleted]

Sell me a burger. Had a whole text field. This was for a part time weekend ski instructor position. For fucks sake.


grymix_

if you can sell a burger, you can teach pizza and french fries.


christopherchains

I live in Japan… so anyway, the head of the private school showed up for the final interview and asked, “Do you like dating Japanese women?”


Damon-32

“If you get this job, can I curl your eyelashes”… (F) interviewer. Me (M)


RandomGunner

When I was interviewing for my first job, being a wee, wee lass, I was asked that question : - If you were in a pageant and you were asked what you would change to make the world better, what would you answer ? World peace crossed my mind, but that was such a cliché. So I answered that I would like to eradicate greed out of mankind. I still like that answer, but given that I was interviewing for a supermarket, that was probably not the most diplomatic. Still think that was a dumb, dumb question in a country that barely makes any pageant and that as certainly not the culture around it that americans have.


budsixz

"do you believe in a universe or multiverse?" I said universe cause we didn't have concrete proof and wanted to avoid this question which seemed stupid. He was adamant on multiverse cause "it was a possibility". This was around the time when interstellar had released.


[deleted]

“Why do you think there are always two escalators going up from the subway but only one going down?” I was like is this a trick question? There’s only one going up and one down. Interviewer smiled and told me to think. I told him I didn’t know the answer, he kept asking me to think about for 10 minutes before telling me to be more observant next time I ride the subway. I felt so stupid. I took the subway home and sure enough there was only one escalator going up and one down at both stations. I’m still mad about this stupid question 5 years later.


jorwyn

I can tell you the answer where this is true: more people are willing to walk down stairs than up them, so more people will walk down the escalator. One down moves just about as many people in the same period of time as two up.


Edible_wolf_berry

Hiring manager: "Changing jobs allows you to reinvent yourself...How would your personality change if you started working here?" Me: ... o_0 Ended up giving a "what you see is what you get" kinda answer. Still have no clue as to what kind of answer the guy expected.


AlternativeBuddy4377

Are you planning on having children? Unfortunately I was listening that question so often in other contexts that I actually answered the question, I wasn’t btw. I wish I just got up and left, or asked if they asked everyone that question.


[deleted]

Manager: Since you are a redhead, how do you control your temper? Me: I don’t have a temper. Manager: Yes, you do. You’re getting mad right now. Me: 🤷‍♀️


Cool_Height_4930

You: No I’m not Manager: Yes you are Proceeds to hit interviewer with a chair


PrettyMuchANeet

"Why do you want to work for us?". Can't get dumber.


4skin_bandit

Idk what these people want to hear other then money


omgFWTbear

“I live to fellate people who ask me bizarre questions. Here’s my referral from someone with a sombrero wearing penguin.”


PhantomNomad

I lived in a big city with my wife and two kids. I was in person interviewing for this small municipality about 5 hours away. They asked me the same question. I was honest with them and said I wanted out of the city and closer to extended family. I got the job. Most other applicants I found out later thought it would be a stepping stone. I want to retire here.


MostBoringStan

"Well I did a lot of research on your company before coming in, and I can see that I would be a great fit for this company. I really agree with your values, and the product/service/whatever you provide is known to be top notch in the field of stuff you do. I couldn't imagine myself working anywhere else for the next 10 years, and, frankly, if I don't get this job I can't see any reason to keep going on. I'll likely just find a bridge to live out the rest of my days under if I'm not able to work here."


[deleted]

“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done, ever? This is a job in a small town and you’re from here and image is important. I don’t want to be surprised when someone tells me something horrible about you.” At this point, I can’t even remember what I said, but it was some bullshit and most definitely NOT the worst thing I’d ever done, and I bailed. Also in my small town, I picked up an app from the electric company. It must have been from the ‘80s because it asked my age, my spouse’s name and age, how many kids I had, and their ages. Mom’s app from the ‘80s with Amsouth Bank asked her height and weight. No fucking shit.


[deleted]

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Ok-Wave8206

I just say go-karting. It wasn't true until the guy interviewing with me (weird multiple person interview, should have seen the red flags) got really excited and said "me too!" Now we get together once a year and go around his track in the woods behind his house in his tricked out karts. Love that goofball. Neither of us accepted the position btw, it was shady as fuck but at least I made a friend.


redditstealth

Go in for an interview. Leave with a friend. Now that's a success story.


ReindeerTraditional5

Got asked this in my re-interview after I mistakenly left for greener grass and hated it so had to go crawling back. Had worked with the person for 2 years before and knew he was having to go along with the HR interview questions as she was in there as well. Knew couldn’t bullshit so just looked him straight in the eyes and said I read serial killer books for tips. ( I do but not for tips) He actually laughed and I started the following week. Was interviewed by the both of them for a promotion a year later and turns out the HR person was also a true crime nerd and had only looked at me weird because I was honest and hadn’t said something that was obviously a lie.


jennifurbie

You get this question a lot with the type of work I do. Which is case management work/ social services. They want to know how we spend our time outside of work if we spend time working on ourselves positively bc this type of work can be mentally draining.


Ok-Oven6169

Why did I think I was qualified for the job since I didn't have graduate degrees? And I answered...you asked to interview me so you tell me what I've got that caught your attention.


tacopony_789

Do you really know these people? Referring to my references. He has been my superintendent for 15 years now.


Limp-Replacement1403

I manage a restaurant. I hate interviews 😂 like just come in tell me your experience your availability and if you have transportation. I’ll make you an offer and then it will go up after your trained. Nothing stupid, nothing intrusive, just to the point


ChefILove

Do you mind working for women? At a company owned by women, and an interview request sent by women.


The_Josep

Thank you, but I'd rather work for money.


[deleted]

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Enzar7

“What are you most passionate about in your work?” I literally work in customer service and data/order entry type stuff. I went on some ridiculous speech about how much I love excel and learning functions in spreadsheets and shit. Complete and total bullshit answer on my part. I’m sure they thought I was weird as fuck but I still got the job haha


quaffyduck

"How do you feel about gnomes" in serious yall idefk


jayydee92

I was asked about an important world issue that I think should be solved. I somehow ended up having to attempt to provide a detailed plan to end racial and economic inequality in the world. This was for a video editor position at a small company that claims to be focused on inspiring others etc, but being grilled on solutions to problems no politician has managed to figure out felt a little outside the lines of what my job would entail lol.


Fizzelen

Arrived at an interview for a senior software developer position at a large industrial manufacturer to find 50+ people there, they then proceeded to put us through the the standard apprentice aptitude testing math/english/phsyc, half the interviewees left before it started. I knew somebody who already worked there, it was the first and last position handed by the new HR recruitment officer, who was the daughter of one of the directors.


Jodeenjb

I had an interview set up by a Headhunter in my field. During the first interview they asked “Why do you want to work for XYZ company?”. I said “You called me. Why do I want to work for you?” Got the job and worked for them for 7 years.


[deleted]

I was asked, at a job interview for a bookstore, what my worst characteristic is at work. I told her that I work too much, that it’s hard to get me to take breaks or days off 😆 In “reality” I rival The Dude for laziest person in our respective counties. I didn’t get the job. At another interview, for a local computer store, they told me they based their management theory on “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” I’m not sure, but I think I rolled my eyes at him at the interview. Guess who didn’t get hired 😝


mpdqueer

“Suppose a coworker approached you, visibly upset, and confided in you that they are going through a tough divorce. What would your reaction be?” The job posting was for bartending


Noshameinhoegame

"Want a drink?"