Worst Interview Experiences/Questions?!

the one I hate is how would your colleagues describe you

Mine was (by a HR person): If you could invent a machine, any machine, what would it be?

It was for an PA job at an investment bank: couldn't make any sense of what she wanted to get out of that one. I still haven't come up with a good answer for it, 15 years on!

I hate the "where do you see yourself in 5 years time" question. The answer is too depressing if you want the job.

Old_No.7 wrote: »

Mine was (by a HR person): If you could invent a machine, any machine, what would it be?

It was for an PA job at an investment bank: couldn't make any sense of what she wanted to get out of that one. I still haven't come up with a good answer for it, 15 years on!

I hate the "where do you see yourself in 5 years time" question. The answer is too depressing if you want the job.

Completely agree. I think they expect you to say "Oh I will still be working for your company in 5 years time and by the way I am not after your job". No disregard whatsoever that you could be out of the door in less then 6 months time due to the economical climate.

I've had a few cringeworthy interview experiences.

One for a saturday job in a shoe shop

'So why do you want to sell shoes?'

Me ' Errr I don't I just need a saturday job.....but shoes are important'!!



Another one was...

'So what does the term Equal Opportunities mean to you?'

' Err the term Equal Opportunities means that people are given the opprotunity to be equal'

That's it....there was a long pause, some expectant looks but I was finished speaking, I had no more to say so waited for the next question.


Another interview another job


'Can you describe a situation which was difficult for you, how you managed and what you would do differently'?'

Off I plunged, started talking about an extremely upsetting event in my life, completely lost it after the whole wavery, high pitched, wobbly voice, I was in tears, one of the interviewers was in tears, they kept asking if I needed some time out but for some unknown I kept declining and carried on despite the tears, the snot, everything.

Got through and amazingly was offered the job....I declined.:D

I went for an interview for my dream job and to be honest i have never done a better interview in all my life - the guy interviewing me had given me all the signs that i was going to be offered the job including things like i will call you tomorrow after i have seen the final candidates its only fair i see them before offering you the job and many other things which he said. And no it wasn't just to please me, at the start of the interview he had been very cold and stand off-ish towards me but by the end of it we were chatting away quite happily.

Then - he took me around to meet the rest of the time i was quite happy to do this and did so, everyone was really nice until he introduced me to a sales man who worked for them also he shook my hand smiled and said well aren't you looking perky!! I didn't know what to say i just clamed up as the only time i have ever heard that word used is when its being used to describe a certain area of the female body.

I have no idea still if he meant it in that way i hope not as i wasn't there to look "perky" after a good 30 seconds of awkward silence i smiled and said thank you its nice to meet you!! Of all things i could have said why that?? Now i wish i just asked him what the blooming heck he meant by that cos it has stumped me and my family and OH.

I have been asked the 5 years thing when i went for an interview to get on to a college course i answered that i didn't know as i was 16 and 5 years would cover quite a substantial amount of time of my adult progress - it was honest probably wasn't what they wanted or expected to hear but i got on the course anyway!!