Worst interview

Gettingtherequickly

I was going to a second interview, initial ones had been carried out by agency as employer had just floated on stock market and were recruiting quite a number of employees in various areas at the same time. Anyway pitched up and sat there waiting nervously as I loathed the company I was with and desperately wanted this job. After about 20 mins a man came out and asked "are you waiting for me?" I knew the name of man I was seeing and replied if you are Mr Bloggs, yes. Discovered he was the FD and he took me into a room where I somehow managed to sit myself him and the FC, who was also going to be interviewing me. Then another man came in, dressed in shorts, who turned out to be the CEO! I was sitting there wondering what the hell I could be letting myself in for, turned out CEO was going on holiday and had only come in to meet me. Anyway, got the job and spent 5 very happy years there before we were taken over and I was made redundant.

looby75

this is a post I made about my worst ever job interview a few years ago.

I had a job interview this morning for a cleaning job in a private house in the posh village next to ours. HUGE house, absolutely gorgeous like something out of footballers wives (but not quite as tacky lol) The house is set in a massive beautifully landscaped garden. So I turn up, dressed smartly and full slap make up on (but still feeling a bit out of place.) The "lady of the house" who was as smart and stunningly dressed as the house was, let me in and suggests we do the interview on the veranda as it's such a beautiful day.

5 mins into the interview I start sneezing and can't stop my eyes were streaming and my nose was running like a tap. It was a total sun trap with grass and flowers everywhere and it just set me off. I wouldn't care but I had taken my antihistamine, eye drops and nasal spray this morning because I knew the pollen count was going to be so high.

I kept apologising and explained my hay fever wasn't normally this bad, and eventually she suggested we go inside to finish off. About 10 mins later I had stopped sneezing long enough to actually answer her questions. She was so lovely about it and suggested I might want to go and "freshen up" in the bathroom before I left. SO pleased she did, I looked exactly like that panda of the Fox's "biscwits" ad :o:o:o Most of my eye makeup was under my eyes.

That has to be the interview from hell, and I haven't got a snowflakes chance of getting the job.

Just reading it again has made me lol

marybelle01

A three day interview! For a job that I never even expected to get an interview for. My dream job so I applied thinking what the hell, I can only never hear from them... The first day was packed with tests and interviews, and there was homework overnight. The next morning was presentations and more interviews. It was an absolute nightmare. I was exhausted, my head was spinning and by the first interview after lunch I knew I would never survive the interview. This was an unstructured interview where we got to ask them questions. And I sat there thinking there was only one question I could think of! So I asked it...

"You really haven't got a clue what you are looking for, have you? You're just sitting there running as many tests and panels as you can hoping to God you get inspired by something someone says or does because you don't know what you want..." There was a deadly silence in the room, followed by a rush to explain that wasn't the case.

I came out knowing that I couldn't have thought of a worse question if I'd prepared it, and I was never going to ever get a job with them in my life.


The end of the next day - they offered me the job and I took it! Great job - and they appointed me, they later explained, because they hadn't known what they wanted, but after all the interviews they realised that the quality that made me stand out was that I was the only one with the nerve to say so, and they needed someone who wouldn't back down just to be polite!

Housework*Fairy

I wouldn't say it was my worst interview; but in my current job it stated the candidate needed RSA I and RSA II word processing, and candidates would need to bring their certificates with them. I phoned up and said I had the qualifications but not the certificates and was told I must have them, and wouldn't be offered the job without the manager seeing them.

Cue me phoning round to try to work out how to get copies, discovering I had five certificates which would cost me £93 to obtain.

They hadn't arrived by the time of the interview but I told her I had sent off for copies. She said that it was fine, but again said she couldn't go through with a job offer until she'd seen them.

2 days later she offered me the job and promptly never mentioned the certificates again! In passing just after I started, I said "do you want me to bring in my certificates" and she replied.

"oh no it's fine....I believe ya!".

£93!!!

princessdon

My worst interview was for the job I have now (that I love and would do for free).

I was supposed to be interviewed by some LDD students - but they overran and they left.

I was asked "what is the difference between a lemon and an orange"

"Are the beatles cockroaches or musical genius"

I was very very perplexed and went to walk out till they explained that they had to ask equal questions to all candidates.

EconomicsGirl

My worst interview was at a hedge fund managers whom I'ld sent my CV to. I'ld spent several days researching the industry. MD started interviewing me and was rude saying I clearly knew nothing etc then starts quizzing me in great detail about what work my employers did, who their clients were etc. Felt rather fed up not only was he wasting my time but he was being very rude with it.

He then sends in a manager to interview me. I told the manager not to bother as I wouldn't want to work for his boss anyway as he was rude and was clearly only trying to take business and I was leaving goodbye. The manager then said wow I'm impressed, I've never known anyone walk out of an interview before, I think we should offer you the job and I'll tell the MD that and I won't say what you've just told me. I thanked him but told him not to bother saying I wanted another job but I wasn't that desperate. He started to plead with me to work for them saying he thought it would be great to work with someone who had the guts to walk out of an interview but I just said thank you and walked out. Don't regret it.

Tygermoth

I seem to invite awful interviews and have loads. The two that immediately spring to mind...


I totally nailed the interview. He had started say ‘when you start’ rather than ‘if you are successful’. We were wrapping up the office tour and I shook his hand and turned to leave catching my heel in the carpet. As we were at the top of the stairs to the shop floor I grabbed the nearest thing to save me and ended up pulling the interviewer down the stairs with me. To add insult to injury I landed with my elbow in his sternum totally winding him so he went blue and could not draw a breath. I scrabbled up, saw the state of the situation and did the only reasonable thing... and started to laugh and then I could not stop.... I laughed like a mad woman all the way home.


Second tale - I was very nervous for this interview and the preamble to it had not gone well. I had been absolutely mentally busy and running late all day and though I was on time for the interview the rushed feeling stuck with me. I legged it across the carpark in heels and managed to fall in through the door of the office building. Luckily reception was unmanned to no one to see me fall on my face.



The interviewer came out and introduced herself (very polished twin set and pearls) suddenly she went green made a weird noise and fell like a sack of spuds to the floor.


I had not realised i had cut my ankle when falling through the door and was bleeding. The lady had fainted at the sight of blood.



During the interview (they rustled up another slightly baffled lady) I realised I had my top on inside out too.


Much to everyones amazement I was invited back for a second interview at this place... my co-workers thought they were just getting me to come back in for my entertainment value.


This is only two of several lol – god knows how i get a job lol

Got_No_Answers

My wife went for not one, not two, not even 3 but 4!! really bad interviews at a car dealership.

She went for the 1st interview, which went really well. Wife was given great feedback and asked for a 2nd interview with a "practical" interview and work on the reception desk. The 2nd interview was a nightmare. She was plonked on the reception desk and asked to serve real customers with no knowledge on their systems, their costs, booking schedule etc etc. My wife (crazy woman) acutally did a good job, worked out the paperwork quickly and even got compliment from 2 customers. This was over a morning and then was pulled into interview no 2 in the afternoon (they did not even pay for her lunch).

2nd interview was assessing how she did in the morning and was told she passed with flying colours and the only one who lasted the morning! Again left with great feedback.

Anyway after no response for a week, my wife contacted them and they then said they wanted their MD to meet her :-D She went in again and met the MD, who promtly said that my wife might be "too fat" to work in a high ended dealership! I was fuming when she eventually told me. She is a sexy size 18 but this should never have been brought up at interview, especially the 3rd one. Anyway, she walked out but forgot her certificates. She went back in the afternoon, after everyone had left and the service manager asked if he could speak to my wife again. Wife agreed and she was given an appology for the MD's attitude and also apologised about the whole interview experience.

He said that the role has now been cancelled as their budget has been cut, of which my wife asked when they knew about this and he eventually admitted from the 1st interview!!!

My poor wife went through hell but had the satisfaction later as her current role is responsible for the company cars and she was approached by this dealership. She had the pleasure of telling them that she would rather buy rollerskates for her account managers than buy jag's!

MissSarah1972

Got_No_Answers wrote: »

She went in again and met the MD, who promtly said that my wife might be "too fat" to work in a high ended dealership! I was fuming when she eventually told me. She is a sexy size 18 but this should never have been brought up at interview, especially the 3rd one. Anyway, she walked out but forgot her certificates.

18, is not even fat!!

Acc72

MissSarah1972 wrote: »

18, is not even fat!!

What size would say is "fat" ?

Also, remember "vanity sizing" - clothes makers have been stretching sizes out over the past 4 decades as the population has been getting bigger.

eg. a woman who is a size 10 now would have had to buy size 14 clothes in 1975.

eg. A size 14 now is the equivalent of a size 18 in 1975.

By using the above scale, then somebody who is size 18 today would have been a size 22 in 1975.

This is not an attempt to be "fattist" (I could do with losing some weight myself), but as it is not helpful to label people as fat etc. then if only for health reasons it is equally unhelpful to deny if somebody is overweight ?

Over recent months we have seen a number of celebrities (Dawn French, Pauline Quuirk, Nigella Lawson, Lorraine Kelly etc.) who for years have said how they are happy with their size, however recently all have lost a large amount of weight and are smaller than they have ever been.