Top 10 Job Interview Blunders

1. Jacob Share
   March 15th, 2008 at 2:19 pm

   I love these stories, every recruiter has them.

   I also blogged about other horrors here:

   Top 10 Funniest Job Horror Stories

2. quinnn
   March 15th, 2008 at 2:30 pm

   when I asked if I could help them the potential interviewer replied, "I have an interview with a black woman named Yolanda" Pasty white, Polish Yolanda was standing behind me and said, "No, you don't."

   I never could figure out why they would be that stupid.

3. Johnny Cat
   March 15th, 2008 at 2:43 pm

   I tried to join the Army, and after a long interview with the district honcho recruiter, I saluted him...with my left hand.

4. Nastia
   March 15th, 2008 at 2:49 pm

   I had an interview in Washington DC and used google maps for directions and on the way there I got a speeding ticket and then I couldn't find the place and called my interviewer and was trying to figure out where she was located when she let me know I was on the South East part of the street not the North West part. So I totally missed the interview because I didn't have enough time to drive all the way over to the North West side. Also I got lost in South East DC. Moral = NEVER use google maps for Washington DC directions.

5. bean
   March 15th, 2008 at 3:13 pm

   I was interviewing for a management position at rental car company, and after the standard questions, the interviewer asked me how many hours I'd be willing to work. I said 40 or 45, like I would for any other 9 to 5 job. She responded with a look like she'd just swallowed raw sewage, and asked how I felt about working 50 to 60 hours a week, not including lunch breaks. I'm glad they didn't call me back.

6. Dave
   March 15th, 2008 at 4:49 pm

   I interviewed for a job once where the department manager's overbearing micromanaging boss insisted on conducting the interview "to make sure it's done right". The bozo pulled out a tape recorder to "keep me honest", then proceeded to grill me like I'd been accused of a felony. Questioned everything on my resume from the assumption that I had lied about everything.

   It was awful. My mind was made up pretty early in the meeting that there was no flippin way I'd be working there, even if I were offered the job. If I had been a little bolder, I would've stripped the tape out of that cassette, wadded it up & thrown it at the blowhard. If.

7. roger
   March 15th, 2008 at 5:23 pm

   I've always had a response in mind for the stock interview question "can you describe some accomplishments you are most proud of" :

   "Staying sober for 6 months, 2 days"

   I'd love to deliver that with a beaming grin and see their response.

8. Chris
   March 15th, 2008 at 6:33 pm

   Please remove my photo from this blog......you did not ask for permission to use it.

9. Jake D.
   March 15th, 2008 at 7:49 pm

   They probably asked permission, Chris. Just not from you.

   !

10. Chris
    March 15th, 2008 at 8:08 pm

    I took the photo, and I clearly have the license to it displayed on my Flickr account. I was never once asked permission to use it by the author of this blog.

11. Jessie
    March 15th, 2008 at 10:35 pm

    I was hiring for positions which were very much in demand. We had short listed based on applications but still had lots of interviews,and lots of excellent candidates.
    Anyway, a kid (20ish) came in, hat on sideways, skateboard under his arm and flopped in the shair where he slouched through the entire interiview (which he bombed). Then at the end he says "so, is that whatcher looking for?"

    just love NOT giving jobs to someone's little prince or princess.

12. PJ
    March 15th, 2008 at 10:44 pm

    Hey chris, no one cares.

    phht, whiner.

13. diego
    March 15th, 2008 at 10:47 pm

    A friend of mine who works for MLB.com received this email the other day in response to an ad they have on Craigslist for a part time web producer. all spelling and grammar was left alone, i only removed his name. at first i thought it was a bit endearing -- everyone loves the underdog -- but then it gets out of hand.

    "hi my name is [withheld], i am replying to your ad on craigslist. to be completely honest i have no expereince in a profesional setting for your ad, i am a chef. but i am a baseball junky, i would like to say i know everything about the sport, but love that i still have things to learn. in lieu of my resume which is filled with restaruant expereience (if you want a copy i can send it along) i thought i would share what i love about baseball and some things i hate: i am life long cubs fan (100th anniversary !!) i love every team (except the fucking cardinals) am a former astros season ticket holder will watch any baseball game (even little league) i recognize the existence of the american league even though they have a bullshit rule for all the hate i have for bud selig he has avoided a players strike twice now scott borras can suck my cock josh beckett is the purest man in the game today i feel bad for clemens and am pissed at andy i wish the nationals franchise had gone to montery mexico i recently made my first visit to the hall of fame and stayed for 7 hours if you can’t tell i really love baseball. let me know if any of this interests you, if not thanks for your time, i understand. and have a good season."

14. Sirereal
    March 15th, 2008 at 11:21 pm

    PJ - not to derail from the excellent Bad Job Interview post, but hey, people do care. Gank stuff, and people will bristle. Ask nice, and give props for works, attribution and linkback, and people will fall all over themselves to contribute pro bono and rejoice. Spread the 'sphere love. It's easy.

15. Gordon Smith
    March 16th, 2008 at 12:27 am

    I've always noticed that bad interviewers pull out the questions from textbooks or reference materials when it comes to information technology and expect the answer to be the one written in the textbooks. The most favorite question in information technology I've always liked is the network and number of hosts questions used for subnetting since this information can be obtained from anywhere now while working on your job or career.

16. SearcH? EngineS WEB
    March 16th, 2008 at 12:44 am

    seoptimization.blog.com/2514478/

    Here are the top Google interview questions and blunders from Developer Applicants

17. L. Jameson
    March 16th, 2008 at 7:22 am

    While reviewing applications for customer Service positions...I once had a fellow write on his application...."Don't call my last job...that bitch never proved I stole anything". Needless to say...we didn't call him in for an interview.

18. name
    March 16th, 2008 at 8:59 am

    breaking news, people are stupid! here's joe with the weather

19. mark
    March 16th, 2008 at 11:15 am

    Our HR director felt obligated to interview someone who'd volunteered with our non-profit for years. He was an alcoholic; though he'd cleaned up for the interview and didn't smell of alcohol, he did look pretty rough.

    He had a scabbed over scrape on his face that he kept picking at unconsciously during the interview. Eventually he succeeded at pulling a part of the scab off, which he then popped in his mouth!

20. Sandra
    March 16th, 2008 at 12:14 pm

    Before I landed my first grown up job, I sent out a boatload of cover letters and resumes, only to realize later that I didn't sign any of the letters. Sigh...

21. Droplet
    March 16th, 2008 at 12:22 pm

    A woman came in to apply for a job as a server at a restaurant I worked at. While she filled out the application, she pulled her teddy bear out and held it under her other arm.

22. Alex
    March 16th, 2008 at 5:53 pm

    I thought the photo taken from a creative commons-tagged flickr account? Anyways, I see that it was taken down.

23. Robin
    March 18th, 2008 at 7:26 am

    Worst interview I ever had:

    The boss discarded any resume that didn't have the little accents over the 'e's.

    During the interview, she mentioned a former employee running off to the bathroom and crying. I wondered what the boss had done to her to make her cry.

    The "woman" I would be replacing was 16 years old.

    The position was for "office manager". Managing FOUR offices.

    The pay was $10,000 a year. Gross.

24. Otto
    March 18th, 2008 at 1:54 pm

    Many, many stories:

    Had one guy pad his resume by claiming that he served in the "US NAVE". Yep, misspelled "Navy".

    Scheduled a 9:00AM interview. Applicant showed up at noon, then asked if I could postpone it another hour so he could get some lunch.

    One guy flipped open his cell phone and called someone.
    He told that person my salary offer and then said the "other" job offer is offering him more. He would need seven thousand more to consider working here. I told him to take the other offer as I ushered him out.
    His parting words, "Okay how 'bout just five thousand more...I really want to work here."

    "Just to let you know, I'm non-denominational and will be taking all religious holidays off."

    "Excuse me?"

    "Yes. All the Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and so forth. Even the Satanist holidays too. It's against the law for you to discriminate on the basis of religion."

    "The tools you let me use...I can take those home with me? 'Cause at my last job they fired me for stealing when I did that."

    "No you can't take the tools home."

    "Aw man. Can I at least borrow them? 'cause I have this side business racing motorcycles."

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