Interview Diasters

Specialun

I am doing interviews for 2 positions we have open.

to cut a long story short I had an interview earler. The guy turned up in jeans and a shirt with runners..My team lead proceeded to ask him the basic interview questions and then I stepped in to ask him few more. When i asked him the first question he replied " who are you"..i replied that they guy asking him the questions was my team lead to which he replies " Why are you asking me questions when you report to him"..I quickly informed him that I meant me as in he reports to me and I do the hiring and firing

Thus this guy hope of landing the job was fooked


So AH have you messed up in interviews before..have you interview horror stories..have you put your foot in it

emmabrighton

Specialun wrote: »

I quickly informed him that I meant me as in he reports to me and I do the hiring and firing

I'm the Boss Man, so I am.

IK09

im the gaffer

Beruthiel

Specialun wrote: »

I quickly informed him that I meant me as in he reports to me and I do the hiring and firing

The guy handled things very badly.

However, was it not extremely rude of you not to introduce yourself before asking him questions?

Specialun

Beruthiel wrote: »

The guy handled things very badly.

However, was it not extremely rude of you not to introduce yourself before asking him questions?

I did at the very start and he was informed prior to the interview by HR

westcoast66

So many but the best was I was interviewing a girl once and I had to leave in the middle of the interview. I tripped up as I was passing her and landed on top of her on the couch.

MadsL

I interviewed with a company that produced legal compliance e-learning for Irish companies, including interview procedures and legal considerations.

One of the first questions I was asked "So, are you married?"

*facepalm*

calanus

My ability to conduct a good interview is almost non-existent. I can talk about the work I'd be hired to do all day in a relaxed setting but put me in a room opposite a panel of three people and I enter a blind panic where I think... Fcuk the job, just let me get out of this room with some of dignity left intact. My most recent interview slip up had me accidentally say "data suppositories" instead of "data repositories" and rather than correct myself I continued like I had said nothing out of the ordinary (The interviewers noticed).

Specialun

westcoast66 wrote: »

So many but the best was I was interviewing a girl once and I had to leave in the middle of the interview. I tripped up as I was passing her and landed on top of her on the couch.

ah yeah and your pants fell down too im sure

jimgoose

calanus wrote: »

..."data suppositories" instead of "data repositories" and rather than correct myself I continued like I had said nothing out of the ordinary (The interviewers noticed).

Sounds perfectly cromulent to me!

Alf Veedersane

westcoast66 wrote: »

So many but the best was I was interviewing a girl once and I had to leave in the middle of the interview. I tripped up as I was passing her and landed on top of her on the couch.

Are you shamelessly taking a scene from a Mr Bean show and passing it off as something that happened to you?

Mint Sauce

They actually offered me the job.

:eek:

keith16

I heard of a story of a girl going for an interview.

The interview didn't go well at all. When she was leaving she went to open the door and saw what she thought was a door release switch.

She hit it, and the lights in the room went off. She left anyway leaving the two interviewers sitting there in the (relative) darkness.

neckedit

Specialun wrote: »

I am doing interviews for 2 positions we have open.

to cut a long story short I had an interview earler. The guy turned up in jeans and a shirt with runners..My team lead proceeded to ask him the basic interview questions and then I stepped in to ask him few more. When i asked him the first question he replied " who are you"..i replied that they guy asking him the questions was my team lead to which he replies " Why are you asking me questions when you report to him"..I quickly informed him that I meant me as in he reports to me and I do the hiring and firing

Thus this guy hope of landing the job was fooked


So AH have you messed up in interviews before..have you interview horror stories..have you put your foot in it

Did ya not introduce yourselves at the start?

Had the same guy turn up twice for jobs with 2 different companies I was hiring for......Same grey Nike tracksuit!!!!

RoboRat

I interviewed a guy a few years ago with a female colleague. She was Polish and extremely pleasant on the eye and liked to wear clothes that I would consider appropriate for going out in.

Anyhow, when the meeting concluded the poor bloke clearly had been somewhat excited by the prospect of working with my fair colleague and as much as he tried to hide it, well, it was quite obvious.

Very awkward handshakes at the end but thankfully he left and didn't ask to use the facilities.

o1s1n

I was walking into an office building on a very wet day for an interview and proceeded to strolling across a wet marble floor without giving much consideration to the possibilities of slipping.

I didn't just slip, but somehow managed to do the splits in the middle of the reception area.

Managed to rip my suit trousers but proceeded with the interview anyway :pac:

SCOOP 64

Op, Would the fact that he "The guy turned up in jeans and a shirt with runners.." would that had put you off him from the start?

Merkin

I remember interviewing for a job years ago, did a really good interview, shook the guys hand and then walked into the stationary cupboard instead of out the door.

Scarlet for myself.

Tombo2001

Specialun wrote: »

I am doing interviews for 2 positions we have open.

to cut a long story short I had an interview earler. The guy turned up in jeans and a shirt with runners..My team lead proceeded to ask him the basic interview questions and then I stepped in to ask him few more. When i asked him the first question he replied " who are you"..i replied that they guy asking him the questions was my team lead to which he replies " Why are you asking me questions when you report to him"..I quickly informed him that I meant me as in he reports to me and I do the hiring and firing

Thus this guy hope of landing the job was fooked


So AH have you messed up in interviews before..have you interview horror stories..have you put your foot in it

Me a BOSS MAN......who you.....

Wouldnt call that a horror story by any means.

He has every right to ask questions.

The biggest problem with the interview process is that its all one way. The interviewers grill the interviewees. The interviewees dont want to appear 'unenthusiastic' so they dont ask any questions about the employer.

They then end up taking a job that they didnt learn enough about, they dont enjoy it and then they leave.

Its absolute necessary for the employer to answer any questions the interviewee asks.

...............

But to answer the question:

My interview horror was where the lady who was interviewing me showed up 60 minutes late, after a christmas lunch, absolutely stinking of booze, and not in a nice way, hiccuping her way through the interview.

Tombo2001

Tombo2001 wrote: »

The interviewees dont want to appear 'unenthusiastic' so they dont ask any questions about the employer.
.

I always ask if they like working there

The Diabolical Monocle

Me - asks interviewer for details on what the day to day entails.

Interviewer - lengthy description, so any questions ?

Me - (having drifted off to magic land and now just returned back) Sooo, em, yes, what does the day to day work involve.

Interviewer - yeeeeaaaah, well, I think we're done here.

Me - (activates everythings normal face) Yes.


(awkward goodbye follows)

RoboRat

The biggest problem with the interview process is that its all one way. The interviewers grill the interviewees. The interviewees dont want to appear 'unenthusiastic' so they dont ask any questions about the employer.

I always grill my potential employers as I feel that its a 2 way process and I rate myself as an employee so I think that they should be suitable for me as well as vice versa. Its never been an issue and employers seem to like that I have showed an interest and not just a 'yes man'

Tombo2001

bluewolf wrote: »

I always ask if they like working there

Its a good question.

Personally, my biggest interview disasters have generally involved accepting the job afterwards.

The interviews go great, then you start the job and its a completely different kettle of slippery eels.

tigger123

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Me a BOSS MAN......who you.....

Wouldnt call that a horror story by any means.

He has every right to ask questions.

The biggest problem with the interview process is that its all one way. The interviewers grill the interviewees. The interviewees dont want to appear 'unenthusiastic' so they dont ask any questions about the employer.

They then end up taking a job that they didnt learn enough about, they dont enjoy it and then they leave.

Its absolute necessary for the employer to answer any questions the interviewee asks.

...............

But to answer the question:

My interview horror was where the lady who was interviewing me showed up 60 minutes late, after a christmas lunch, absolutely stinking of booze, and not in a nice way, hiccuping her way through the interview.

Dunno if I'd agree with that, I've always asked questions as an interviewee, it shows you're interested in the company and you find out more about the role.

Tombo2001

RoboRat wrote: »

I always grill my potential employers as I feel that its a 2 way process and I rate myself as an employee so I think that they should be suitable for me as well as vice versa. Its never been an issue and employers seem to like that I have showed an interest and not just a 'yes man'

Yep, its the right approach.

The Backwards Man

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Are you shamelessly taking a scene from a Mr Bean show and passing it off as something that happened to you?

All the stories are quite funny if you imagine the posters as Mr. Bean actually.

Never really had many job interviews meself, once I was at an all day thing for bar managers for a chain in England when I was young and foolish. When they asked for how you would improve the profitability of a pub within one month of taking over, they were none to impressed with my suggestions of filling the gin, vodka and port bottles with cheap alternatives to the brands and getting the brewery to sell a few kegs out the back door for cash.

Needless to say they went bankrupt a year or two later.:pac:

Alf Veedersane

The Backwards Man wrote: »

All the stories are quite funny if you imagine the posters as Mr. Bean actually.

"I walked in for the interview and the interviewer was there...with a turkey on his head"

Duckjob

Tombo2001 wrote: »

My interview horror was where the lady who was interviewing me showed up 60 minutes late, after a christmas lunch, absolutely stinking of booze, and not in a nice way, hiccuping her way through the interview.

What a cúnt. That is one interview I would have no problems walking out on then following up with a letter of complaint to her boss/HR.

--Kaiser--

BTW, it's just as possible to be an awful interviewer as an awful interviewee. I'm not going to blame all my poor interviews on bad interviewers, but all my good interviews were in front of sound people who made me feel relaxed and didn't ask retarded questions

Penny Tration

Last time I interviewed somebody, she had her mobile in her hand, and spent half of the interview texting.

Needless to say, she did not get the job.

Specialun

Tombo2001 wrote: »

Me a BOSS MAN......who you.....

Wouldnt call that a horror story by any means.

He has every right to ask questions.

The biggest problem with the interview process is that its all one way. The interviewers grill the interviewees. The interviewees dont want to appear 'unenthusiastic' so they dont ask any questions about the employer.

They then end up taking a job that they didnt learn enough about, they dont enjoy it and then they leave.

Its absolute necessary for the employer to answer any questions the interviewee asks.

...............

But to answer the question:

My interview horror was where the lady who was interviewing me showed up 60 minutes late, after a christmas lunch, absolutely stinking of booze, and not in a nice way, hiccuping her way through the interview.

of course there allowed ask questions..but not to be so rude.. i dont think " Why are you asking me questions" is very polite

gramar

I had to spell disaster once in an interview and got it arseways!

Tombo2001

Specialun wrote: »

of course there allowed ask questions..but not to be so rude.. i dont think " Why are you asking me questions" is very polite

thats fair enough, you are absolutely spot on, I wouldnt disagree with that in any way.........















.....so do i get the job.....?:D

krudler

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

BTW, it's just as possible to be an awful interviewer as an awful interviewee. I'm not going to blame all my poor interviews on bad interviewers, but all my good interviews were in front of sound people who made me feel relaxed and didn't ask retarded questions

"What's your biggest weakness" ughhh such a lazy question.

Shenshen

I don't really have any disasters, but lived through my worst interview ever just before christmas.

I had been dieing of the cold and flu the whole week, but since we're short-staffed was still working. I had the interview arranged for Thursday evening after work.
I was absolutely wrecked - tired, feverish, coughing and sneezing, sore throat and almost unable to speak at all.
I apologised for it, and was shoving one Strepsil after the other into my mouth during the interview. I had thankfully thought to bring some hand sanitiser, so when I was shaking hands with the interviewer afterwards I wouldn't just hand him my germs...

I left feeling utterly miserable, thinking of everything I had wanted to say but simply hadn't physically been able to.

Oh, and I'll be starting in that job next week.

--Kaiser--

krudler wrote: »

"What's your biggest weakness" ughhh such a lazy question.

I'm too honest.

...I don't think that's a weakness...

I don't give a **** what you think.

o1s1n

tigger123 wrote: »

Dunno if I'd agree with that, I've always asked questions as an interviewee, it shows you're interested in the company and you find out more about the role.

I interview people a lot and if there's one thing I can tell you, it's to have some really good questions ready. Folks seem to think it's a one way thing, it's not at all.

At the end of every interview I ask the person if they have any questions for us. Some folks have thrown great questions my way which have really made me think, it leaves a lasting impression and shows interest.

racso1975

The 3 that stick out are:

1) So could you tell me how you prepared for this interview today? Proceeded to get the time the got up at, breakfast journey here etc etc

2) The cleaner came in the night before interviews and turned on the heating....during summer....in a room with no windows

3) The interview chair had arms and the guy who arrived for interview was too big to fit in the chair. Embarrassing for all concerned and a great learning curve

jimgoose

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

I'm too honest.

...I don't think that's a weakness...

I don't give a **** what you think.

"Sometimes I work too hard."

"That's not a weakness."

"It is - I stay at my desk for weeks, forgetting to eat. I actually die dead in my cubicle, disturbing my cow-workers with the foul offally stench of my decaying remains. Eventually, as the project deadline approaches, I re-animate as a hideous zombie to feast on the brains of the living, who are then left with no option but to go into middle-management, and sit in rooms like this asking idiotic fuckan questions all day."

"Well reasoned. You're hired!"


:cool:

Boom_Bap

I interviewed a chap recently who seemed enthusiastic, on paper looked great. But when I started asking technical questions based on his CV which he should be able to answer, or at least admit to not knowing and have an idea of what I was talking about. He simply answered that he would google it. He then pretty much reponded for the rest of the interview that he would google it. And then google some more.

Now, I admit to using google, but I dont let it take over from my brain.

razorblunt

Interviewed a guy before, who had the worst fitting suit and shirt I've ever seen. Was never going to go against him, just thought it looked ridiculous, like his dad was 6'3 and he himself was 5'7. Anyways interview is going ok, not great, something off putting that I won't get into here. But talk was lagging, in an effort to get a bit of chat out of him I asked the standard, "weakness" question. Starts going on about how he's a perfectionist, mentioned the word about 12 times over the next few minutes. So I finished up with "shame you didnt iron your shirt this morning", the thing looked like it was at the bottom of his basket for a fortnight.

I once got a highfive from a candidate too, that was awkward for everyone!

Kurtosis

krudler wrote: »

"What's your biggest weakness" ughhh such a lazy question.

I'm a pefrectionist.

Sky King

Had an interview for a multinational years ago... was dying of the flu but really wanted the job so i hauled my ass out of bed, and put on my suit. But I was too late getting up and so missed the bus so i had to jog to the interview in my suit.

Then it started to piss rain so i got soaked but (luckily) a mate was passing on his moped and saw me running down the road.

After he inquired if I had just broken out of a courtroom and I replied in the negative he was satisfied he wouldn't get done for assisting a fugitive and so he let me hop up on the back of his moped and he spun me out to the place where the interview was, minus wetgear or a helmet.

I arrived soaking wet, sweaty, filthy from the waist down, dying of the flu and with my hair set like ace ventura. I didn't even want the fking job after that.

Needless to say i didn't get it. So, yeah.

Stojkovic

Specialun wrote: »

I am doing interviews for 2 positions we have open.

to cut a long story short I had an interview earler. The guy turned up in jeans and a shirt with runners..My team lead proceeded to ask him the basic interview questions and then I stepped in to ask him few more. When i asked him the first question he replied " who are you"..i replied that they guy asking him the questions was my team lead to which he replies " Why are you asking me questions when you report to him"..I quickly informed him that I meant me as in he reports to me and I do the hiring and firing

Thus this guy hope of landing the job was fooked


So AH have you messed up in interviews before..have you interview horror stories..have you put your foot in it

Judging by your manner, spelling and grammar, I would have torn you to shreds and then walked out.

Mint Sauce

Surprised no one posted this yet

**NSFW**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3HBBPOUYOc

Merkin

krudler wrote: »

"What's your biggest weakness" ughhh such a lazy question.

Last time an interview panel asked me that I told them "chocolate".

They offered me the job on the spot.

Ruu

I was sitting down waiting for the employer, he came in and introduced himself anyway. Phone rang, must have been other person who was interviewing for same job who must have had a rough night.
Phone conversation went something like "If you want the job, come in right away for the interview in the next 5 minutes. What? No, you can't stop somewhere for breakfast first!"

Hate the, where do you see yourself in fives years/with our company/in the future questions. Sometimes use 'I wouldn't mind your job' to lighten things, one lad wasn't impressed by it.

zetalambda

Specialun wrote: »

I am doing interviews for 2 positions we have open.

to cut a long story short I had an interview earler. The guy turned up in jeans and a shirt with runners..My team lead proceeded to ask him the basic interview questions and then I stepped in to ask him few more. When i asked him the first question he replied " who are you"..i replied that they guy asking him the questions was my team lead to which he replies " Why are you asking me questions when you report to him"..I quickly informed him that I meant me as in he reports to me and I do the hiring and firing

Thus this guy hope of landing the job was fooked


So AH have you messed up in interviews before..have you interview horror stories..have you put your foot in it

Surely, this guys CV must have raised some red flags?

Although I did turn up to an interview (almost 20 years ago) in jeans myself. It was for a job in a video shop a bit before minimum wage was introduced and the hourly rate was like 2 pounds or something. The guy started bitching to me about not taking it seriously and I told him to **** off and walked out.

maguic24

Specialun wrote: »

I am doing interviews for 2 positions we have open.

to cut a long story short I had an interview earler. The guy turned up in jeans and a shirt with runners..My team lead proceeded to ask him the basic interview questions and then I stepped in to ask him few more. When i asked him the first question he replied " who are you"..i replied that they guy asking him the questions was my team lead to which he replies " Why are you asking me questions when you report to him"..I quickly informed him that I meant me as in he reports to me and I do the hiring and firing

Thus this guy hope of landing the job was fooked


So AH have you messed up in interviews before..have you interview horror stories..have you put your foot in it

I totally put my foot in it. I studied politics in college as part of my degree and to be honest I don't really have any interest in it. Anyway, I was asked in my interview my view on Irish politics. I basically blurted out in my interview that I am an anti-Fine gaeler and I don't care who got into power as long as it wasn't Fine Gael. >.<

How stupid can you get? Anyway, I got the job and found out afterwards that the CEO is a stanch fine gaeler. I'm still working here. :P Haha.

Neyite

razorblunt wrote: »

Interviewed a guy before, who had the worst fitting suit and shirt I've ever seen. Was never going to go against him, just thought it looked ridiculous, like his dad was 6'3 and he himself was 5'7. Anyways interview is going ok, not great, something off putting that I won't get into here. But talk was lagging, in an effort to get a bit of chat out of him I asked the standard, "weakness" question. Starts going on about how he's a perfectionist, mentioned the word about 12 times over the next few minutes. So I finished up with "shame you didnt iron your shirt this morning", the thing looked like it was at the bottom of his basket for a fortnight.

I once got a highfive from a candidate too, that was awkward for everyone!

So it kinda did go against him then really.

FTA69

I once went to an interview for a glass-collecting job in Cork when I was 18. Your man buzzed me up into his office and it didn't take too long to realise he was off his tits. He asked me the same question three times and seemed irritated every time I answered him. (The question was "where are you from originally?")

It was two minutes into the interview when I noticed that he actually had lines of cocaine racked out on a part of his desk.

Total farce.