Most embarrassing interview?

Birneybau

A.Partridge wrote: »

Back of the net!

Going Strong

Essien wrote: »

Was in Australia for about a week when I got an interview for a design company, which went pretty well until the end.

As I was leaving, the door at the top of the stairs wouldn't open for me, I instantly noticed (and pressed) the little release switch beside the door. Only it wasn't for the door, it was for the lights...all of them...in the entire office, and I was supposed to be pushing the door instead of pulling it (or vice versa).

Didn't get that job strangely enough.

You fecker! You've reminded me of an interview I did about 12 years ago. It was with a company that did a lot of their business online and I was going for a position looking after their ordering software. I did an aptitude test, reckoned I was doing well selling myself and then we did the tour. We went through the offices into their warehouse and I was shown their product logging systems etc. I thought that the place was a bit dead quiet for a busy internet business but spotted a door at the back of the room. "This must be where your main operations are then?" said I as I opened the door and stepped through - onto the loading bay in the open air. Not to worry, I soon got things back under control myself by saying. "Pretty small place you have isn't it?"

Somehow, I failed to get the job.

keano_afc

I have 2 interviews this week. I'll report back on Friday.

jobbridge4life

I am tall bulky male in my twenties as such in a huge number of interviews that I attended I was asked whether I played rugby. I happen to have zero interest in sport and have never played any so this question and others of its ilk were a constant source of irritation. It got to the stage where I became convinced that it was hurting my chances of getting employment, so one day sitting in an interview I decided fook it I'll lie, said I used to play a small bit of rugby in school... the remainder of that interview was a painful hideous embarrassing mess. I had no idea about positions etc. it was a nightmare. I wanted to say to him, look we both know I just lied, you are never going to hire me can we just end our mutual torment and finish this now... but I didn't and it continued on for another twenty grueling pointless minutes.

Frynge

I've a friend (and I swear a friend because I could never do this) who was in the middle of an interview when he was asked to attempt a very specific task. He then asked was it okay if he removed one shoe and one sock to attempt the task. Bewildered, the interview panel said sure, with a worried/curious expression on their faces.

Sitting there with one bare foot he amazed the interview panel and was offered the job there and then.

The job was a QA for guitar hero 4 and the task was to play trough the fire and flames on expert which he did by strumming with his toes at the start.

Did an interview for Toyota a while back. All going well till he asked me this:

Toyota manager: Name your five favorite cars and be entirely honest.

Me: (Named 5 cars and not one was Toyota)

Toyota manager: So Toyota is not in your top 5?

Me: Toyota is not in my top 20.

Toyota manager: Well I think we've covered everything here.

I still cringe thinking about it. Why I didn't slip the aul Toyota corolla in at number 4 or 5 I'll never know

Creative Juices

I had an interview once which lasted 3 hours. 4 different people interviewed me during that time. I was well qualified for the position and I found the questions straightforward. However they never once offered me water or tea/coffee in 3 hours. Not even the HR person.
Anyway the final interview was with the head honcho (MD or GM or something). He took 3 mobile phone calls during my 40 minutes with him and he spoke for around 25 minutes. At the end of the 3rd call, I told him straight out that I did not want the job and walked out. I was fuming to be honest, wasted trip. The HR person rang me the next day asking me why I didn't want the job. I told her I found her company discourteous and rude, that interviews work both ways i.e. I am also interviewing them. She got a bit snotty and hung up.

Creative Juices

I had an interview once which lasted 3 hours. 4 different people interviewed me during that time. I was well qualified for the position and I found the questions straightforward. However they never once offered me water or tea/coffee in 3 hours. Not even the HR person.
Anyway the final interview was with the head honcho (MD or GM or something). He took 3 mobile phone calls during my 40 minutes with him and he spoke for around 25 minutes. At the end of the 3rd call, I told him straight out that I did not want the job and walked out. I was fuming to be honest, wasted trip. The HR person rang me the next day asking me why I didn't want the job. I told her I found her company discourteous and rude, that interviews work both ways i.e. I am also interviewing them. She got a bit snotty and hung up.

huey1975

Creative Juices wrote: »

I had an interview once which lasted 3 hours. 4 different people interviewed me during that time. I was well qualified for the position and I found the questions straightforward. However they never once offered me water or tea/coffee in 3 hours. Not even the HR person.
Anyway the final interview was with the head honcho (MD or GM or something). He took 3 mobile phone calls during my 40 minutes with him and he spoke for around 25 minutes. At the end of the 3rd call, I told him straight out that I did not want the job and walked out. I was fuming to be honest, wasted trip. The HR person rang me the next day asking me why I didn't want the job. I told her I found her company discourteous and rude, that interviews work both ways i.e. I am also interviewing them. She got a bit snotty and hung up.

You are so unlucky that it happened twice!!

allibastor

I was once called and brought over to Birmingham for an interview with an engineering company.

All was well, they paid for flights and transport for me to interview, so I thought for a first round interview they are really pulling out the stops.

Got to company and was met by the English HR lady, really nice and thanked me for coming over. Got to the interview room and met with the Engineering manager and the Irish Hr lady.

Got odd here, The Irish lady asked me who I was, said my name. asked If I could then leave the room for a min.

When they called me back in I was met with three red faces, This was a second round interview with someone with my same name and birthdate but from 1974 as opposed to 1984.

The guy there thought to meet was a Ginger guy from Donegal for the position of HVAC engineering manager. I had applied for a junior role as a civil engineer.

To be fair, they still paid for my flights, accommodation and a few meals. The engineering manager came out with me for dinner and I ended up being offered a role in the UK but couldn't take it.

Jawgap

Snotaul Goodman wrote: »

Did an interview for Toyota a while back. All going well till he asked me this:

Toyota manager: Name your five favorite cars and be entirely honest.

Me: (Named 5 cars and not one was Toyota)

Toyota manager: So Toyota is not in your top 5?

Me: Toyota is not in my top 20.

Toyota manager: Well I think we've covered everything here.

I still cringe thinking about it. Why I didn't slip the aul Toyota corolla in at number 4 or 5 I'll never know

.......which reminds me of an interview I went for with a large MNC involved in pharma and food. The role was a regulatory compliance one and the interview / discussion drifted towards market trends and the likely regulatory challenges companies would face in the next 3 to 5 years.

Anyhooooo........I made a reference to increasing sophistication of certain product lines increasing the challenge of securing compliance. I was asked for an example and I mentioned "Product Y" and spoke about that for five minutes - you know what happens next........I went on to compare it very unfavourably to "Product X" and added in a few derogatory comments about "X" for good measure, going so far as to use the word "turdball" to describe it........I think I was carried away by the relaxed atmosphere and forgot it was a job interview!

The reality of my mistake was slammed home to me when I was walked back to the lobby of their offices to see some floor to ceiling merchandising for Product X!!

Dr.Winston O'Boogie

Went for an interview with EBS before, I was young and naive and did no preparation whatsoever. Obviously they are a building society.

First question: "Thanks for coming in, can you tell us what you know about what a building society does?"

Me, panic setting in:"*a lot of himming and hawing*.......to be honest with you I have no idea".

Cue blank expressions from both of them looking at me like I was an idiot. The base level research for the job had not even been done. I should have got up there and then, but saw the interview out and never heard from them again.

homerjay2005

i graduated in 2004 with a bachelor of science degree in IT. i went for an interview for a very basic IT role in Cork and the agency woman didnt have a clue.

about 5 minutes into the interview she said to me" i think you should get the ECDL done".

i nearly collapsed with laughter, i said to her "i have a degree that took me 4 years to get".

her reply ??? "but i think you should go do it anyway!".

she offered me the job in the end, but i turned it down.

i still chuckle when i think of her innocence.

allibastor

homerjay2005 wrote: »

i graduated in 2004 with a bachelor of science degree in IT. i went for an interview for a very basic IT role in Cork and the agency woman didnt have a clue.

about 5 minutes into the interview she said to me" i think you should get the ECDL done".

i nearly collapsed with laughter, i said to her "i have a degree that took me 4 years to get".

her reply ??? "but i think you should go do it anyway!".

she offered me the job in the end, but i turned it down.

i still chuckle when i think of her innocence.

It was not innocence unfortunately, it was a recruiter who didn't have a clue about her target market.

Aglomerado

During a period of several months' unemployment about ten years ago I was applying for jobs here, there and everywhere.
One week I was called for interviews for three different companies in three different towns. So I was all in a flap making travel arrangements etc.
One was a company making lenses. I wandered into this company for the interview, two men on the board, all welcoming and professional. They were interested in my experience and education. So far so good. Then they asked me what I knew about the company. I replied: "Err, you make contact lenses." Stony silence. Then "No. No, we don't."
They politely continued the interview even though I'd completely blown it.

Technophobia

Once many moons ago I went for walk in interviews for a company. They were all set up in Jurys with a long table with three interviewers. you took a number and when your number is called, you go up, give them the application form and away you go.

To this day, I still dont know what possessed me... I was called, went up to the table, sat on the swivel chair and for some reason, spun round really fast on it and went "wheeeeeee!".. I realised what I was doing mid spin so I stopped the chair, said thanks very much and left....

I couldnt tell my mam I fecked it up and had to pretend I didnt get the job.

Stepping Stone

A few weeks ago, I had a day off to do bits and bobs around the place. NCT, dentist, etc. My OH asked me to drop in a form to his HR dept (he was away with work). I landed into reception wearing jeans and a t-shirt and asked for the HR guy. The receptionist commented that I must be there for an interview. I gave her an odd look, and asked HR man if he was having a busy day. Apparently they had two people turn up for interview looking like me. These were middle management positions too. The mind boggles!

tomwaterford

once when unemployed a few months ago....I went to a activation meeting with the dole
where they make up cvs etc/help you find jobs and what not

anywhoo....they made me up a cv and cover letter and emailed it on to me
I spotted a job advertised on the internet and emailed it on my cv without ever reading it thoroughly
sure I enough I get the interview so I said to myself sure ill leave early and read the cv in car before the interview....got a puncture and just about made the interview:o
cue 45 mins of them reading me my cv and they went out and got the head foreman for a ''technical'' interview who asked a load of very complex (well not to hard...but you couldn't bluff)
at the end he says well you cv is pure bollix but you seem to have heaps of experience and know your stuff....so there is an interview that started awlfully and managed to get turned around


got offered the job and all that time:D