What's your worst interview experience/ meltdown?

Oh Gods...
Software developer (supposedly a pretty basic database dev role) for Honeywell, about 10 years ago, a 4 on one phone interview.

I'd taken an 8 year career break to travel and had been earning my daily crust teaching English. Prior to that I'd been a pretty solid Java and SQL dev, but obviously 8 years out of practise and completely out of touch with all the new frameworks.

I'd been absolutely clear on my CV, and with both the recruiter and HR about this. That my Java basics were rock-solid but I knew absolutely nothing of Spring, Hibernate etc.

20 minutes into the phone call, 3 of which had been conversational niceties and the rest a list of intensely detailed and complex Hibernate questions and ever more scathing comments (which they continued after I'd pointed out that I had no knowledge of Hibernate) I just hung up and shut down skype. I then went back to teaching for another two years before talking to any other Irish based jobs.

It was the 2nd time in my life that I'd ever had an interview and not been offered the job (the other being for Google, but I'd known what I was putting myself in for that time). There's been a few more since, mind you. But never anything like the sheer vicious meanness of that one.

Had an interview for a graphic designer job in a multimedia company many years ago. It was my very first interview. I had just graduated with a degree in Fine Art, but had no industry experience. 2 days before the interview I had eaten a battered sausage that someone threw at me on the street outside Fibbers. It fell into a puddle, and I picked it up and ate it in defiance. Bad move, I was shíteing out my mouth and puking out my arse all weekend.

Anyway, I had this interview at 10 am on Monday morning, I hadn't eaten in two days, was pale as a ghost and pumping sweat from the illness, but the worst had passed on the gastro front, so I decided to go ahead. I had long, crusty dreadlocks at the time, and I think I had to borrow a suit that was too big for me, so even on a good day I would have looked an absolute state.

I had a portfolio lashed together of various art and design stuff I'd done. One thing I'd been doing in college was that I'd started my own country in my living room - so a lot of the stuff in my portfolio was to do with that (flags, posters, manifestos, etc). The two women interviewing me asked me to explain what it was all about, and I did, in probably too much detail. We ended up in an argument, with the final question being "How the hell do you expect to make money out of this?" My answer "I don't!" signaled the abrupt and early end of the interview. You may be surprised to hear that I did not get the job (only interview so far where I wasn't offered the job, so I think I learned something from it).

On the other side of the coin, I interviewed a guy a few years ago for a Web Developer job. In the middle of the interview, he somehow worked in to the conversation that he did Taekwondo, and stood up and started demonstrating some moves. Then he started telling us randomly about some tag rugby match he played, and again stood up and started re-enacting the game. Weird thing was, he wasn't even a Web Developer and couldn't answer any questions on the subject. That interview should have been cut short, but it was too entertaining.

I was very happy on the dole with a healthy heroin habit.
Unfortunately the DHSS put me forward for a job in the leisure industry and I had to attend the interview. This is where things get dicey. Do a good interview and you might actually GET the job...fuckin' nightmare, don't do a good interview and they say "this cunt isnae tryin'" and they cut off your gyro.


So my friend Mark gave me some speed and off to the interview I went totally zooted out of my head.

I told them "Your leisure is mah pleasure" and that I had no weaknesses but then changed that to the fact that I'm a perfectionist and it "had to be the best".


Prattled on at 100mph talking drivel for another 10 minutes. They thanked me and said they'd be in touch. I jumped up and thanked them and shook their hands and kissed the lady on the panel and skipped out.


Disastrous interview but the outcome was perfect.

Airfreight company red and yellow...

I was interviewed by a manager on his own, I’m 20, he’s only about 30.

He’s about 5’1” pudgy, receding hairline but what’s left of it dyed the most ridiculous shade of peroxide blond and a bright purple and green tie with waistcoat , I nicknamed him Darby O’Nil. I spent half the interview wishing I was colorblind.

3 minutes in I’m nailing every question with ease, I’ve always been decent in interviews. Confident, articulate but this is irking him... he asks me towards the end of the interview “how did you arrive here today ?” I replied that I used public transportation which was almost door to door as I didn’t drive as yet.

He started grinning, “well Strumms, that might go against you if another candidate has a license.”

I replied “well if either yourself or your employer feel that way you should include it as a prerequisite in the job advertisement. I took a taxi here, I will take a taxi home, I did so under the impression that i met the advertised criteria therefore I spent time preparing, and getting here.”

He gets all embarrassed, ensuring I’ve done a very good interview and would be in the shakeup..

Considering the manner of how things ended I was surprised to find that the following day I received a job offer over the phone from his boss which I confidently declined... when asked why I told her.. she laughed, apologized saying “well Raymond is only a new manager and perhaps got a little over enthusiastic”. Me...”that’s ok I don’t blame him, but rather I blame the cûnt of a manager who hired him and the one also whom on being told about it just seems to think it’s funny”.

Once done a 4 hour interview punctuated by a 1 hour lunch in London for a Software Engineer role in a trading company.

Was exhausting but went very well until the last half an hour, I completely blew it.

No meltdown ...but i was going for an interview as a receptionist in quite a big barber shop....in the middle of the interview the guys seat adjusted and he feel of it ...I couldn't hold back my laughter .....needless to say i didn't get it. He was actually quite daft tho...his dad owned the business ...that was the only reason he was in charge ..very pretentious ..it was ****ing barbershop after all...'we want a better class of client' ..if i ever hear that i run in my head

Then i was going for a job in a call center .....but it was trying to get people to use loan consolidation services for a fee ..it was just cold calling ...the place looked a dump ....i was there five mins and i decided i didn't want to work there but i needed a job..the people taking the calls were like 16 yr olds and they had nothing on their desks except a switchboard and were reading a script from manuals. It was nuts ...16 yr olds selling loan consolidation packages.

He read my c.v and said ....why would you work here you are over qualified....I said 'Im desperate'. Those exact words.

I have no filter.

I done an interview years ago for a job (won't divulge where). But during the interview I actually got cramp in my leg, leading me to utter those famous words at the top of my lungs (****ing cramp) also sending the table I was sitting at going sideways into the interview panel, and I then proceeded to start hobbling around the interview room(I reckon they thought I was nuts ) in pain trying to walk the cramp off which didn't really work. In fairness they offered to postpone the interview, but I carried on anyway hobbling around the room answering questions with a grimace.
Needless to say I didn't get the job. And that story is a 100% true

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

Had one at 10am one morning after finishing the last of 4 twelve hour nights that morning at 7:30. Barely knew my own name let alone how to troubleshoot a program. Ended up apologising for wasting their time after 10 minutes and walking out.

Exact same thing happened to me, was supposed to have a phone interview at 9am, after finishing my 4th 12 hour night shift, I tried to stay awake but couldn't, got a call at 12 o'clock and was like a zombie trying to answer technical questions. I hung up after 10 minutes and got an email a minute later saying I didn't get the job.

Many years ago, I went for my first ever formal interview for the role of junior manager with a grocery retail chain. Was called into a room for the interview and was greeted by an old man.

There was a large table in the room and there were CVs scattered all over it. He said he just had to find mine and started shuffling them about. I started scanning the table to see could I help him out, his hand stopped, I looked up and he was asleep.

He woke up after about 10 seconds and didn't acknowledge what had just happened and just started the interview. He continued to fall asleep throughout the interview for short periods including one time while he was in the middle of asking a question. Each time when he woke up, he just continued like nothing had happened.

It was the strangest experience, I thought I was on a hidden camera show. I got an email the following week to say I was unsuccessful, I emailed back informing them of what had happened. They apologised and gave me a €50 voucher for their stores.

markfinn wrote: »

Oh Gods...
Software developer (supposedly a pretty basic database dev role) for Honeywell, about 10 years ago, a 4 on one phone interview.

I'd taken an 8 year career break to travel and had been earning my daily crust teaching English. Prior to that I'd been a pretty solid Java and SQL dev, but obviously 8 years out of practise and completely out of touch with all the new frameworks.

I'd been absolutely clear on my CV, and with both the recruiter and HR about this. That my Java basics were rock-solid but I knew absolutely nothing of Spring, Hibernate etc.

20 minutes into the phone call, 3 of which had been conversational niceties and the rest a list of intensely detailed and complex Hibernate questions and ever more scathing comments (which they continued after I'd pointed out that I had no knowledge of Hibernate) I just hung up and shut down skype. I then went back to teaching for another two years before talking to any other Irish based jobs.

It was the 2nd time in my life that I'd ever had an interview and not been offered the job (the other being for Google, but I'd known what I was putting myself in for that time). There's been a few more since, mind you. But never anything like the sheer vicious meanness of that one.

You would wonder sometimes if the only point of tech interviews is to make the interviewer feel superior.

Had exactly the same experience trying to get back into tech after a disastrous start-up failed. No matter how many times I explained that my skills, whilst solid, were very rusty, the interviewer would keep battering on as if the goal was to make me cry 'I don't fu**king know anything, you ARE clearly my superior'

The crazy thing is that in 30+ years in IT, technical knowledge has never been the determinant of success. Drive, responsibility, the ability to get things done and to get others to do things are what make for success (same as most industries, really). But no, let's quiz them on the 46 options to ls(1).

It really is an industry full of to**ers.

Myself and a mate got offered a good job when I was a student in America. We were smoking weed for breakfast that summer and as we were just about to sign the contact the employer said "so we'll be drug testing you, costs $80 but you get it back if you pass".

Only had about $80 left at this stage so both of us chuckled and just got up and walked out.




Spent the $80 on weed.