What is your most embarrassing job interview experience? (applying, salary, conference)
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Ok, here's mine--The interviewer's desk was at an angle in the room. I walkled in and sat down on her side! She just sat on the other side and started the interview, I realized my mistake when I realized I was reading stuff on her desk, facing my direction........... Whoops!
Another embarassing moment---I was on a group interview with a Big 8 firm. We went to lunch I was wearing a slik blouse and a long necklace. I leaned forward and snared a meatball from the plate of the guy next to me, a partner with the firm. It smeared all over my blouse, while everyone just stared at me in stunned silence. I just said well, folks, this is every interviewee's worst nightmare. Excuse me while I try to recover from this, when I come back act like it never happened. BTW---I got an offer--they admired my poise! But I had to turn it down for a variety of reasons!
This thread nearly did my head in during today's interview. I kept thinking "is there anything in my teeth?" "are all my buttons buttoned?" "Am I remembering their names correctly?" I don't think I did anything embarrassing, but I'm sure I'll think of something later.
During a college recruiting session had an interview with a bank recruiter.
Started off with the usual niceties, then he said "tell me what you know about my company". So I rattled off the facts based on the carefuly prepared pre-research I had done. A few minutes later he said very firmly "NO, that is National Bank of...." my bank is called "Nationwide bank of...". Similiar name, wrong bank. His next remark was very smart-alecky, but perhaps justified "so where does this leave us?". I trying to stumble over a recovery and made it through the interview somehow, but of course I didn't get the job. Very embarrasing.
Another college recruitment interview I had a contact lens "malfunction" and while the interviewer was talking I was blinking like crazy, rubbing my eyes, and tearing. Finally had to politely interupt my session and excuse myself to rinse out whatever speck was between my contact and eyeball before she thought I was having a spaz attack. She was very understanding, but I didn't get that job either.
That was before I learned that company college recruitment efforts were designed for companies to bring in women and minorities anyways for quota fulfilment, so no harm done.
Back in the summer of 1997 I was a teen looking for a summer job. I went in for an interview with Boston Market and the guy asked me what I would do if a friend came in and stole something. I had no idea what to say so I just blurted out I would report my friend. I guess I should have said something more credible like "I would keep my friend from stealing but I wouldn't rat on him". I didn't get that job.
Shortly after that I went to go interview with Montgomery Wards and due to transportation problems I got to the interview half an hour late. But the manager was this really nice understanding lady and I still got the job
I once went to an interview and had to reschedule because I couldnt sit down, and when the company ask me what happen I had no other choice but tell the truth. My son was around 4yrs or 5yrs he stuck a pencil under the sheet and I sat on it.
Reminds me of when I first got out of college. I'm much more calm now and can interview pretty well, but I used to be so nervous to the point that I'd talk a bit fast and have a slight shake that would be noticeable if someone was looking for it.
One time the HR Rep told me: "Here at XYZ Corporation, we like our employees to have self-confidence which it seems like you're lacking. You have some very impressive technical skills but I think we both can see that you're not the best fit for our organization. But I wish you the best of luck in your search!" with a stupid fake smile at the end. This was not via email, the arrogant HR woman said this to my face at the end of the interview.
Ironically, I interviewed with one of their competitors a month later and landed the job. I guess the silver lining on this story is that after doing great work for the company for a number of years, I am able to talk about this story with my boss and co-workers and laugh. But if you have even slight anxiety issues, the process of interviewing can be a real pain.
I remember going into an interview still recovering from a bad case of the flu/cold. I was sick for almost a month and was starting to recover but still had a lingering cough. I remember telling the interviewer I felt great but kept coughing every time I spoke more than 30 seconds lol.
I think I ended up getting the interviewer sick since he was on sick leave for two weeks after our interview. I really wanted that job too lol.
I remember going into an interview still recovering from a bad case of the flu/cold. I was sick for almost a month and was starting to recover but still had a lingering cough. I remember telling the interviewer I felt great but kept coughing every time I spoke more than 30 seconds lol.
I think I ended up getting the interviewer sick since he was on sick leave for two weeks after our interview. I really wanted that job too lol.
That's funny, I just had a really similar experience. Awful cold/flu the week before my interview, to the point I spent the 48 hours beforehand worried I was going to wake up with laryngitis the day of the interview, and I kept struggling not to cough during the interview. All three hours of it.
All in all, I think it went well, though. On the way out the director of the division gave me his card and told me to call him if I needed them to 'speed up' their hiring timeline, and when I got to the airport I found out they'd bumped me up to first class for the flight home.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bluepepper
That's funny, I just had a really similar experience. Awful cold/flu the week before my interview, to the point I spent the 48 hours beforehand worried I was going to wake up with laryngitis the day of the interview, and I kept struggling not to cough during the interview. All three hours of it.
All in all, I think it went well, though. On the way out the director of the division gave me his card and told me to call him if I needed them to 'speed up' their hiring timeline, and when I got to the airport I found out they'd bumped me up to first class for the flight home.
I stopped at the gas station on the way to an interview and locked my keys in the car. After four random guys tried to unsuccessfully break in for me (after I frantically told everyone in the vicinity that I was on my way to an interview), I had to call the interviewer 30 min before our appt and explain what happened. He seemed fine and rescheduled, but I didn't get the job.
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Whoops!
