Your Worst Job Interview

[Antaniasmom]

Wanting to hear stories of worst interviews...

I went on what was the worst interview I've ever been on in February. I arrived 15 min early as always and waited almost 30 min to see the person I was interviewing with due to computer issues.

We were disrupted 3 times during the interview due to 2 calls that she took, 1 was on speaker phone and a patient's full name was said...while I'm sitting there...big HIPAA violation... the last interruption was when 2 girls walked in (her office door was wide open while we were interviewing) and gave her a deposit bag. I kept trying to refocus but not once had I ever been in an interview that was like this. I felt as though she was not valuing my time at all by allowing all these disruptions.

The whole interview to me felt like it did not go well. Secretly, I wished that I did not get the job but I was so desperate when I was told it was mine, I took the position. I lasted 8 weeks before I quit because the place was so incredibly disorganized.

....Always follow your instincts is the only advice I can give after that one....

 

[kimblebee]

I was pretty desperate for a job at the time otherwise I would have walked out.

I went on an interview to be floor support for a call centre. I have tons of experience and I knew I was a good fit.

I showed up 10 minutes early and waited over an hour. That should have been my first hint. I waited right on the call floor and was hearing names, addresses, credit card numbers. That should have been my second hint. The guy finally called me into his office and after two seconds I got a real creepy vibe from him. He seemed really shifty and just gave off a bad vibe. He asked stupid questions and I knew there was no way I would want to work there.

The interview only lasted 5-6 minutes and I was never so glad to leave an interview. Usually I send a post interview email and follow up after a week or so. This one, I prayed they wouldn’t call me again.

 

[MamaBelle4]

Well, let's just start this off with "I was so young".

Fresh out of school, I signed on with an agency to help me find a position as a legal assistant.

I get sent on this job interview in DC. I'm told to take the Metro and it's just a quick walk from the station.

I get hopelessly lost. Blisters on my feet, runs in my pantyhose, sweating in my pantsuit, hair an absolute nightmare. I finally find the building and go inside. I cannot stress how horrible I looked.

I try to laugh it off with the interviewer, but he looked at me and said, "Why didn't you just take our shuttle?"

Um, because no one told me about it?

Then as he is telling me about the position, I tell him I was there for the legal assistant/paralegal position, not the transcriptionst.

He then said, "No, we told the firm you don't have the experience we require for that position. I can't believe they'd send you without telling you what you're actually interviewing for."

Yeah, it was not a pretty interview.

 

[tcufrog]

I interviewed for a librarian position at a university that was a rival to my alma mater. I was asked to bring my portfolio and to present a library instruction class that was suitable for freshman. I chose one that I developed for a freshman history professor because the professor loved it and the students responded well to it.

It started off poorly when search committee members insulted my alma mater. It got worse when committee members claimed that they didn’t believe that I taught that class to freshmen because it was too advanced. At the time I was a community college librarian and I was presenting at a “prestigious” private university. I wanted to ask them if that meant community college students were smarter than their students but I held my tongue. I didn’t get the job.

 

[Antaniasmom]

Omg....these are all soooooo bad WOW !!

 

[Mirielle]

I interviewed with a plastic/reconstructive surgeon for a position as his surgical assistant. I'd worked previously for a wonderful plastic/reconstructive surgeon who had to retire for medical reasons. As I was ushered into his office, I found that he was horribly rude to his receptionist. I brushed that off. He never introduced himself to me or even made eye contact. He had his back to me, looking out a window. Suddenly, he turned, and said in a tone that made me cringe, "Just what can you do for me"? He was glaring and had an expression that made me uncomfortable. I swallowed, then looked him right in the eye and said, "Not a damn thing"! I immediately walked out and never looked back.

 

[Antaniasmom]

Omg.... what a douche !!

 

[Mirielle]

Omg.... what a douche !!

He truly was. I talked with other nurses later that knew him and they were all in agreement that he was a really rude and arrogant person and couldn't keep office staff or nurses. I've never, before or since, spoken to someone the way I did to him. My poor mother would have died!!!

 

[ShadeDK]

While I was still in school, I drove a couple of hours away to interview with a firm in DC. They seemed confused and disorganized when I arrived. For the next 2 hours, I was shuffled around among equally confused employees. A couple were disgruntled that they had to interview me at all. One insisted I interview with someone else. Another asked me to leave his office while he took a call, never opened his door again and the hiring coordinator apologetically led me to the next person - who had been there 2 weeks and couldn't tell me anything about the place. Another interviewed me for 5 minutes and then called the front desk to say we were done and I was ready for lunch. I waited another 20 minutes while they scrounged up people to take me out.

Lunch was with an older guy who kept grousing he needed to get back to the office and looking at his watch. He only ordered coffee. He said another guy was joining us - and when he arrived (after the food did) they literally tag teamed and the older guy left. The employee who just arrived watched me finish eating, never ordered anything, and then drove me back to the office. He didn't take me inside, however, and just dropped me off right by my car in the garage.

When I got home that afternoon, I had a rejection letter from the firm in the mail. Next week I got the whole story - they'd already given the position to one of my classmates and just never bothered to call and tell me not to show up for the interview. That would've saved a lot of awkwardness for everyone.

 

[ronandannette]

I've spent my entire career in an industry that has been prone to several severe downturns due to local economic factors. At one point many years ago I was collecting Unemployment after a lay-off. One of the conditions for benefit eligibility was to apply for a certain number of jobs per week. The market was very, very depressed in this city so I was applying for all sorts of weird things just to satisfy the quota. I was contacted to interview for a position completely out of my wheelhouse but I figured nothing ventured, nothing gained.

When I met with the interviewer we didn't click and I could tell he wasn't liking my answers to the questions. He started rapid-firing questions at me about whether or not I'd ever done certain tasks. Um, no I haven't, I've never worked in your particular business before. After about 1/2 a dozen "no's" with him getting visibly more agitated, he jumped up and literally screeched at me "you are completely wasting my time - why are you even here?!?" and turned and stormed away. Wow dude - I'm here because you called and invited me to interview - my resume clearly lacked any specific experience or skills you might have been looking for. Sheesh. (And JSYK, he was the proprietor of a small business so I know he personally reviewed my application and called me for the interview.)

 

[mousehockey37]

I had a teaching interview where I arrived early, was sitting and waiting my turn. Another candidate comes in and the administrator comes out. He looks at the other candidate says, "Hey 'Jimmy', we'll be with you in a few minutes, let us get this guy outta here first" and takes me back for my interview which then came with some of the hardest questions I've ever faced in a teaching interview.

Yeah, talk about knowing you weren't getting that job before you even said a word.

 

[Antaniasmom]

It makes you feel like, why did I waste my time. One of the worse parts is that for a lot of positions out there, there are quotas of how many people they must interview for each position. Its horrible though when they already know who is getting the job. UGH

 

[mousehockey37]

It makes you feel like, why did I waste my time. One of the worse parts is that for a lot of positions out there, there are quotas of how many people they must interview for each position. Its horrible though when they already know who is getting the job. UGH

I don't teach anymore, but yes. I actually had left vacation at the beach to drive about 7 hours to that interview.

 

[ronandannette]

It makes you feel like, why did I waste my time. One of the worse parts is that for a lot of positions out there, there are quotas of how many people they must interview for each position. Its horrible though when they already know who is getting the job. UGH

Not necessarily. I'm a hiring manager now and there have been several times when I've hired the first person that was interviewed but it's impossible to truly know that without seeing other candidates too. We never, ever invite anybody in if they don't have a very reasonable shot at the job, at least on paper. I do know within minutes though if somebody is completely unsuitable.

 

[christineann]

I interviewed with a law firm several years ago for a real estate paralegal position, and the attorney said, "what does a paralegal do? I am not sure I even know what the h*** one does." After I gave a brief summary, he said, "oh, no, no, no. Our GIRLS do not leave the office. "

During an interview, an attorney told me he and his partners are very passionate about their work and yell a lot and use bad language, and then he gave me examples. I had no reaction, but I knew that was not a good fit for me.

I am very happy to be working for a firm that has a "no jerks rule."

 

[bcla]

I've had a few cut short because the actual job didn't line up with my qualifications. That's always kind of awkward. I always look at the job description, but then sometimes they just grab a random corporate job description rather than coming up with specific requirements. How I got to that state even after a phone interview was kind of puzzling.

One interview a long time ago I was doing it in a conference rooms with the door open since it was really warm. There was someone just screaming at the top of his lungs about something work related. It was kind of hard to concentrate at that point. However, I figure the job wasn't for me.

 

[disykat]

I had an interview where the person who was interviewing me (that I would be working directly under and seeing daily) was so rude that I got up, told him I wouldn't tolerate that behavior, and walked out. Apparently I passed the test because they called me back twice upping the offer. No way.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I once put in an application for a new property position. My annual review had just been completed and looked beautiful; I'd done a special report for my executive and it had come to the notice of the overall property corporate VP in a positive manner. Figured I was a shoe-in for the new position in a different city or at least high on the list. And thennnnnnnnn my executive's secretary suggested I take a good look at the boss's files which were being forwarded to the new property. Suddenly, my report had been wriiten by my boss with "input" from me. Anddddddd my review had the following words added - "NYCgrrl is an intelligent African-American woman..." (because we all know that's an anomaly. Pfft).

Reported the company for unfair employment practices, got a new position at a different hotel, and when I won my case donated the back pay to an appropriate to me charity.
Made me feel better and did wonders for my taxes that year. Somehow my exec weaseled her way out of the mess and became general manager to a prime property. Took them 7 months to fire her butt and I further celebrated by hosting a "Ding Dong the Wicked Witch is Dead" party about 3 blocks away from the hotel we both worked at. It was well attended and a good time was had by all.

 

[lisaviolet]

The worst was for a position in Japan. It was relentless. Three separate interviews. You either got sent home or a call for the next one/phase. I think I've blocked a lot of it out , but I really think the third phase was all day long.

It felt like your insides were pulled out and if they could put them back in, then you're hired. Everything under the sun was tested. I thought I was alone in my aftermath but a colleague later told me "it was like the gates of hell opened and there she was!". All in good fun.

The worst was years later that I told a coworker that of course she would probably be hired, as she got to the final phase. She wasn't. But then again it was a tough company to work for at times, so maybe she was saved.

 

[vacationer1954]

My worst was a cattle call; there were literally dozens of people milling around waiting to be called in for short interviews for a rather high-powered consulting position. I was older than all the rest, and the interviewers were clearly not pleased with my grey hair. It was actually the first time I experienced such overt age discrimination, so it was far more chilling that the subsequent times.