When a candidate attends a job interview, they are likely to feel overwhelmed and anxious. There is a lot resting on how they perform, and this will determine whether or not they get the job. And this can lead to candidates behaving in ways that they wouldn’t usually.
To find out about the worst job interviews from candidates’ perspectives, Writer and Mental Health Activist, Harriet Williamson, took to Twitter asking other users for their stories.
The post garnered a wealth of responses from Twitter users recalling panic attacks, hangovers and excitable cats.
Recruitment Grapevine has collated a list of the worst seven interviews.
Twitter, what’s the worst job interview you’ve ever had?
— Harriet Williamson (@harriepw) January 16, 2020
Read on to find out more.
A helping hungover hand
Going out on the lash the night before a job interview probably isn’t the best of ideas. And one candidate suffered the hard way. @so_bad_ass explained on Twitter: “I went to an interview really hungover, when the interviewer came to meet me and show me to the room, she held out her hand guiding the way. In my hungover state, I stood up and held her hand! Both of us were too embarrassed to let go so walked to the interview room hand in hand.” While this was undoubtedly an extremely mortifying experience, the plot thickened.
She continued: “During the interview I started proper sweating. I wiped my head on the back of my hand then saw I had a man’s number written on it from the night before!”
Interviewing the interviewer
When @Just_In_Dreamer had an interview at GameStation a few years back, it was clear that his nerves got the better of him. After the hiring manager asked him to describe what he could bring to the company, he panicked and blurted out: “What have you brought to the company?” You may think that this ruined his chances, but the manager actually gave him the job on the spot instead.
Panic stations
For most candidates, getting nervous and flustered in a job interview is normal. However, one candidate got herself in such a state that she had a panic attack and passed out mid-way through the interview. User @OpenMindMH recalled: “Woke up on the floor with everyone peering over me.”
Typo torment
For candidates, sending off a mistake-free CV is a top priority. Not only does this demonstrate a core set of skills such as attention to detail, but it will make you come across as more professional. However, Twitter user @Si_Margolis explained that he got invited to a job interview purely so that the company owner could pull him up on a single CV typo. He recalled: “Told me that with that lackadaisical attitude id be hard pressed getting employed anywhere (sic).”
Lady and the bump
One candidate explained that she went to an interview about eight months pregnant for a job that wouldn’t start for another six months. The interview room was so small that they had to keep the interview room door open so her bump could fit in. “I sat half in/half out the room so my stomach could fit in. They basically interviewed my bump,” @ctmccartney responded to the thread explaining.
Houston we have a purr-oblem
“It was via zoom, and I had the camera on (ofc) one of my cats jumped on me mid interview and inadvertently scratched my face,” Twitter user @uppittynegress recalled. “I spent the rest of the interview with a swollen lip and spewing tiny bits of blood every time I answered a question. Got the job tho (sic)”.
Nodding off
Engaging in conversation with the recruiter or hiring manager is crucial during an interview. However, @alanbuxton admitted to falling asleep in an interview – which will unlikely have done him any favours. He explained: "To be fair the guy was very boring, there was no natural light in the room, it had been a heavy week and this was Friday afternoon.”
While some of the experiences may have turned recruiters or hiring managers off a candidate, in some instances these hiccups have actually helped candidates get the job – perhaps because it showed a bit more character and inner personality.
What are the worst things that candidates have done in a job interview? Let us know in the comments below…
