Witnessing someone fail can be as awkward as failing yourself, especially if there were high hopes for that person. For instance, if they were a candidate for a high-level job, but bungled the interview miserably. Today’s list is made up of such incidents — recruiters recalling interviews that went so badly that they remained memorable for a long time.
More info: Reddit
#1
#2
He showed up in a Hawaiian shirt, jeans, and flip flops because he thought this interview was “just a formality” and he believed his supposed reputation in the industry just preceded him. I had no idea who he was.
When he realized we were actually asking questions he just said “trust me, I’m the guy for the job” over and over and over again. It became a running joke for all of us when we’d get a new assignment.
#3
Of course she was hired and has tanked that program. I swear she has dirt on someone high up otherwise she would have been removed.
If you've ever had to apply for a job, you likely are aware of what kinds of steps it requires. First comes resume and cover letter crafting. With these, basically, you have to convince the employer to interview you. This means you have to present what kind of skills, experience, and other qualities you have that would fit the job.
Then, with any luck, you get the interview. For many, that’s the scariest part. They fear that their qualifications and skills aren’t enough or that they won’t be able to prove them during the interview. Some are afraid because they don’t know what the potential employer might ask and whether they’ll have something to say. Others simply fear rejection.
#4
#5
This guy shows up to the interview and is immediately smug as hell; we haven’t even started yet. He refuses to turn on his camera, instantly remarks how he worked for Facebook, and let it be KNOWN that he’s the real deal.
I ask him “What are the channels for video game marketing?” And he responded with “I don’t know, does it matter?”. Astonished, we asked him how he would approach marketing different platforms, and he responded “With lots of money.” I asked him if he realized we were an indie company, and he was like “That doesn’t matter.”
Halfway through the interview, the CEO himself finally begged me to stop the interview. We contacted our recruiting firm and told them he was the single worst candidate we had ever encountered. They dropped him as a client because apparently this wasn’t even the first time he was a terrible interview.
I still remember his name. He ended up going back to Facebook. Seemed like he tested the market, realized he wasn’t s**t, and then went back home where he could blend in as a useless nepobaby.
#6
Boy, we dodged a bullet.
Researching the company you’re interviewing with, preparing what you can say, and even visualizing success are great ways to manage the stress before the interview. After all, anxiety is definitely not going to help to ace the interview.
Despite its scariness, the interview is a crucial recruitment step. It’s because during it, the potential employee can be analyzed in ways that a CV or cover letter cannot provide, for instance, based on their communication skills, confidence level, and social behavior, among many other things.
#7
No word of a lie, she asked what the hours were - I told her they weren't set as such, reasonably flexible, and that I was more interested into what she put into those hours, than the hours she did.
She replied "Not 9 to 5, then"? And proceeded to start singing that f*****g song.
I swear she was f*****g crackers to be honest.
#8
She could have easily asked to use the bathroom but didn't. They had to throw out the chair and get the carpet professionally cleaned.
She did not get the job.
#9
To talk about job interviews, Bored Panda reached out to recruiter Mike Peditto. He revealed several things a candidate can do to make an impression during the job interview.
One of them is looking up company values, the interviewers and teams and making sure to work them into a conversation to show that you know what you're signing up to. Of course, knowing how to present the highs and lows of your career should be on your preparation list as well.
Preparing a 2 minute elevator pitch to the question "Tell us about yourself", plus the answers to the common questions like "What is your greatest weakness?", "Why do you want to work here?" is useful too.
#10
#11
#12
In our follow up meeting to discuss the candidate, our director was pissed because the guy wouldn’t stay on topic and if he didn’t know any better, he’d think the candidate was drunk. And then it clicked as to why he’d been so odd with the cup. We did not make an offer.
Mike also highlighted the importance of being on time. He said that while himself he is quite forgiving, he knows that many other recruiters are vexed by candidates, who are late. "Personally I'll wait 5 minutes before contacting you to see if the time still works because life can happen, but if you are late, you should apologize (and so should the company if they are late), everyone's times should be respected."
Besides, it might not only show that you're not respectful for the company's time, it can also signal you’re not responsible enough to show up to work on time.
Basically, there are plenty of tips on what you should do that you can listen to. A quick Google search proves that. With it, you’ll find articles like this, with 19 tips to ace the interview. Your only responsibility will be to choose which ones you like and successfully apply them.
#13
The interview went from "ooh this lady really likes do get s**t done", to "ooh this lady is going to be in everyone's s**t".
#14
I reviewed his resume, but unfortunately, he didn’t have the experience needed for the role—his background was in completely different industries. Since I used to work with his mom, I gave him that feedback, and he was totally understanding.
His mother, my former coworker, then reached out to me, pleading her son’s case. She even said she'd personally fill in any gaps in his knowledge and coach him through the role, insisting that I "give him a chance."
Two big problems with this:
Having your mom reach out like this makes it seem like you can’t stand on your own in the workplace.
His mom and I now work for direct competitors. There’s proprietary information involved, and she would potentially have access to it. That’s a major conflict.
Bottom line: Don’t have your mom reach out for you in a job application. And definitely don’t bring her with you.
#15
We had some kid come in fresh out of college, and it was evident he read or was given some advice to come off demanding- the "if you know exactly what you want people will respect you" type of thing.
It was almost comical: he came in and said things like "Look, we all know the back and forth...the bottom line is I'll help progress this business and take you in new directions." He was also saying things like "I'll need you to stock Peet's Dark Roast coffee in the kitchen, I like my lunch time around 2pm, I need vacation time available immediately..."
Mr. Confidence turned into Mr. Confidently Rejected...on the spot. At one point my boss even asked "are you always like this or are you just nervous?" LOL I never saw a face sink like that so fast. We even gave him pointers to tone it down or he's going to have a really hard time out there.
Yet, sometimes, no matter how well prepared you thought you were, you might botch a job interview. Every so often, all it takes for it to fail is an unexpected question, off vibes, or anything insignificant. It also can be not even the candidate’s fault. The recruiter themselves might not be able to conduct proper interviews, which throws even the best candidate off.
Mike Peditto shared that he saw his share of bad interviews: "Inebriated candidates who could barely string a sentence together but were fine on previous interviews, people doing lip synced interviews with somebody clearly feeding them things to say from off screen, incredibly contentious interviews with people who just seemed to want to get on the call and take their job search frustrations out on me."
He added that he can he can overlook nerves, forgetting things and other human error, but there's a still a line of decency he expects.
#16
The most awkward part was the fact that when no one was hired for the role, they reposted the job listing and that woman applied again, and they were required by law to interview her again. The candidate was made aware that no one interviewed was deemed a good fit. Her answers did not change.
#17
The faces of the rest of the committee were hilarious to watch. They gave up on poker faces and just let their true opinions show. Several just put their pens down and just went through the motions with the rest of the interview. I'm not sure she was savvy enough to notice.
#18
This happened many times and it's why I insisted competent technical staff be present at interviews and allowed to question candidates instead of just HR.
Edit: SA in this case is System Admin.
Unfortunately, the human brain is wired to remember failures, which means that forgetting a bad interview might not be as easy. That’s what today’s list is – people recalling the failed job interviews they experienced. Granted, they’re from the recruiters’ side, but that doesn’t diminish the extent of the shortcomings some candidates had.
On the other hand, maybe remembering one's failures isn’t the worst thing. Hear me out: without them, we wouldn’t be able to tell how success feels, or at least it wouldn’t feel as sweet. So, while it’s uncomfortable, it has some worth.
Let’s remember this fact while going through this list – failure is natural and something that happens to everyone. At the same time, the human brain is also wired to be amused at failure, especially if it comes from others. So, let’s have fun with this list, just don’t forget to not be too mean.
#19
#20
Security escorted him out. He ended up getting deported after police paid a visit to his *actual* workplace.