Job intervies: Anyone have interesting ones to share

[roadman65]

I was at an interview two years ago, for a telamarketing company that solicits businesses to allow them to intervene in their operations.  Basically the company that was looking for telephone reps was a company that teaches businesses that have not yet figured out how to micro manage.  They call up bosses or CEO's and use a scripted pitch which tells them that they should schedule an appointment with a real live person, who will teach them how they can increase profits.  In a nutshell, its a company that tells other companies how to do their job.

I showed up wearing a shirt and tie, and some business slacks as many jobs of a nature like that require you to do.  It was an interview at a special manager as he was not an HR or Department Manager, but of one just to hire and recruit new talent.  However, I forgot to check out the website between the phone call that called me into it by the Hiring Manager and the interview itself.  During the phone call that I received, I was snow jobbed by the man, so I knew what he was telling me was hot air.  He praised my broadcasting talents way too much and made me feel like I was special, and of course anyone could figure out he did not have personal feelings about me, but building me up so I would come down and sit with him.  So indeed I did.  However, when he found out I forgot to read the company web page, which incidentally told me nothing about the company that I did not already know, he was like upset.  First of all the application for the job was there and I was supposed to fill it out and submit into the file that obtains them there, and secondly he called me into the interview anyway despite that he already was not going to hire me just to be an asshole later on.

Yes, in his mind I did not seem interested in the job, so he was right not to hire me.  However, he should have just not interviewed me at all, as he did decide to cut the interview short mid way.  He abruptly stopped midway in a sentence and said "You know what, you are so unprepared."  Then he got up out of his chair and said "There is the door" and quickly walked to it, opened it up, and showed me out before escorting me out the building in a swift manner.  I did nothing to endure him to change tone, as my mind did not wander and I did look at him as he spoke and showed him respect, but he at a quick moment decided he thought it was a waste of his time.

I felt like a bowling ball being rolled down the alley, as I was escorted out of the office and building.  This is probably the most memorable interview I ever had.  However, I am glad I did not get the job nor was I really interested in it anyway, Telemarketing was not the thing for me as I have done it before and did not think much of it.  I only went to the interview to see how much money I could make as well as what kind of benefits I could get, as I would swallow my pride and be a jerk that annoys others on the phone if the price was right. 

Plus, a few years earlier I was also given an interview at the same exact place, though with a different Hiring Manager.  This guy was an overachiever and was looking for one like him at that time.  As experts tell you that part of good interviewing etiquette is that you never tell a potential employer you want to work for them because you need money.  Even John Tesh on his radio program mentions that you tell the interviewer you are there to help the company be more successful and give them a reason why they should hire you, however this guy was disappointed that I did not mention money as the key factor for employment.   He told me that he was looking for someone that wanted to make money over the principal of the business which other employers look for the latter of the two.

So bad news this company is in addition to being sleezy and low down in its nature, but to also to introduce others to make the common workplace into the world of micromanaging which I personally feel is undermining the authority of good management as it does not allow department heads to make their own decisions anymore is also very low to say the least.


On another note, I did ask this man via email why the abrupt attitude change and he informed me not only was I totally unprepared for the interview, but he said I was not wearing a coat on top of my shirt and that I was not wearing slacks.  One of two that was incorrect as I did show up wearing slacks as I purposely do not like to wear jeans to any interview and the same slacks I wear when I am in Church.

[ET21]

I haven't had bad ones, but one I did last summer is a great lesson to everyone. What a company puts as the description is not always the truth.

I applied for a job where I'd be in marketing while i hunted for a weather job. Seemed easy enough, job description said I'd be part of a team brainstorming ideas for different areas including sports, media, etc. Turns out that I would be alone and was expected to sell and become a dealer of perfume by the end of my first month. There was nothing telling me this in the job description or the fact I'd be promoted within a week of starting and was expected to start my own business somewhere else in the country.

I should have noticed the signs when I walked in and saw the company was brand new, there was no office furniture, fresh paint, no employees except the boss and receptionist. Obviously I declined the job because I wasn't expecting so much as I just wanted to do this while I looked for a weather position, plus it seemed shady as the description was different than what I told face to face.

Final note: I called to decline the offer, the receptionist hung up on me after I politely said no. No goodbye, no "hope you have luck elsewhere", just a hang up. Well it's been 9 months and that business failed. A for sale sign popped up last month in the space.

[bandit957]

My first job was at the local library when I was 17. They interviewed a group of young people all at once. One of the interviewees was some girl who showed up in a tie-dye shirt who kept blowing huge bubbles with orange bubble gum the whole time. I think they hired her anyway.

Granted, this was 1991, when people blew bubbles with bubble gum in public all the time. But just not during job interviews.

The funny thing is that around that time, a local radio DJ read a list of ridiculous things people did at job interviews. That was one of them.

[roadman65]

Oh a few years ago I had an interview that was in response to a warehouse position.  I called and was told to come down to the office for an interview.  I showed up at the place, which was in a semi industrial area on LB McCleod Road in Orlando, so that did not seen out of the ordinary, so I went inside and met with the manager.

He first called me into his office and introduced himself and all.  Then read my app, before noticing that I was a current telemarketer.  He then told me that another position was available in sales.  He explained that I would be perfect, which made me feel special that I was given a more prestige position over working in a warehouse.  So, of course, I accepted it.  He told me I would be going around to various businesses delivering their products.  Imimediately, I thought it was a route that the distributors had under a company contract or something with the customers, so I had no issues with that. 

Then came the first day of work, where I was late because of poor time judgement on my part and heavy traffic.  So I missed the gathering that gave out such information, like the fact there was no hourly rate of pay and that it was solely commission.  And the most important factor that you needed to use your own personal vehicle to go to what I though were regular customers I also missed out. 

Of course I started work thinking we were going to deliver childrens's books, that was their product.  I went along anyhow even though I did not like the idea of using my own car.  Then we we got to the first stop, it was a small shop in Clermont, FL where the person inside the store did not acknowledge my trainer.  It was then I knew that their were no regular customers, but it was cold soliciting and something I definitely did not want to do and if had known that  I would have never agreed to this! 

I eventually told my trainer that I did not want as at first i felt so embarrassed being there.  All because I showed up late to the first day I missed out on what the job was really about.  Anyway, my trainer was reluctant to take me back to the office and to my car to leave, and when he finally did he was like this: "If we leave now, you will never be hired again," I  promptly said to the man back " I do not care"  Then he expressed urgency and said "I really mean it!"  I finally said " I mean it too, as I do not wish to ever work here again."

You are right ET, companies do lie in their ads.  This one was a real nice con, I must admit.  I cannot believe I forgot that one.

BTW: To the two users on here who do not like when I misspell words, you both take my incorrect word  back to MIT and stuff it!

[SignGeek101]

My worst interview was actually for my local provincial DOT (Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation, MIT) for a summer job as a civil engineering student that I had in Feb 2016. From the very beginning it was bad. I admitted I was very nervous and didn't look confident at all.

There were two interviewers; older women. The questions were answered very poorly (I couldn't answer the behavioural based questions at all, and made up the answers). I requested to some skip questions and come back to them; even after having a couple seconds to have answers, I still floundered and stuttered. I asked stupid questions too (I'll be working outside?, obvious stuff like that), which makes me look like a total nut. They asked for my transcript, which, let's just say isn't bad, but I'm no Einstein either. I wished I wasn't there and wanted to hide under a rock the whole time.

It sucks because I really wanted to work for a DOT over the summer, but in hindsight, it was probably a good thing I got the job I have now, working with engineers on a hydro dam project.

My best interview would be with the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) just a couple weeks after the MIT interview. That's the Canadian version of the IRS. They told me prior to the interview which areas they would be interviewing for. The questions were answered flawlessly (at least from my point of view). There were four interviewers, and they were all beaming when I was there. They offered me the job the next week. The woman that called to offer me even followed up on a group work example I gave in the interview because it was so engaging and attractive to them. I declined as that job had no correlation to my engineering background and education. It also required me to drive, which even though I'm a sign geek, I don't like. I had accepted my current job just a few hours before they offered me this one anyway, as it payed better, allowed me to bus, and was closer to my background.

I guess most people have good and bad, embarrassing interviews they really wished to forget. That's just part of life.

[US 81]

I vaguely remember moments of awkwardness when I was first starting out in the work world. Then I got to a point where I felt like I could do a good job on a typical interview. In the last what, 15-20 years or so, it seems like there are more of the personality type tests, and I can be puzzled by them. I think they supposedly measure whether or not the test taker might steal from the company or some such. I do not see how my placing the toilet roll "over" or "under" measures anything (other than possibly that I have a cat in my household)