Totally buggered up interview. Please tell me your awful interview cock ups, make me laugh and not feel like such a dumbass.

[crosser62]

Turned up a day early.
Drenched to the skin.
A. DAY. EARLY.
A full 24 hours.
Early.

One interview which I felt wasnt going well. They then started asking all these weird quirky questions about my favourite colour etc. I had lost focus by the time they said, " In one word, what could you bring to this organisation?". While my brain was thinking "mmmm?" my mouth leaped right in and said ,deadpan, " Glamour!"

I left, mortified. I got the job.

A friend of mine went for a very senior job. The PA gave him a bottle of sparkling water while he was waiting which exploded when he opened it leaving a big wet patch all over his crotch. He thought that is it, I've completely blown it, so embarrassing. But he did the interview, relaxed and got the job!

I turned up a day early for an interview for a job. Then went the next day and got the job! So don’t lose hope!

The weirdest interview I ever had - just thinking about interviews- was when I went for a job in a little local bakery after id moved to the back end of beyond from rough and tough South London and the manager took me into a small stock cupboard for the interview! For a second I did wonder if he was going to kill me - and I went anyway - but i think it was just that he didn’t have an office or anything. It was the weirdest 10 mins of my life and I got the job and stayed for years after that. Lovely people...!

OP, don't worry too much! Someone I interviewed once did that to me. My colleague and I were surprised and a bit baffled but didn't mention it and just did the interview then. He didn't get the job but honestly it had nothing to do with the timing error and wouldn't have factored into our decision had we wanted to hire him. We thought he was pretty enthusiastic and maybe a bit stressed about it, and these things do happen. So good luck tmrw!

Upgraded my I can buy a beer in french to I speak fluent french on my application, only to be interviewed by a french lady!!

I had a NHS interview during the pandemic. I tried to shake hands with the Doctors as I entered the interview room. They looked at me like i was mad and obviously didn't return the handshake 😂

Clearly I forgot about social distancing amidst all the nerves. Still cringe when I think about it

Businessy teamy exercise thing with two teams and some gizmos, intended to have negotiations between the teams. (Not a euphemism, I swear!). I took it a bit too far when I, without telling my teammates, decided theft was better than negotiation and barged into the other team's room and ran off with their gizmos .

I was soon made to feel very sheepish by my teammates.

I applied for a job in a police station office. I was expecting to be interviewed by an office manager or something but a panel of 5 high ranking officers conducted my interview. Me, an 18 year old girl and 5 older men in uniform opposite me. It totally threw me off and I was not prepared. I could hardly speak! Still laugh about it years later.

Went for an assessment day at a biggish site and one of the candidates was late. We started without him but the assessors got a number of phone calls from him at various points on the perimeter fence. He never did find the gate

I once got lost on the way to an interview, was about 10 minutes late, but while lost the weather turned and I was DRENCHED
Amazingly got the job

I went a week early for an interview once. They were very polite to me when I announced myself and tried to accommodate the interview that day

I went back for the actual interview a week later and somehow absolutely smashed it and they offered me the job

I think I went in with a nothing to lose attitude the 2nd time round and it helped

Good luck with the interview!

I went for a job at a car parts company. They asked me what I knew about car parts so of course I described myself as a car moron.

I got trapped in an interview room once.
It was a teaching interview and after the main bit was finished they asked me to go back to the staffroom and wait. My hands were a bit sweaty and it was a metal twisty round handle. I just couldn't open the door!
In the end I turned to the panel and said 'Help?' helplessly. The Deputy Head let me out and I wandered back to the staffroom giggling at myself.

I got the job.

My worst interview was also a teaching one - I had a dreadful cold and felt like death. I was wearing a reasonably short dress and the pre interview task meant I needed to get down on the floor with a group of kids - it really wasn't elegant! The elderly governor on the panel fell asleep and one of the other candidates spent the entire time we were waiting in the staffroom sobbing with nerves so I spent my time handing her tissues and making her tea.
I got that job too.

I went for an interview and it was apparent that the person interviewing me hand to read my cv, had no idea who I was or much about the job. It was his business so the feeling I got was that he wasn’t remotely interested in me or the job so I was wasting my time.

He glanced at my cv and ask ‘so what’s this 4 year gap then?’ (The gap that did have an explanation written next to it - parental leave). I was a bit exasperated by then and it just slipped out ‘oh - I was in jail...’ then hooted with laughter (this was a standing joke when I was in art school as to any gaps in your cv, missed lessons, or when you were pretending to sound ‘interesting’).

God knows how but I got the job (I should have gone with my instinct as the place made me ill).

At least you'll have made an impression.

I’ve always interviewed quite well for jobs but I remember my first interview for university. It was at UCL and I was hopelessly intimidated as I came from a very ordinary comprehensive school and was already pretty overwhelmed when I got there. It was to do English and I just wittered on to a stony faced interviewer and it was SO CLEAR that I was horribly out of my depth. I remember them asking me “what is your favourite genre of literature” (totally reasonable question for a fucking English degree) and I had literally never heard the word “genre” (how??) and I was trying to guess what he meant and he just kept saying “genre, what’s your favourite genre?”. So terrible.
Anyway, I fucked that one and in the end just decided that English wasn’t for me (despite doing well in my A Levels) and ended up taking a year out and then doing a totally different degree at Bristol where the interviewer was warm and friendly, so it was all for the best in the end (especially as I met me husband of 16 years at Bristol).

While at university I applied for a job. I was based in a big city and didnt drive.
The information stated smart dress.
So I got dressed up and wore smart shoes.
With plenty of time i checked the route and the bus I would need to take. This was before the time of smartphones where everyone has Google maps in their pockets.
I must have missed my stop. Luckily I had bought a day ticket for the bus. So could ride the bus as many times as needed for the day.
I then waited for another bus to go back a few stops so I could locate the venue. Alas the time had passed and I was late.
I never did find the venue I was still trying to find the place up to an hour after my interview time. Eventually I gave up and made my way back to my accommodation.
My mum asked me how the interview had gone I couldn't bring myself to admit what had happened I just said I hadn't got the job and have never told anyone about it til today.

My most hilarious interview fuckup was actually when my Uni housemate applied to MI5 and got an interview. She told EVERYONE, left the forms out on the kitchen table etc - and even posted on her very open, public, Facebook about the exciting opportunity ahead of her. Funnily enough, they got in contact with her and said she was no longer being considered

Hi @Rudolphian

Hope you feel better now that's out! 🤗

5 years ago I was looking for a part time job that suited having a family and applied for McDonald’s having been recommended by others in similar circumstances.

Interview was going well. Went out onto the shop floor for some further talks, sat at table and then interview was over. I got up, shook his hand and then went arse over tit on the newly mopped floor.

I believe that despite a good interview they only gave me the job Incase I sued them as no wet floor signs. Hated it there and left after about 6 months.

I was once the only applicant for a job at the place I already worked at. Everyone was convinced it was a formality as I was perfect for the job, could do it with my eyes closed, as was literally the only one being interviewed.
Yeah.
They called me ‘one horse’ for an entire year (as in ‘oh my god it was a one horse race and she still lost’.)
My boss called me in afterwards and asked how it went and I said look, I wouldn’t give me the job.....
They gapped it for a year before they re-advertised. At least this time I went up against four others. I did get it.
People still ask me if my evil twin sister locked me up and did the first interview.
One horse.
😂

Not so bad but at an interview in my twenties at very grand City law firm the interviewing partner saw I was from Bristol “oh I went to school there St Cuthberts (grandest public boarding school in city) where we were you?”

Had to admit I was at bog standard comp “oh I’ve not heard of that one”. Cringe!

Got the job though but I was literally the only person there who had been to state school and had not been to Oxford/Cambridge/Harvard/Yale 😁

Not me but someone I knew went to an interview in Germany for a German firm. He flew there using Lufthansa. The first question was the inevitable 'How was your journey ?' followed by 'which airline did you fly'. He replied 'Luftwaffe' and didn't even realise he'd made a mistake. Unsurprisingly he didn't get that job.

@ItsReallyOnlyMe

Not me but someone I knew went to an interview in Germany for a German firm. He flew there using Lufthansa. The first question was the inevitable 'How was your journey ?' followed by 'which airline did you fly'. He replied 'Luftwaffe' and didn't even realise he'd made a mistake. Unsurprisingly he didn't get that job.

He replied 'Luftwaffe

OMG - what a mistake to make! I actually burst into embarrassed laughter (06:23 alone on my sofa) on his behalf. Poor chap: I hope he's managed to live that one down. 🌹

I don't see that as a negative! You're super conscientious 😊 and will make you stand out! As PP said, better that 24 hours early!

I have 2! Strangely got the job both times first was at 16 for a Saturday job, was asked why I applied for that particular store, explained I had handed a CV in to Sainsbury's over the road and it was only a short walk so thought I'd give it a go

Second was for a teaching job. Misread the interview lesson details and thought I would only have an old school Over Head Projector available. Spent ages getting all of my lesson slides printed onto acetate sheets. On arrival we were asked for our memory sticks, I produced a wedge of plastic sheets to a very confused looking technician who ended up at the back of the school storage cupboard trying to find their OHP from the 80s. Kids looked rather confused as well. Still not quite sure how I got that job, suppose it was retro if nothing else!