Interview horror- I’ve blown it 🤦‍♀️

[MrsDontDoMuch]

Zoom interview with two other people.

So excited, an interview for a job I really want was brought forward from tomorrow to today. I had worked hard on preparation and performed well.

Got to the end when they asked if I had any questions, as I opened my mouth my body let out a huge fart with no warning. I tried to muffle the sound by shuffling on my seat only to create a noise which quite frankly I think will haunt me. This high pitched long squeak ensued to which I’m sure I saw the ladies eyebrows raised a little, at which point she nodded in a sympathetic way, said ‘thank you for your time’ whilst leaning forward, clearly reaching to press the ‘end’ button.
I’m absolutely mortified that my body has let me down. I’m beside myself with shame.

Is there any possibility you think they didn’t hear it? If you interviewed someone who was a good candidate but let one out at the end would (could) you overlook it?

Please can someone reassure me, I just don’t know how to get past this.

Have I blown it? (Excuse the pun)

@joystir59

I so feel for you! I farted loudly once in a very quiet moment in a very serious business meeting that I was chairing. Noone laughed afterwards which made it worse.

You should have just said "and I want that minuting" - in your best pompous voice.

Did they also get a lovely screen with dots if snot on it?!

Yep. My manager was on the interview panel and she told me that the next question was going to be "how would you cope in an embarrassing situation" ( many of our service users have no filter so stares and comments from other people are quite common), and ,as far as they were concerned I had already answered that one.

You should have just said "and I want that minuting" - in your best pompous voice.

When I do a particularly impressive burp (or, more rarely, fart) I follow it up with, ‘...proclaimed the king’

@riceuten

Floorboard and chairs creaking can sound incredibly fartlike.

Just as long as you didn't preface your emission with "Listen to this, too good to miss", and they didn't say "More tea, vicar?" you will be fine.

If you don't get the job, it absolutely won't be because of this - imagine the scenario - "Well, we'd love to offer her the job, but that fart sounded like she stepped on a duck".

Proper laughed out loud at the duck 😂

@trappedsincesundaymorn

At my last interview (a Zoom one), I was answering a serious question when, with absolutely no warning, I sneezed. Not a delicate sneeze, oh no, it was a sneeze like an old man with half a ton of snuff up his nose. As my head jolted forward, I knocked the camera off the monitor. I looked at the screen to find the 3 people interviewing me laughing fit to burst. I fixed the camera back on, shrugged my shoulders and they ended the interview. Still got the job though.

Genuinely tears of laughter 🤣 And congratulations!!

They were probably trying to end the call to laugh.

Or thought you needed to change your pants.

Ah, this thread has reminded me of the time a friend described a job interview of his.

He rushed to the place wearing a smart shirt and tie (of course), but underneath a really huge padded overcoat.

When he arrived the zip got stuck so he couldn't get the coat off (and show off his lovely smart attire). He had to ask the interviewee to help get his zip unstuck but she couldn't do it either despite apparently fiddling around for quite a long time!

He sat there going through the interview in a huge coat whilst dripping with sweat because it was a lot warmer in the office than outside.

He still got the job.

I so wish this OP wasn’t made up. Still mildly amusing all the same.

Ahh, I hope you get it!

At least they will remember you!

@thenightsky

I once interviewed a woman who turned up with about 5 full-to-bursting Tesco carrier bags of shopping. She interviewed very well, but when she turned to leave, she had a big velcro roller stuck in her hair behind one ear.

I gave her the job and she actually became one of my dearest and best friends.

I’m not surprised; she sounds so...human!

For all they know it was your dog under the table, your child just off screen, some noise like a chair scraping that gets distorted by zoom. They probably weren’t sure so switched you off in case they got the giggles!

Next time pretend to glare and shush someone off screen! Or give an imaginary person a shocked look and shake your head then say something like ‘sorry about that, my dog was trying to rip the sofa again!’

Lots of interviewees (and interviewers) get interrupted by kids and pets. I got the giggles whilst interviewing recently because the lady’s cat jumped on her and rubbed its bottom on the camera! Another time we could hear a man’s kid shouting from the background ‘daddy I need you to wipe me!’ It’s best if you laugh then the interviewer can laugh too, or we have to sit tight trying to keep a straight face!!

Face to face interviews are much worse. I’ll never forget the poor girl whose sandal flew off her foot straight under my desk and my male colleague had to crawl around on the floor to find it then handed it back to her. She was so embarrassed she could hardly talk!

I once got so nervous in an interview I picked up the glass of water they’d provided and my hand was shaking so much I promptly tipped half of it down my blouse! Then I had to carry on pretending nothing had happened, knowing my blouse had turned transparent.

I interviewed a lady who suddenly asked to go to the toilet halfway through, it was just opposite the interview room but she fainted before she got there sort of half in half out the door. My colleague jumped up and somehow triggered her emergency alarm so everyone in the vicinity came running (about 20 people) and stood over her just as she was coming round. Everyone was asking what’s going on and the poor lady was utterly confused. My colleague had to explain she squashed the alarm by mistake, I’ve never seen her blush before! (Only meant to use alarm for incidents of violence!)

Oh another one; lady needed the loo just before she came in. Then halfway through. Then again before the end and each time she was gone 20 minutes so there was a queue of candidates building! When asked if she was ok she said she was having an IBS attack due to nerves. She got the job partly because she was good partly we admired her perseverance in battling on when she was unwell.

OP you must update us!!

Hello, just an update. I got the job!!!

Looks like I came up trumps after all 🤣🤣

Absolutely brilliant well done.
No doubt you will be tooting your own horn all day !!

Well done op :o

Nice one!

Woohoo! Well done OP!

Brilliant!

Well done Op! That’s great news 💨

Brilliant op, I hope you will be very happy there

Congratulations 🥳

Sounds like you blew them away! Bravo

Yay well done! Bet that's put the wind in your sails 😆

Excellent - well done