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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask about your weirdest job interviews

274 replies

TheObstinateHeadstrongGirl · 13/04/2023 23:30

Last year I interviewed for a job in which I had to give a 15 minute presentation about a successful social media campaign I’ve run. It wasn’t for a social media job (and there was nothing about social media in the job description) or anything like it! But I do have social media experience so I accepted the interview with a view to asking in the interview about it.

The end of the (weird) interview - not long after I presented the 15 minute task all about my successful campaigns - went as follows:

Interviewer: Any questions?
Me: Yes, how does the role involve social media?
Interviewer: It doesn’t [looks at me like I’m an idiot]. We actually have a social media officer who manages our channels.
Me: Ah I see, I suppose I just presumed with having to do a social media presentation?
Interviewer: What do you mean?
Me:….Well the presentation task was ‘Describe a successful social media campaign you’ve managed’
Interviewer: Yes. And? Sorry I don’t know what you’re getting at.
Me: [Confused stare]

It went on like this for a bit longer. Still have no idea why I had to do that presentation.

I was offered the job. I said I will have a think and sleep on it. The (same) interviewer got really shirty saying I shouldn’t be going for interviews for jobs unless I was going to accept them.

I declined the job.

OP posts:
friendlycat · 14/04/2023 22:57

Many moons ago I was asked what career my father had and was handed a bottle of champagne and asked to open it. Also which areas of London I socialised in bars, restaurants etc. In those days (advertising agency) this was standard in amongst the normal interview style questions.

They basically wanted to know your social and etiquette skills as well as the more traditional skills necessary for the job.

Babdoc · 14/04/2023 23:05

Back in 1981 I interviewed for a junior doctor post in paediatrics. I was asked by the (frankly bonkers) consultant how my husband would breast feed my children while I was at work! I was childless at the time, with no plans for a family.
The chap who was offered the job promptly refused it. After a short pause, they called in another of the male candidates and offered it to him instead. He also refused it. At that point they gave up and readvertised the post!
I took a post for specialist training in anaesthetics instead as a stop gap, loved it, and stayed for 36 years.

marblemad · 14/04/2023 23:16

A recent interview where I had gone through 3 rounds of interview already (not minor interviews either i.e. 1hr long each if not longer) and didn't hear back for a number of weeks; I have a friend who works there in a different department who had encouraged me to go for the role and even they were confused. It was just the role above my role I had down south but had returned to the north of the midlands and decided it would be easier to find local work. I let my friend know I obviously had other interviews and would have to decide pretty soon if I didn't hear back...around 2 days later I received a phone call from the hiring manager and either way thought well at least I will definitively know surely and no! They requested I do another interview! I queried why and they stated it was really competitive, I let them know I obviously had now received other offers and was reluctant and they informed me it was due to a team management change and the manager wanted to re interview everyone! I reluctantly agreed and it was horrendous, very sexist questions about whether I would be going of to have children and would it impact my career, asking questions well above the pay grade and then trying to incorrectly 'mansplain' to me when he realised I actually knew the right answer and process! I snapped at one point and subtly pointed out where exactly he was going with his line of questioning as I had worked in the role for a few years at that point and he (from his linkedin ) hadn't ever worked in that industry but had just managed teams. I informed the hiring manager after that I was withdrawing as I obviously couldn't work under the new management and stated my reasonings. I got a few awful emails the next day from the manager himself telling me that not only would he have not given me the job (even though I learnt they ended up not filling the role) but that I apparently completely 'made up' my complaint about him. According to my friend he has now apparently left after only 4 months in the role and I accepted another offer for a remote stem company on slightly more than the utilities company with entirely remote working.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 14/04/2023 23:21

Mammyloveswine · 14/04/2023 00:38

I went for a senior leadership Role in a school and had to complete tasks,,, one was to prioritise different scenarios: this was one of them...

"You get to school to find that the school pig has escaped and is running around the yard. It is 10 minutes until the caretaker opens the gates".

That would have sold me on the school immediately - as long as they actually had livestock!

MidsummerMimi · 14/04/2023 23:23

As a student in the US I had an interview for a Nursing Home summer job.
The Nursing home was for psycho- geriatric patients.A huge gothic wooden building on top of a hill.
I was ushered into the kitchen on arrival.
The Matron, who conducted my interview was reclining on a giant table, dressed in a black bathing suit, holding a revolver.
Other staff members were photographing her.
I got the job, joined the team of other Nurses Aides which included a very famous Actor’s mother and had a brilliant and utterly surreal summer there.

Thepossibility · 14/04/2023 23:33

When I was working at a Beauty therapist I went for a job interview in what ended up being a sex/massage parlour.

Couldn't get away fast enough.

NewNameForXmas · 14/04/2023 23:34

Mammyloveswine · 14/04/2023 00:38

I went for a senior leadership Role in a school and had to complete tasks,,, one was to prioritise different scenarios: this was one of them...

"You get to school to find that the school pig has escaped and is running around the yard. It is 10 minutes until the caretaker opens the gates".

I always keep a packet of chocolate digestives in my drawer for just such an emergency. Also works on children and adults having various crises.

catinboooots · 14/04/2023 23:42

My ex went for a group interview for a recruitment company. They made them all get up in a brightly lit conference room and pretend they were in a nightclub. They had to dance with no music and interact as though in a club.
He walked out on the spot. As I would have too.

Improbablecat · 14/04/2023 23:44

I'm a doctor. This was about 10 years ago. I had applied for a specialist registrar post. I am scottish and had only applied to jobs in Scotland. But they centralised all the interviews for my specialty that year to Manchester.

One section was a clinical scenario where I had to calm down a very angry man screaming at me. We were told that "for fairness" they had not employed local actors, but had brought actors up from London. I spent 20 minutes with a man I understood maybe 80% of the shoutings of, but he clearly couldn't understand anything I was saying and became increasingly abusive. He eventually turned to the assessors observing and said "can this bird even speak English?" It was nightmarish. I have a fairly standard Edinburgh accent.
The woman after me had clearly overheard and whispered "I'm fucked" in a Belfast accent as we crossed paths.

I actually did get offered my preferred job in Scotland, presumably because he couldn't understand any of the other Scots either so we all scored as well as each other!

MumofSpud · 14/04/2023 23:52

Another good one - I had an interview for a school support position and one of the tasks was to do an IT task - word and excel- I had no idea about excel and knew the role wouldn't involve it so I told the person supervising me that as we were running late I just did the word task.
She later said great initiative when I got the job!
Was there for 7 years and never needed excel!

reddwarfgeek · 14/04/2023 23:58

I was a junior biology technician in a University laboratory. I saw advertised a job at the BBC that was for a 'laboratory technician'. I wasn't quite sure what the job involved, but I was only quite young (26/27) and as it was better pay, I applied and (somehow) got an interview.

The job was totally mis-represented, it was not a lab technician at all but basically a person who looks after wires, equipment, and electrics for TV filming! I had to do several tasks in the interview, the worst do some welding and fix some lights! It wasn't made better by the fact these guys were good looking minted types who were slightly older than me, they kept looking over my shoulder tutting. All very embarrassing!
Something stopped me just walking out, I just thought to myself "see it through as best you can, soon you can leave". I didn't get the job but they did say I conducted myself well in the interview 😂

igor · 15/04/2023 00:06

My most memorable interview was the interviewer spotting a huntsman above the door of the room we were in after we had walked in. She was terrified of spiders, there was no phone in the room we were in and she'd left her mobile on her desk so couldn't get someone to remove it (I didn't fancy touching it either) - I had to hold her hand and walk her back through with her eyes closed to get back out. I did get the job 🤣

reddwarfgeek · 15/04/2023 00:09

@WestOfWestminster "Too many beans!".
Crying laughing. How did you keep a straight face at that? 😂

tobee · 15/04/2023 03:34

And????

I want to know what he thought of the place!!! @thisshizisbananas

tobee · 15/04/2023 03:35

thisshizisbananas · 14/04/2023 19:59

This is long, but too weird not to share.

I went for an interview in my late 20s, it was in an office near the Barbican which looked a bit shabby outside but seemed to be something of a tardis inside. There was no receptionist, only a security guard at the door and every room seemed to have little to no furniture, as if it had been entirely furnished from items found at the tip.

On arrival, I was greeted by a woman and taken downstairs to a small windowless basement room. The woman asked me if I’d travelled from far. I said where I’d come from (city outside of London.)
“Are you from there?”
“Yes.”
“And your parents, are they from there?”
“No, they’re from Sheffield and London.”
“And how did they come to move there?”
“My Dad got a job there.”
“And do you have any brothers and sisters?”
“Yes, a sister.”
“And what do they do?”
“They’re at university.”
“What are they studying?”
These questions went on for quite some time, beyond the stage of preliminary social chit chat. Suddenly she produced a set of coloured cards.
“OK, I’d like you to have a look at these coloured cards and tell me which colours speak to you.”
Bemused, I picked out some cards.
“Very good. Now do you have any questions about the job?”
I asked her some questions about the job, by this point I’d been in there for nearly an hour and had not been asked any questions about my experience or ability to do the job. She answered my questions before suddenly cutting across: “OK. I’m going to put the cards out again, and could you tell me which ones appeal to you again.” I repeated the exercise.
She then suddenly ushered me out of the room as if the interview was over. We walked back upstairs and just as I was practically back at the reception abruptly asked, “Do you have to shoot off or do you have anymore time? We’d like you to do a test.” Obviously - stupidly - I said yes, it was just too weird not to.
She then took me to another windowless room, before producing a sheet of paper which looked like it had been photocopied 3000 times with various questions on it. The type of “brain teasers” you see on social media. On her return, she marked my answers before explaining in great detail what I had done wrong on the answers I’d gotten wrong. I assumed that was it, but to my astonishment she then asked me again if I had any more time. We walked through a rabbit warren of corridors before I was to taken to an office to be introduced to someone I presume was the MD. He was an elderly man and looked like something out of Dickens, sitting behind an enormous mahagony desk. He said nothing to me I was ushered in and introduced. The woman left and we sat there for at least two minutes in total silence before he suddenly said:
“The light. It is broken. Could you excuse me a moment.”
He picked up the telephone, and asked for a lightbulb to be sent up. He continued to stare at me for longer then was comfortable, before saying, “Are you aware that you look like a pre-Raphaelite?” He then told me that his daughter also looked like a pre-Raphealite and managed a famous TV personality. That concluded the conversation. I was then taken to another room, stuck in front of a computer and asked to edit a document before finally I was allowed to leave.

Back out on the street I looked at my phone and realised I’d been in there for over four and a half hours. They’d not even asked me any interview type questions. I never heard anything back from them. The whole experience was so bizarre I honestly thought I’d hallucinated the whole experience until a few years later a friend’s new boyfriend randomly turned out to be working there.

I screwed up the quote!!!!

Berklilly · 15/04/2023 06:19

Mine wasn't for a job but for a business degree aimed a junior professional (2-4 years work experience). The school was in the suburbs of Paris on top of a hill, the interview was scheduled at 4pm on the hottest day of July, on a public transport strike day...
Had to get trains from london, pay for a hotel, and then walk in my heels to the top of that stupid hill in the heat because there was no buses... Then wait an hour because they were late... I went in and they asked a lot of questions about my professional experience (in a research lab), after 30 min one of them said "oh well clearly, based on your CV, you are way over qualified for this degree, so you won't be a good fit, but your job looked so interesting that we wanted to chat with you and kept you for the last interview of the day!"

SparklingChampagneAndStrawberries · 15/04/2023 06:44

I went for a job as a contracting officer and one of the questions was along the lines of ‘what is equality and diversity’. I said what it was in broad terms and then gave a STAR example as to how I’d helped a hearing impaired colleague.

Anyway, I didn’t get the role and apparently that was one of my lowest scoring questions even though I’ve used that answer before and got top marks. Accordingly to this interviewer, to value diversity, you shouldn’t dig up a road outside a mosque on a Friday. I mean, I get it but it seemed weird for their to only be one right answer and it seemed so random.

Then, the even stranger part. When I brought up the fact I felt the answer was very specific and I didn’t know how I could have guessed it. He started screaming down the phone. Saying he was glad he hadn’t chosen me. I got quite annoyed at this rant and hung up on him. He then called back to continue the tirade and would barely let me get a word in edgewise. My husband had to tell him to stop in the end and I blocked his number.

SparklingChampagneAndStrawberries · 15/04/2023 06:44

*there

TheKobayashiMaru · 15/04/2023 07:15

BringtheJury · 14/04/2023 20:33

@TheKobayashiMaru the dealership didn't begin with S did it ?

I honestly don't remember. It was very long ago, sorry.

SpeckledlyHen · 15/04/2023 07:24

Improbablecat · 14/04/2023 23:44

I'm a doctor. This was about 10 years ago. I had applied for a specialist registrar post. I am scottish and had only applied to jobs in Scotland. But they centralised all the interviews for my specialty that year to Manchester.

One section was a clinical scenario where I had to calm down a very angry man screaming at me. We were told that "for fairness" they had not employed local actors, but had brought actors up from London. I spent 20 minutes with a man I understood maybe 80% of the shoutings of, but he clearly couldn't understand anything I was saying and became increasingly abusive. He eventually turned to the assessors observing and said "can this bird even speak English?" It was nightmarish. I have a fairly standard Edinburgh accent.
The woman after me had clearly overheard and whispered "I'm fucked" in a Belfast accent as we crossed paths.

I actually did get offered my preferred job in Scotland, presumably because he couldn't understand any of the other Scots either so we all scored as well as each other!

the Belfast woman had me howling

Needathickskin · 15/04/2023 07:38

Late 90s, interview at a Japanese bank in the City for a front office role. Was asked if the ring on my finger was an engagement ring..perhaps not unsurprisingly did not get the job.

DiscoStusMoonboots · 15/04/2023 07:52

I had a job interview to be the office manager at Secrets strip club in Hammersmith about 15 years ago. One of the first things the woman in charge asked (through a mouthful of fag ash and smoke) was, 'Can you type?' When I replied yes, she drew a massive tick next to my name on her clipboard.

She then led me over to a wall full of Polaroids of the women who danced there, pointed to one and said, 'That one's getting fat and putting off the punters. How you going to tell her?' before shoving a phone in my hand. I politely declined and said maybe I wasn't the person for the post.

Two hours later, I got a voicemail asking me to come back for second interview as I 'showed promise'. I never called her back.

twilighteaser · 15/04/2023 10:31

Body Shop early 90s for a Saturday job. All candidates had to go off in a room together, write a song and then come back into the room and perform it with a dance too. I was a drama student so was ok with performing, but it was still really awkward. Understandably, most applicants were not comfortable with it one bit. I didn't get the job.

CC4712 · 15/04/2023 11:40

Interviewed a woman to join the casual pool/bank. All she kept asking was whether we'd pay for her travel expenses and pay for a hotel when she worked- NO. Interview over quickly.

20mins later, reception called to say the candidate wanted to speak to me. Candidate ushers me outside and says she will 'cut a deal'. If we cut the recruitment agency out, don't tell them I gave her the job, we can all make some money! She said this whilst rubbing her fingers together. I again said NO.

She then says 'great then, and you'll also pay my hotel and travel'! 🙄
I reported the CF. 3mths later- she applied again, but had swapped her names around and thought we wouldn't notice!