To ask about your weirdest job interviews

[TheObstinateHeadstrongGirl]

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.

Totally off topic but your back and left leg sound very much like mine! It’s a bastard isn’t it.☹️

I had submitted my application before the closing-date. My very angry, sour interviewer kept banging on about why I hadn’t submitted it sooner, I obviously wasn’t that interested in the job. It continued in this rather acrimonious vein. I just wish I had got up and walked off. But I was young.

@WestOfWestminster I’d have been so tempted to shout “ oh, oh it won’t turn off, look” and turn the fire extinguisher on them.

Many are hilarious but so many seem to be about controlling men wanting to make young women look foolish or vulnerable.

I once arrived at interview to be told they had a second job opening they thought I would be good for so the hiring manager for that was going to sit in on the interview.
They then sat me in the centre of a 20 metre long conference table with a hiring manager at each end and fired questions at me - I couldn’t look at one without completely turning my back on the other. The second hiring manager then proceeded to go through my CV and tell me exactly how I wasn’t qualified. It was excruciating.

Then there was the one that said no knowledge or experience necessary and then proceeded to ask a very specific technical question than I obviously couldn’t answer - so I owned up, said I didn’t know but was willing to learn all about it - feedback was that I didn’t have sufficient technical knowledge 🙄

Also the one where there was me and a group of 8 other candidates sat in reception for an hour until HR realised they’d forgot to tell us all the interview venue was 20 miles away - queue frantic scramble whilst those who drove sorted out who they could give lift to from those who’d arrive by public transport.

Loads of weird interviews and this is partly because I used to apply for roles I had no interest in, but because I was nosey and covered the time off with flexi-time. I got to see some great companies and if I'd been offered something I wanted would have taken it, but usually not the case. A couple that stand out - A note was left on the door of the building (not small, a civil engineering company in Kennington, London) with directions to the office for the interview. In the room there was a typewriter (this is the olden days!) and a note asking me to carry out a few tasks. Did this quickly, waited for 20 minutes, went out and called out, nothing in response and no signs of life, so I left a note saying that I did not want to work in the Mary Celeste and left! Another time I was interviewed for a London authority, in the equivalent of a broom cupboard, by four people, who were so close we were nearly touching knees and I feared we'd run out of oxygen, it was that tight for space in there! I'd been for a few interviews in the previously few weeks and had completely run out of steam with being asked the same questions, so instead of answering directly, I responded with a scenario, how I'd deal with it etc. I got the job, as they said they needed something to take control of the policy unit and I was the only one that took over the interview!

Oh, I forgot the one where I was offered a secondment, at a prestigious museum, related to work I had already done elsewhere. My company agreed to release me for two days a week, money settled, cover in place, preparation work completed. Everything was good to go and I'd done all of the work on the set-up, implementation of the project, which was ready to use on my start. At the final meeting, at what I thought was a meet and greet, I enter the room and I am introduced to a friend of the director, who has been offered the role instead, and could I hand over the work to him. My answer was a big fat, no, that this was work from my other employment, my expertise and no way was it going to them now. Luckily I had not emailed any of this and put the report back into my bag and walked out. They then had the check to email me and ask if I'd help said person, as he lacked the background for the role. I was so restrained and responded with a one word email, saying 'No!'. Exclamation mark was included.

Interviewed for a job in “human capital management” straight out of Uni, in a tiny box room of an office in Mayfair. Did terribly at the excel test (unsurprisingly, because I couldn’t use excel and wasn’t told it would be needed). Left, only to have the owner DM me in the middle of the night offering unpaid work experience “with the possibility of a permanent job”, and inviting me to get the train in from Herts right then and there to have steak with him in Stringfellows. I declined, he was creepy to me over the course of several years when I bumped into him professionally, and then when I pointed this out he sent me a legal letter threatening to sue me for defamation 🤯

I went for a job at VictimFocus and was interviewed by Jessica Taylor.

It was the weirdest interview, she hardly asked me any questions, she just talked about herself and the company.

I got the job.

I left a while later on ethical grounds when I realised it's not the ethical feminist organisation I thought it was, it's not the slightest bit ethical, Jessica is a raging narc and pathological liar. (See the threads on Tattle Life if you're curious to know more).

Other ex staff have told me their interviews were similar so this is an interview red flag for me now!

Incidentally there are only about 7 staff left there now, out of 28 this time last year. (Left / sacked / made redundant / pushed out).

I’m 55 and have had 2 weird interviews, both decades ago.

The first was with a manufacturing firm. I was sat in a waiting room when a large clock fell off the wall right on top of my head. It really hurt, I may have had mild concussion. A receptionist had to look after me for a few minutes and got me a glass of water. I went ahead with the interview, but just didn’t perform well, later that day I developed a really bad headache. The interviewer didn’t know about the clock. Not surprisingly I didn’t get that job! I should just have gone home and not had the interview but I was young and don’t remember that this course of action even occurred to me.

The second was with a big Chartered Accountancy practice, the interviewer was elderly and seemed disengaged. He didn’t follow up on many of my replies to questions and there were long awkward pauses. Then after 10 minutes or so he got up, mumbled something, left the room and never came back. I was young and sat in there for 45 minutes waiting for him to return. Eventually I left the room and asked his secretary, sat at her desk outside his room, what was happening. She thought the interview had finished some time before and said that the interviewer was probably at lunch. I left. I was offered the job but declined it. Perhaps the interviewer felt ill? I will never know!

Imagine shouting 'too many beans!' At a customer 😂😂😂

National Gallery, early 80s. My first job (2 years) had been in a well-known publishing company as a trainee editor, moving on to junior editor working on illustrated non-fiction books. I'd been sponsored by the company to gain qualifications in print production, editing and design. The National Gallery job advert said it was looking for an assistant for the department which produced all printed materials for the gallery and shop. Imagine all the brochures, leaflets, postcards, signage and other printed materials required for an organisation like that. It said quite clearly in the advert that no qualification in art or history of art was required but I had was a regular visitor to the gallery and knew a fair bit.

I was interviewed by a panel of three who, when I checked their names later, turned out to be art historians. They seemed very grand. They gave me two postcards, one of a Rembrandt self-portrait and one of a David, and told me to talk about them. I rattled off what I knew about Rembrandt and the Dutch school, and about David and neo-classicism. They didn't seem impressed, so I explained that I didn't have an Art History background, just a keen interest in art. They shuddered. I explained that I thought my qualifications and background were a good fit for the advertised position and directed them to my CV. They gave me a task to do: I had to research and write up the provenance of both paintings. As I left I heard one of them say 'Well, that was a waste of time'. I still did the task required and delivered it a few days later, having been to the British Library to do my research. I never heard from them.

I still, 40 years later, have no idea why they were so disapproving. They were looking for a junior to assist with the production and editing of their printed materials. It was what I'd been trained to do. The whole experience had been horrible and I felt rattled for a long time. I still, every time I go to the National Gallery, feel the old bruise to my ego.

🤣🤣🤣

This one is truly bonkers!

I think this thread lends itself to a book, or a reality tv show at the very least!

I was young and wanted a part-time job to give me some extra pocket money when I was in college . I applied for one in my local takeaway/restaurant. They asked me to come in for an interview. I was very excited and went along all dressed up. The guy didn't speak much English, ushered me around the restaurant, showed me the kitchen, showed me were the tables were and then made me stand at the front desk with the phone and a menu. He went off into the back ( he was the chef) and the phone started ringing. I panicked and tried my hardest to get the orders down but I didn't have a clue. I then had the delivery driver in shouting at me asking where his pick ups were. I finally snapped and walked straight into the kitchen and told him I was done and didn't want the job that bad. He shrugged at me and went back to cooking. I remember walking outside and getting picked up by my dad. We both had a huge laugh about it. We then drove out to get some food for ourselves and seen another part-time post in our local filling station. I applied and had a proper interview. I got the job and I stayed with them for nearly 3 years.

A few years ago I went for an interview for a nursery nurse position in a church hall playgroup. Interview was meant to consist of an hour working in the playgroup with the children ehikst being watched and a spoken interview. I ended up working there for the full 3 hours unsupervised. I could have been literally anyone but they just left me to it.
The manager's husband made me a cup of tea on my break and was flirtatious, so then she kept giving me dirty looks.Then the actual interview itself was with the manager and 2 other women who were some of the most stuck up people I've ever met in my life. I knew they were looking down on me. I was in my early 20s and had a few years experience of working in childcare and had children of my own but they talked to me as if I was an idiot. I never got the job and they never even had the decency to tell me that, they just never got in touch, despite the fact I'd worked almost a full shift there for free.

Good for you. This reminds me of the straw that finally broke the camel's back for me many years ago. I was very unhappy in my job for various reasons and becoming desperate to leave. It was an odd set up, as I was embedded in one department to provide a particular service, but I belonged to a central team and my line manager was in that central team. He knew nothing about my day to day work except what I told him. He knew I was unhappy and that I was looking for another job within the organisation. I applied for a newly created part-time post and was one of three internal candidates offered an interview. It would be based in another department but once again I would be part of the same central team with the same line manager, so no great surprise that he was on the interview panel.

The job involved setting something up which would require knowledge and skills I had been building up and applying for some years in my then current job. It was a major part of my day to day work. I knew the other two interviewees. They were both very new to the organisation and I knew they didn't have the experience I had. One was working in the department where the job would be based, and this was the kind of place where an applicant who was already a known quantity was often preferred (or occasionally automatically ruled out, which was how I'd got my previous job - but that's another story). Nevertheless, I thought I stood a pretty good chance of getting this job and the interview seemed to go well.

I was absolutely gutted to be told by my line manager a few hours later that the job was going to the woman already in that department. I still wish I'd made a formal complaint, as I can't believe the interviews and experience on application forms were fairly rated. However, what I actually did was redouble my efforts to look for another job, and fortunately within a few weeks I was out of there, without a backwards glance.

But the sting in the tail was that the successful candidate was sent to talk to me. She was a nice woman, and she was clearly absolutely mortified about the position she found herself in. She started off by saying she had assumed I would get the job as I knew so much about it and was amazed at how things had turned out. I replied as graciously as I could. She then said, and she was obviously extremely embarrassed indeed at having to say this, that as she had no experience whatsoever in the area of work she was now responsible for, she had been asked to talk to me so I could give her a detailed briefing on all the things she would now need to do. I could hardly believe it.

Not a job, but went with DD to a university open day where they asked the students to build a model of their aspirations in Lego. I guess they thought they were trying to be cool and innovative but it was just embarrassing and it really put us both off the place

I once went for an interview via an agency. The interviewer asked me increasingly detailed (and personal) questions. When I asked what the job itself actually entailed, he told me that he would only tell me if he thought I was suitable for the job! I walked out.

I laughed so much reading this !

I had one a bit like that - I hardly got a word in edge ways.

Mine also spent time telling me how unsuitable I was for the job based on my application form.

I was very young at the time so didn't actually have the confidence to ask her why she was wasting my time

I was 18 and interviewing to be a receptionist. The manager laughed that I was so short the uniform trousers would be far too long but he could order me a 'nice, short skirt' with a wink 🤮 he then asked if I had good balance as sometimes the notice boards needed updating, could I stand on the table and show him I could reach??

I did get offered and accept the job and he did continue to be a complete perv. He later got sacked for inappropriate behaviour.

I really think these interviewers make candidates do daft things for their own amusement. Remember the advert years ago where managers got everyone on the boardroom to make some ape movements and noises only to laugh like drains when they left the room?

A couple from my last job hunting round before I moved to my current position

• member of the interview panel turned out to be someone from central services in my current organisation. We had disagreed on some technical issues in the past. I pointed this out & suggested it was inappropriate that he interviewed me. Turned out he'd set himself up as a consultant and was doing this side job on the company's time

• Started on thise rubbish question's along the what animal would you be & why line. Its all bollocks so i said i assumed you were interestedin my experienceand what i could bring to the role. None of this questioning is relevant or tells you anything about me and my skills so if youre foing to to continue aling these lines im leaving. The lead interviewer muttered something about asking all interviewees the same question so i responded that then they were wasting everyones time which showed a lack of respect for the applicants and reflected poorly on the organisations recruitment procedures and left.

I was in my late 40s, knew my worth and didn't need to put myself through that rubbish

Oh I wish I had your sense @StripeyDeckchair