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.

I did have one interview in my early 20s where a woman seemed incredibly angry at me - she asked whether I'd really want her to contact my old boss from a company and check everything I'd said, because she knew him personally. At the time, I was so surprised by the anger, I replied 'Oh, um, yes, if you know how to get hold of him because I don't think he's in the area anymore and I think the company's closed now'.

These days, I would have responded with a 'Oh, will he be sending you a visitor's order? I didn't realise he was in (the nearest prison) after his conviction for fraud which led to the company going bust shortly after he fired me for noticing discrepancies in the ordering system - I'm assuming you must be his mother, seeing as I've already met his wife, kids and his mistress?'.

Interviewer talking about the importance of self-development, before stating that tall people are more intelligent than shorter ones. How much effort did you put into being tall Jon?

The neanderthal who was busy wrecking a business, screamed and shouted at people as I waited for my interview. He interrupted the interview to send an text, following which someone barged in announcing an urgent phone call which needed his personal attention. "Who is it" our hero asked, "Who's what?" came the baffled reply. Stay classy Dave.

Oh my god I used to work with a buisness coach that did this!! Demanded I get everyone's date of birth so they could work out their horoscope and decided if they'd work with them based on that 😂 absolute madness

Went for a job in a shop restaurant that involved early morning starts . This was the mid eighties and I was young and newly married. The interviewer started to ask personal questions like how much my hb earned , where he worked . How much my house cost , etc . She asked me who was going to get up and cook his breakfast if I took this job . I replied he can get his own and I won't be bloody well cooking it - ever . I didn't get the job . Surprise

I was interviewed by a young man who didn't ask me a single question, just talked about himself and what a great salesman he was. The only words I uttered were 'nice to meet you'. and 'thank you for your time' .
I got the job, based on what , I've no idea!

Over 30 years ago now I had an interview for a job in The Body Shop. All I remember is having to pretend we were on a desert island, in groups of 4 and the interviewers were walking round with clipboards.

No idea to this day whether it was my interpersonal skills or a lack of problem solving, but I didn't get the job.

I still shop there often and I wonder EVERY TIME I go in, if the person serving me had to go through the same inanity.

I had one where I went in to a big waiting room to wait to be called. There were quite a few others sitting waiting who I assumed were other interviewees. So I made some small talk.

It later transpired these were clients and it was a test of our 'soft' skills.

I was also asked what I did in my spare time. I said as I was a single mum I was either working or looking after my DC so couldn't get out to do hobbies as much as I'd like. I said I listened to music at home.

When I failed to get the job! They said the clients would want me to have more of a social life to talk about!!

@WuTangGran I know! I think my brain was on holiday that day! I also didn't say a word of apology when I dropped the coffee. I am aghast at myself.

StripeyDeckchair

Isn't it wonderful how maturity gives us the confidence to call out bull shit.

Slightly tangentially my undergrad degree is in Psychology and part of our course requirement was to take loads and loads of psychometric tests that were being developed to aid the employment process - for validation purposes. This was the 1980s. We had to do a couple of week on average and oh boy were they tiresome.

We did not take them seriously.............

A few more from my past.

The one that didn't happen - I was called by the agent 15 minutes before the interview was due, having taken the train to London then tube across London, to say the company had filled the job from someone they saw just before I was due. Wasn't too impressed by that one.

The company that had me in for four interviews with different people, then the Friday before my Monday start told me the role was moving from my very local area to the other side of London. They were very surprised when I said they would have to pay me more, as it would be costing me around £6 grand a year more to travel in with station parking, trains & tubes.

The large number of times where I've been invited to interviews and quizzed at great length why I'm looking at a lower level job than some on my CV, then still not got the job because "overqualified" despite me saying I didn't want to work at the higher level any more as it was a bit much for me.

Turned down even for interview because I was no longer able to produce "O" level certificates from over 40 years ago, or was only able to give "invalid" "O" level results when their system only allowed for GCSE type results.

One Government job where it was snowing a blizzard, barely managed to get in to London. Was on time, and had managed to change my sopping wet boots for shoes (snow was 2 inches deep in central London by then), but due to the weather was wearing smart office trousers & matching jacket rather than my usual (at that time) skirt suit. However I did wear a large (but clean/smart) anorak type coat. Was turned down because they felt I should have made more of an effort - most of the candidates hadn't even made it in!

One of the most embarrassing ones was when I had a hot flush in the middle of the interview so bad I was literally dripping sweat onto the table in front of me, running off my chin & dripping from my soaked hair.

Turned up to find the 3 interviewers behind a table, with a single hard plastic canteen type chair in the middle of the room facing them half way between the desk and the door. They clearly had questions written down for them to ask, quite normal, and I answered all of them well. Was turned down because I hadn't evidenced enough knowledge about a particular area which I knew very well - that was probably because they hadn't asked me a single question on that subject or even related areas, I reckon they'd missed an entire page of questions.

I used to interview on a panel with a HOD who when he was bored and had decided the person wasn't right for the role, would just go rogue. He'd find a tiny detail on their cv and ask them loads of questions about a country he'd always wondered about visiting for example.
It used to really annoy me, him writing people off without giving them a proper chance, but I guess it made the experience more enjoyable for the candidate, ending with a nice friendly chat as opposed to formal questions.

At another place I gave a job to a cryer. Worst decision ever. She manifested her insecurities and damage as aggression towards coworkers.

I've found as an interviewee that the most complex group interviews are generally set up to justify giving an internal candidate or volunteer the job. The first time it happened I was gutted. I was in tears on the phone afterwards wondering why I had bothered to gain experience and qualifications in my field only to be considered equal to the others in the interview. I cursed myself for not noticing the role had only been on their own website and felt guilty about other employers I had left hanging to follow this up.

It happened again 15 years later, somewhere else. I didn't care this time as I was only there for a nosey, had decided quite early that it wasn't the place for me and had doubts they could afford me. At lunchtime I was talking about my previous experience to a younger candidate without thinking and I watched the scales fall from her eyes. I felt awful and said; I'm sure that's not the case here. It was.

'''Turned down even for interview because I was no longer able to produce "O" level certificates from over 40 years ago, or was only able to give "invalid" "O" level results when their system only allowed for GCSE type results.''''

I have just had this. I have put in my application for a volunteer charity job and been turned down because i could not account for GCSE quals when I am actually from an entirely different country; we do not do GCSEs in my home country and i have 5 degrees including 2 Masters and a professional and regulated qualification in this country. All for a 3 hour a week job I applied for because they were apparently desparate and which i was frankly being community-minded in applying for.

"O" Levels aren't even a different country, they just came before GCSEs. But then again, I found that when I "lost" 10 years off the bottom of my CV I got a lot more interviews, so I imagine it's just ageist - there's an awful lot of that about too.

Another one- I was offered the job, start date and everything and then they ghosted me!

I was sacked from a Saturday day job as a teenager for I don't know what- manager told me "I just wasn't right for till work". Same manager the next Saturday rang my mother and demanded to know where I was. Weird!

People treated teenage staff like dirt back then

I used to be a terrible interviewee (self-deprecating humour doesn't lend itself well to selling yourself I have since learnt) but two come to mind:

1. I used to work for a big publishing company. After a few years I left for a new role in a different company but on good terms with everyone - my hope was to gain skills and 'leapfrog' my way back into the previous publishing company at a more senior level. The plan worked in that a perfect role became available after a year or so. I secured an interview and found out I knew one of the interviewers who I'd always got on with. I probably relaxed too much. The first question asked was "why do you want to return here". I jokingly started talking about how I'd always fancied one of the graphic designers and how I'd be 'in with a chance' if I came back. My ex-colleagues face just dropped in disbelief, but I blithely turned it into a running joke, mentioning this designer a few times. The feedback from the panel afterwards was that I'd be fun down the pub but it wasn't professional to talk about "who you fancy the pants off". Which, is absolutely fair.

1. I was going for a career change some years ago and applied for teacher training. I was invited to interview at the University of Education in central London. I made a good first impression with a lesson plan for Year 12 on the Atlantic slave trade, some marking of work, that sort of thing, and I was called back for the formal interview. Again, I probably relaxed too much. The first question was "why are you applying here". I breezily explained that I'd applied to multiple institutions - not something you should admit to when trying to get in to a prestigious university But then, the piece de resistance was when I was asked how would I teach my lesson plan to an inner city class. All I needed to say was that I would be sensitive to the potential demographic of the classroom but I went rogue - at this time there was a story about a white British couple who had been arrested after enslaving a white Eastern European woman. I began to waffle on about using this modern example as a way to bring history to life rather than just relying on history books. It could have been an interesting side note to a much older class, perhaps, but for the purpose of this interview I just came across as one of those 'but what about white people' idiots who deny the impact and legacy of black slavery. This was not my intent (or my view!) but I just couldn't stop talking! I saw a quizzical look cross his face and knew that I'd blown it. I lost my momentum after that, both in terms of the interview and also becoming a teacher. I'm better at interviews now though so maybe I'll try again!

My colleague was opening a new site for our company and did similar for part of the interview. It was in no way to check their lego building skills- but their interaction with the group. 1 candidate that looked brilliant on their CV, was condescending and laughed at other peoples efforts. He didn't get the job!

As an interviewer during lockdown the candidate joined the formal interview via teams wearing nothing but a towel, fresh out the shower with wet hair. We asked for CV walk through and cadidate explained they couldn't remember what they had listed on their cv and asked we email their cv back to them so they could review it. They were not successful in obtaining the job offer.

So a couple of years ago I was applying for graduate jobs. I got an interview for a NHS role 3 hours from my house. I only had 250.00 in the bank at that time and decided to spend it on a train ticket and a hotel to go to the interview. I’d have moved there for the role.

Well, it didn’t start off great as on my way to the interview walking there I tripped over in the middle of a road nearly missing being hit by a car. My knee was bloodied up and had gravel in it and my phone was smashed. So I found the nearest supermarket and quickly tried to tidy up my bloodied knee before hobbling along to the interview. I was wearing a black dress, blazer and tights.

On arrival, receptionist told me to take a seat and as I was waiting the previous person being interviewed came out, as as she stood by the door she gave the interviewer a hug and said “Yep, can’t wait, see you on Friday and bring some wine”

so I went into the interview full of beans and explained about my knee briefly (tights were ripped) and then on answering the questions I’d try and elaborate or answer fully and they’d cut me off before I’d even given an answer- I was in there a total of 9 minutes!

So I wasted 250.00, sprained my wrist and ripped the tissue off my knee, had to buy a new phone only to find out later that the job was already lined up for an “internal applicant” aka the interviewers friend.

They then had the cheek to write in my feedback that “I came across knowledge and really well, but could’ve made more effort to look the part”

I interviewed a young man who turned up at our office HQ in a hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts and dress shoes. The interview suprisingly went really well, but when I got to the end I asked him if he'd seen the dress code in the job description. He said yes, but he dressed this way to make it seem as though he was just back from a holiday, so we'd think he was well travelled! I advised him it's not how we expect employees to dress, and he got the job. He was never that strange again, and I wonder why he did it and if he ever regretted it.

Omg I have a horrible feeling I once worked with this person. Or if not, one just as crazy and litigious!

My first big job aside from lifeguarding and volunteering I got during my final year of college/sixth form. I went round the local shops handing in my CV and for some reason a sales company was holding interviews at the same time, I'm still not sure why but I lied and said I was there for the interview (they weren't sure who was actually supposed to be there) but it was around 8 years ago. I took part in all of their weird personality tasks and phone sales tasks to eventually be 'the last woman standing' and went on to work there part time for nearly a year at £8 an hour plus bonus for so many sales and overtime I made a lot of money for only around 16 hours of work! It turned out in the end A)they were illegally never making people permanent and B) ended up on watchdog due to dodgy selling (obviously I didn't have a clue at only 17/18 years old) and I left to go to uni but to be frank it was the most enjoyable job I've ever had!

This is like a short film by David Lynch.

Or a very long one 😄

2 in the last few years have left me baffled.
One was a scheduled phone interview, supposed to take place on the morning, waited all day for a phone call that didn't happen, three days later I got an email saying my interview had been unsuccessful.
The second, I had an interview, went really well (I thought), gave enough answers to overfill the boxes, had a tour of the place then got an email saying the interview had been cancelled!
Both extremely irritating.

In my late teens ı went for a secretarial/PA role which was office based in an 'OK' office, not Corporate HQ.
The role was woking for a woman and she was interviewing me.
I wore a trouser suit and hsd gone straight from work.
She kept me waiting for ages and then when we finally sat for interview, there was no apology and 1st thing ahe said was that she did not like ladies to wear trousers.
I got up and politely said that I didn't think we'd work well together.