To ask for your interview fuck ups

[Biggybigbiggles]

I have two interviews on Monday, my first in 12 years and I'm shitting it. I have horrible imposter syndrome!

Can you regale me with your funny interview fuck ups so I can cheer myself up should I make a tit of myself?

Not an interview but a meeting when I was about 24 (so a LONG TIME AGO).

I had a meeting with a man (probably mid 30s).

I was wearing a fine chiffon camisole with spaghetti straps and a boob tube underneath to hide my dignity.

At some point I realised he kept glancing at my chest which I thought was a bit off.

Then the meeting ended, I gathered up the heavy paperwork I had brought and went to shake his hand.

as I looked down I saw my boob tube had slipped down to my waist and my boobs were exposed. And because I had some much paperwork to carry I couldn’t pull my top up.

had to style walking out of his office utterly utterly mortified.

cant remember much else about it!!!!

My colleague and I were interviewing and one of the interviewees was obviously nervous and fiddling with a paper clip. My colleague suddenly shot up out of her chair; the interviewee had somehow flicked the paper clip she was fiddling with right into my colleague's eye. She was mortified and cried.

She interviewed really well though and got the job!

PS. Colleague's eye was fine, it mainly made her jump.

I had an interview where the male interviewer kept glancing at my top.
I realised when I left that one of my buttons had popped open. 🙈

😂🤣😂
Fabulous!

I went for a WHS group interview as well for a temporary sales assistant role!
Not a great experience and the interviewers were so full of themselves!

Turned up a week early because I had only read the day and not the date on the letter!! The office lady was very lovely and didn't tell anyone. I came back a week later and got the job 😆

Tripped over a step as I walked in the room, fell flat on my face! I didn't get the job. It was also one of my first ever interviews as a teenager after A levels. I still cringe 40 years later.

It was a second interview, the first had been a breeze. This one was in front of the big boss. It quickly became apparent that I was woefully ill equipped for the role, I got really nervous and managed to get my bracelet tangled on a button on my suit so badly I couldn’t move my arm. The more I wiggled to get myself free the more tangled I got. God I made an idiot of myself 😳 Funnily enough I didn’t get the job.

30 years ago I had an interview for being a Clinical Research Associate. I was newly qualified as a nurse, no experience in research and no degree. I was surrounded by ridiculously talented and experienced people interviewing for the job. Turned out the place was quite dingy and not what I was expecting. When they asked me why I wanted the job I said I wasn't too sure if I did as the place was a bit gloomy and I wasn't clever enough but the Monday to Friday 9-5 hours and massive pay rise would win me over. By the time I had got home they had rung offering me the job. They said they valued honesty over everything else. Best job I've ever had. Good luck!!

I once had an international interview. I have no idea what came over me, but got it in my head it would be two hours later than UK time rather than two hours earlier. I have no idea why I did this: I understood the time difference of the country.

Anyway, the skype call on my computer woke me up and I ANSWERED IT. In my pyjamas.

I wanted to die. I was supposed to be moving to this country to join my (now ex) and he was so desperate for me to get the job. I never admitted what happened.

Also once put a fork in a tomato at a posh interview lunch and it squirted out and hit a lady who worked there.

I had an interview for a job I was already doing. I really wanted to be made permanent. I had a vomiting bug the day before the interview and still wasn’t feeling very well. I cried a little in the interview. So embarrassing and I’ve never told a soul.
I didn’t get the job.

I got asked if I knew the history of the company and I didn't have a clue! Also had a coughing fit just after starting the interview, thought I was going to be sick and it wasn't long after covid!
Didn't get the job 😂
I did a teams interview recently and didn't shut the cats out as they'd make more noise scratching and yelling, one sat politely next to me on camera for most of the interview 😂 Got that job but decided against it as it wasn't the same as the job as and not for me.

First job interview in London. Got on tube in wrong direction. Managed to phone them to let them know I was going to be late, call was a bit broken up as it was one of those lines were you go in and out of being underground.

When I go there they asked me if there were delays and I said “No I went in the wrong direction” and laughed at myself.

Got the job. They were apparently impressed that I was honest and didn’t take myself too seriously.

Oh god 🙈 That makes my mascara panda eyes experience feel less bad!

Straight out of school, I had an interview for a sales assistant in a shoe shop.
I wore a knee length skirt, tights and 3-4 inch stilettos (early 90’s)
It turned out the interview was in the office which was in the basement of the shop, there were really uneven stone steps leading down and I wasn’t used to wearing stilettos- think they were my mums.
I fell down the last 5 or 6 steps - ripped my tights, blood pouring from my knees, split my skirt
The manager was running round trying to find the first aid kit to patch me up - I was trying not to cry.
The manager sorted me out and was visibly shaken, then decided to forget the interview and made me a cuppa with biscuits and we had a chat.
She offered me the job on the spot, was probably worried incase I put a claim in 😂.
I was there for about a year, she was lovely but always joking about not letting wanker near the stilettos.

The interview itself went well but at the end my legs had gone numb and when I stood up to leave I fell to the ground 😳

These are cracking me up. I have a fear I'm going to go totally blank and introduce myself as the company's name or some shit 😂

One of the interview panel had a very thick accent. He asked me a question and I didn't understand what he'd said, I had to ask him to repeat it. He repeated it. I didn't understand again. He repeated it AGAIN. I didn't understand it AGAIN. I was absolutely dying inside. At this point one of the other panel members repeated the question and I finally understood 😅

Also, not a job interview but I once had an audition, then instead of walking out of the room, walked into a cupboard. So then I had to go back into the room and out again.

I once had a candidate turn up 90 minutes late and without any form of ID whatsoever, despite me explaining quite clearly both on the phone and in the confirmation email that ID was needed to get on site and that they needed to allow 20-30 minutes to get through main security and then our building security.

I have them the benefit of the doubt because I knew it was the best part of a 3hr journey to the arse end of beyond and most people underestimate the journey time.

They turned up for the second interview a week later 45 minutes late.

I told security to turn them away.

I interviewed for a role which was split over two areas eg 'comms and marketing manager' and when they asked about my weaknesses I said 'probably marketing because I've never done that'... Absolute brain fart.

Also I interviewed at a wallpaper company and when they asked about their competitors my mind went blank and I couldn't think of a single other company that sold wallpaper. I'd prepared so thoroughly otherwise as well.

On telling a candidate he was not successful he burst into tears because he needed a job for his wife to keep her visa and it was all my fault that she was now going to be deported😳

I was interviewing for a PhD and you had to put down 5 potential supervisors in the dept. I was only keen to work with 2 or 3 of them. I went into one interview and the first question was ‘What is it about my work that interests you enough to do a PhD in my group?’ I couldn’t actually remember what he did. I did get the supervisor I wanted though! But then saw this guy around the department and cringed every time with embarrassment.

interview with the charitable arm of a commercial radio station.
On the way to the interview room, 'no, don't listen to the station, I like radio 4'

On a more positive note, an interview for a short interim role, closed with 'well I've got lots of other people to see, you're by far the most expensive, I'll let the agency know' - to which I replied 'yes of course, hope it goes well, you get what you pay for'
The agency called back within an hour to confirm when I could start, and would I commit to six months rather than two? I stayed for two and a half years.

hope it goes well.