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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask for your best and worst interview stories?

37 replies

MissMarch · 21/09/2024 14:47

I’ve got two interviews lined up on Monday and Tuesday, back to back, and I’m starting to feel the nerves kick in! To ease the tension, I’d love to hear your best, worse, or even funniest interview stories. Whether it was a disaster or a triumph, I’m sure some of you have had some memorable experiences. Any advice or stories to share?

OP posts:

Radiatorvalves · 21/09/2024 17:45

About 15 years ago I had a telephone interview. Got organised with cv and notes on the table. First interview after 3 years out for kids. Got through to the person, said hello, deep breath, leant back in the chair …. And it collapsed. I fell back on to the floor. There was a bit of noise.

i was asked what happened, I explained and carried on.

Got the job… in house counsel. Unflappable me!

WoollyRosebud · 21/09/2024 17:51

Interviewer asked me why I would be suitable for the job so answered accordingly only to be told 'you have a high opinion of yourself don't you'. Er it's called selling yourself. This was said by the CEO who later in the interview said 'oh fuck' about something. I wasn't impressed and even less so when I didn't get the job but was offered the chance to volunteer for them to share my skills with the existing staff

Whoyoutakingto · 21/09/2024 17:57

My ,at the time 18year old daughter, was saving to travel working at a pub chain where food was just microwaved and served. Me single mum of four retraining as teacher got an interview at pub running up to Xmas to help finances. I was doing well until the manager said I would have to work Xmas Day, not engaging my brain, I blurted “ who the hell would eat her on Xmas Day!” Neither manager or daughter were impressed needless to say, didn’t hear anything.🤣🤣

Ansjovis · 21/09/2024 18:14

I had two Teams interviews in one day. Also have two cats. A few minutes into interview #1, cat #1 starts retching really loudly for at least a minute and then produces a fur ball. A few minutes into interview #2, her sister did the same thing. The first time I apologised for the noise and then my interviewer offered up a story about their animals behaving badly when they were interviewing recently, which actually broke the ice a bit. The second time I just ignored it and carried on.

Cinnabonbon · 21/09/2024 18:23

I went for a job interview at the restaurant at the top of Harvey Nicols. I met the staff, they sat me down, offered me a drink. They were looking at me a bit funny but I thought they were just sizing me up as a potential new employee: Before the person brought my drink, I looked down to smooth my shirt and realised it was unbuttoned to my navel! I have no idea how long it had been like that, I walked about 20 mins through the city centre and through crowds of people! Argh! I got the job though, not sure how I held it together through the interview!

Biffbaff · 21/09/2024 18:57

I had an interview aged 23, an entry level job into the industry I had just completed a qualification for. The woman said the previous person who held the role had joined and then quickly become pregnant and was on maternity leave. "So," she said, "how's your health?"
She basically made me beg for the job and promise not to get pregnant. Then she put me on the phones for half an hour. The pay was a paltry 17k, in London, in 2011.
I didn't even get offered the job after all that!

Puzzledandpissedoff · 21/09/2024 19:00

Invited to apply to the magistracy I went along for the interviews, which at the time involved a morning and afternoon session

Except that the guy chairing the interviews - clearly a drinker anyway from his appearance - arrived back from lunch absolutely plastered and somehow thought he could carry on

I withdrew my application and said why ...

Ahwig · 21/09/2024 19:07

I was carrying out the interview with my boss for a casual admin position. The job involved dealing a lot with members of the public. I asked what equal opportunities meant to them. Their reply after quite a long pause was "we all burp and fart don't we?"

ReacherSaidNothing · 21/09/2024 19:23

Back in 2001 when I was a student I applied for a weekend job in Claire's. I was getting on well with the interviewer, having a laugh etc when suddenly, out of nowhere, I had a random one-off episode of nystagmus (eyes shaking quickly from side to side) which came out of nowhere.

The interviewer's whole demeanour changed and she looked shocked then found a reason to quickly terminate the interview. I felt really embarrassed as its something I'd never experienced before! Never got the job, needless to say

Orielle · 21/09/2024 22:05

Not particularly funny but I am still irritated by this one:

Interview for a job at a university. The advert closed on Wednesday. Late Friday afternoon I had an email inviting me to interview with several tasks. Task one was a presentation on a given topic. Task two was answering three questions on issues I might encounter in the job. 500 words on each. The answers had to be submitted by Monday morning. The interview was on Tuesday morning.

The weekend was spent dealing with all of that homework.

I’d assumed that some reference might have been made to the tasks in the interview, but no feedback or questions occurred on the day. When I delivered my presentation and at the end asked if anyone had any questions I was met with total silence. Nothing.

The job was in an area that I have years of experience in, and during the interview one of the panellists actually started arguing with me that I couldn’t possibly have experience in the thing that was being discussed. I realised that they actually couldn’t get their head around the fact other organisations might approach something in the same way. They told me at the end of the interview that they needed to have someone in post quickly. The following day I had a call saying I didn’t get it. I have never felt more relieved as even the delivery of the feedback was adversarial as the argument that I could not possibly be doing what I was doing in my current job as they did it differently in their organisation.

I found out subsequently what actually had happened was that they had someone in mind for the role who’d left the organisation but had been in their team. They waited several months for them to start. I honestly don’t know why they put everyone else through such a performance and so much work when it was really a one horse race.

ScottishDora · 21/09/2024 22:26

When I was 16, my mum was desperate for me to get a job so much so when Argos phoned to offer her an interview she said oh I've already found something but my daughters looking I can just send her instead. So I then turned up to the store and they were very confused as to who I was and why I was there, funnily enough I was unsuccessful.

SleepToad · 22/09/2024 11:02

Just thought of one when I was the interviewer, we were interviewing for a entry level job and the candidate was slightly older and bigger. He was a huge guy, his application said he'd previously worked in security....Turns out he's a bouncer, come body guard, come God knows what. I almost offered him the job there and then just so I didn't upset him😂. He actually was very good and we did offer but he turned us down

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