To ask if anyone’s ever gone to an interview where the panel were absolute nightmares?

[CandidOpalSnake]

I went to one recently where the atmosphere was so cold and performatively rude that I left thinking, even if I got the job, I wouldn’t take it. They were condescending, dismissive and acted like they were doing me a favour by being there - no warmth, no interest, just attitude. It’s honestly mad how some interviewers act like you’re the one on trial, when they’re supposed to be selling the role too.

AIBU to think some interviewers seriously need a reminder on basic respect?

Have you posted about it on Glassdoor? In my experience, most employers improve their act once they start to get negative reviews about this kind of thing on Glassdoor. They know good candidates judge them on this kind of thing. Sorry you went through it OP, it's shocking that it happens. A bit of human decency is not much to expect in this situation. What's wrong with people?

Oh yes, lots of times. I'm a teacher though and the education sector is notorious for this sort of thing.

I think the worst was the full day programme with no lunch break or lunch provided. Good thing I'm not type 1 diabetic eh?!

Although the worst outside teaching was where the person doing most of the interviewing coughed uncontrollably through the interview. I couldn't get in answers before she'd start again. Why they didn't cancel I'll never know!

Or maybe the one where they only had a portaloo and the building was condemned?!

I mean, sometimes there's no need to wait for an offer as they've told you what you need to know.

Yeah, I once had it where the only woman on the panel was utterly vile to me. The men were all fine and I'm pretty sure they'd have offered me the job, but the woman was either feeling threatened by me or just felt that she had something to prove, and tore into me several times for no reason. Before I'd left the room I had decided I didn't want the job.

Yes, my most recent one. They had chosen a completely unsuitable space, sat 4 people across a very narrow table opposite me, provided nothing other than about half an inch of water in a plastic disposable cup, and proceeded to be as bored and uninterested in my answers as they could have been. It was a considerable salary increase for me along with some really good benefits but I said when I came out that I didn't think I'd take it if it was offered (it wasn't!)

I had one where the man was just going out of his way to be rude. It wasn’t a panel, it was just him and he was the hiring manager so he could have just not interviewed me. He said “I showed your CV to [his manager, who was the finance director of the company] and he thought you were totally wrong for this.” Ok… so why am I here? Why have I prepared for this interview? There were other rude comments about my experience and skills. Fair enough to think that when you see my CV, but why have you invited me to this interview. It wasn’t through a recruiter or anything, so he wasn’t persuaded to interview me by someone else. I just didn’t understand why he was wasting both our time.

Yes. I had an interview with two people, both quite senior in the company, who talked between each other the whole way through. They read me the question and even whilst I was answering they’d just be having a chat! I was young at the time and desperate for the job so didn’t say anything but I 10000% would now!

I didn’t get it as I think they’d already given it to someone internally but how they’d even know if I was suitable considering they didn’t listen to a word I said, who knows!

I had just closed the door behind me on my way out of the interview room when I heard all of them burst out laughing!
Mortified.

Indeed. Coughing Lady can't possibly have known if I was suitable.

Oh I could write a book…. I think some people get the tiniest sniff of power over another human and turn into total monsters. It always makes me think of that famous experiment where half the control group were told they were administering electric shocks to the other half. Some of them got really into it… well, those are the same type of people.
I always take comfort in the knowledge that I’m not one of them.

I must admit, I've always found interviews to be so formulaic and tedious, but the worst are the ones who fit religiously to the STAR format.

The worst panel told me strictly after an admittedly rambling answer that they wanted me to answer again in the STAR format.

Since I'm not a performing monkey and the job itself wasn't to answer questions in a STAR format, I declined and asked that we moved on.

Lots of interviewers seem to forget that they're looking for the best person for the role, not the best interviewee.

My last hire was dreadful at her interview skills, but clearly absolutely brilliant at the actual work. I could have given her role to the supposedly better woman who interviewed well, but if have been down an excellent employee.

I had an interviewer wait until the second interviewer was out of the room photocopying my passport, then casually say “we aren’t meant to ask if you are planning to get pregnant anymore but I guess it’s on the cards for you at some point?” (mid 20s). Then give me a hard stare and awkward silence until the other interviewer returned.

I was offered and accepted the job. Boy was that a mistake.

Yes, horrid experience thankfully just once! No need for it. Manners cost nothing.

I had to interview for roughly my own job after departments merged - there were two of the management bitches on the panel, plus a kindly woman and a token man who I knew to be a complete idiot. The questions were very biased towards the bitches friends but i didn't actually want the job (had my eye on a default job as they had spent all the redundancy money). I continued to be a thorn in the side of the bitches for a good while.

Might have been noting at all to do with how well you interviewed.

Urgh, how annoying. Did you ask him that? I think I would have done.

Not so much a nightmare, but one prospective employer asked me if I planned to have kids, which is an absolute no-no. I should have left immediately but I was desperate to get out of my then-existing job. Didn't get it anyway.

Yes. I was young and there for an interview for a minimum wage job in a care home. I’d rang up and pushed my interview back the day earlier. Only by 20 minutes and they were fine about it.
When I turned up at the new time the following day, this god awful woman shouted at me for ‘being late’ and ‘wasting her time’ in reception in front of some other staff who all just scuttled off. That should have told me everything.
I stupidly sat down with her and another lady, who was actually lovely, and had everything I had to say for the next 10 minutes tutted at. In the end, I stood up, told her I’d rather live in a tent than spend another minute in her company and left.

Yeah I hate that STAR shit, so infantile.
In an interview a couple of years ago I was asked how I would apply DEI to the role. I had to say sorry what does DEI mean (I'm well up on current affairs but hadn't heard that acronym then), and they all looked shocked and appalled! It wasn't even relevant to the role really, just DEI virtue signalling. Bore off. Left not wanting job (wasn't offered it either lol).

Yeah. I generally see it as a sign I don't want to work there.

Not nightmare but

one where I was shown into the hiring managers office by the would have been my line manager, who proceeded to sit at the end ( not behind ) the laaarrge desk of the HM.

The HM then did that power play thing of continuing to work on his laptop for a minute or two before looking up and saying ‘let’s get on with this then?’

A bit casual I thought.

HM then says ‘ so you’ve known LM a while then? Worked with him before?’
The LM quickly mutters some words , looking embarrassed.
The HM puts down the CV and picks up the only other one on his desk.
’Ah, Tans, ….’

I didn’t get the job.

I think the problem really is that there are so many applicants for so few jobs now, for most roles, that the company/interviewers know that actually you need them far more than they need you. It’s not an excuse for rudeness but I do think there is far less of a “you sell yourself and we’ll try to sell you the role” back & forth now, they aren’t particularly bothered about selling you the role because they know if you don’t want it then there are potentially 100 other people who will gladly take it.

@Bundleflower

"I stood up, told her I’d rather live in a tent than spend another minute in her company and left."

Brilliant!! More people should do this.

I've never had anything that bad but mentally preparing for if I have an interview in the future - that if they become hostile/ don't like my CV then I'll just cut it short as it's a waste of everyone's time... Though as a pp said, some people get off on a power trip.

Yes had one where the interviewer said “it’s very much a man’s world here” so I ended that one quickly.

Yep! I interviewed for a role at a start up once and all the ‘senior’ members of staff and directors were in their early 20s but acted like teenagers. During my video interview they were laughing to something off camera and not listening to what I was saying and had to keep asking me to repeat as they were clearly distracted. It gave vibes of someone off camera mocking me or something and them trying not to laugh at it but failing miserably.

in all honesty I just felt embarassed for them; as a PP mentioned, I went on Glassdoor and left a review immediately!

I had one who deliberately started an argument with me. I thought they were testing how well I would handle a challenging situation (which was part of the role), but then I realised they had taken umbrage at my perfectly reasonable solution to a problem they presented.

They wouldn't let it go either; every time the rest of the panel moved us away from the line of questioning, they diverted it right back. They also got visibly more red-faced and angry throughout.

I didnt get that job, but I was contacted by one of the panel members and offered a role in their department (which was a really good place to work)