AIBU to ask you to make me feel better about this absolute howler of an interview? Or should I just leave the country?

[TattyOldOwl]

So I had an interview today and it was over Teams in front of a panel of 3. I prepared well, and was sat in my home office at my desk on my new office chair

Anyway, before the interview, I’d been fiddling with the height adjustment of the chair as it wasn’t quite high enough for me. Finally got it sorted and all good.

so, I’m sat there and half way through an in-depth answer to a multi pronged question. I’m all animated and talking away when I suddenly feel myself descending but ever so slowly. I kind of stutter a bit as I’m SO distracted by this and I try to hold myself up by gripping my desk but it’s no use …. Literally, one moment I’m in their line of sight and then next, i gradually disappear from view as my hydraulic chair takes me all the way down as low as it will go.

I end up inches from my floor, desperately trying to scrabble myself back up and then I sort of PING back into view like a jack in a box to find one of the women on the panel literally helpless with laughter.

I just can’t. So mortified. Please tell me you’ve had worse?

That reminds me @Dorothyperky. I'd got to the house where I was going to be looking after two small boys and they sat me in a chair which immediately collapsed under me. For many reasons I ran away once everyone was in bed.

Sounds like the same plonkers interviewing me @12234m They were howling with laughter, apparently it was to judge resilience!

That's absolutely hilarious OP.
At least you weren't on national TV and then viral worldwide.

Search 'Children interrupt BBC interview' on YouTube,😂

Fantastic. Bet you get the job

I poured a glass of water down myself in a white blouse before a big job interview. I looked like I was taking part in a wet t shirt competition. Thankfully I was early enough that it had partially dried by the interview and I had a jacket with me.

My sister sent a cv in with track change on and turned up to the job interview in black stiletto heels with gold spikes all over for her first job post school. She made an impression and got the job!

LOL, this also reminds me of an embarrassing food incident I had at a work function.

As I bit into a wedge of fresh pineapple, the juice squirted into my colleague’s eye!!!!! Mortifying 🫣🙈

Interviewed over teams for my last job. The lights in the room were on some sort of motion detection system. I was sat in the wrong place so the lights kept going out, but they dimmed to black, so when the interviewers noticed it starting to dim they shouted- ~Kay- wave your arms! ~ and it went on like that the whole time. I got the job.

I thought the OP message was funny (good luck with the job), but the story about your friend had me really belly laughing- having done lots of interviews I can only imagine the confusion on the part of the interviewer- hilarious

Usually these types of hiccups means YOUVE GOT THE JOB!!!!!

Honestly, don't worry about it ! As a previous interviewer I would have thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment, and it would have made my day. So long as you continued with whatever dignity you could muster at the time it will not affect your chances. Good luck, hope you get the job. Really, stop worrying. And on the up side, it will make a great dinner party tale once the embarrassment has worn off :)

I think this is probably one of the funniest things I’ve ever read on here🤣🤣🤣 I’d be tempted not to believe it except for the fact that it’s the sort of thing that usually happens to me. One lesson I have learned from all the comedy sketch scenarios that have befallen me is - NEVER wear stick on chicken fillets in hot weather. And if you do, make sure your top is tucked into your jeans.

I went for an interview for a job I desperately wanted and was extremely qualified for. The interview went really well until the last couple of minutes. I brought up that I have recently been mentored by someone well known and high up in the industry - and then I blanked on the person’s name. Through nerves presumably. It was gone. So I did something that I will never understand for the rest of my life - I said the name of someone else. I had a second to decide whether to confess to forgetting the name of this mentor or pretend it was someone else. I said ‘Jane Smith’ who I had never even met. One of the interview panel said - OMG she’s my best friend, what a coincidence! I wanted to cry. I did not get the job and I’m certain it is because they thought I was a compulsive liar and fantasist. I still feel sick 25 years later.

Love this op hilarious😁

Hahaha this is amazing!! Did you at least get the job? 🤣🤣

If anything you made for a memorable interview and that would be hard to top 🤣 xx

They'll certainly remember you which is ALWAYS A Good Thing!

Sorry OP but I’m sitting here in tears laughing 😆

Good luck and keep us posted! You will most likely get the job now 🤣🤣🤣

Don't we usually feel positively about people who make us laugh? Seems like this could work in your favour if you showed grace under pressure and were able to complete the interview. At least it was just an equipment failure that could happen to anyone. You didn't draw a blank and stumble endlessly for words (my biggest fear in these situations) or inadvertently put your foot in your mouth. I hope you get good news about the interview!

I once I interviewed someone on Teams and could only see their eyebrows, I asked numerous times for them to either adjust their chair / stand up / move the camera. We had to abandon the interview as they couldn't / wouldn't show their face and I had no idea if the person with the eyebrows was the actual applicant.

This happened to the interviewer in one of my interviews and I made a joke about it and instantly was like “omg why did I say that”. Everyone found it funny though and we were all laughing. It made me stand out and left them with a good feeling and I got the job! So, don’t stress. They will certainly remember you and if you answered their questions well it could work in your favour! X

My worst interview still makes me absolutely cringe. The question was something to do with finances and I started blathering on about my mortgage and the price of the train ticket from my house to work (I had found out what a season ticket price would be before I went for the interview and it was eye watering and obviously stuck in my head). The interviews sort of stares at me in silence until I tailed off and then clarified it was project finances they were asking about.

I went beetroot red and couldn't answer anything else with any sense. Didn't get the job......!

I had noro virus. Friend (nurse) came to see me and check all okay. She went for an interview the following morning for dream-upgrade-better-hospital. Half way through the interview the inevitable happened. Apparently it was epic.

Thank you. You've given me such a laugh and probably cheered up the people on Teams. Years ago, I was a rep. I visited this cool, trendy company, went through the spiel of the product, thought it went well, but when I left to leave I put someone else's coat on and off I went (long-sleeved blazer as per a suit). Had to return, where the people I'd presented to were falling about laughing - apologise profusely to coat owner, retrieve my own coat and flee.

Oh god 😂

While I understand its not as funny for you as it is for all the readers, you have done nothing wrong. Wanting to leave the country seems a bit odd to me.