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?

I think I only laugh out loud on here once a month or so; this wins for July already 🤣🤣🤣🙂☠️

@katepilar it’s a figure of speech. J for joke. Please don’t take that so literally.

id have to sell my house for a start…

Thanks for all the support and the shared stories - some of them have had me hooting

I’ll report back on whether I get it or not. So, I work for a certain sector in the Civil Service and this is for a same grade position but doing something else. Still in the same ‘department’ but I don’t know the people interviewing me or anyone doing that job.

and I’m grateful for that 😝

As it’s the civil service the wheels move slowly so it’ll be a few weeks I should think but I’ll pop back and update for sure.

I have a lot of previous over the years for excruciating interviews. In fact, my very first one was with Midland Bank (one for the oldies among us) aged 17. I was 10 minutes late as I had zero sense of urgency back then and couldn’t be arsed and the man interviewing me nodded off half way through the interview! It was a Friday afternoon and it was warm in the office but still!

Oh and then there was the time I decided to make up that I had a degree in European Studies from UCL. Almost died when one of the women interviewing me said ‘ ooh! I did that too! What a coincidence! What did you think of old Miller and his lectures?’

Sigh.

So this isn’t my first rodeo - although I hasten to add I don’t make stuff up these days - just do stupid stuff with furniture

You will be memorable. Had you managed to come back up with a perfectly straight face and carried on regardless I'd have definitely given you the job. As it is - you are still a contender.

Hahahaha

That also reminds ME of a time I was at a really serious and important meeting and got stung by a wasp, but felt like I couldn't react at all due to the seriousness of the meeting, so just froze and didn't do anything about it.

😂😂😂

Mate when I was interviewing for kitchen associates at Wetherspoons I would ask if they had any kitchen experience and the number of them who would say (with a straight face and absolutely not as a joke) “yes I have one in my house”…

Or worse, one guy who was 28 said “not really my mum cooks all my meals.”

Yours is just a funny mishap, just take solace in knowing there’s some people who are absolutely hopeless.

Oh OP I'm so sorry but this made my day, I actually had slight tears in my eyes!

I think you're gonna get the job.

I never believe people when they say they’re crying with laughter at a post they’ve read but.. I have tears in my eyes reading this (and I’ve just realised that my kegels need a little bit of work)

I once had a zoom interview and I was upside down their end! I went into the camera settings but nope, nothing obvious. They were tech people and they couldn’t help me. Ended up having to turn the camera off. Still cringe now, didn’t get the job haha

Nooooo 😂😂

To be fair "kitchen experience" at Wetherspoons is "can you heat up stuff in an oven or a microwave?"

To be honest in a lot of commercial kitchens that’s pretty much it along with can you operate a fryer, do basic food safety like temp checks, do basic prep and grill a steak. The hard thing (which is definitely true with spoons) is the sheer volume of orders and the customers.

“Proper” restaurants are very different but a lot of places are just spoons plus more prep. Even nice places take advantage of Chef Mic in some capacity.

@TattyOldOwl If it makes you feel better, when DH interviewed for a job during COVID apparently in the background you could see me outside on the patio chasing our puppy around the back garden as she had stolen a my bra. Whilst being chased by three other (adult) dogs who thought it was all some elaborate game.

He still got the job! 😁

I don’t usually laugh out loud reading MN but I did this time! I really hope you get the job!

I hope when they asked the "Where do you see yourself in a year's time?" question, you replied "sitting on a better chair"...😃

I cried with laughter reading this.
Op, thank you 😅😅😅😅

Really?? If you think a bit of irreverent humor in an interview means she can't act with complete professionalism when it actually matters... well, that's exactly the kind of pearl clutching that makes interviews boring! My best mate is a criminal defence lawyer and some of the stuff she comes out with would make your toes curl! And she's a bloody good lawyer too!

I was the interviewer in a similar situation. Interviewing after work hours, for the candidate to get there, long interview, and when she left she reached forward with her hand to shake hands and so did I - except for some unaccountable reason I carried on and kissed her on the cheek. It was a big blue chip company, marble and chrome reception area, etc. We both behaved as though it hadn't happened.

🤣this made me laugh op. I bet you get the job.

I had an interview years ago which seemed to be going well and I came out feeling positive only to discover that 3 buttons on my shirt had popped open and my bra was very visible. I would have been sitting flashing them the whole time. To make matters worse I have very bad social anxiety and absolutely hate interviews at the best of times. 😢😳

I didn’t get the job.