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The Absolute Worst Job Interviews People Have Ever Had

Two people in an interview, one with their hands in the foreground
Photo by Headway on Unsplash

Job interviews can be the worst.

You're already anxious.

You're hoping for the best.

And half the time you're on your break from the job you hate.

So time is of the essence.

That's why it can be so infuriating when the interview is a complete disaster.

Either the manager is a tool.

The job isn't what was advertised...

Or you bomb so colossally, you hate your own reflection.


Redditor AntonK777 wanted to discuss all the times the in person job search went seriously south. So they asked everyone to share:

"What was the worst job interview you've had?"

Steak knives. I tried a company selling steak knives.

It is a pyramid scheme.

Withdrawn

job interviews GIFGiphy

"I drove 2 hrs for the interview."

"Got there and the interviewer was off sick and hadn't told anyone about me coming in."

"Got back in my car and drove the 2 hrs home."

"Withdrew my name from consideration."

lent12

Death

"The interviewer insisted on knowing why I'd left graduate school. Now, I had left graduate school because my advisor died in a car accident and the whole small department was thrown for a loop and no one seemed to know or care what was going to happen to me or my just started research project."

"The a**hole interviewer wouldn't even accept 'My advisor died suddenly' and dug into the gory details until I was almost in tears (even intimating that I must have had 'feelings' for my advisor.)"

"I couldn't wait to get out of there and in my haste to leave I knocked some solutions off a cart (which had no business being in his office BTW) on my way out. I'd never been so humiliated in my life."

"After that, I was sure I'd never get a job in science."

feliciates

"Otter"

"At an interview for a tech startup, they asked me 'If you could be any animal, what would you be?'

"I answered 'Otter' because you know, fun, active, work well with their hands and cute as f**k."

"They really debated whether or not to hire me because of that answer because, and I quote, 'We only hire predators, never prey.'"

"And they weren't sure how to quantify an Otter, because none of them had ever paid the least bit of attention to any sort of animal documentary or read biology or you know, visited a zoo recently."

"God that job sucked hard."

rileysweeney

"helper"

"Was invited for an IT 'helper' position when I was 17. Would help fix computers for people at a shoddy PC fix shop."

"They asked me 'What's the first thing you check if a customer calls and says their screen doesn't turn on?'"

"I said 'Well, you gotta check if they have it plugged into a socket.' They laughed and said thank you that will be it. Then led me to the door and gently pushed me out."

IgnasP

It's a No.

william h macy interview GIF by ShowtimeGiphy

"In a group interview, the interviewer crossed a line through my name on the list he had after I told him what I graduated in. This was within the first 5 minutes of a 40 minute meeting."

Testosteroxin

How do some people get into management positions?

Are YOU Hiring?

Season 3 Nbc GIF by The OfficeGiphy

"In the middle of my interview, the manager asked me if my current workplace (that I was trying to leave) was hiring. When I said I didn't know, he asked if I'd be willing to drop off a resume for him anyway."

Errorboros

Real Tears

"Two: 1- the recruiter started to fold my cv into a paper plane during the interview. (Didn't get the job)."

"2- Was pawned off unsuspectingly to the CFO of a company five mins into my interview with the CEO. The CFO had no idea what to ask so he went the 'tell me your biggest flaws' way."

"I was so dejected that I said 'you’ll have to hire me to find out.' Interview ended five mins later. I spent 30 mins crying at my hubris and stupidity in the parking lot. Got the job."

Cleverpseudonym4

Instead of...

"I drove an hour to be interviewed for a computer repair tech job at a rental company, and 3/4 of the way through the interview they told me I was perfect for the position, however they recently removed the position altogether. They then asked if I'd be willing to repair furniture instead until the position opened again."

DigitXer0

Bad Vibrations

"Job was for a vibration analysis engineer. I knew how to do the job well. I knew the pay should be around 95k, and they stated 55k (in the interview). When I tried to discuss my point, they said, 'don't worry, there's plenty of overtime.' They also mentioned since they weren't involved with many balances at the moment, I would assist the cleaning crew with a lot of the cleanings. I've never been so uninterested in a job in my life."

Bender3455

Whoops

Shield Knock Over GIF by Assassin's CreedGiphy

"My first Interview ever was at DQ and I accidentally knocked a 90 year old woman over."

REDDIT

Sometimes unemployment is the better option while you wait.

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