"What's The Earliest You've Messed Up A Job Interview?" (32 Answers)
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When preparing for a job interview, one expects to be bombarded with various questions. These queries usually help employers determine if the person is right for the job and get a better insight into their personality. However, answering them might be tricky for some, especially if they’re meant to push the interviewee off their tracks.
The poor people in this online thread were recently sharing the questions that led them to fail their job interview seconds into it. Scroll down to find the most unfortunate stories that serve as cautionary tales for anyone preparing for an interview.
While you're at it, don't forget to check out a conversation with hiring consultant and owner of Hire Possibilities Carolyn Illman, who kindly agreed to give some pointers on how to recover from fumbling a job interview question.
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Not me, but a friend. They got asked “how’s your grammar?” They HEARD “how’s your grandma?” So they answered “she’s fine, thanks…” in a very confused tone.
Thankfully the interviewers laughed, and they got the job.
That is very reminiscent of an old joke. A social worker visits a rural home and sees a kid in the yard. She asks him, “Excuse me, can you go get your mother?” He replies, “She ain’t here.” The social worker responds, “Yong man, where is your grammar?!” He replies, “Well she ain’t here neither!”
"Whats your background"
*I Look behind myself and back around to video call*
"Well it's a sort of mirror?"
....
"I mean what is your background in work?"
....
I still haven't recovered from that.
... and you never will! You will be overthinking that till your deathbed!
About five minutes in & the third generic interview question I got asked:
"What would you say is your main weakness?"
Aaand I pulled out a pre-printed business card and handed it to him that just said:
'I tend to over prepare'.
It'd got a good laugh at previous interviews and broke the ice, but this dude looked at me like I'd just slapped his mother and I got a "thanks for your time, we'll be in touch".
High-stakes interviews combined with jittery nerves can make a person completely miss the mark on a question, even though they’ve prepared for it well in advance. It can also be the fault of an interviewer who failed to clearly formulate the query.
However, according to the hiring consultant and owner of Hire Possibilities, Carolyn Illman, the latter happens rarely and isn't used with the intention of testing their interviewee. "It doesn't build trust in an interview and doesn't result in gathering the information they need to know if this person is going to be a good hire," she tells Bored Panda.
But if an ambiguous question happens to pop up, similarly to the person who started this discussion, Illman advises always assuming that it's related to your professional career. "It's great to ask up front before you get too far," she notes. "For example, many interviewees have asked me, 'I have two examples for this question, X and Y- which sounds more like what you're looking for?'"
“Do you have a driving licence and your own car?”
“Yes”
“Is it clean?”
“Er, yeah, I washed it the other day actually”
“I meant the licence…”.
Pronouns refer back to the closest noun they can refer to. "Car" is closer to "it" than "license" is, so the interviewer is the one who misspoke. How do you think I'd do pointing that out? 😄
Slept in for the interview, quickly cleaned up, got ready, shaved my face and rushed out the door into a taxi. Made it just in time.
Unfortunately, not passing a mirror on my way out did me a disservice. I sat down opposite the panel and they all had very strange expressions on their face.
I'd cut my neck quite badly while shaving and didn't notice and apparently had touched the blood at some point and smeared it on my face too like some sort of lopsided war paint. Didn't realise until I'd left the interview and saw my reflection in a shop window.
I did not get the job.
Not me, but my mum often talks about the time she was interviewing for a grad job after a group exercise with the other applicants. The interviewer stated that she thought she came across as a bit defensive, and my mum replied with “no I’m not”.
But if your mouth works faster than your brain and you accidentally let a foolish answer slip, it’s possible to recover. For this, try not to get too hung up about it. Instead, focus on maintaining a professional appearance, remaining calm, and mentally preparing to answer another question coming your way. It might be beneficial to take deep breaths, smile, and maintain eye contact.
If the interviewer is seasoned, they'll also make sure that the interviewee feels comfortable and keeps the conversation flowing, says Illman. Therefore, the candidate shouldn't feel responsible for making up for a question they might not have answered flawlessly.
"It's also perfectly okay to circle back on a question during a natural break in the conversation and say, "You know, I'm realizing I could probably answer your question better. Can I give you a little more information?" The interviewer may choose that it's best to move on, but at least it shows self-awareness from the candidate," the hiring consultant says.
I was 18 and had applied to be a GP receptionist whilst trying to figure out what I wanted to do with life, had just dropped out of uni so was in a bad place.
I'd been plagued by spam calls in recent days, and I got a 'no caller ID' call and answered it with silence...there was also silence on the other end. After about 10 seconds I say "so are you going to say something? what do you want?" in an annoyed tone. Turns out it was the GP receptionist calling me to test my phone manner as a screening process. I didn't get the job!
Was given the wrong directions to the place (I'd lived in the city about 2 days and it was an hours walk away roughly, in the days before smartphones too). Realised I was at the wrong place and knew I was screwed 10 mins before the interview. Phoned them and apologised, then made my way there over an hour late
Got the job anyway.
When I was a teen I was dropping CVs into various businesses, one of them the manager asked if I was free to have an interview there and then.
First question he asked was if I knew what they did as a company. I had literally no idea. Didn’t even know the company name.
It was a very short interview.
This just brought back a memory I'd rather forget. I dropped about a dozen resumes off in a medical office building only to realize later I had misspelled my last name in each and every one. No one has a last name with three consecutive "R"'s
Besides, most times, the awkward situations are all in our heads. The slight quiver in your voice when you listed your weaknesses or your vagueness about your five-year goals may be much more obvious to you than to anyone else, and it often doesn't have that much of an impact on your interview.
However, if an interviewee feels tested during the meeting and is uncomfortable with the way it's going, she advises thinking again about whether the organization is a good fit for them. "Companies should be aware that this practice can break trust and result in a bad customer experience for candidates.
Aged 21 going for a summer sales job,
was asked how do you make a sale about the buyer?
'well I like to personalise it, if the person is old, like you.....'
Never recovered.
I am now a systems architect, so i definitely failed upwards.
Had two interviews lined up...one in the AM and one in the PM at competing firms.
Only a special kind of idiot would get them mixed up...
Was told I had a colourful CV. "Thanks, it's just a Microsoft Word template".
Thanks, I love using multiple colours and effects on my CV, also like to use comic sans.
An alternative to smoothing things over after a failed interview is to send a short thank-you note. The follow-up email should include only the most important mistakes and omissions from the meeting. After thanking the employer for their time, move on to additional information.
“How do you think you could successfully differentiate when working with people, based on different race, culture and genders?”
“Doesn’t bother me in the slightest that your black and a woman, happy to work for you”
“I’m talking about our customers not me”.
Why would you need to differentiate between anyone, based on any of those characteristics?
Not to be cocky but I’m pretty solid at interviews. Even when I’m super nervous I seem to pull it outta the bag.
I do remember one interview, it was just for a bar job and it was purely to get me by for a few months before I went traveling so I wasn’t super invested and didn’t really do any research or mental preparation.
During the interview the team asked me where I saw myself in 5 to 10 years time. Normally I’d fluff this and give some nonsense about wanting to further my career within the company once my experience had grown but I knew this job wasn’t the end goal it was just something to get me by so I was totally honest.
I said I didn’t know, I’ve actually never known what I wanted to do with my life and that’s why I’ve bounced from one city to the next, from one job to the next and in truth I’m not that bothered where I’m going to be in 10 years time as long as I’m happy !!!
They just looked at me dumbfounded and offered me a supervisors position when all I wanted was to be bar staff.
Since then I’ve done loads of different things but when I turned 30 (maybe a bit later tbf) I realised I had to get serious and work hard so I actually committed to chasing promotions in my job, I worked harder then everyone else and did every ounce of overtime. I became a supervisor, then a manager.
I paid off my dept and got a mortgage on my first home, right now I’m working hard to renovate that place and turn it into something I can really take pride in.
But if you wanna know the truth, the last 10+ years I’ve been utterly f*****g miserable. Working so hard and making work such a strong focus of my life has utterly killed me. My mental and physical health have taken a battering.
And because of that I’ve been thinking loads about that interview I had when I was younger and I want to go back and give that kid a big hug because somewhere on this journey I forgot what the old me had said and I was so much f*****g smarter back when I was young then the man I am now.
I’ve actually taken a step back, I work a simple min wage job now, I don’t earn as much but I also don’t work as much. In truth it’s a struggle to pay the bills but I’m trying to find my way back to who I was.
So don’t worry about the interviews you failed or the opportunities you’ve missed cos works not as important as being happy, peace out m***********s and sorry for the long winded tale 🤘.
I once interviewed for a call center position for an insurance company. I was young and didn't know how to interview properly. The interviewer asked me where I saw myself in 5 years and I said I wanted to be a massage therapist. He actually yelled, "Well then what the hell are you doing here? Wasting my time?!" Maybe that was a wrong answer but his response was way out of line.
When I was 19 I went for an interview for a retail job and had 2 interviewers, the assistant manager and one of the team leaders. I instantly recognised the team leader as a friend of a friend I’d seen around at several parties.
I proceeded to give him a warm greeting and conducted the remaining interview with the sort of familiarity you’d expect from someone you know. I was thinking the whole time I’ve got the job in the bag and how fortunate it was I knew the interviewer. About half way through though I realised he was looking at me like I’m a complete werido and I wasn’t sure why.
I ended up getting the job and about 6 weeks passed before I casually mentioned our mutual friend Adam, and he was like ‘Ahh you know Adam!’. Turns out the whole time he didn’t recognise me and thought I was gay for him.
Job search company The Muse provides an example of this: “Since we were talking about my social media experience, I should also mention that as part of my internship at Smith Media, I wrote weekly blog posts and initiated a campaign to boost the company’s Facebook followers to over 3,000. This experience, along with the rest of my background, would really allow me to shine as your new social media specialist.”
This note adds any details that you forgot to mention but doesn’t count them as mistakes, rather than you saying, “I’m so sorry, but I completely forgot to mention one of my internships!”
Apparently I blew it by my appearance.
Set the scene: its March 2022, the year where March was scorching hot. I’ve just been made redudant as a contact centre manager for one of the biggest brand names in the world, amd we wore smart casual. I turn up, haircut day before, trimmed a small beard. Medium brown chinos, ironed shirt (coloured, a nice one from Next). I am 2nd interview now, and it’s with the owner. I have 16 years experience in the industry.
Owner turns up to interview in a polo, denim shorts, and white socks all the way up to his shin, and white reeboks (you can tell i’m not at all bitter about this).
He had asked me to give him a presentation on launching a new product, covering all areas but reasonably light on the minutia of detail as he wanted it 10 mins, so lots of headers, with summaries as to pro/cons.
I went all out, created a branding (not using his and explained I didn’t want him to be concerned with me having a document that looked official which he did actually credit me for). Practised my 10 minutes to not stumbling anywhere, and added a spare two minutes just in case.
Presentation ends, he is silent, so I quickly run through my two minutes.
Hands shake, off I go into the 30 degrees of freak British weather. Call from the recruiter:
“He says you didn’t dress smart, what the f**k where you thinking?! He also says you went over the 10 minute mark for presentation, so he’s passing you up”.
I argued that everyone was dressed “lower” than I was, it was non-client facing with smart cas attire as the rule. I also explained the silence and why I went over.
I think I dodged a bullet, personally, and it took a year to fill the role from my understanding.
Don't worry my friend. I was once asked "how did you get here?" and they were actually asking how I travelled there. Except I f****d up even more by saying "through the entrance" and pointed towards the door.
I was 17 and it was a bag of nerves for my first job interview and knew I'd f****d it there and then.
Not me but a friend who travelled to the interview in Germany by Lufthansa.
Interview hadn’t yet started : Which airline did you use ?
Answer : Luftwaffe.
"To start with, are you okay to give your presentation?"
Turns out that "What presentation?" isn't a very good response. Whoops!
I did not bother looking into the requirements for an English exam for my UK passport (they had recently changed South Africa requirement as we now have 11 languages) - walked in, asked what my topic of 5 minute speech would be... Ooops. I got lucky, I had just written a 1000 word essay on autopsy so said I would be doing that. Examiner asked why, said I was studying beginner forensics, we chatted nearly 15 minutes about Oscar Pistorius, realised we had run over, he skipped the other exam and I got my first ever 100% mark in an English exam.
I went for an interview with a company that provided parts to the military. So it was very secure and locked down...so I arrive early expecting a 10 minute wait but the previous interview finished early so I was caught off guard.
Fact was I'd had the curry in the fridge last night ..the one that was 3 days old...but smelt OK.
Anyway, I start the interview and my stomach roars....once twice and then I say...sorry I think I'm having some food poisoning cna I use your toilet.
So, as this is a secure facility the main interviewer...the guy who signed me in...had to escort me to the toilet.
They waited outside the stall while I unleashed the mother of all diarrhea. I'm not talking about a quiet stream either. I'm talking about explosive.....
And it went on and on and on.
I was there for 15 minutes easy.
I finally leave...sweaty and tired. Bruised and battered (we've all been there)...and left the stall...to come face to face with rhe interviewer who'd been there the whole f*****g time.
'Are you OK?' He asked nicely with a face failed to hide his disgust....
'No'...I replied.
Then for some reason I was like...'but we can continue'
Wtf was I thinking. He gave me an out and I f****d it up....so back into the interview room...I mumbled some answers....sweating like a junky and honestly after 2 more generic 'why do u want this job'type questions they said...'well we have what we need...thanks'
No hand shakes...escorted ro the exit. In the glass door I see them exchanging looks.
I cnst balme them.
A 3 day old curry, properly stored, is extremely unlikely to cause food poisoning
Tbh if that ends any chance of a job I’d be amazed. I’d see it as a nice way to disarm any nerves and laugh at the error.
Anyway not an interview, but an 8 hour lab exam for a certification that starts with four questions. You need to get three right. I knew I’d only got two right. So that was 10 minutes into an 8 hour lab exam.
Went for an interview at a media company that focuses on kids.
Covered my background, good. Why did I want this role? Also good.
Then they asked me why I thought I was a good fit for the role.
Among other things, I told them I knew that audience well, having a four year old kid of my own.
I was 22 at the time. Saw the woman's face turn to stone as she did the maths. Knew I wasn't getting it.
Right at the start, by not showing up. Even though I'd spent hours preparing for the interview.
I'd applied to work for a British organisation with a base in Belgium.
The interview was via video link.
When they told me the time of the interview, I didn't think to convert it to UK time.
So I showed up an hour late.
They weren't impressed, and I didn't get the job.
Every call I'm organizing has to be in UTC. This is more important for international/intercontinental calls, when I can't know where are you, what time or even what day is it there, or if you're in daylight saving time. My part is giving you an unequivocal time, your part is to verify what it means in your local time. It's one of the quirks of globalization...
It was one of my first job interviews since I was only 18/19, but I asked them what the notice period was. The look on their faces was priceless and obviously I did not get the job.
The building was confusing and I walked through the wrong door. The interviewer saw and told the receptionist "I definitely don't want that one".
I went and got very drunk in the pub opposite instead.
I was pulling into the car park and some d******d tried to overtake me at the entrance we had a shouting match with visual aids turned out he was the guy I was interviewing with.
Went through the motions I wasn’t selected.
This one is usually told from the point of view of the interviewer
So, for context, this was the third and final stage of an application for a high, but not director, level position.
First interview - with a (non managing) director (we'll call them Bob for ease). Went really well. I am told this role is not a practical, day to day position and is more about strategy.
Second interview - Same non managing director as above, along with two other high level hires who I would be working with. Went really well. It is reinforced to me that the position isn't a nitty gritty position but to take ownership of expansion.
Third interview - I am prepped as I am meeting the managing director & owner - we'll call him Fred. I was asked to prepare an overview of my priorities for domestic expansion. Arrive at the meeting, met Bob who was very enthusiastic about me being there, but takes me to one side before we begin and says, "So, when you meet Fred, he's very keen to hear about your strategy for international expansion..." **pause**, "... and I think we mentioned before that Fred can be very direct... " **pause "**so just take 10 minutes and come up when ready".
Fair enough I think, thinking on your feet etc is a good skill to display. So, came up with a quick pitch and went upstairs.
Fred comes in, says rather disparagingly, "oh, you're looking very smart aren't you?" to which I reply, "Well, you've got to make an effort!" So we're 10 seconds in...
Fred sits down and asks, "So what do you understand about this role?"
"Well, as I understand from Bob, this is a strategic role rather than hands on..."
"No, that's not correct at all. It's very much hands on."
Fred stands up and says, "Bob, can I have a quick word" and leaves the room with a very embarrassed Bob.
I sit there awkwardly for a few minutes. Bob comes in and sheepishly thanks me for my time.
I think I could have phrased "hands on" better, but still, Jesus Christ...
What are the odds that 'Fred' already had a candidate for this position? Perhaps the son of a friend/golf buddy? Wild assumption, I know.
When I was 18 and had little experience, I put in my CV that I was fluent in French, which is a lie. The person who interviewed me was Tunisian, and spoke fluent French. She spoke to me in French as she entered the room. The interview was over before she’d even sat down.
Oh no the terrible moment you realise you lied and stole the plot from a popular sitcom moment for likes on social media
"Tell me how you got here today?" is very open to interpretation. I'd have done the same as you.
1. "Meet me in the Adam and Eve pub." Went to the wrong Adam and Eve pub...
2. Pushed a pull door. Several times.
"I'm here for the interview."
"There is no interview or job vacancy."
"What about the sign that says help wanted."
"No, there is no sign.".
Had a job interview at a place in the middle of nowhere (pre GPS on your phone). Had a quick look on the map before I left, got lost and ended up in a village with a very similiar name. Thought, sod it, I'm so late I might as well go home but on the way back found myself driving past the right place. Thought, sod it, and went in for the interview. Had a comment about 'thought you weren't coming', went through with the interview...didn't get it.
But....about a week later they got in touch and said the original person they offered it to had said no, so did I want the job. I said no (mostly based on the commute) and I judged them for offering the job to a candidate who turned up 45mins late for the interview.
Not sure if it's "messed up" but after about 7 minutes in, it became quite clear the job was not what was advertised and I bluntly told them not to waste any more of my time if they weren't interested in what I was actually here to interview for.
I've also "failed" an interview before it even started, went down to London to interview for a new client (contract position) I signed myself in 30 minutes early, was told where everything would be. 45 minutes after the interview was supposed to start, I still hadn't been called in, despite the fact that I could see the two interviewers sat in a glass office together for the duration. I dropped my expenses invoice with the receptionist and left, went to the cafe downstairs and got myself a coffee. Phone rang 5 minutes later and I told them they could either come downstairs and join me for coffee or put the phone down. I dragged the director of engineering down 8 floors, let him buy me another coffee and then told him I was no longer interested.
I've had an argument in an interview before, which I'm fairly certain cost me the job. The "technical specialist" made a point that was demonstrably wrong, I thought it might be an attempt to catch me out, so I told him he was wrong, articulated why, and it descended into an argument from there. Didn't get the job, but wasn't too upset about it as I'd have been working for a weapons grade lemon.
Worst in terms of time to failure was probably when I was 17 and was voluntold to go and interview for the local Waitrose. Told them I was only here because my mum nagged me into it, I had no interest in working for them and customer facing work was not my forte. Two and a half hours of group interview nonsense later I got to leave.
If you ever get the opportunity, interview for some jobs you're not interested in and see how far you can push being useless before they actually close the interview and tell you to go away. It's quite entertaining. Every now and then you'll still get a job offer, which is even more confusing.
I've been unemployed since March 2023. I have applied to literally thousands of jobs that I'm qualified for. I have interviewed well over a dozen times. It's incredibly frustrating. I don't have any cute stories though, it all just sucks the entire way around for me.
Interviewer; tell us what you've been doing for the past 10 years. Me; well, it's all a bit of a blur really.
"Hell, I can barely remember what I had for breakfast!"
Load More Replies... I've been unemployed since March 2023. I have applied to literally thousands of jobs that I'm qualified for. I have interviewed well over a dozen times. It's incredibly frustrating. I don't have any cute stories though, it all just sucks the entire way around for me.
Interviewer; tell us what you've been doing for the past 10 years. Me; well, it's all a bit of a blur really.
"Hell, I can barely remember what I had for breakfast!"
Load More Replies...
