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“My Jaw Must Have Dropped”: 41 Absolute Mental Questions Job Candidates Decided To Ask Recruiters
Recruiters typically give candidates a chance to ask questions after the job interview. For the candidates, it’s their opportunity to learn more about the company and the position they’re applying for.
As a job seeker, the queries you raise will likely leave an impression on the interviewer. They can make you stand out in the best or worst ways, and as you may read from these stories, it can be a bit of both.
These are responses from a Reddit thread posted years back, many of which are still funny and worthy of a disappointing headshake to this day.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Legit this guy asked me "What did you have for dinner last night?"
I responded with "shepherd's pie".
He said - "ahh banging, cheese on top ?"
He got the job.
Crystalwitch60 1 day ago
Right answer 😂isn’t Shepard’s pie with no cheese lol ,even tho technically 😂with cheese on top it’s actually a Cumberland pie !!
RELATED:
#2
I've never really had a terrible question asked at the end of a job interview, as most of the time we both have an idea of whether or not they're getting a job before I let the interview end.
The funniest was when an applicant who grew up in Utah asked, "So is every day Hawaiian shirt day?" (I live in Hawaii) I was amused, but also knew it was going to be a bit of a culture shock for her. Everyone who gets their work done early gets to leave early because we all love to go surfing around 3 or 4 in the afternoon.
#3
My aunt would ask "Do you have profit sharing or do you live off the blood of the workers?" According to my Father, she may not have actually wanted to get a job. She's the only woman I know who passed the bar, but never worked a day in her life.
Michael Largey 20 hours ago
I have a friend who's the reverse. He works, but has never passed a bar in his life.
#4
Girl who used her status as a single mom the ENTIRE interview, during a group interview at a bank.
Very end: When do I start?
Interviewer: we will review candidates and contact the candidates we feel are qualified.
Her: yeah, okay, but I am a single mom, I need to know now so I can find a baby sitter.
Interviewer: Like I said..
Her: I didnt ask for lip I told you to tell me when I start
Them: If you qualify, you will be contacted
Her: your not listening to me, when do I start
Main big boss HR dude: You don't.
Girl: brain melts.
I got the job btw, but man, watching her go nuts over that was insane!
elmortero 1 day ago
Group interview? Don't I have ever heard of that in real life? Is that only a thing in USA, or happens elsewhere too?
liam newton-harding 1 day ago
It happens in quite a few Countries...best advice I ever heard about most group interviews...If you ever find yourself in one, turn around and walk away...you are just a body to them...if they can't make an effort, when you have, they are showing you how you are going to be treated throughout your time there.
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Nicole Weymann 1 day ago
To quote another BP post: "if you need the answer now the answer is NO"
Crystalwitch60 1 day ago
Wow what an entitled biatch , being a single parent ,DOESNT MAKE US SPECIAL dam ,yes kids have to be worked around ,but so do married couples either kids 😂isn’t unique to us lone ones , wonder if she ever got a job with that attitude!
#5
A bit after the end of an interview and happened to a co-worker, but it deserves an honorable mention.
A guy stole the HR managers wallet from the orientation and bought beer with his credit card. Manager went to the store, got to see the tape, then went across the street to where the new hire was drinking the beer and demanded his wallet back. After denying it at first, the new hire eventualy gives the wallet back. He then asks the HR manager if he can keep his job.
He did not keep his job.
Stygtand 1 day ago
Might be a dumb question. But how can he use the credit card. Doesn’t it require a code to use?
Nicola Roberts 1 day ago
In the UK we use tap and go. No signature or code required. Currently the limit is £100 per transaction. It's under consideration to be raised.
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Michael Largey 20 hours ago (edited)
An employee stealing from management reverses the central purpose of HR.
Crystalwitch60 1 day ago
Clearly a s c u m thief with no moral compass what so ever , and an entitled sense of I,ll do what I like ,I hope the bloke had him arrested !
#6
I interviewed a gentleman older than I once who continuously asked who the boss was. I said I was the manager and left it at that. He wasn’t satisfied and went on and on about what a jerk the owner was. I own the company, started it from scratch. Said the owner screwed him out of a job once ( never applied before). So I was just finishing the interview out of curtesy and my own pettiness. As I asked when and where he met the owner I see my frantic husband walk in the front door and a few employees go with him. So I’m half listening to this guy ramble on about meeting in Vegas, and so much other nonsense, as an employee burst into the office and says that I’m needed up front.
I politely but quickly excuse myself to go out front to see my kid busted his nose bleeding everywhere.
I go back in and explain I would cut the interview short and said I needed to run my child to the ER. This POS thought saying “that’s why women make bad management “ was a smart choice. It wasn’t. First off I own this company from the idea to every last brick, I’ve never been to Vegas and you have never applied here. He stood dumbfounded and walked out.
The next week he called asking for status of his application 🤣😂.
Trillian 1 day ago
So the husband who was (I assume) minding the kid came running to her because of a minor accident? When she as the owner of a company was doing a job interview? Why couldn't he just take the kid to the doctor?
V 20 hours ago
When I had to take our kid to the ER my husband left work early and met us there. If a kid has an illness or injury bad enough that they need to go to the ER I don't think it's unreasonable that both parents would want to be there just in case.
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Michael Largey 20 hours ago
The application for the restraining order is coming along just fine.
#7
"What church do you attend?"
It was an IT job.
Billo66 1 day ago
I follow the doctrine of Linus Torvalds. We don't have a guy on a cross or anything. But, we do have a really cute penguin!
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Crystalwitch60 1 day ago
Wonder what said interviewer would say to my reply of , church hmm sorry don’t do them I’m a white witch 😂strange the uk don’t ask those kinda questions tho lmao
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Billo66 1 day ago
Shit. I make candles with soy wax. I'm going to the bad place I guess.
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azubi 1 day ago
Finding myself thus hard pushed, I replied, “I mean, sir, the same ancient Catholic Church to which you and I, and Captain Peleg there, and Queequeg here, and all of us, and every mother’s son and soul of us belong; the great and everlasting First Congregation of this whole worshipping world; we all belong to that; only some of us cherish some queer crotchets no ways touching the grand belief; in that we all join hands.” (Herman Melville, 'Moby D**k')
#8
I (male) was in the interview with a candidate (female) who was on layoff status, meaning they were preferred for re-hire over other candidates for some period after their not-for-cause termination, as a company policy.
The candidate wasn't terrible, but also not outstanding and completely wrong for the position. The biggest problem was her skill set really wasn't a match - she was a mechanical engineer, we needed software. But her layoff status ensured she would get an interview for any position she wanted to try for, enforced by H.R.
I can guess she could tell she wasn't a fit, I mean the questioning about software and her lack of practice in that area of engineering should have given the clue to anyone. She did have some interesting technical achievements in her area of mechanics. Up until the very end, I was internally wishing her success in finding something worthy of her expertise.
I guess she was also desperate, because as we were wrapping up, she leaned across the table we faced each other at, took my hand which was on a stack of papers, and said, "I'll do absolutely anything to get this job. Absolutely. Anything."
I immediately jumped up and opened the conference room door and asked my boss, who was outside down that hall a short distance, to step in and help me wrap up. My boss was confused but complied. I didn't mention a word about the last utterance from the candidate, and we escorted her out of the building as if nothing had happened. I told my boss afterward the why and he was totally understanding and supportive.
All I could think of, was the kind of crazy or desperate person who would make such an offer was also the sort who wouldn't shrink from accusing me of demanding what she was volunteering, and my word against hers. Win or lose that situation, and you've still lost.
Scott Rackley 1 day ago (edited)
If you didn't have cameras and microphones in the room, and a big ole sign on the front door announcing that, you're absolutely crazy.
#9
Are you going to run a background check?
Well, normally we don’t for entry level retail, but if you had any shot in hell of getting this job, I would now. He wasn’t getting the job anyway after he gleefully answered my question about difficult situations by recounting the most recent time he beat someone.
Don’t call us, we won’t call you.
Bonnie Blue Bird 1 day ago
Red flag! And why would you discuss beating someone with a potential employer?
#10
"Do any women work here? They're attracted to me like bees to honey. I find it better to not work around them than to be hit on constantly."
He did not make it to the next round of interviews!
Crystalwitch60 1 day ago
How to spot the I think I’m gods gift to women incel t w a t in one sentence 😂😂
#11
Not as an interviewer, but the worst question I asked…
My first job interview ever. It went really well. I didn’t really understand how employment worked in general, and I was scared of getting locked into a multi-year contract. I’d previously been looking at the Air Force, which in my country has a minimum time commitment.
At the end, I wanted to ask about this. So of course I posed it as a hypothetical: “if I get the job am I allowed to leave after a couple of weeks if I change my mind?”
I immediately knew how much I’d messed up. The interviewers looked at each other and said, “well… yes…”.
Somehow I still got the job. I have no idea how.
#12
Ooooh I got a good one. I was doing a technical question for an engineer. We start really basic and then move on to moderate problems. This candidate was really struggling, it was clear it was not going to work out. As I try to move things along so that we might be able to wrap up early, the candidate asks “can you solve it wrong and I will tell you what’s wrong with your solution?”
My jaw must have dropped.
Scott Rackley 1 day ago
So, so many apprenticeship applications. For what I do, mostly you just have to be able to admit when you're wrong or if you don't know something. That can be rectified. Then they started putting me on the panel for engineers. The last 3 years have been lean.
Michael Largey 19 hours ago
Identifying an error is sometimes an excellent way to display technical knowledge.
#13
I interviewed a guy a few years back for an IT position, he was qualified but you could tell he had problems with social contact, he mumbled a lot, no eye contact, and he’d look literally anywhere but at me. Super nervous, but still seemed like a nice guy, just awkward. Before leaving he sheepishly asked ‘what’s the company jorts policy?’ He got hired a few days later and we all came to know him as ‘Jorts, from IT’.
Chich the witch 22 hours ago
Used to tell people that as long as the tasks assigned got done and no one had to go to jail or hospital that they could show up in a Tu-Tu singing hallelujah for all I cared. I valued competence and honesty.
Dirk Daring 1 day ago
I've been in IT for ~30 years. If the position isn't directly customer facing, he sounds pretty much spot on for IT work.
#14
I was recently interviewing for an engineering position with one of my colleagues. The last question the guy asked was, "This isn't one of those vaccine and masks companies, is it?"
We make devices used to test for covid. It's a pretty heavily scientific company. He was barely scraping by the interview, but we were both considering pulling him through because we're filling a lot of positions.
At least he owned the libs, though.
Sue User 1 day ago
I dont take an aisle seat on a plane because, due to my eyesight, i woukd be nore of an imoediment than a help. It is selfish to out others in possible danger even though tge extra room is better physicalky for me. The freedom of one ends where the freedom of another begins. You dont get to put me in danger because you dont want to take a shot.
Crystalwitch60 1 day ago
Anti vaxing flat earth lunatics ,applies at a place that makes freaking vaccines n the like 😂😂😂😂😂yup lunatics 😂
#15
Technically the worst I guess, but also the funniest:
Candidate asked me what it would take for him to be doing my job in 3-4 years, I told him there's only one spot for my role and I'd either need to leave or have an accident.
He asked if I had any allergies.
I recommended him for the job.
Scott Rackley 1 day ago
I swear to you no lie, the tooling lead asked me where I was going to be in 5 years. I told him doing his job. Took me 7 but I'm fine with that. Class master though, he started specializing in wireEDM and got wicked good at it. Still have a puzzle he burnt for me on my desk. Love ya Bull.
KatSaidThat 1 day ago
Was interviewing all my temps for permanent positions alongside a panel for other departments too (NHS). My guy answers that 5 year's time question with "your job"... I lolled so hard knowing he had been accepted to nursing college already and was merely waiting for that to start.
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 day ago (edited)
I know someone who used to put "GSOH" on his résumé. Nobody ever asked what it meant. It was "Good Sense Of Humour"!
#16
"When can he start?"
Asked by the *mother* of the 28 year old man I was interviewing for a tech position, who had insisted on being present for the interview, and who tried to answer every question for him.
Ace 1 day ago
Why would you even let a mother come in to their child's interview? If she "insists" on being present, you simply tell her to leave, with or without the child.
Lazy Panda 2 1 day ago
The number of people I see on our local Facebook page asking, "my son/daughter is looking for work, has a driving license and will work hard." Yeah, so hard they can't even be arsed to post their own plea for a job.
Load More Replies... #17
What is the official policy regarding office romances.
My O My 1 day ago
Given what I read about the policies in the US this is fair! Here in germany, as long as you don't cause drama your fine. Half of the people meet their spouses at work
Papa 1 day ago
At one time we had two married couples working here (in the US) in a group of around 30 people. Both couples met while working here. I never noticed it causing any issues, and one of them is even divorced and still working here with no noticeable friction.
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Janeybent42 1 day ago
I met my spouse at work! We’ve gone on to work together at multiple places. I enjoy it and it’s never been an issue. Keep it professional!
Abel 1 day ago
Where you cook dont put your c**k. (Bastardised translation of a spanish saying).
Scott Rackley 1 day ago
In the US, "Don't get your honey where you get your money." is common in the southeast.
Load More Replies... Trillian 1 day ago
I don't see how what I do in my free time is any of my employer's business (as long as it is legal)
KatSaidThat 1 day ago
You've never seen an office romance crash and burn and affect the entire office...
Load More Replies... #18
“Do I need to quit my other job?”
She was currently applying for a full time job, while working a full time job. She went on to try to convince us that she’s so bored at her current job she could totally get away with doing this job at the other place.
JoRo 1 day ago
I actually work with a colleague (not in my team) who is doing exactly this at the moment. I'm torn between, let the company find out themselves and W*F, your other team members are suffering because you're doing a half-arsed job!
Papa 1 day ago
If this co-worker only had the one job and the co-workers were suffering because of it, that wouldn't be okay, so why would it be if he or she has two jobs?
Load More Replies... Zig Zag Wanderer 1 day ago (edited)
Fair question. In a government department, I hassled hard to get a server set up for my system. It took months (apparently not enough screws for the rack was the final 2 months delay, I kid you not!). Later I realised that if I had just kept quiet, I could easily have taken on another contract and just done both, made twice the money and no waves in IT.
#19
I felt that the interview wasnt really going well and didnt think i would get the job. So I asked if they would like me to recommend ppl (friends that i knew were looking for similar jobs) that i felt would be perfect for the position i was applying for.
They said, sure, but why would you sabotage your own chances?
Somehow, I got hired for the job.
#20
"Are all the women who work here hot?"
I was not leading the interview, merely taking notes. I crossed that man's name off on my notes.
#21
I lost a job because I asked the HR rep.."but how do you like it here?"
Seriously, it was over... and I was over it, also.
Bonnie Blue Bird 1 day ago
How is this not a valid question? If you're going to be at an organization, you want to know the levels of toxicity. How they answer can give you an idea.
Andy 1 day ago (edited)
For me the question is too blunt, and is just going to annoy the interviewer. Even if the place is terrible, they are never going to tell you that and an interview, and how they personally feel isn't really relevant anyway, as unless you are applying for a job in their team you are going to be doing a different role, subject to a different manager and framework. If you do want to ask that type of question, build rapport with the interviewer, then you can ask it in a roundabout way as part of general chat e.g. "how long have you worked here?". Short time - "oh, not that long then, how are you finding it so far?", Long time - "Wow, you must really like it here then?"
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Earonn - 1 day ago
I always ask what the turnover rate for employees is, and why the interviewer likes working there. If you don't hire me because you don't like questions about your company's climate, I don't want to work for you. I deserve better.
Papa 1 day ago
I was offered a job once, but turned it down when I found out about the turnover and on-the-job injury rate.
Load More Replies... Crystalwitch60 1 day ago
Tbh from someone that’s been on the having to interview people over my working lives , that’s a fair question !, and yes if I’d been asked I’d have answered truthfully, I mean like if I wasn’t happy in a job I left , n went elsewhere , so 🤷♀️if I loved it I stayed , the rescue center for one , ,
#22
"How would you catch an employee stealing money and where might your gaps be"....granted the position was for fraud detection but this had nothing to do with the position. This was his only question and he grew frustrated that I wouldn't divulge specifics. Either he was planning on stealing or he was absolutely clueless. Hard pass...
#23
Me: mid-30’s. Him: probably over 50. “If I get hired, will I have to work for a young punk like you?”.
Batwench 1 day ago
My current line manager is a person who I used to teach. I am so proud of him.
V 20 hours ago
My current manager is 20 years my junior. She has had a lot of set backs in her life and I am so proud of her for getting to where she is so young despite everything. It's not exactly a massive career, but I am talking major medical setbacks to the point where a lot people in her position end up on disability their entire lives.
Load More Replies... Crystalwitch60 1 day ago (edited)
Erm why has Kat been down voted to oblivion. w*f she say bad , she’s spot on 😳even if 50 is far from a boomer , she’s still said exactly what we all did , just in a diff way ,w*f is wrong with u people, n downvoting people for NO REASON eugh
Min 1 day ago
If I had to guess, it might have something to do with the fact that 50 is far from a boomer. Gen X was the first generation screwed by them so it's a wee bit off-putting.
Load More Replies... #24
So what exactly does the job entail? (as we were about to shake hands). We'd just spent half an hour going over it in detail but it's fair to say she wasn't getting it anyway.
#25
Not me, but my coworker: "so will it be a problem if I call out a lot?".
#26
A lady asked my boss what the dress code was. Completely normal, acceptable question.
But after my boss told her it was business causal she slams her feet on my boss’s desk and says “good, because this is the only pair of shoes I own and I’m only going to buy shoes that look like this”.
#27
I wouldn’t have to work with the public, right? (Asked for a receptionist job).
Con O Cuinn 4 hours ago (edited)
Gotta wonder if it was advertised as a receptionist position. I've seen plenty of funny phrasing that would leave you unsure whether they're looking for a receptionist, secretary, assistant, cleaner, etc.
#28
Seriously I heard this one (second hand but immediately after), “Are those real?”, eying the interviewers breasts.
Answer was pause, goggle, gulp, “I think we’re done here”. I was called in to escort the guy out.
#29
Do you have anyone under the age of 18 working here?
He made the hair on my neck stand up when he walked in, so the odds already weren’t in his favor. He also asked this as a minor was cleaning a table next to us.
#30
When I worked at the bullseye.
Them: “When do I give you my time off requests for the weeks of thanksgiving and Christmas?”
Me: this is a seasonal position….
#31
How much water is in the ocean, and they were not joking or anything. They expected a serious answer. My interview team (3 people) answered as best they could and then at the end the interviewee said, "You are all wrong it changes constantly due to the water cycle.".
Scott Rackley 1 day ago
320 million cubic miles, give or take, as she said. In case you were wondering. 1.35 billion (with a "b") cubic kilometers for everyone who measures things rationally.
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 day ago
Weird. It's actually pretty consistent because the changes in the amount of water in the atmosphere and on land is miniscule compared to the amount of water in the oceans.
Scott Rackley 1 day ago
Nobody is piping water into the Earth from outside. The sun is piping away the water, so net loss to space. We have the most water on Earth we will ever have (not that we have had) right now.
Load More Replies... Rick Murray 1 day ago
Sounds like he picked that up from a previous interview that asks such dumb questions or does petty tests like the thing with the coffee cup.
Dirk Daring 1 day ago
Reverse UNO on the kind of interviewer questions like "What kind of tree would you be?"
Jonas Fisher 1 day ago
Nonsense answer. By that logic, there is no consistent answer to any question.
#32
I've had a 'What's the worst part about working here?'
Seems like a somewhat reasonable question, but it's like the reverse of 'what's your biggest weakness as a candidate?' No one on the panel is going to give you a straight answer, in part because they have to turn around and still work with the other people on the panel and in the same conditions.
Bonnie Blue Bird 1 day ago
Your reaction to the question is also what the candidate is gaging. Once you've survived toxic workplaces. You learn to spot places you do not want to join.
Jonas Fisher 1 day ago
I disagree. Maybe it's just that I've never found myself in the position of being courted for a job, but to me this is a "it does more harm than good" kind of question. I mean, so they say, "Actually, this is a great place to work." How does that really help you? Meanwhile, they could dislike the question enough not to hire you.
Load More Replies... #33
It wasn't so much a question as a statement. Candidate walks in and greets my boss and I then promptly states "I just want to let you know before we get started, I'm not sure I'm really interested in this position." My said "Great, I guess we are done here." Guy lost it saying we wasted his time...
Gracie Mae 17 hours ago
Nah dude, you wasted your time AND theirs by playing your hand with what you thought would be a bluff.
#34
“Do you believe in UFOs” - it was a space related engineering job.
Con O Cuinn 4 hours ago
I dunno, if I fling a saucer at your head and you don't see it coming, I think it counts
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#35
"How long do I have to stay in this position before I can apply for other positions in the company?"
It's actually a legitimate question, but the way it was delivered just left me floored. This wasn't an entry-level job.
Michael Largey 19 hours ago (edited)
The best answer is also the most truthful - "That all depends."
#36
I had a job interview three weeks ago.
Near the end of my interview, I asked what exactly their expectations of me where when it came to the job.
When I heard I’d have a whole bunch of paper work to do after every job (Provisioning gas lines to new houses), I said,
“No thanks, I’ll do everything else bar that.. is there someone else who can do it?”
The looks the interviewers gave me was hilarious.
I start in 4 days and don’t have to do paper work.
Scott Rackley 1 day ago
You're installing gas lines and you don't sign off on connections. What could possibly go wrong?
Sue User 1 day ago
Yeah, and company is okay with your non compliance. Sure. No way this would fly due to liability.
Load More Replies... Con O Cuinn 4 hours ago
Every tradie knows this is fake. The person who does the job fills out the paperwork, that's the f*****g point
#38
Work in finance. Had a guy fresh out of school ask if we could fudge the numbers if the boss asks us to.
That’s a big no.
#39
"You don't have a lot of Indian people working here, do you?"
This was asked by a white dude at an interview at a tech company in Silicon Valley. Um. Bye.
#40
“ Why is it that I got to the final round and my friends didn’t “.
#41
This one sticks out from when I used to work at a lab:
What kinds of things do you guys throw out in your dumpsters?
Bonnie Blue Bird 1 day ago
In the US there are laws on what can go into the dumpsters and what must go into biohazard waste. This may be the candidate looking to see if the lab is ethical. Such as with patient info, is this being handled appropriately? But lab is also a broad term.
#42
I had a guy say "If I get the job, can I have a pay advance?"
No, he didn't get the job.
Lazy Panda 2 1 day ago
If they're moving across country to take up a new post, and have a gap between employment, this isn't an unreasonable ask. My company advance season rail tickets and a proportion of wages if needed. It comes with signed conditions.
#44
If I drink , and when I said no asked if I would blow in the interlock system to start the truck.
#45
I had a guy ask if I was ok with the fact he wasn’t able to work around minors and that he was needing a job due to just getting out of jail.
I ran a store that employed 50% high schoolers at the time.
When I said no, he asked if I could switch shifts around so that he only worked with people 18+.
Honestly, up until that point he was well dressed, well spoken and seemed like a good fit. Made me question the 100’s of interviews I had done before that.
Jonas Fisher 1 day ago
Yeah, this one is an issue for a completely different reason. He served his time, and if up to that point you had no issues, then I'd say you just have to appreciate his forthrightness about the situation, as well as his efforts to anticipate being able to accept a job if it were offered.
#46
"Why should I want to work here?"
Something about the way he asked just seemed so cocky to me. He hadn't done very well on the rest of the interview and wanted me to sell him on why he should accept the offer from us. Then, when I tried to humor him with an answer, he countered everything I said.
#47
In an interview the HR person asked me if I had any questions. I asked what the compaines mission statement was. She did not know and had to look it up. Needless to say I did not get the job.
Billo66 1 day ago
Yes they are but you have to have one to get a business license in our city, which cost like 7 bucks lol. I started a computer business, crashed spectacularly. See, I failed my own mission.
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#48
"So what was it about me that made you interested?"
I think the lawyers call that "assuming a fact not in evidence".
#49
“I’m a Catholic. Does that have any relevance?“ It was a route delivery position. I didn’t answer. I just looked at him.
Bartlet for world domination 1 day ago
Lol @hidden comment, forgot about the Anglican church after they forgot not be ducks
liam newton-harding 1 day ago
On today's episode of totally not made up stuff Nigel Farrage told me...
Load More Replies... #50
“So, if Friday is a work at home day, am I expected to be contactable?”.
#51
"How do you drink your tea, loose leaf or tea bags?"
And
"What's your order at Long John Silver's?"
Same interview and same woman during an interview for an IT position.... Didn't get the job.
#53
It wasn't at the end of the interview, but an answer right at the beginning. We asked, "what attracted you to this job," and he said "mainly I'm looking for anything that gets me off night shift." I mean, props for honesty, but maybe at least make up something that tells me you've read the req.
#54
Not a question, but I once had someone grab **my** purse and start digging through it. It was *not* a mistake, but a choice!
I completed the interview, but they did not get the job.
Roberta Surprenant 1 day ago
Interviewer had their own purse in their own office. Candidate grabbed it. (tldr for those short on comprehension.)
#55
"Why am I getting paid less than others? Google said it was going to be more.".
#56
“You read my resume. Did you get the joke?”
I love MST3K as much as the next guy, and gave a solid “heh” at the “Intern, Gizmonic Institute” on his resume.
The rest of the panel did not.
He didn’t get the job.
#57
How long is the lunch hour?
… it’s one hour.
Ah okay.
Ace 1 day ago
Not actually such a stupid question. I've worked at places where it's not always or necessarily exactly an hour.
Heffalump 23 hours ago
Also people treat 'lunch hour' and 'lunch break' as synonyms, even when there's only 30 mins.
Load More Replies... KatSaidThat 1 day ago
Put my phone on DND one day eating at my desk. Temp comes out and says I am not answering. "Yes, I'm at lunch" "but you are at your desk"... Yes, this is my lunch hour.
#58
"how did I do?", I've been asked this multiple times. The real answer was you are a hard no every time. But the answer they get is normally along the lines of I need to talk wit the other interviewers and your recruiter will reach out soon.
Sue User 1 day ago
So an interviewee is asking for feedback on their performance and this automatically disqualifies them ?
tameson 1 day ago
No. It is just a question that is usually asked by interviewees that no they didn't do very well.
Load More Replies... #59
Had an interviewee tell us on the final interview that they had done extremely well on and were likely to get an offer that he rented rooms in his house to college coeds and he’d have us over to party. Epic fail right there.
#60
How soon can I book holidays?
elmortero 1 day ago
To be fair, when I interview people for my team and I feel I might hire them I ask them if they have holidays planned in the near future. Not to turn them down over it, but rather to maybe postpone their entry date
Heffalump 23 hours ago
It's a very legit question: suppose you're hiring in January, and it's six months till they can book with you: that means that it's that long before they can go online and make reservations and buy tickets, which will be expensive. They have to factor in that they'll be staying home that summer.
#61
Not a question but one guy quoted Captain Picard to try and show he was a good leader.
Andi 1 day ago
i've done this and it works if done properly - i've also quoted Terry Pratchett - the secret is don't let on the source. The Pratchett one is for the 'managing a busy diary' question - basically and expanded version of 'just do the job in front of you. ' One interviewer looked up and said 'Sam Vimes?' Yep, we both smiled and no-one else in the room had a clue! Sweet. got the job.
#63
Accounting position interview for a small, fast paced office, She asked “If I get a call and need to leave, do I need to ask or tell someone?” Question after discussing the importance of a team environment. I am sure my facial expression answered that question.
Bonnie Blue Bird 1 day ago
And some people have kids or family situations that need attention. Valid question.
Roberta Surprenant 1 day ago
Needing to leave, valid. Thinking they don't need to let company know, not valid.
Load More Replies... #64
Once, at the end of an interview, I tried being funny and asked "do you know the Gingerbread Man?". I didn't get the job, granted, it was just for Chipotle, but it still haunts me to this day.
#65
Instead of lying to you. I could be lying. For you?
What do you think ?
My O My 1 day ago
80% of these questions are either valid or good sports! Really sad and frustrating that people really get rejected for these questions. But, honestly, if the intetviewer/company can't take it you don't want to work there anyways
Sue User 1 day ago
My thoughts exactly. It long past tge time tgat companies think they are doung us a favor giving us a job. They can pull crappy little stunts over coffee mugs but if I quote Jean Luc Picard, that disqualifies me ?
Load More Replies... Heffalump 23 hours ago
Almost all of these say nothing about the candidate and everything about the interviewer's lack of professionalism. Few of these people should be hiring anyone. They assume that the candidate is just there as a supplicant, not that this is a mutual discussion of a potential business relationship.
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 day ago (edited)
I once went to an interview right out of uni. There were about 8 of us. We were put in a room and offered sandwiches 'left over from a meeting' and asked to wait. We started talking. I mentioned my 'plan' which was to get 2 years programming experience, become a contractor, then try to move to Australia. Someone came in almost immediately and took me out for an interview. At the end, mentioned that they didn't want people who weren't expecting to stay for a long term. THEY WERE LISTENING TO OUR CONVERSATION! Dodged a bullet, and succeeded in my plan.
haileetessa 15 hours ago
I ɢᴇᴛ ᴘᴀɪᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ $120 ᴘᴇʀ ʜᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ғʀᴏᴍ ʜᴏᴍᴇ. I ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪ'ᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ ʙᴜᴛ ᴍʏ ʙᴜᴅᴅʏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ᴏᴠᴇʀ $13,453 ᴀ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪs ᴀɴᴅ sʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴠɪɴᴄᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀʏ. sᴛᴀʀᴛ ᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄᴀsʜ ɪɴ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ʟɪғᴇ.....➤➤ 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗝𝗼𝗯𝟭.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Load More Replies...
Papa 1 day ago
At a former job I was told of a guy who was caught drinking beer during working hours, and when fired for it didn't understand why. He said "But I was on break!"
Load More Replies... Rick Murray 1 day ago
A woman applying for a seasonal position (September to December) asks what the company policy is regarding maternity leave, as she's seven months and will need to leave after two or three weeks. They told her that she was welcome to leave immediately. "But then I won't get paid!". 🤦
My O My 1 day ago
80% of these questions are either valid or good sports! Really sad and frustrating that people really get rejected for these questions. But, honestly, if the intetviewer/company can't take it you don't want to work there anyways
Sue User 1 day ago
My thoughts exactly. It long past tge time tgat companies think they are doung us a favor giving us a job. They can pull crappy little stunts over coffee mugs but if I quote Jean Luc Picard, that disqualifies me ?
Load More Replies... Heffalump 23 hours ago
Almost all of these say nothing about the candidate and everything about the interviewer's lack of professionalism. Few of these people should be hiring anyone. They assume that the candidate is just there as a supplicant, not that this is a mutual discussion of a potential business relationship.
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 day ago (edited)
I once went to an interview right out of uni. There were about 8 of us. We were put in a room and offered sandwiches 'left over from a meeting' and asked to wait. We started talking. I mentioned my 'plan' which was to get 2 years programming experience, become a contractor, then try to move to Australia. Someone came in almost immediately and took me out for an interview. At the end, mentioned that they didn't want people who weren't expecting to stay for a long term. THEY WERE LISTENING TO OUR CONVERSATION! Dodged a bullet, and succeeded in my plan.
haileetessa 15 hours ago
I ɢᴇᴛ ᴘᴀɪᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ $120 ᴘᴇʀ ʜᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ғʀᴏᴍ ʜᴏᴍᴇ. I ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪ'ᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ ʙᴜᴛ ᴍʏ ʙᴜᴅᴅʏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ᴏᴠᴇʀ $13,453 ᴀ ᴍᴏɴᴛʜ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪs ᴀɴᴅ sʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴠɪɴᴄᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀʏ. sᴛᴀʀᴛ ᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄᴀsʜ ɪɴ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ʟɪғᴇ.....➤➤ 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗝𝗼𝗯𝟭.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Load More Replies... Papa 1 day ago
At a former job I was told of a guy who was caught drinking beer during working hours, and when fired for it didn't understand why. He said "But I was on break!"
Load More Replies... Rick Murray 1 day ago
A woman applying for a seasonal position (September to December) asks what the company policy is regarding maternity leave, as she's seven months and will need to leave after two or three weeks. They told her that she was welcome to leave immediately. "But then I won't get paid!". 🤦
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