People Are Sharing Their Job Interviews That Didn’t Go Well, And Here Are The 26 Worst Stories
Congratulations, your application has landed you a job interview! Now it's time to do your homework, put on some nice clothes, and sit down face to face with your possible employer. What's the worst that could happen?
Turns out, a lot. A few days ago, Twitter user Kristin (@fencheeks) described a ridiculous experience she had with one recruiter, and it gave people the courage to share their own similar stories. From making mistakes and underselling yourself to creeps who think sexual harassment is OK, continue scrolling and check out some of the most popular replies to Kristin's tweet.
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For one of our earlier articles, Bored Panda Becca Carnahan who is an experienced career coach located outside of Boston, MA. She is dedicated to helping early and mid-career professionals find fulfillment and joy in their work, and told us that every job interview is different and the same.
"The skills and competencies interviewers screen for will differ significantly based on the role and the company," Carnahan said. "However, you will almost always be asked a variation of 'tell me about yourself.'"
An 8-hour volunteer position?? Does this restaurant do a lot of "trial shifts" with different candidates? I've done unpaid tests for graphic design jobs - they were an hour long at most. For restaurant work before that, I did paid shifts; I wasn't good at it, so I lasted anywhere from an hour to two days.
"There are subjects that are not just off-limits, but also illegal for interviewers to ask," Carnahan highlighted. "Questions around marital status, children, ethnicity, religion, race, and age should not be asked in an interview. Keep in mind, the laws in your state as well. For example, in some states, employers cannot ask about your salary history."
According to the career coach, while some inappropriate or illegal interview questions may be asked off-hand or with innocent 'get to know you' intentions, it is fully within your rights to not answer the question. "You can state that you would prefer not to answer, you can redirect the conversation, or directly ask 'Is that relevant to this position I am applying for?' or 'Can you help me understand how this question is relevant to the job I am being considered for?'"
Carnahan said it can be intimidating to respond in this way but it's also important to protect yourself and your boundaries. Just like Kristin did!
Just wasting the time of someone who could be at an interview with a company that would pay them what they’re worth—-and tell them the range BEFORE making them take a slew of stupid tests!
What makes people think they are so much better than others that they get to waste your time?
Had an interview for what sounded like a really great job, but one for which I couldn’t find a salary range anywhere online, even on sites like Salary.com, Glassdoor, etc. Their first question was if I had any questions. So I asked, point blank, what the salary was. They gave me a ridiculously low number. I asked if they could do any better than that, but they said that was the top amount they were authorized to offer. So I said I wasn’t going to waste their time anymore, and got up to leave. They asked me what I meant, so I told them that I didn’t work so hard to get my Master’s Degree (just graduated, in fact) to accept such a low salary offer. Their jaws dropped to the floor, like they couldn’t believe someone with a graduate degree wouldn’t be thrilled to work for a pittance. I just thanked them, then turned around and left.
What happened wanna bet the asshole only wanted to hire this one particular applicant he was attracted to, or is related to, or was a frat bro, so had to make the other interviewees walk out so their choice would end up being the only one.
Companies expect honesty only to tell on others. If its about the company then its bad attitude!!
I went to an interview for a heating and cooling company. It went decent, did all the paperwork, took the tests, and then they threw in (oh some things we forgot to tell you). I would be going to about 6 different jobs a day, and they forbid their workers to show up hot and sweaty to a job. Mind you, this is in Phoenix, where it is 115 during the day, and you're working in 140 degree attics in the summer. They expected me to bring a duffel bag full of clothes to work, and change in my work truck before every new job, like 6 times a day. And then go home and do an entire load of laundry every night. On top of it, they then threw in that the owner doesn't like facial hair, and is convinced that guys with facial hair are dishonest people. So despite being well kept, I'd have to now be clean shaven and completely change my appearance. All the while the owner is there literally in her pajamas, fuzzy slippers, pajama pants, ratty old flannel. I noped the hell right out of there.
There was a sales job opening in my town but the home office was 50 miles away. Got a call to come in for an interview after I sent a resume. When I arrived the guy asked me to complete their job application. After that the interview went fine until he said, "You didn't put any church affiliation on the application." I asked, "Is that a problem?" He said, "No." He then said I'd have to pick up the company car at the office every morning and bring it back every afternoon. (50 miles each way!) I said that seemed wasteful but he explained that they had a prayer meeting every morning so I'd have to come in anyway. I told him it didn't seem like a good fit and left.
I once had an interview for a boutique hotel in San Francisco, it was my dream job. There was an urn on the shelf behind by the smiling interviewer, along with a guy's picture, and all during the interview I had assumed that they were the remains of the interviewer's son. It turns out it was the previous employee for the position I was applying for, and his smilling face was staring right at me like he was saying "you're going to die here". They offered me the job but I didn't take it because, you know, ghosts.
Can we all agree to start a mass movement in which interviewers who hide salaries until the end, ask you to work for free, or sexually harass you are simply told, “F*** you for wasting my time.”
I drove 30 miles to interview at this place that sells vacations and passes to various tourist destinations. Interview goes great and they want me to come back to interview with one of the head honchos. Fine. Drove another 30 miles the next day and that interview went great too. They want me to come back again and interview with another head honcho. I said I had to see what my schedule was (I was temping at the time) and would let them know. They said fine. I find out my schedule and left a message. Then they ghosted me. I ended up leaving six messages and they couldn’t even be bothered to tell me they found someone else, changed their minds, tell me to screw off, nothing. Eat sh$t, Sable.
I interviewed for a job at an auto parts store when I was a student. The interview went well. I got a phone call at 8:30PM that evening telling me that if I wanted the job it was mine, but ONLY if I showed up for training at 7AM the next morning at their corporate facility that was 50 miles away. I had class that morning, which had been mentioned during the interview (which was for an evening shift). They seemed surprised that I was passing on the opportunity to make $9/hr.
interviewed for an hourly job in a plant that has a reputation for having a**hole management and was known by long-standing reputation in local industry for having a turn-over problem in that craft. The interviewing manager, who was also the salaried shop manager, and I had our reparee. I finally asked him why there was a turnover problem in his shop, and what were they doing about it. I knew the answer, this was due to their legacy of bad management. So Mr. A**hole manager gets up and walks out in the middle of the interview. After he left, I told the stunned H.R. manager who was there and stayed that the plant and shop had a reputation in industry for having obnoxious, unprofessional management (perfect example just provided). That was the reason for the turnover problem. I told her that he was a problem manager, and if the plant ever organized, it would start in his shop, Then I told the working people who were there who joined the interview that they should organize and fight back. I gave them the name of the USW local president at the sister plant across the highway, and recommended they contact him through his union local. Then I walked out with no apologies offered, no regrets, or any looking back. Nope, didn't get that job, but that was not a problem. I got work two days later at a better company with better pay.
Applied for Graphic Artist position: Interviewer said I would have to take a polygraph test, approximately 3 - 4 hours. I said I have to charge them $300. As a professional, my freelance time is billed at $100/hr. She was stunned. They would not hire me, then give the test on company time, but they were perfectly willing to waste half a day of my time for free.
Went for a kitchen job at an Indian restaurant where they insisted staff wear no make up, perfume or deodorant, because quote " It sweats off into the food and customers can see/smell it". It goes without saying that it is always hot in the kitchen but that sounded like a really bad place to work.
Back in the mid-90s when I graduated I interviewed with a headhunter who sounded really excited about my CV. When I got there, the interviewer (with a third person silently observing) spent an hour ripping me to shreds because she hadn't read as far as my date of birth, which you included back then, and therefore hadn't realised I was ten years older than most grads. At the end I told her how much money taking the day off had cost me as a freelancer and how unprofessional I thought she was. Thank goodness that kind of thing doesn't happen so much these days.
One of the companies I worked for had a reputation for exploiting salaried labor. I was not caught in that since I worked hourly with paid O.T. The joke in industry about that company was that their managers and engineers only had to work half days, six days a week. That sounds pretty good on the surface until you realize that a "half-day" in this case meant 12 hours a day, not 4 hours a day like it sounds.
worst job interview i had was one in which they offered me the job at the end of it......18 years later still there, what a sucker i was, uh er, still am!
My first real professional editor job out of college on a magazine staff. Interview went so well the editorial director hired me on the spot. I was feeling super-proud of myself. Then he told me the salary, which was pitiful. But, I figured this is a great opportunity, don't blow it, trying to stay positive. On the way out the door, the interviewer leans into my ear and says, "I would have given you a lot more money if you'd asked. Next time, you'll know to play hardball." And shut the door behind me. I went from super-ecstatic to feeling like the biggest fool ever in a matter of minutes. It was even harder when they hired someone after me for the same level position and paid that person a lot more. Never forgot that lesson.
I'm so glad to live in a country with proper employment laws, where you can sue a company for asking discriminatory questions (surprised the US legal system hasn't clocked on to that little earner), where jobs are advertised properly, where there are proper job specs, etc etc.
Not the most ethical of situations, but I was once trying to leverage a raise where I was working (and really liked working there) by interviewing around to get better offers. For one position, I could tell I would have been miserable there and wouldn't have taken the job for the world, but I had to endure 3 long, grueling interviews to get the offer. Two weeks after the last interview I followed up with an email asking if they had settled on a candidate, and was ignored. I eventually sent another email saying I assumed they had decided to go with another candidate, and how disappointed I was to have made a good enough impression to be made a finalist, but not good enough to deserve a cordial "thanks, but no thanks". THAT finally got a response. LOL I couldn't have cared less. I ended up getting the raise in my good job anyway.
The exploitation via minimum wage is a capitalist construct that will go the way of the dodo if wonderful, inspired activism by us like the people in these posts keeps happening. A living wage - taxes spent on health, housing and education - is the path to happy community living. We can have it if we reject the existing exploitative business model. I applaud people who stand up for fair treatment. Yay all of you :)
Another memory: there was (probably still is) a recruitment company in London that made you do a 20-question multiple choice spelling test. Interviewer told me no one ever got 20/20. I pointed out that one question had 2 possible answers, and all 4 options for one question were wrong. He insisted. I bet him a tenner and suggested he look it up in a dictionary after I'd gone.
And this my Dear Panda Friends is why I started my own business. I know that's not possible for everyone to do but I was fortunate enough that I could. I got tired of the endless cycle of deception.
I once went to an interview and stated that I was only available part-time as l had to take care of my then toddler. The interviewer (a woman) proceeded to lecture me on how one of their best agents was a woman with two kids that worked there full time and put extra hours when needed. Her tone was so patronising that I told her that l was really glad that woman could do it, but her life circumstances could be completely different as she had no bloody idea about mine. Surprisingly, l didn't get the job 🤣🤣
When I was in university I saw an ad for some side hustle with no requirements. Called them, was told time and place and odd enough, please mention that "person X Y invited you" . Went to the meeting, turned out a bunch of random people were waiting together in a hallway of an office building. We were allowed in all together after the names were checked against a list. Sat there stupidly for an hour listening that this wonderful company has the most awesome products, their own TV-channel (we had only 3 TV channels in the country back then so it seemed weird). When I asked, okay, what's the product and is this some kind of door to door sales job then the topic was changed. When the lecture about the products and company (neither of which was ever named) was over they invited us to put our names on the list for a schooling for the next week for which we had to pay 50kr. As a poor student I didn't have it on me so I opted out. Next day I saw the lady on the street giving out flyers.
Had an interview at a small manufacturer in the product testing department. They called me back for a second one, where I used the word “quality” in regard to determining how good the mechanical properties of their product are—that’s what testing is. I wasn’t the first person in the room to make such a comment, but one guy said “I’m concerned you don’t understand; this isn’t a Quality position.” I assured him I did know the difference between Quality Assurance as a department and the general concept of “relative goodness of properties,” but after every question I answered he went back to it. If I hadn’t been there through the work do a recruiter I respected, I would have told the guy “you obviously have another candidate you already want; let’s not waste any more of each other’s time” and left. Instead, I played through and saved that observation for my recruiter.
I'm a busty gal and although I have never dressed "provocatively", they always seem to stare at my boobs. On more than one occasion I've just bent my head and said, "They don't speak ________" And knew that wasn't the place I wanted to work. I don't need that kind of bullshit in my life.
Spoke to a HR guy for a job, got on like a house on fire, then comes the made-up C-level title 20 minutes late for the interview, talking and explaining her job and starting to argue with me in a demeaning tone when I had some questions. Finished the interview to be polite, and sent a thank you email to the HR, retracting my application from the company. Never heard anything more from them. Think I dodged a bullet there.
I went for an interview, their office was above their shop (a posh bakery). I was left in the shop with nowhere to sit for over an hour, it was a boiling hot day and I had to pay for a glass a water. Finally I was called upstairs, sat down, they read my CV, obviously for the first time, and said "oh no, you're not what we're looking for" and proceeded to tell me the history of the company for another 15 min and in the end I even got a "well to be honest we will probably hire the person that was here just before you". The ONLY plus of the whole experience was that it was walking distance from where I was living. Never bought anything else from there (and I did a lot before) as if they treat everyone that way I'm sure people pissed in the food.
When I was young way back in the ‘70s I worked at a couple of different small town radio stations. I did every job in the station both on-air & production, engineering, remote broadcasts, etc. & was well experienced. Ten years later when the FCC changed the rules somebody started a tiny 3k watt fm station in the little town I lived in & I applied for a job just to have some fun. I didn’t care about the money (which was good because it paid minimum wage) but I didn’t get it. The 20-something station manager didn’t think I “had the right personality for his listeners”. Two years later the station went full automated (as has much of the industry).
Please forgive the 'sexism' but during a 2-part interview (before & after lunch which they did not provide), I'd had enough of the condescending tone of the interviewer. I returned from lunch, stopping off at a convenience store first, and when the goblin continued asking his demeaning questions & just being ghoulishly dickish in demeanor, I tossed him the freshly-purchased box of tampons on his desk, told him, "I don't work for pussssies" and left. Wish I had a pic of his face....
I went to an interview for a heating and cooling company. It went decent, did all the paperwork, took the tests, and then they threw in (oh some things we forgot to tell you). I would be going to about 6 different jobs a day, and they forbid their workers to show up hot and sweaty to a job. Mind you, this is in Phoenix, where it is 115 during the day, and you're working in 140 degree attics in the summer. They expected me to bring a duffel bag full of clothes to work, and change in my work truck before every new job, like 6 times a day. And then go home and do an entire load of laundry every night. On top of it, they then threw in that the owner doesn't like facial hair, and is convinced that guys with facial hair are dishonest people. So despite being well kept, I'd have to now be clean shaven and completely change my appearance. All the while the owner is there literally in her pajamas, fuzzy slippers, pajama pants, ratty old flannel. I noped the hell right out of there.
There was a sales job opening in my town but the home office was 50 miles away. Got a call to come in for an interview after I sent a resume. When I arrived the guy asked me to complete their job application. After that the interview went fine until he said, "You didn't put any church affiliation on the application." I asked, "Is that a problem?" He said, "No." He then said I'd have to pick up the company car at the office every morning and bring it back every afternoon. (50 miles each way!) I said that seemed wasteful but he explained that they had a prayer meeting every morning so I'd have to come in anyway. I told him it didn't seem like a good fit and left.
I once had an interview for a boutique hotel in San Francisco, it was my dream job. There was an urn on the shelf behind by the smiling interviewer, along with a guy's picture, and all during the interview I had assumed that they were the remains of the interviewer's son. It turns out it was the previous employee for the position I was applying for, and his smilling face was staring right at me like he was saying "you're going to die here". They offered me the job but I didn't take it because, you know, ghosts.
Can we all agree to start a mass movement in which interviewers who hide salaries until the end, ask you to work for free, or sexually harass you are simply told, “F*** you for wasting my time.”
I drove 30 miles to interview at this place that sells vacations and passes to various tourist destinations. Interview goes great and they want me to come back to interview with one of the head honchos. Fine. Drove another 30 miles the next day and that interview went great too. They want me to come back again and interview with another head honcho. I said I had to see what my schedule was (I was temping at the time) and would let them know. They said fine. I find out my schedule and left a message. Then they ghosted me. I ended up leaving six messages and they couldn’t even be bothered to tell me they found someone else, changed their minds, tell me to screw off, nothing. Eat sh$t, Sable.
I interviewed for a job at an auto parts store when I was a student. The interview went well. I got a phone call at 8:30PM that evening telling me that if I wanted the job it was mine, but ONLY if I showed up for training at 7AM the next morning at their corporate facility that was 50 miles away. I had class that morning, which had been mentioned during the interview (which was for an evening shift). They seemed surprised that I was passing on the opportunity to make $9/hr.
interviewed for an hourly job in a plant that has a reputation for having a**hole management and was known by long-standing reputation in local industry for having a turn-over problem in that craft. The interviewing manager, who was also the salaried shop manager, and I had our reparee. I finally asked him why there was a turnover problem in his shop, and what were they doing about it. I knew the answer, this was due to their legacy of bad management. So Mr. A**hole manager gets up and walks out in the middle of the interview. After he left, I told the stunned H.R. manager who was there and stayed that the plant and shop had a reputation in industry for having obnoxious, unprofessional management (perfect example just provided). That was the reason for the turnover problem. I told her that he was a problem manager, and if the plant ever organized, it would start in his shop, Then I told the working people who were there who joined the interview that they should organize and fight back. I gave them the name of the USW local president at the sister plant across the highway, and recommended they contact him through his union local. Then I walked out with no apologies offered, no regrets, or any looking back. Nope, didn't get that job, but that was not a problem. I got work two days later at a better company with better pay.
Applied for Graphic Artist position: Interviewer said I would have to take a polygraph test, approximately 3 - 4 hours. I said I have to charge them $300. As a professional, my freelance time is billed at $100/hr. She was stunned. They would not hire me, then give the test on company time, but they were perfectly willing to waste half a day of my time for free.
Went for a kitchen job at an Indian restaurant where they insisted staff wear no make up, perfume or deodorant, because quote " It sweats off into the food and customers can see/smell it". It goes without saying that it is always hot in the kitchen but that sounded like a really bad place to work.
Back in the mid-90s when I graduated I interviewed with a headhunter who sounded really excited about my CV. When I got there, the interviewer (with a third person silently observing) spent an hour ripping me to shreds because she hadn't read as far as my date of birth, which you included back then, and therefore hadn't realised I was ten years older than most grads. At the end I told her how much money taking the day off had cost me as a freelancer and how unprofessional I thought she was. Thank goodness that kind of thing doesn't happen so much these days.
One of the companies I worked for had a reputation for exploiting salaried labor. I was not caught in that since I worked hourly with paid O.T. The joke in industry about that company was that their managers and engineers only had to work half days, six days a week. That sounds pretty good on the surface until you realize that a "half-day" in this case meant 12 hours a day, not 4 hours a day like it sounds.
worst job interview i had was one in which they offered me the job at the end of it......18 years later still there, what a sucker i was, uh er, still am!
My first real professional editor job out of college on a magazine staff. Interview went so well the editorial director hired me on the spot. I was feeling super-proud of myself. Then he told me the salary, which was pitiful. But, I figured this is a great opportunity, don't blow it, trying to stay positive. On the way out the door, the interviewer leans into my ear and says, "I would have given you a lot more money if you'd asked. Next time, you'll know to play hardball." And shut the door behind me. I went from super-ecstatic to feeling like the biggest fool ever in a matter of minutes. It was even harder when they hired someone after me for the same level position and paid that person a lot more. Never forgot that lesson.
I'm so glad to live in a country with proper employment laws, where you can sue a company for asking discriminatory questions (surprised the US legal system hasn't clocked on to that little earner), where jobs are advertised properly, where there are proper job specs, etc etc.
Not the most ethical of situations, but I was once trying to leverage a raise where I was working (and really liked working there) by interviewing around to get better offers. For one position, I could tell I would have been miserable there and wouldn't have taken the job for the world, but I had to endure 3 long, grueling interviews to get the offer. Two weeks after the last interview I followed up with an email asking if they had settled on a candidate, and was ignored. I eventually sent another email saying I assumed they had decided to go with another candidate, and how disappointed I was to have made a good enough impression to be made a finalist, but not good enough to deserve a cordial "thanks, but no thanks". THAT finally got a response. LOL I couldn't have cared less. I ended up getting the raise in my good job anyway.
The exploitation via minimum wage is a capitalist construct that will go the way of the dodo if wonderful, inspired activism by us like the people in these posts keeps happening. A living wage - taxes spent on health, housing and education - is the path to happy community living. We can have it if we reject the existing exploitative business model. I applaud people who stand up for fair treatment. Yay all of you :)
Another memory: there was (probably still is) a recruitment company in London that made you do a 20-question multiple choice spelling test. Interviewer told me no one ever got 20/20. I pointed out that one question had 2 possible answers, and all 4 options for one question were wrong. He insisted. I bet him a tenner and suggested he look it up in a dictionary after I'd gone.
And this my Dear Panda Friends is why I started my own business. I know that's not possible for everyone to do but I was fortunate enough that I could. I got tired of the endless cycle of deception.
I once went to an interview and stated that I was only available part-time as l had to take care of my then toddler. The interviewer (a woman) proceeded to lecture me on how one of their best agents was a woman with two kids that worked there full time and put extra hours when needed. Her tone was so patronising that I told her that l was really glad that woman could do it, but her life circumstances could be completely different as she had no bloody idea about mine. Surprisingly, l didn't get the job 🤣🤣
When I was in university I saw an ad for some side hustle with no requirements. Called them, was told time and place and odd enough, please mention that "person X Y invited you" . Went to the meeting, turned out a bunch of random people were waiting together in a hallway of an office building. We were allowed in all together after the names were checked against a list. Sat there stupidly for an hour listening that this wonderful company has the most awesome products, their own TV-channel (we had only 3 TV channels in the country back then so it seemed weird). When I asked, okay, what's the product and is this some kind of door to door sales job then the topic was changed. When the lecture about the products and company (neither of which was ever named) was over they invited us to put our names on the list for a schooling for the next week for which we had to pay 50kr. As a poor student I didn't have it on me so I opted out. Next day I saw the lady on the street giving out flyers.
Had an interview at a small manufacturer in the product testing department. They called me back for a second one, where I used the word “quality” in regard to determining how good the mechanical properties of their product are—that’s what testing is. I wasn’t the first person in the room to make such a comment, but one guy said “I’m concerned you don’t understand; this isn’t a Quality position.” I assured him I did know the difference between Quality Assurance as a department and the general concept of “relative goodness of properties,” but after every question I answered he went back to it. If I hadn’t been there through the work do a recruiter I respected, I would have told the guy “you obviously have another candidate you already want; let’s not waste any more of each other’s time” and left. Instead, I played through and saved that observation for my recruiter.
I'm a busty gal and although I have never dressed "provocatively", they always seem to stare at my boobs. On more than one occasion I've just bent my head and said, "They don't speak ________" And knew that wasn't the place I wanted to work. I don't need that kind of bullshit in my life.
Spoke to a HR guy for a job, got on like a house on fire, then comes the made-up C-level title 20 minutes late for the interview, talking and explaining her job and starting to argue with me in a demeaning tone when I had some questions. Finished the interview to be polite, and sent a thank you email to the HR, retracting my application from the company. Never heard anything more from them. Think I dodged a bullet there.
I went for an interview, their office was above their shop (a posh bakery). I was left in the shop with nowhere to sit for over an hour, it was a boiling hot day and I had to pay for a glass a water. Finally I was called upstairs, sat down, they read my CV, obviously for the first time, and said "oh no, you're not what we're looking for" and proceeded to tell me the history of the company for another 15 min and in the end I even got a "well to be honest we will probably hire the person that was here just before you". The ONLY plus of the whole experience was that it was walking distance from where I was living. Never bought anything else from there (and I did a lot before) as if they treat everyone that way I'm sure people pissed in the food.
When I was young way back in the ‘70s I worked at a couple of different small town radio stations. I did every job in the station both on-air & production, engineering, remote broadcasts, etc. & was well experienced. Ten years later when the FCC changed the rules somebody started a tiny 3k watt fm station in the little town I lived in & I applied for a job just to have some fun. I didn’t care about the money (which was good because it paid minimum wage) but I didn’t get it. The 20-something station manager didn’t think I “had the right personality for his listeners”. Two years later the station went full automated (as has much of the industry).
Please forgive the 'sexism' but during a 2-part interview (before & after lunch which they did not provide), I'd had enough of the condescending tone of the interviewer. I returned from lunch, stopping off at a convenience store first, and when the goblin continued asking his demeaning questions & just being ghoulishly dickish in demeanor, I tossed him the freshly-purchased box of tampons on his desk, told him, "I don't work for pussssies" and left. Wish I had a pic of his face....
