Sometimes, I consider writing a little book about the bad (ok, I’ll say it dumb) interview experiences I’ve endured. So enjoy while you picture my struggle to not react…
- What’s your biggest fear if offered this position? Having to work. I really don’t enjoy work at all but I have to pay the bills.
- What brought you to apply for this position? When I was 5 years old… (this answer included bankruptcy, divorce, every job on his resume, depression, and death) …that about sums it up. (NOTE: THIS ANSWER LASTED 45 minutes!)
- What would be an adjective your co-workers would use to describe you? Bucket-emptier (NOTE: a bucket filler is someone that makes other people feel good)
- Why were you late for this interview? I was playing a game and could’t quit in the middle.
- What makes you the best candidate for this position? I’m not but my mom told me that I had to apply.
- What’s your ideal salary? At least six figures (NOTE: college undergraduate interview)
- What’s an adjective you would use to describe yourself? Annoying
- What’s your first work related thought in a day? Can I quit today?
- What makes you a good leader? My ability to not care. About? Anything…company, people, projects, etc.
I almost felt like turning this post into a joke with the punchline. Yet, these all happened.
What was the funniest thing you heard during an interview?
Well, since interviews go both ways, I’ll share one when I was the interviewee…
I’d applied for a dev job with a marketing company; they sent me some homework, then we got into a technical phone screen with a dev and an HR person. The call went disastrously. I realized that I didn’t want to work there and they probably didn’t want to hire me so I ungracefully tried to back out. The dev got offended by it and kind of yelled, “This is your opportunity to sell yourself to us.” A mess all around.
After the dev signed off, though, the HR guy came back on and said, “Well, your homework is some of the best we’ve seen. We’ve got a client who we’d really like to use it for. How much would you charge for us to buy it from you?”
So I named a price, got a check, didn’t get the job (obviously), and never heard from them again.
Wow…I’ve never heard a story about being paid for work like that!
I had a candidate tell me how he witnessed a rape, didn’t report it, and the girl committed suicide so now he speaks up when he sees a problem. Awkward!
That’s horrific