Interview Bloopers & Blunders

 

With layoffs mounting, gas prices surreal, mortgage defaults on the rise, the stock market in a swoon, and much of the U.S. staggered by truly awful weather of one kind or another, we could all use a good laugh right about now. So, how about a peek at some interview bloopers and blunders?

These were gathered from a recent poll of hiring managers by staffing firm OfficeTeam. The firm’s researchers spoke with executives at 1,000 big U.S. companies, plus 100 in Canada, and asked them to recall the most embarrassing or bizarre interview moments they had witnessed or heard about.

Here is short sampling of their answers:

“The person was dancing during the interview. He kept saying things like, ‘I love life!’ and ‘Oh, yeah!'”

“One job applicant came in for his interview with a cockatoo on his shoulder.”

“The candidate sent his sister to interview in his place.”

“The candidate stopped the interview to ask me if I had a cigarette.”

“We had one person who walked out of an interview straight into a glass door. The glass shattered.”

“The candidate got his companies confused and repeatedly mentioned the strengths of a competing firm, thinking that was who he was interviewing with.”

“A guy called me by the wrong name during the entire interview.”

“We’re a retail company, and when we asked the candidate why she wanted to work for us, she replied that she didn’t want to work in retail anymore.”

“An interviewee took his bubble gum out of his mouth and held it in his hand. Then, he forgot about it and shook hands with me.”

“A job seeker gestured with his hands so much that he then sat on them to stop it.”

“A candidate fell asleep during the interview.”

“An applicant was doing really well in the interview until we got to the question about why she had left her previous job. She told us everyone there was out to get her.”

“A candidate insulted the interviewer’s tie.”

Good Hunting!