Clueless Candidates – A Friday Funny
By Michelle Malay Carter on July 18, 2008
Thanks goes to InBox Humor?for its list of things not to say or do during an interview – as gathered from the real life experiences of hiring managers.?I don’t like labels, but clueless just seems to fit here.? I’ve done interview preparation training, and?I naively thought that some things?just go without saying.??After reading this,?I’ll have to add a few line items to the list.
- Said that he was so well qualified [that] if he didn’t get the job, it would prove that the company’s management was incompetent.
- Stretched out on the floor to fill out the job application.
- Brought her large dog to the interview.
- Chewed bubble gum and blew bubbles.
- Wore a Walkman and said she could listen to the music and me at the same time.
- Balding candidate abruptly excused himself. Returned to office a few minutes later wearing a hairpiece.
- Challenged interviewer to arm wrestle.
- Asked to see interviewer’s resume to see if the personnel executive was qualified to judge her.
- Announced she hadn’t had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger and French fries in the interviewer’s office.
- Stood up and walked out during the middle of the interview without saying a word.
- Wore a?jogging suit to interview for position as financial vice president.
- Said if he were hired, he would demonstrate his loyalty by having the corporate logo tattooed on his forearm.
- Interrupted to phone his therapist for advice on answering specific interview questions.
- Wouldn’t get out of the chair until?hired.??They had to call the police.
- Had a little pinball game and challenged the interviewer to play with him.
- Pulled out a Polaroid camera and snapped a flash picture of the interviewer.? Said he collected photos of everyone who interviewed him.
- Candidate asked interiviewer if?he would put on a suit jacket to ensure that the offer was formal.
- Said he wasn’t interested because the position paid too much.
- While I was on a long-distance phone call, the applicant took out a copy of Penthouse and proceeded look through it.
- During the interview, an alarm clock went off from the candidate’s briefcase. He took it out, shut it off, apologized and said he had to leave for another interview.
- An applicant came in wearing only one shoe. She explained that the other shoe was stolen off her foot in the bus.
- His attache [case] opened when he picked it up and the contents spilled, revealing ladies’ undergarments and assorted makeup and perfume.
- He took off his right shoe and sock, opened a medicated foot powder and dusted it on the foot and in the shoe. While he was putting back the shoe and sock, he mentioned that he had to use the powder four times a day, and this was the time.
- Candidate said he really didn’t want to get a job, but the unemployment office needed proof that he was looking for one.
- Asked who the lovely babe was, pointing to the picture on my desk. When I said it was my wife, he asked if she was home now and wanted my phone number.
- She threw up on my desk and immediately started asking questions about the job, like nothing had happened.
- Asked if I wanted some cocaine before starting the interview.? Snort.? Snort!!
What strange interviewing experiences have you had?
Filed Under Employee Engagement, Requisite Organization, Talent Management
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