Real Job Interview Stories
In 1989 The Wall Street Journal published the following responses
to a survey given to top personnel executives of 100 major American
corporations.
They were asked for stories of unusual behavior by job applicants...
- Said 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.
- She wore a Walkman and said she could listen to me and the
music at the same time.
- Balding candidate abruptly excused himself. Returned to
office a few minutes later, wearing a hairpiece.
- Applicant challenged interviewer to arm wrestle.
- Asked to see interviewer's resume to see if the personnel
executive was qualified to judge the candidate.
- Announced she hadn't had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger
and french fries in the interviewer's office.
- 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 I would hire him. I
had to call the police.
- When I asked him about his hobbies, he stood up and started
tap dancing around my office.
- Bounced up and down on my carpet and told me I must be
highly thought of by the company because I was given such
a thick carpet.
- Took a brush out of my purse, brushed his hair, and left.
- Pulled out a Polaroid camera and snapped a flash picture
of me. Said he collected photos of everyone who interviewed
him.
- Candidate asked me if I would put on a suit jacket to insure
that the offer was formal.
- Said he wasn't interested because the position paid too
much.
- During the interview, an alarm clock went off from the
candidate's brief case. He took it out, shut it off, apologized
and said he had to leave for another interview.
- A telephone call came in for the job applicant. His side
of the conversation went like this: "Which company? When
do I start? What's the salary?"
I said, "l assume you're not interested in conducting
the interview any further."
He promptly responded, "I am as long as you'll pay me
more."
I didn't hire him, but later found out there was no other
job offer and the call was from his wife. It was a scam to
get a higher offer.
- An applicant came in wearing only one shoe. She explained
that the other shoe was stolen off her foot in the bus.
- He took off his right shoe and sock, removed 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.
- He whistled when the interviewer was talking.
- 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. I called security.
- She threw-up on my desk and immediately started asking
questions about the job, like nothing had happened.
- Pointing to a black case he carried into my office, he
said that If he was not hired, the bomb would go off. Disbelieving,
I began to state why he would never be hired and that I was
going to call the police. He then reached down to the case,
flipped a switch and ran. No one was injured, but I did need
to get a new desk.
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