15 Unusual Interviews That Job Seekers Are Unlikely to Forget

Finding a job takes a lot of effort. You have to spend a lot of time on interviews alone! A hiring manager can start asking questions about anything: hobbies or clothing preferences, even if these have nothing to do with the job. The heroes of today’s article told us about the job interviews that are hard to forget.

• To give you an idea of how badly HR people lie about the salary range: today I came to an interview and the assistant asked if I had a husband to support me while I work for this salary. © Nowlistenm / X
• Went for an interview at a large construction company for the position of a personal assistant. I had an interview with the General Director, who actually needed an assistant. I have a degree in humanities, which, of course, doesn’t excuse the fact that I forgot how to calculate percentages.
  In short, I embarrassed myself completely. But this amazing man calmly sat with me for an hour, explained how to calculate percentages and much more. I didn’t get the position, but I was very impressed by this attitude! © Overheard / Ideer
• A friend quit his job the other day, and I suggested he come to our company for an interview — we need sales people. His work experience was just right. I immediately warned the manager, and at the end of the day at his request I called the HR manager who interviewed my friend.
  I asked her how she liked the candidate, and she suddenly said, “I don’t know, he seemed strange. Our company won’t hire him.” I was very surprised, asked her why, and she said, “Bad results of the test. And I also found him on social media, and he has only 6 friends. So, he won’t fit in well with the team.” © lwnk / Pikabu

• I went for a job interview at a hostel and was asked to tell something in English to check my language level. I started to tell about how I came to Prague for the first time and lived in a terrible hostel.
  The guy asked me what the name of the hostel was. I named it, and he was like, “That’s ours!” They’ve changed the name, but the network is the same. © liptonwitch / X
• My brother and I are designers, I’m older than him. He was applying for a job and asked me to lend him some of my work for his portfolio. He got a job, he’s making good money.
  Then I started to look for a new job. I came to an interview, showed my portfolio, and the woman looked at me strangely. And says, “Shame on you to show someone else’s work.”
  Turns out I was in my brother’s company. I apologized and left. Let the brother work. © Overheard / Ideer
• A relative tried to get a job in a company selling computer equipment. He has a way with words, all his work record is written with commendations, which he received for exceeding the plan. But the company closed down, so he looked for a job.
  The HR manager looks at his CV, looks at his employment history and says, “I see that you are a good worker and your CV is good, but please understand us correctly. We position ourselves as a company for young people, and you are already 37 years old. That’s a lot, our clients won’t understand us.” We’re getting old too early these days... © Unknown author / Pikabu

• I got an invitation to a job interview. Some woman sent me an email and just informed me that I have to come at this time and to this place. She didn’t even ask if it would be convenient for me. And it’s a big, well-known firm.
  I decided to look for information about her online and immediately found it. It turned out that she yells at her team, blackmails them, snaps at them, and so on. I ignored this invitation without a second thought. To hell with this job, my health is more important. © Overheard / Ideer
• Meet this guy at a job fair, he loves my work, gives me his card and tells me to call him the next day. I call him and we set up an interview. I go to his office, he looks at my portfolio, tells me it’s great and that I’m a great fit for his company.
  He proceeds to give me a tour of his entire office, introduces me to a bunch of people, and tells me about the great lunch spots in the area. At the end of the interview, we sit back down, and he says this, “Love your work, and you seem great, but we’re actually not hiring right now, but I’ll keep you in mind.” What the heck? © Burrito_Loyalist / Reddit
• I was applying for a job. The manager asked general questions, I answered them. I had an extensive experience, so I thought they’d be happy to hire me. And then she said, “I’ve studied your social profile. I see you’re into fishing. You’re not a good fit for us.”
  I asked about the reason, and heard this, “Since you are a fishing fan, it means that you are unlikely to agree to work on weekends and public holidays. And we need people for whom work comes first.” © krik1989 / Pikabu

• It was for a management position, running a mail room. Something I’d done twice before. All the standard questions were asked. I felt like it was going well.
  Then he suddenly says to me, “I’m hearing a lot of ‘I’ from you. I’m concerned, because we are about the team, here, and not the individual.” The hell? It’s a job interview, and you’re concerned that I’m answering questions you have asked specifically about me, with answers that address your questions about me. That’s utterly nonsensical.
  I don’t even remember how I responded, but I knew I didn’t want to deal with his stupid semantic word and mind games, which I was sure I’d only seen the surface of, so I steered us right into concluding the interview, and I left. I also made a subtle show of taking back the copies of my resume that I’d brought with me. © ArmyOfDog / Reddit
• I once had an interview for an office job. Work at a computer, without meeting clients. I answered all the manager’s questions perfectly — I came prepared. I was sure that I would definitely get the job, but suddenly at the end of the interview she asked me, “Why are you all dressed in black?”
  And how am I supposed to answer this? Well, black is black, not leopard print. Clothes and shoes were classic, all ironed and polished, just black. Eventually I wasn’t hired, and I still wonder sometimes, was it because of the color?

• I was in high school doing a group interview for a web development job. My school brought in companies from around the city to give students a chance to other types of jobs. The interview consisted of about 5 guys and 1 girl, which was me. He was giving mini lectures about what a business is and what transactions are.
  I don’t remember why, honestly. In each one of those lectures, he gave examples with a water bottle. For example, “Let’s say you have 5 water bottles that you bought for $6. Then you go around and sell them for a $1.50 per bottle. Those transactions made you a profit.”
  We were all high schoolers and were well aware how this stuff works, but the thing is he would repeat the same exact example to me, but instead of a water bottle he said “dress.” This grown man really believed that I could not understand simple concepts if they weren’t about dresses... © Jinxing-It / Reddit
• I came to the interview and was immediately invited to join the working process. They said, you can see how the presentation of the product goes. I agreed.
  In the end, they took me very far away from the city, dropped me off. They opened the trunk and went door to door selling knives and forks... I’ve never felt so embarrassed before. I left after 5 minutes, and it took me a long time to get home. © Overheard / Ideer
• 10 years ago, I wasn’t hired for the position of the head of a warehouse because I came to the interview in a 3-piece suit. And a tie. Well, I had fun dressing like that back then. I was interviewed by the head of production, who was dressed in the work coverall, covered from head to toe with wood shavings.
  The conversation was short — experience, education. Everything was in order: higher education, managing a team of 50 people in a warehouse. They didn’t call back. And then an acquaintance working in this firm passed me the words of this man, “This prick came in a suit, his nails trimmed, smelling of perfume. And here we are, damn it, working.” © Paulus1977 / Pikabu

• I once had a strange phone interview. In fact, before agreeing to an interview, I always clarify the main questions over the phone, so as not to waste my time and the interviewer’s time.
  I asked the address of the company, and it turned out that it was on the other end of the city. I said, “I’m sorry, it will be inconvenient for me to get to you.” They ask me where I live and start advising me how I can get there, and that they have an employee who does drive there (but in his own car).
  I, trying to be polite, remind them that it’s a 2-hour journey with a transfer and traffic jams. They say, “Why, do you have a lot of things to do at home?” Well, I don’t have a maid and I have to do all the chores myself! And it’s not like they have such a great salary to compensate 4 hours a day spent on commuting!
  By the end of the conversation, my eye twitched, and I wished I had hung up the phone immediately. And it wasn’t me who sent them my CV, they found me. © Anila / ADME

And here’s another bunch of stories about weird job interviews.