17 Job Interviews That Took a Very Weird Turn

All of us have been to a job interview at least once in our lives. Some of them go smoothly: candidates are asked to solve a problem, describe their experience and their skills. But sometimes very strange questions pop up in the process. And the answers, of course, can be confusing. Here are a few entertaining stories that prove a job interview is a real quest.

• I once had a job interview for a position of a sales manager in a small telecoms company. The director asked me, “Have you already earned enough to buy an apartment, or a car? No? Why do we need you then?” I thought that indeed they really didn’t need me. © Anna Krivko / ADME
• At a job interview at one of the major banks, the manager asked me if I knew all their commercials. What actor is on their banners now? And I was applying for a job as a delivery supervisor. This was followed by the question of what I would take with me to a desert island. And at the end of the conversation, he asked why I didn’t tell him right from the start that I had taken part in an amateur production of a musical. And what else was I hiding from him? © Anna Krivko / ADME
• I’m applying for a job as a cashier. I have to pass a medical examination, collect a lot of signatures, and fill out a questionnaire. I ask, “Why is there a question ’your innermost dreams’ in the questionnaire?” The answer was brilliant: “Well, it’s probably not the right job for you if your dream is to live in Paris.” © Chamber No. 6 / VK

• I work as an administrator in a restaurant, and the other day we were supposed to have an interview with a potential employee. I was late, so I warned the candidate, but I managed to arrive on time. I decided to observe the future employee from a distance, found him by his photo in the CV, sat down at the next table, ordered coffee, wrote that I would be there in 20 minutes and watched. During these 20 minutes, I saw the guy swearing at the waitress, cursing loudly and complaining that our place is a real dump, and he called me, i.e., the administrator, incompetent, although we haven’t even met yet. I didn’t even bother to approach him. I wrote a dry message that a person like him is not suitable for our company. © Not everyone will understand / VK
• A relative told me about one job interview. An acquaintance recommended a vacancy to her, but warned her that it was difficult to stay in the company because the boss was inadequate. The relative decided to go to the interview anyway. The first question was, “What would be your reaction if your boss yelled at you in front of everyone, using foul language?” The girl replied, “If I am at fault, I will take note, and I will try not to make any more mistakes.” The next question, “What if your boss throws various objects at you: documents, stationery? And if it’s not your fault, it’s just the boss’s character, will you be able to accept it?”
  The relative replied that she wouldn’t and that such behavior was unacceptable. To her surprise, she received a phone call an hour after the interview, where they invited her to work. She, of course, declined, and they called her again later to ask if she had changed her mind. © Veronica / ADME
• I was told at the interview that they have such a difficult job that employees stay at work until 8 p.m. for the first few years (!). “And you have a child,” they added. I politely said goodbye and left, but I really wanted to tell them about slavery. © Irina / ADME

• A candidate postponed the interview on the day of the interview for an hour later, because she had “circumstances.” And when they came for her 15 minutes later, she showed her indignation and bewilderment at our inability to be on time. After the interview, we supposedly had to give her a task, so she wrote to me and demanded the phone number of my superiors. When I refused, she wrote indignant messages, something like “if you are too lazy to get off your butt and work...” I was so baffled by this “pressure” that I print screened the correspondence and sent it to the director with a FYI note. The woman wasn’t hired, although, apparently, the management initially liked her. © Confusion / ADME
• I was applying for a job after college, got to the interview with the boss, and she asked for my ID for some reason. I gave it to her and she looked at the photo and said, “Wow, you used to be a lot heavier.” And I was really chubby when I was 16. And then she says, “What’s the reason of your weight loss?” I was tempted to say, “I just wanted to. Why, can’t I?” © Maria Denisyuk / ADME

• I live in Germany. I came for a job interview. There are 4 candidates. I’m second in line. I go in, sit down. There are 3 interviewers. They started cross-examining me: experience, education, family. And then for some reason, I replied that my dog was my main family member. Everyone livened up and bombarded me with questions, like breed, age, what his name is, what he can do... I grabbed my phone and started showing his photos and videos (when I talk about Torro, it’s hard to shut me up, I’ll say more — impossible). Turns out all 3 of them had dogs too. We started to tell each other about how we feed them, where get vaccinated, what certificates we have. The interview lasted an hour, we had coffee breaks with biscuits twice. Then they let the remaining candidates go. And I still work there. © Svetlana Kurilova Grischko
• It was a long time ago. I was looking for a job as a courier. In the job ad, it was written that they’d pay for traveling among other things. I came to some industrial zone. I and another dozen candidates first sat for a long time in a room with a TV set, I remember that some movie was on. I watched almost the whole movie while waiting for the interview. When I went out of the room to the cooler to get some water, I saw that in a large empty hall the employees gathered in a circle and, raising their hands to the heavens, were reciting affirmations. Like “we are the best, success awaits us.” Even then I wanted to run away, but I’d already spent so much time on waiting... In the end, at the interview I was assured that the salary was high and that today I would go to training accompanied by one of the best employees. I wasn’t ready for such a turn, as I had a metro card with only 2 trips on it (yes, I was poor). I agreed for some reason... In the end, we arrived in the middle of nowhere and this courier started teaching me how to sell books to different institutions. I freaked out, I told her I’d said no sales in the first place. I walked then in the slush and cold for an hour and a half to the nearest metro station. © Deer / ADME
• A friend told me that he was applying for a job in Europe (information sector), and in his CV he indicated the size of the desired salary. After the interview, he was told that the status of the company doesn’t allow them to pay the specified salary. And, if he didn’t mind, they would pay him 20% more. He had to agree. © Elena Klimova

• I was once asked to draw an elephant at a job interview. I drew a picture of a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant from The Little Prince. It was clear from the look on their faces that reading was not their strong suit. © Zoe Novak
• Had someone ask me what kind of tree I’d be and why. I panicked and said oak because they’re sturdy, then spent the next 10 minutes explaining oak tree characteristics I definitely made up on the spot. Somehow got the job though. © CuteNprecious / Reddit
• My mom told me a story about getting a job. She and my dad were young, went to live in a big city, it was hard to find a good job there. My mom really liked one vacancy, she suited all the parameters, so she happily went to the interview. There she was refused for some unknown reason. She left the building in tears, but suddenly decided that she would not just leave. She went back to the office, sat down in front of the girl who received her and said, “I’m not leaving without a job.” 6 hours later, when everyone had already left, her boss came up to her and took her on a trial period just because she had shown persistence. Mom successfully passed it, impressed the supervisor and stayed there for many years. Now that was pretty strong, if you ask me! © Ward 6 / VK

• I came for an interview at a big company, even though I didn’t have much experience. They asked me, “If you were a kitchen appliance, what would it be?” I blurted out, “A toaster.” Totally random. I was shocked when they actually hired me. Later I found out why. Their office toaster had broken that very morning, and they took it as a sign from above.
• I do interviews. I once asked, “Describe a time when you and colleague had a difference of opinion,” and a girl straight up detailed getting in a physical fight that she started with a coworker. Like... what? © EmmyLou205 / Reddit

And here are more hilarious stories about job interviews. Don’t miss a chance to check them out.