18 Unforgettable Job Interviews That Left a Lasting Impression

Everyone who's looking for a job would like to have a perfect job interview with professional and polite recruiters who ask questions only on the point. But, alas, not everyone is so lucky. Many of the heroes of this article still can't recover from their interviews with potential bosses and colleagues.

• I urgently needed a job for a couple of months, and I just entered every cafe asking, "Do you need a waiter?" And in one of them, they gave me a questionnaire that I'll never forget. I won't exactly reproduce the questions, but they were something like this, "If you were walking through the mountains and a pink sea urchin flew up to you, how much would you pay him for a mushroom tea?" I sat there for a couple of minutes, laughed, and went on without filling it out. I realized that I wasn't ready to work in such a creative team. © Mme Constant / ADME
• I got tired of my job, so I decided to look for another one. They invited me to a job interview. And my friend says, "Put your panties on inside out. No one will know but you. They say it's good luck." So I did. Suddenly I find out that I'm being fired from my current job. That same day! And they never hired me at the new one. © Overheard / Ideer

• I wanted to work as a librarian at the college. The conversation with the deputy director was very pleasant, he even offered me a position with a higher salary. But then he looked at my CV and disgust showed on his face. He said, "There are no vacancies for you!" Later I found out that this man had once been offended by a local newspaper, and he now hates all journalists. And I used to work only as a journalist. I never managed to change my profession. © Merry Old Lady / ADME
• I was interviewing for just a standard position behind the bar at a hotel/wedding venue. The interviewer, who was the general manager, asked why I'd left my last job. I was honest and said that the place's security kind of sucked, and after being robbed, I'd had enough. The manager gave me a puzzled look and said, "Well, you're gonna get robbed every so often here, too." I stared at him for a moment and then realized he wasn't joking. I stood up, told him it wasn't going to work, thanked him for his time, and left. © attheark / Reddit
• Went to apply for a job and fell in love with the manager who was interviewing me. All I remember is the color of her eyes and the scent of her perfume, but everything about the job is a blur. Next week they should call me and tell me whether they're hiring me or not. I sit and think whether I need this job, maybe it's not for me. But I have to know the girl's name and my duties. © Overheard / Ideer
• I'm sitting at a job interview. Everything is going perfectly, I'm almost hired. But suddenly the boss looks at my printed CV again, his face changes and he says, "Oh, people like you are bad workers." I ask what's wrong. And he says, "You want a too big salary. You're not the right person for us, you're too focused on money." There was another interview. It also went well until I said I didn't work overtime for free. And then I was labeled greedy. © Assassinanny911 / Pikabu

• I got an invitation to a job interview. And it was a strange one: some lady emailed me, simply informing me that I had to come at a certain time to a certain address. She didn't even ask if it would be convenient for me. It's a big, well-known firm. In the search engine, I immediately found information about it and the lady who sent me the invitation. I found out that she yells at everyone, and snaps, and all this goes unpunished. I didn't go to that interview. I don't want a job like this, my nerves are more important. © Overheard / Ideer
• A man I know told me this story. He is a big-time engineer, there are 10 people like him in his industry in the whole country. So, he agreed to the job after long persuasion at some enterprise in the capital. He flies there from his hometown. He comes to the personnel department, and there sits a young girl who begins to bombard him with questions, like "Who do you feel yourself to be?" And in the end, she says, "You don't suit us." The applicant in a confused state calls the director and asks, "What's going on here?" The latter also puzzled, calls the personnel department, and they start to give him some nonsense about the psychological profile and lack of teamwork skills. © Anxiety Cake / ADME
• The company looked at my CV, they were delighted with my trial work, invited me for an interview, and everything was going toward employment. And then suddenly they notice that I'm not working in the program they need! They looked at my CV 7 times on the website, during the interview they were leafing through it, and I mentioned where, how, and what I was doing. In the end, those who conducted the interview quietly left their office and didn't even say goodbye. © Todote / Pikabu
• Had a job interview in another town. In my hometown it was a sunny and fairly hot day, so I dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and hopped on the train for my job interview. As I approached the city, I saw dark clouds hanging above, and soon it started pouring rain on the windows. I didn't think of bringing a jacket or umbrella, so when I got off the train, I was the only one not wearing a jacket. Turns out it was a historic amount of rain that just so happened to fall on that particular day. I walked through the streets toward my job interview in my T-shirt and pants, 100% soaked by the time I got there. I went in through the back entrance and had to take off my T-shirt and wring out a decent amount of water before putting this wet and soggy piece of cloth back on. The interviewer/boss was pretty cool about it but did laugh when she saw me walking through the second door like a wet dog. The interview got on alright, but was suddenly interrupted by what sounded like someone tipping over a wheelbarrow full of water outside the door to the office. She got up and flung the door open. Apparently, the rain had pooled somewhere, and a fairly sizeable amount of roof tiles were now dangling from the chunk of ceiling that had given way. She made a phone call and I just stood there and couldn't help but enjoy the moment, of this probably being the most crazy interview I had ever been to or was ever going to get to. She kept the rest of the interview short after that, seemingly a bit flustered, we wrapped it up and I went back out into the rain in my T-shirt and jeans. I got the job. © Eremitic23 / Reddit

• The most adequate interview in my life was 4 years ago, when I got a job at a car import company. They needed a specialist with knowledge of Japanese. The owner of the company gave me an economic text to translate, saying, "I won't ask you any nonsense, I won't look at your grades and certificates either. If you translate the text, you can come to work tomorrow." And it was the best 4 years of work! With a good salary, without blowing my brains out. If I hadn't moved, I would still be working there. © 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 called him and we set up an interview. I go to his office, and he looks at my portfolio and 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, “Love your work and you seem great, but we’re not hiring right now, but I’ll keep you in mind.” © Burrito_Loyalist / Reddit
• I won't forget applying for a job at a bank as an internal courier back in the day. At the interview, they gave me an IQ test. Why would a courier need one? I'm still at a loss. Since I was working at the time and expected the interview to last 30 minutes max, I had to take the test at a faster pace. Then I was given another one, but smaller. I also filled it in quickly. Personnel officers were surprised and invited to the manager, who at first seemed to explain everything normally, but after my question about who would be my boss and what my direct responsibilities are, he blurted out, "There will be no bosses, you'll have to fulfill the tasks of everyone at once. At times, you'll also have to run to the shop for chocolates or cakes." I am still glad that I said goodbye and left that place. © SPIDER3220 / Pikabu
• Phone call. A voice tells me that before inviting me for an interview, they want to have a little chat with me. At first, there were standard questions, and then weirdness started, "Are you married? And who do you live with? What do your parents and other relatives do?" I replied that I categorically would not talk on these topics, all my professional skills are in my CV, read it. The voice was indignant that their boss had such a policy. I replied, "I don't!" and ended the call.
  But the story didn't end there. A couple of days later, I got a call back from a young lady who introduced herself as the boss of the previous voice on the phone and said that she would like me to answer their questions and not lose my chance to get a good job. © Aline Dichka / ADME

• The manager called me into the office for an interview but didn’t ask me a single question when I got there. He just proceeded to introduce me to people and describe the responsibilities of the job. Then he asked me to fill out a paper application, shook my hand, and told me I’d be starting soon. The next day I got an email saying they passed on me because I didn’t have a car. © CPSux / Reddit
• I was specifically looking for a job without traveling, I hate this. At first, I liked everything, they confirmed that I didn't have to travel anywhere. At the second interview, the potential boss said that the work would include a lot of traveling. When I politely asked why I was told the exact opposite the first time, the recruiter smirked and said that she had forgotten. I stood up, politely said goodbye, and went to the exit. They looked at me in such a way that my back almost got on fire. © Tru-ru-ru / ADME
• When I was looking for a job as a simple accountant, I was asked, "What do you know about our company?" The implication was a detailed history, what they produce, markets, and the like. In my head, "You have a general taxation system, and I will spend many hours doing dull, monotonous work, what do I care what gears you produce and how you are better than your competitors."
  Now I also work in a department, where it doesn't matter what the company produces, but again the employer for some reason wants me to know the range of products, all divisions, and their features. Meanwhile, I'm struggling with a cash flow statement that doesn't care whether you build spaceships, grow tomatoes, clean offices, or just resell goods. © Marletka / ADME
• I arrive at a job interview at an office on the outskirts of town and enter a crumbling, moldy building. Inside, the employees can barely turn around, the desks are piled up, and the corridors are narrow.
  The first girl came out of the interview with terror in her eyes and shaking hands. I thought, "What's going on in there?" And then I was invited into the boss's office. Wow! Leather armchairs, oak tables, semi-darkness. And the boss immediately says, "Have you read all the instructions on how to please the employer?"
  After the interview, the potential boss sent me a picture of a building overgrown with vines in the messenger, saying, "Change something to your taste." My attempts to figure out the details were brushed aside, "You're an artist, you should know better." Certainly not my worst interview, but I blocked his number. © msthhl / Pikabu

Bonus: perfect employees

• Once a 68-year-old lady came to an interview. She said that she was ready to work for any money, as long as the work was manageable. I asked her if she had any girlfriends. Instead of one salesperson, I hired 3 old ladies. They work a shift of 12 hours for 4 hours each. On the downside: they are slow, of course, and often sick. On the plus side: they replace each other and are surprisingly honest. Sales have increased, they know everyone by sight, say hello, and remember what to offer. Soon their shift relief quits, so I'll go to ask the old ladies for more girlfriends. © Overheard / Ideer

And here's another bunch of funny stories about job interviews.