19 People Who Went to a Job Interview and Returned With a Fascinating Story

Finding a job can sometimes, strangely enough, be even more difficult than the job itself. Some people are hired at the first interview, others have to go on interviews for months. At some meetings there are unusual recruiters, at others — unusual applicants. In this article, we put together the most entertaining stories about interviews like this.

• I worked in accounting, and one day a woman came to a job interview dressed in leopard clothing. Even though we have a dress code.
  Before that, when I read articles with recommendations on how to dress for a job interview, I wondered who read them. I mean, it’s obvious how you should be dressed. But the woman in leopard print knew better. © Overheard / Ideer
• 5 years ago, I was looking for a job. I went for an interview at the bank. The interview was conducted by a senior manager — a young man who reminded me of a grasshopper.
  He said that I was not suitable for them, that I was a gray mouse that hides in the corner, and they need ambitious people who achieve their goals (“And you will never achieve anything in this life”). He just made this conclusion at first glance. I’m really a very calm person.
  I walked out of there in tears. I’ve never been told that before. After crying for a couple of days, I went to a branch of the same bank in another city. I successfully passed the interview, internship, and was hired.
  A month later, I asked for a transfer to my city. I came to the Grasshopper and put the transfer letter on his table. You should have seen his face! I always get high when I recall it. A couple of months later, I was appointed senior manager, and another couple of months later he was sacked for abuse of authority.
  Yesterday, I went to a rival bank on business — and wow, who did I meet there? Grasshopper! He’s just a regular manager. And I’m already a branch manager. That’s how it is. Life puts everything in its place. © Overheard / Ideer

• I had a job interview. I didn’t sleep well the night before, so I was in a bad mood. And then they ask me my “favorite” question, “Why should we choose you?”
  It pissed me off, so I didn’t even realize when I said, “Because you give all your employees the opportunity to visit a psychologist every week, and I would like that.” I walked out of there. I didn’t even think whether I would be hired or not.
  Imagine my surprise when I got the call from them in the evening informing me I had been hired. © Caramel / VK
• I came for an interview at a large company. I was first interviewed in the recruitment department and then by the director (I liked him at first sight). As a result, I was hired and finally fell in love with the director.
  Every day when I come to his office to sign documents, I am lost, but I am happy. I didn’t expect that I could feel something like that for a man who is 20 years older than me! He’s 46, I’m 26. I’ve been working there for 2 years now, but the feelings haven’t gone away. © Overheard / Ideer
• A couple of years ago, I went for a job interview. The selection was conducted by a pretty girl, there were a dozen other candidates apart from me. I was told to wait for a call.
  I was chained to the phone for a couple of days, afraid to miss a call. And here is the long-awaited call and I hear the voice of that HR girl. I asked her excitedly, “Hello, did they hire me?”
  She replied that someone else had been hired, but she wouldn’t mind going out with me and invited me for a coffee. That’s how I lost a job and found my wife. © Chamber 6 / VK

• When I was a kid, I loved parkour. We usually jumped over fences or on sports fields.
  Recently I went for a job interview. I came to the address, but the gate was closed and no one answered. It looked like the right address and I didn’t want to be late.
  I decided to remember the old days and climbed over the fence. It was cool, it’s like my body remembered all my skills. Except it was the wrong office. I had to go next door.
  I got kicked off the premises with a scandal. My bosses saw it from the neighboring office, and they wouldn’t even let me in for an interview afterwards. © Chamber № 6 / VK
• I had long dreamed of getting a job in a local large company. I failed my first interview a year ago and already despaired, when I was miraculously invited again, and I even got on an internship!
  And a week later, I was sitting shaking in the director’s office, waiting for tricky questions about the product, and he just started talking to me like an old friend, about everything: motivation, values, hobbies. When I realized that I was hired, I just burst into tears. Thank you for your trust! I won’t let you down! © Overheard / Ideer
• Saw one of my absolute least favorite schoolmates (who just so happened to work there). He took one look at me, asked to speak to the GM (who was interviewing me at the time), stepped into the walk-in, manager follows/closes the door, and they both forgot it wasn’t soundproof.
  I got to listen to the kid tell the manager he didn’t want me to get hired because I was weird. Brought up the one time I pocketed a squirrel and took it to school with me because the little guy was injured, and I wanted to make sure he was okay.
  GM said he wasn’t going to reject me because of a squirrel. Stepped out and told me I started on Monday before going right back to arguing. © Emris_ / Reddit

• I work as an HR manager. One day, an interesting young man came in with a very ordinary CV. We talked for about 40 minutes, and then I asked him what his strongest qualities were. He replied, “Well, I’m hard-working, smart, and persistent!”
  I learnt everything I wanted to know and said, “Thank you, I’ll be in touch then. I’ll call you back!” He looked at me and said, “I’ll wait here, thanks!” The funny thing is, he ended up working for us. His persistence paid off. © Chamber 6 / VK
• I was looking for a job. At every interview, I was asked, “What were your achievements at your last job?” I’m an accountant. What achievements?
  I tried to present my usual job duties as achievements, but I was immediately stopped. I tried to say straight on that there are no achievements for accountants, we just carry out routine work according to the algorithm.
  Then I wasn’t understood at all, “And what, not a single initiative, not a single proposal for optimization? You just went with the flow?” When I found an experienced and mature HR-manager, not a preppy girl, I was hired the very next day. © Overheard / Ideer
• I went to the interview for fun. I didn’t really want to go, but something niggled, so I went. I was planning to look for a job later and stay at home for a while, but after 2 months I got bored.
  At the interview, I immediately asked if there would be dumb questions from the questionnaires. If there were, I would leave immediately. They laughed at me, and we just talked for an hour.
  Then they offered me a trial day. I’ve been working there for 2 years now, and I’m glad that I decided to go to that interview. © Overheard / Ideer

• I was looking for a job in a cleaning company as a cleaner, the task was to clean stairwells. Nothing complicated, any person could do it.
  But at the interview, a female employee asked me, “Why do you want to work with us?” I started to answer about the convenient schedule, the possibility of combining it with my studies. She said, “I see, but why did you choose our company?”
  I was confused, and she said that I was not stress-resistant. I didn’t get the job. And I thought it was a cleaning job. © Overheard / Ideer
• This is not from an interview, but from a job application. In the applicable skills sections, he wrote, “I have a very acute sense of taste.” We are a sawmill. © akantho / Reddit
• I always underestimate myself. I had a job interview. They asked if I could do something. I thought, “I can’t do it perfectly,” so I said, “No.”
  I was turned down. And they hired a girl who answered the same question, “I haven’t had any experience, but I’ll try.” And I even had experience.
  I’m just stupid, that’s all! You should not humiliate yourself, but tell everything like it is. © Ward 6 / VK

• I went to a job recruitment agency so they could help find me a job, but instead they offered me a job to become a recruiter and work for them. © Negative-Feedback639 / Reddit
• I was asked, “If you could be any utensil in a kitchen, what would it be and why?” Years later, I understand this is to see how well you think on the spot and your creativity, but it was so unexpected. © Unknown author / Reddit
• 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.” © Burrito_Loyalist / Reddit

• I was interviewing for an AR position and was quite busy one day. My assistant told me an applicant was waiting, and I totally forgot about her — for 5 hours. She never went up to the counter and inquired, she just patiently waited.
  The only reason I was told she was still there is that it was time for the staff to go home and there was still someone in the lobby. Not my finest moment. And yes, I did hire her out of guilt and mortification, but luckily she worked out great and stayed for years. © cbpiz / Reddit
• I was once asked, “If I were a paperclip, how would I organize my time.” Lying around waiting to make a sandwich with pieces of paper was not the right answer. © ennovyelechim / Reddit

And here people shared interview moments that made them facepalm.