20 Job Interviews That Went Off Script and Ended in the Most Unexpected Way

Interviews may seem like just a routine formality before starting a new job. But sometimes they turn into real adventures: unexpected questions, strange tests, and absurd situations that make your hair stand on end. In this article, you’ll find stories exactly like this!

• It’s been a year since I became the head of the department. After a recent corporate party, I had to conduct an interview. I was exhausted, had a splitting headache, but tried not to show it, although it was difficult.
  The candidate behaved awkwardly, was embarrassed, avoided eye contact, looked at the floor or his hands, spoke hesitantly, and mumbled. As I was seeing him off, I thought, “What a pushover!”
  But then, when I returned to my office, I looked in the mirror and saw that a strap of my top was sticking out from under my jacket, with a lace bra underneath.
  Was I really dressed like this the whole time? What could he have thought about me and the company? Then it dawned on me why the guy behaved like that, but by then it was too late. © Work Stories / VK
• Made it through 3 rounds of interviews and 2 rounds of practical skills testing with one of the biggest data management companies and was in the final interview with the regional VP when we figured out that I had been interviewing for the wrong position from the very beginning. © Hammand / Reddit
• The CEO who was interviewing me realized that we both had done our Master’s Thesis under the same professor. The interview ended then and there, and we spent the next hour comparing notes about the professor (who was notorious for being absentminded). Went home with the job offer and more money than I had asked for. © Unknown author / Reddit

• Once I had to substitute for my boss and conduct an interview. A sweet-looking girl walks in. I tell her about our company as usual, saying that we’re like a family here, you can feel at home, and ask about anything. As soon as she hears this, she takes off her high heels and crosses her legs.
  Naturally, I’m sitting there in absolute shock and squeeze out, “Excuse me, what is this?” And she replies, “Well, you did say we’re like family! I’ve been traveling to you for an hour; my feet hurt. What am I supposed to do, suffer?”
• I come to an interview at a small firm. The owner himself is conducting it. The first question is, “Why do you want to work for our company?”
  And, not feeling shy at all, I reply, “What makes you think that I want to work for your company? I came to find out more about you to decide if I want to.” His eyes went wide. I guess he thinks that if he pays money, everyone immediately wants in, no matter what. © a.bukhonok / Threads
• Interviewed for a mall retail store I had previously worked at for 3 months and then transferred to another store during college where I worked for at least a year. I knew the job from top to bottom and wouldn’t need an ounce of training. Plus I could work as much as they needed.
  I was told I wasn’t what they were looking for. Like, huh? What did they want? © B2utyyo / Reddit

• I was 21 and still relatively new in the job scene. I was interviewed by the company owner and his wife, as it was a small family-run business. The usual interview questions were asked, and then the owner started asking me if I had a partner, if we lived together, etc., etc.
  He then took a pause and said, “I know you’re not meant to ask this, but I’m going to ask. What are your plans for the next 5 years? Are you going to have kids? Because I need to think about things if you’re planning to get knocked up at some point.”
  His wife looked horrified, and honestly, so was I. I got offered the job. I turned it down. © Crossing-TheRubicon / Reddit
• The interviewer asked me how much my rent was a month—confused, young, and naive, I reflexively told her the amount. She said, “I’m concerned because the base pay of this position can cover your rent, so you’d have no incentive to sell the product.” Like, what? She wanted someone desperate to keep their head above water.
  I decided to get a job at Target, and she called me several times, leaving messages like, “You know I was trying to take a chance on you,” like she was doing me some kind of favor. © Unknown author / Reddit
• I went to an interview at my dream company. By the look on the manager’s face, I figured she didn’t like me. Then a guy bursts in, sees me, and says, “What a surprise! Hey there!”
  I didn’t know him but greeted him anyway. The manager gave us a suspicious glance and suddenly said, “You know her? Great, I’ll consider it a recommendation. Come in on Monday for an internship!”
  When I left, the guy was waiting and started asking questions. I said I didn’t know him and asked who he took me for. It turned out he mistook me for my older sister—he was her classmate. My sister and I look alike; many people confuse us, but this was the first time it worked out so well. © Work stories / VK

• I went to an interview at a tool store—a typical office job, and it was clearly stated in the ad. It turned out that this position didn’t exist at all. It was a fake vacancy to persuade the person during the interview to agree to another job with a terrible schedule.
  At first, I thought it was a mistake; things like that happen. But when I pointed out the discrepancy to them, they didn’t even acknowledge it, and the next day in an email, they rudely withdrew the offer and wrote that I should consider whether I even want to work anywhere before sending out resumes. © Yab0iFiddlesticks / Reddit
• I walked into an interview with a Senior Director at a bank. The position was for a research data scientist. My resume was set up in a researcher format, so a lot longer with more data.
  The person is 5 minutes late to the meeting and has me meet them in his office instead of a conference room. I get in there, and there is another manager in the room sitting next to me. I am sitting in a chair with no table or anything to take notes, so everything is on my lap.
  The guy starts off by saying, “Your resume is too long, and I didn’t read it, so why should you get this job?” I was dumbfounded but replied, “Well if you didn’t have the time or courtesy to read my resume, why do I even need to be here?” His response was a blank stare.
  Then he said, “Tell me about yourself and your experiences.” I said that was all found in my resume if you bothered to read that. He said, “I think this interview is done.” I said, “The interview was done when you didn’t bother to read my resume.” I got up and walked out.
  I got a phone call from the recruiter the same day saying I made it to the next round. I told the recruiter that was the most unprofessional interview I had ever had. They said, “Well, it was a test to see if you get rattled, and you passed.” I said they need to work on their process because it is broken and to please remove my name from any of their lists. © Kthak_Back / Reddit
• Years ago, I went to an interview and sat down with the man who was to interview me. Sat in silence while he read something on his computer for a few minutes, then waited for a minute or so while he looked over my resume (it was a small business; he is the same person who called me to set up the interview, and he’d had the resume for a few days.)
  He finally looked up at me and said, “Well, I’m not sure why you applied for this job; you really don’t have any of the skills or experience I’m looking for.” He was just so arrogant, and I felt like he was trying to make a power move to make a lowball offer. I didn’t apply to any job that I wasn’t qualified for.
  I was just instantly pissed that he was playing games. I calmly said, “Then I’m not sure why you’re wasting my time,” and I stood and walked to the door. He said something like, “Oh, no, let’s talk,” and I told him I wasn’t interested in working for him. © ***BunBun / Reddit

• Third and final interview (all on the same day) at a tech company. The first two went well, and I was told this last one was just a formality — they wanted me to join.
  The interview with the Head of the Office guy seemed to start well. We walked to the cafeteria, grabbed a couple coffees, and with some small talk, we learned we knew some of the same people. We got back to his office and sat down.
  He looked at my file, “It says here you’re looking for [certain salary].” I said yes and explained it’s really close to market for someone with my skills and experience. He looked at me and said, “I don’t think you’re worth it.” I said, “Excuse me?” He repeated it.
  I laughed, grabbed my bag, stood up, thanked him for his time, and walked out. The company went out of business like a year later, so I feel I dodged a bullet there. © weirdkid71 / Reddit
• I was at an interview. They turned me down because I’m a student and too young, and they said it would be hard for me to handle stress and pressure.
  I got angry and shouted, “Do you even know what a semester is? What are credits, term papers, and exams? Try to go through it all, get it done quickly, submit it on time, and sleep only 4 hours a night while eating like a cockroach! And you’re saying I’m not resilient to stress?!”
  That same day, they called and offered me a position even higher than the one I applied for. Today is my first day at work. © Not Everyone Will Understand / VK
• I was on a phone interview for a job I was completely qualified to do. It was the second interview, and 10 minutes in I received an email from the person conducting the interview saying I had not been selected.
  They continued asking me the interview questions, I guess to prove they completed the entire process. I asked at least 10 questions and stretched that interview out for over an hour. Figured if they were going to waste my time, I’d waste theirs. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I didn’t code anything in Java for 9 months before the job interview. I only googled and prepped one question right before the interview. The only technical question in the interview was the same one that I’d just prepped for. Been there 10 years. © JVM_ / Reddit
• The interview started well but quickly became question after question about a programming language I had very little experience with, instead of one I was skilled in. I tried to make the best of it by trying to shift focus on how I would figure things out. As expected, I bombed the interview and was rejected.
  My friend, who worked there, called me after and asked how it went. Told him the focus was on a language I didn’t really know and blew it. Turns out the interviewer had me down for the wrong position, hence the weird interview. An abbreviated new interview later, I was hired. © couchwarmer / Reddit
• Meeting my future boss happened under rather strange circumstances. I was at my second interview, drinking coffee with the HR manager, and she said the boss would arrive in about 10 minutes. So, I decided to make use of the time and go to the restroom.
  I’m sitting there, lost in thought, when suddenly the door bursts open and some guy rushes into my stall. I was nearly scared to death! He blushed, apologized, and I deliberately waited to be sure he left the restroom, but no...
  We met at the sink, with both of us having red faces, washing our hands in awkward silence. Then he says, extending his hand, “You’re probably Alex? I’m Dan, your boss.” Since that very handshake at the sink, I’ve been blushing every time I see him. © Not Everyone Will Understand / VK

• That inevitable question of “What is your greatest strength?” My answer? “I’m lazy.”
  Then went on to elaborate on what I mean by that: To maximize my time of doing as little as possible, I’ll do a job, per procedure, the right way, the first time. That way I don’t have to go back and clean up my own mess, thus wasting time that I could be not cleaning up my own mess.
  It worked because that was said at my last job interview, and I’ve been working here for going on 5 years. © PowerSkunk92 / Reddit
• Years ago, many years ago, I was applying for a laborer job at a housing development being built. I was talking to the guy, and the topic got around to boats. I asked him to hang on a second and went and grabbed a picture of a boat I took that was in my car.
  I showed the guy and said, “This is the coolest boat I ever saw,” and told him where I saw it. He said, “Yeah, it is a good boat.” He’s owned it for years and loves it. Needless to say, he hired me immediately. © Bubbaganewsh / Reddit

The key to an interview is to maintain composure and a sense of humor; then even the strangest process won’t throw you off track. If you’d like to read about hilarious job interviews that got totally out of control, we recommend checking out this article.