7 Ways You Can Fail a Job Interview in Just 10 Seconds, Based on Real Stories

Job interviews are your chance to shine and land that perfect job, but it only takes a few seconds to turn a promising opportunity into a missed one. Here’s a breakdown of common mistakes that can cause you to fail an interview in no time. Learn from these real stories and avoid these pitfalls to give yourself the best chance at success.

1. Talking too much

You might think you’ll impress the interviewer by sharing every detail of your background. But if you can’t stop talking, you’ll quickly lose their attention or just irritate them. Interviews are a conversation, not a monologue.

• I was interviewing this guy for a very good software engineering position. He passed the first round, and both I and everyone involved in the second round really liked his resume and experience. On paper, he had everything we were looking for, and honestly, this looked like a life-changing opportunity for him.
  He opened the interview by saying, “Let me tell you a little bit about myself.” We said, okay, go for it. He started talking about his personal and professional background. After about three minutes, I jumped in to ask a follow-up question based on something he mentioned. He replied, “I will answer, just give me a moment,” and continued talking. A coworker jumped in with another question, and he said the same thing to her.
  I tried to politely wrap it up several times, but he was unable to read the room and just kept talking.
  He asked a question about the team. As I was answering, he raised his finger and interrupted to talk more about his background. Then he asked another question, which my coworker started to answer, but again, he spoke over her to talk about himself.
  At that point, I was done. I said, “You walked into this room with a 99 percent chance of getting the job. Now that chance is zero. The only reason is because, in less than fifteen minutes, you’ve demonstrated that you don’t have the capacity to listen at all. So I’m telling you now, you’re not getting the job.” © sirtuinsenolytic / Reddit

2. Making awkward jokes

You think you’re being clever or funny, or you just want to ease the tension. Instead, you end up sounding weird. A seemingly innocent comment can backfire and totally derail your chances of getting the job. So, before you speak, just take a second to think, “Is this gonna make me look like a genius... or a fool?”

• Interviewed at a bank. Was going perfectly despite how nervous I was, and I was probably in with a great chance.
  Then, as a final question, the panel asked me, “Why should we hire you?” And I word-vomit replied, “Because I probably won’t steal your money!” I was not hired. © Coconutqueen2402 / Reddit

• “Why do gorillas have large nostrils? Because they have such big fingers.” They looked at me in awkward silence, and I told them I didn’t want the job anyway. © joenastyness / Reddit

• I worked at a middle school for a decade. The high school we fed was right across the parking lot. My wife worked there as the Spanish teacher. So when a position came up there, I thought, “Why not?” I interviewed.
  They all knew me. They knew my wife. So when, at the end of the interview, they asked me if I had any questions, I asked, “Yeah, does that cute Spanish teacher still work here?” © edgarpickle / Reddit

3. Bringing someone else along

Showing up for an interview with a friend or family member is a major red flag. It may signal a lack of professionalism and independence.

• I went to get them from reception, and his mother started coming in also.
  — “You don’t need to come, we only need to talk to him.”
  — “I need to make sure he gets this job.”
  — “...Ah, no, this isn’t going to work out. Have a good day.” © someguyfromsk / Reddit

• I had an interview set up for a Monday morning for a woman that our HR dept met at a job fair. My employee let me know my interview was waiting in the lobby... I went to greet her.... it was a man.
  Her husband came to do the interview for her. I did not hire them. © ChrisTRD289 / Reddit

• Had an interviewee show up 15 minutes late. He opened the door and stood there for about 2 minutes.
  I just kinda sat there wondering what was happening, and then an older woman walked in. He closed the door, and I got up to greet him. He introduced himself and then proceeded to introduce the older lady as his mom. Ok...
  Before I could even proceed with anything, he immediately asked if his mom could accompany him to the office since they were very close, and also if he could have Wednesdays and Thursdays off as it was “D&D days with the boys”....
  I didn’t even offer to continue with the interview. I simply showed them both the door. © sufferedcents54 / Reddit

4. Over-confidence

Confidence is important, but being overly confident can make you seem arrogant, which won’t help you win over the interviewer.

• I was the Audio Visual support lead. I was explaining the line of delineation between AV and IT. He was applying for a support role.
  He said, “What you don’t understand is...” I shut down and knew I couldn’t hire him. This was within the first 5 minutes of the interview. © Educational_Emu3763 / Reddit

• End of the interview, which up until this point actually went fairly well. Guy starts asking about the lads he’d be working with, pretty normal for construction, asks how the crew is, how long they’ve worked together...
  Then, out of nowhere, he asks who the biggest guy on the crew was. I didn’t quite understand, so I asked him to elaborate. He says he likes to be known as the biggest or toughest guy on site.
  Yaaaa, no, thanks; keep that drama off my worksites. © Thunderc***780 / Reddit

• She told me she’d only been at her current position for 7 months, but she’s the best in her department. She said she gets her work done faster than everyone else and knows everything there is to know.
  Her resume also stated she was detail-oriented. Strange because her current place of employment was misspelled on the very same resume. © jn29 / Reddit

5. Forgetting what position you’re being interviewed for

If you forget the position you applied for or give a response that shows you don’t fully understand the job, it’s a clear sign that you didn’t prepare properly.

• I was screening candidates for a teaching position that had opened up at our elementary school. When asked what had interested her in applying, the candidate said she was trying to get out of teaching because kids are so rude and difficult to manage these days.
  I had to remind her that not only had she applied for a teaching position, it was at a school that specialized in supporting students with complex behavioral disorders. © Fillorian / Reddit

• Did not prepare for the “What are three things you can improve on skill-wise?” question. The job was to work with people with disability; I said I could improve my patience. Not my timeliness, not my communication, not my team-building skills... patience. © green_dinos / Reddit

• I was hiring someone with web development skills. Asked a candidate to tell me about a time they encountered a critical error and how they fixed it. Their response: “Well, I was on our website and noticed some information was out of date, a critical error, so I told the web development team we needed to update that critical error.” © miss_zee / Reddit

• We had just gotten to the Q&A part of the interview, where everyone was asked the most low-ball question of “What do you love about the outdoors?” Well, this one older lady very loudly and proudly informed the room that she does NOT like going outside. She said it was full of animals and bugs, always got her shoes dirty, and she had everything she loved inside her house.
  We were applying for L. L. Bean, whose motto is literally “Be An Outsider,” so safe to say she didn’t get hired. © merigoldmunki / Reddit

6. Not respecting the interview process

Failing to follow basic interview etiquette, like being late, dressing inappropriately, or not recognizing who and how you’re talking to, can create a negative impression. These actions, even if unintentional, show a lack of professionalism and can hurt your chances, regardless of how qualified you are.

• I’m a 25-year-old Asian woman who’s also a hiring manager for my team. I’ve had several applicants, halfway through an interview, cut in to ask when the actual interviewer would join the meeting. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I interviewed this guy, and my much older coworker joined me as backup. The interviewee would refuse to acknowledge me, even though I was the hiring manager. Anytime I asked a question, he would look over to my coworker and answer him. © waldo_w****** / Reddit

• Had a management position open, and a quality applicant came in on time and was well-dressed for the interview. Halfway through, we had a great interview, and I could sense he was already sure he had the job.
  His body language started changing, and he relaxed more and more, pushing back from the table and stretching his arms, eventually a full backstretch with a yawn. Then he proceeded to order pizza for his daughter and himself so it would be there when he got home. He started discussing the commute and how much time he would have to dock from the workday for that.
  Shook his hand and never spoke to him again. © Select-Hearing-9298 / Reddit

• Guy we interviewed for a director-level role at our company spent his entire hour interview asking questions and immediately followed up with other questions, so that it was impossible to actually get him to talk about himself without being rude.
  He completely controlled the conversation. Spent half of it telling us how he was from Silicon Valley and not used to having to actually interview for a role, and where he’s from, he’d get offered something the second he put himself on the market.
  We were in Brisbane, Australia... a completely different market. Don’t control the interview, use quick, descriptive examples to answer questions, and don’t let on like you’re above the process. © macca3678 / Reddit

• Called someone up for a phone screening. I was asking her generally easy technical questions to see if she qualified to go through our interview process. She was whispering all her answers, and I could barely hear her.
  I asked her to speak up, and she said she couldn’t because she was in a meeting at work. That’s when I realized that the voice I kept hearing in the background wasn’t a TV but a person speaking, giving a speech, or something. © watabby / Reddit

• Had one person who was literally forwarding our questions into ChatGPT and then reciting rambling answers that provided definitions of keywords in our questions rather than actually answering the question.
  Like, we’d ask, “What’s something a previous employer or educator has recognized you for?” and they’d answer, “Examples of things that an employer might recognize an employee for are...” © Fast_Moon / Reddit

7. Badmouthing about the previous job

Talking negatively about your previous employer, colleagues, or job in general can make you seem unprofessional and bitter. Even if you had a bad experience, focusing on the negatives reflects poorly on your attitude and problem-solving skills. Employers want to see that you can handle challenges gracefully and remain positive, even in tough situations.

• I interviewed this lady, and she brought up how she had an issue with an old coworker, and at the end of it, she said the coworker died of cancer. Of course, I said, “Oh, I’m sorry,” or something similar, and she responded with “She got what she deserved.” © HandsLikePaper / Reddit

Now, if you need a few laughs (and maybe a little cringe), check out these 11 unbelievable stories where everything went terribly wrong. Forget perfectly planned moments—life has a way of throwing curveballs when you least expect it.