20+ Weird Job Interview Stories That’ll Leave You Confused for a Long Time

Job interviews can be different. Some make you feel confident because you give the right answers and look like a million bucks, others make you feel extremely worried and you end up talking about nonsense while wishing to vanish from there as soon as possible. What’s worse, if the potential employer turns out to be a weirdo, it makes this task even more difficult.

Bright Side couldn’t just pass by this topic and found stories from people who now laugh until they’re crying when they hear the words “job interview.”

• Once I decided to change my job. I sent my resume to the suitable vacancy and was invited to visit the office. The interview lasted for 5 hours. They promised to call me back but I no longer had any desire to work there. I finally got convinced of this after I visited the bathroom where I met my old friend who was working at that company. My friend had a key to the bathroom and it turned out that each employee had their own key to the bathroom, outsiders were not allowed to use it. But I actually got confused by another thing — inside the restrooms, I found 20 toilet paper rolls and each of them had an employee’s name and surname on it. I laughed and left to go home. © Star4ok / Pikabu
• I had one job interview for a secretary position. They asked me about my education and I said that I had an advanced degree. Their response shocked me, “We don’t need a really smart secretary.” © Olga Podkovyrina / AdMe
• Today, at a job interview, I was asked to show the last 10 photos I took on my phone, explaining it as a personality check. I showed them and among a bunch of photos of my dog, the HR manager opened this photo and asked me in a serious voice, “Did you crop your dog’s ears? Is that why it’s wearing a headband?” © vishenka18710 / Twitter

• Some unexpected things happened and I had to start looking for another job. At one of the interviews, I was told, "Yes, we do work from 9 AM to 6 PM but basically it is not customary to leave the workplace at 6 PM. We don’t like a lazy attitude. I had to turn them down. © S.Egorov / Pikabu
• I had a job interview with a small tourist agency. The director, who is also the owner, said that if she chose me, I would have to fill out an application for my hiring and a second application for my firing, but without the date. She would put the date whenever she needed to. © Elena Lutskaya / Facebook
• I was at a job interview for a position as an administrator at a tattoo salon. The HR manager asked me to show him my Instagram nickname on my phone and I stretched the phone out to him. He took the phone and started to scroll through my posts, look at my photos, and even took note of the number of likes I had. He also asked why some of the photos had fewer likes than others. He was doing all this from my personal phone, occasionally raising his eyes and looking at me. I felt like a ready-to-be-sold product on the market. © sun_shine_wheat / Twitter

• I went to a job interview at one company. They asked me to wait a bit in the hall on a couch. As I was waiting, a dog approached me. I greeted it, stretched my hand out to him, and he licked it. I started petting him. Turned out, it was the director’s dog and one of the questions at the job interview was, “Are you afraid of dogs?” © Nataliya Ostashko / Facebook
• I also have an example of a weird job interview. The HR manager asked me to sit far away from him because he doesn’t like it when people sat close. Eventually, I was sitting in the other end of the office desperately trying to figure out what he was mumbling. © Pavel Kononenko / Yandex Zen
• My groupmate and I had a job interview to work at a school. I was the first to go in. The principal teased me with tricky questions for an hour. I answered all of them but she seemed to be disappointed with my answers. Then she asked the next question with a note of despair:
  — Do you have kids?
  — No, I just graduated from college, I am not planning to have kids right now.
  — How are you going to work with kids then? You’re not the right fit for us.
  The thing is my groupmate had a child and she was turned down with the words, “How are you going to work with other kids when you have to take care of your own?”

• I was looking for a job and had already interviewed with many companies. At one of them, there were 5 more candidates apart from me. It was the end of May and it was hot outside. We were all sitting near the receptionist and I was very thirsty. There was a cooler with water in the corner, but there were no cups. Dying from the heat, I approached the receptionist and asked:
  — Excuse me, may I have some water?
  She answered, while continuing to look at the computer screen:
  — No, this water is only for employees.
  Me: Are you really that stingy about the water?
  The receptionist waved her hand to the side of the cooler and said:
  — Go ahead, we are not stingy. But we won’t give you cups because we don’t have them.
  I returned to my place and then remembered a trick. I went back to the receptionist and asked:
  — Can you please give me a sheet of paper?
  Her: Will printer paper do?
  Me: Yes, that will be fine.
  When I got the paper, I made a cup out of it, poured myself some water, and finally quenched my thirst. The receptionist was shocked. Then 2 guys asked me to show them how to do it and also managed to get some water. © LampaTrampa / Pikabu

• At one job interview, the interviewer was giving himself a manicure with a stationery knife for opening envelopes, admiring the results. By the way, his nails were in terrible condition. © Anna Sharovatova / Facebook
• It was a long time ago and I was having lunch in our company’s cafeteria. The director, sitting at the next table, was interviewing a young man. Suddenly a huge roach fell down on his hand. The guy jumped up and started to shout, “Ahhhh, what the hell is that?” Later, having slightly calmed down, he sits down and says, “Sorry, I have lost my composure.” The director says, “If this made you lose your composure, it means you’re not right for this job.” © KingHawkins / Pikabu
• I was a young woman, just out of college, applying for a professional job through a recruiter. The recruiter kept staring at my legs. She told me I would have to wear pantyhose at this job. Since I was already in a hose, heels, and a dress, I said, “I understand.” She became insistent about the dress code, then suddenly yanked my leg, apparently to prove to me I was bare-legged. I was so tiny then that I was yanked entirely out of the chair. She apologized and I declined their services after that incident. © Eileen Donovan / Quora

• At one job interview, after the standard question about whether I was married or not, the HR manager started to ask me who I was living with. When I answered that I lived with my relatives, he changed his facial expression and concluded, in an unhappy voice, “Are your relationships with your relatives so good that they can still manage to be around you?” “They are,” I answered. © Lana / Woman.ru
• I applied to be a writer at a popular magazine. I went in for the interview with my writing samples and the woman who was supposed to interview me was opening a plate of sushi. She said, “I have to eat my lunch, I have my priorities.” Then she proceeded to ask me what I was applying for and told me she didn’t have time for this because Boyz II Men were coming in. I had already met them on the elevator ride up. I knew I did not want to work for this woman. © Warm-Thanks4059 / Reddit
• My best friend failed a job interview. She found out why when she accidentally saw a piece of paper where the HR manager was making notes about candidates. He wrote about her, “I can see by her hands that she washes the dishes herself.” Oh gosh, she has normal hands — well-groomed with a neat manicure. Yes, she does wash the dishes herself. She also cleans the house, makes the bed, and combs her hair herself. I still have a question about what kind of person they were looking for if they required a princess who doesn’t participate in routine things. © Elena Marchuk / AdMe

• I remember having a job interview for a government job. They were asking me who my parents were, what money I was living on, whether I am single or married, why not, etc. Eventually, they said that it was time I stopped changing jobs at my age (I was 30). © Elefany / AdMe
• I was invited for a job interview in a different city. It was a long way and the weather was " “charming” — rain with snow. I had an interview with the director, he said it was nice to talk to me and asked when I could start to work. I ask in a surprised voice, "Thanks for saying all this, but let’s first discuss my pay. I still remember his answer, “I haven’t even thought about it.” © Aline Dichka / AdMe
• I was interviewing for an executive position at a startup. I was sent there by their investor. The interviewer had her baby in the room. The baby was fussy. The person — the owner of the startup — took the baby in her arms and started to breastfeed him.
  I acted as if this was the most normal thing that could happen. I ended up getting the job and ended up leaving 6 months later because guess what — decision-making at the company was a bit weird. The moral of the story — when you’re at a job interview, do not ignore the signs... © unknown author / Quora

• It happened a long time ago. I was seeking a programmer job. I had already had several interviews with one company and the last one was supposed to be with the CEO. He wanted to personally know the people the company was hiring. I came in, we greeted each other, and there was a pause. He was looking at me and I felt like he was supposed to ask me something regarding the future job.
  — What is your zodiac sign? he asked.
  I was stunned. It was an unusual beginning.
  — Cancer...
  — Hmm, he answers. Pause again. A Cancer programmer sounds good. Ok, you’re hired, please give me your documents. © kastec / Reddit
• I was looking for a part-time job when I was a student. I found a vacancy for a gardener’s assistant. I called them and we set up an interview. When I arrived at the address they gave me, a man (age 50) opened the door. He handed me a package and a sheet with an address written on it and said:
  — Deliver it ASAP.
  -What’s in there?
  — Teeth.
  — You mean?
  — Prothesis. I produce them and you need to deliver them to the client. Quickly.
  Why he didn’t indicate in the announcement that he needed a courier, I still don’t understand but the man was so angry that I quickly left that place.

What is your current profession? Do you remember your job interview for this position?