Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
So tell me about yourself and why you’d make a great fit for this position. And if possible, try not to do anything embarrassing in the next 15 minutes, or we’ll have to remove you from the pool of qualified candidates. No pressure, go!
Job interviews can easily send your blood pressure soaring through the roof. Especially if it’s a position that you would love to land, you might find yourself tongue-tied with sweaty palms when you sit down to speak with your potential boss. And while most of us manage to control our nerves and appear poised and professional (even if we’re panicking on the inside), sometimes our nerves get the best of us.
People have been opening up on on Quora and Reddit about the most uncomfortable and embarrassing moments they’ve ever experienced during job interviews, either as the interviewer or the applicant, so we’ve gathered some of their painful stories below. These tales might give you second-hand embarrassment, but they may also increase your confidence in your own social skills! So enjoy scrolling through, and be sure to upvote your favorites.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I was interviewing for a cashier job at Target. This was shortly after I had just gotten dentures.
During the interview, the manager asked a question, and while answering him, I felt a sneeze coming on. I held up a finger, indicating I would need just a second, grabbed a tissue, and sneezed…
Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough adhesive on my top plate, so when I sneezed, my teeth flew out of my mouth, across his desk and right into his lap.
This poor man completely lost it. He laughed so hard he was sobbing before he could contain himself.
It could have ended worse. He did hire me, and told me, “You’ll be great for comedy relief, if nothing else.”
Adam Belaire 7 hours ago (edited)
Not only does he give blood, sweat, and tears for his job. He gives teeth too!
RELATED:
#2
I don't drink. I'm an alcoholic but don't advertise the fact, just say "No, thanks" when offered, and I've hardly ever had a problem with that.
Except for an interview I had for an anthropology job with the owner of an archaeological firm. It was a dinner interview at a Mexican restaurant with him and others from the firm in Shreveport, LA, and he kept insisting that I have a beer with dinner. Each time, each insistence got a little less jokey and a little more forceful. Once he asked me why, but screw him, I didn't owe him an explanation. That was the only time in the evening that I really felt awkward.
Eventually, he said that he couldn't trust a man who wouldn't have a drink with him. I told him that I didn't want to waste any more of his time then and left.
It didn't hurt my feelings or anything, just made me pissed off about the wasted time, and embarrassed for the other people at the table. I'm glad I found out early on that he was an a*****e, though. I've had it confirmed from others since then.
David Morgan 18 hours ago
Social drinking CAN be a team bonding experience, but you CANNOT force people to bond with you. It would be like demanding someone become your friend - a behaviour guaranteed to prevent that from happening.
#3
Many years ago, before the proliferation of cellphones, I interviewed a candidate for a Quality Assurance Engineer position. The candidate arrived a little late and was brought into my office. He politely asked if he could use my phone to make a quick call. I obliged and gave him the phone and told him to dial “9“ for an outside line. This smart, clever candidate called his boss to tell him that he is not feeling well and won’t be coming in today. This phone call was made with me sitting at my desk right in front of him.
I terminated the interview right then. Fortunately, he gave me clear examples of his loyalty, honesty and his decision-making ability. Usually, this can take months to reveal. Needless to say, he didn’t get the job.
David Morgan 18 hours ago
Some stories read like LinkedIn fiction "and then everybody clapped", but I believe this one.
#5
Back in college, at the end of what was genuinely a decent interview, I stood up and reached out my arms to hug the two interviewers. (To this day I have no idea why I tried to hug them).
They stared me down, which stopped me before I could actually hug them, while the woman on the left slowly but firmly said, "we... don't do that here."
I was mortified. Still kinda am, haha.
#6
I hadn’t been for an interview for a while, so the clothes I had to wear were a few years old. I had put on a bit of weight in the meantime, so the blouse I wore was a bit stretched across the breast area. Still totally wearable though.
I use my hands a lot when talking. During the interview I must have brushed across the blouse with my hands, because all of a sudden I noticed the man interviewing me had a look of horror on his face. He was fixated on my breasts.
I’m well past the age when men stare at my breasts. So, I looked down to see what the problem was. The button in the middle of my breasts had come undone. My rather ample bosom was joining in the interview.
I had no idea what to do. I continued talking and did up the button. I didn’t apologise, or comment on it at all. Not normally one to be at a loss for words, this was one occasion when I just couldn’t come up with something to say.
I got the job.
David Morgan 18 hours ago
Sometimes, it's not being perfect that matters, but being able to gracefully deal with problems. Not losing your cool is a hugely valuable skill.
#7
The interviewer at the end of the interview asked me to take off my shoes and socks so he could see my bare feet. I asked him why and he said it was for the job.
I felt uncomfortable as I slipped off my dress shoes and peeled off my socks exposing my tan bare feet.
I remember looking at his reaction with a big smile saying nice…very nice. He asked me if he could massage them and that’s when I split. I grabbed my shoes and socks and ran out of the building barefoot and into my car.
#8
Our company was hiring a receptionist and I was conducting the job interview with a colleague.
We met a young woman and interviewed her. It was in the late 90’s. The woman seemed competent for the position and she was nice too. However, something was bothering me and I could feel my colleague felt the same way.
She had a nose piercing on her nostril, some kind of round black stone.
It was discreet but still impossible to miss.
As the interview went on, I couldn’t help but wonder how this person would go to a job interview with a piercing on her face. It was an absolute faux pas and I couldn’t get past it. I personally didn’t mind the piercing in itself, I just couldn’t fathom how someone would make such a mistake, mostly for a receptionist position where she would be the face of the company, so to speak.
Finally, at the end of the interview, I decided to address the matter openly. My colleague was about to do the same, as he later told me.
So I asked her: “The interview went fine and we will definitely consider you for the job, but let me ask you something: don’t you find it risky to go to a job interview with a piercing?”
She looked at me, puzzled.
“A piercing?”
I pointed at her face and said: “Don’t you have a piercing on your nose?”
She frowned and said: “That’s a mole.”
So that was an embarrassing thing I did during a job interview.
Octopus Lasers 19 hours ago
WTAF would a piercing have to do with her competency? F ing discrimination based on looks.
#9
I was asked ‘Why did you apply for this job, when you have no experience in the department you will work in?. My reply was ‘Why are you interviewing someone for a job they have no experience of?’ Luckily, it caused a laugh amongst the interview panel and it was agreed that I be given a trial. I suspect that I was the only candidate. If someone better qualified came along, I could be move into another area more suited to me.
David Morgan 18 hours ago
Well, that's a stupid question from the panel - at some point, by definition you have to take a job that you don't have experience in (even if that is your very first job). A better question would be "what skills are you going to use to make up for any current weaknesses?" You can even answer honestly "Well, enthusiasm and hopefully some OTJ training and I'll do my best".
#10
I’ve never had an awkward interview, but my husband has interviewed hundreds of people in his job and has told me several funny stories.
He had one man show up at an interview very sweaty and nervous. During the interview my husband kept smelling the obvious odor of what he thought was freshly passed gas, At one point during the interview, he asked the gentleman if he would like to take a restroom break. The man declined. When the interview was complete the man rose to shake my husband’s hand and then turned to leave. It was then that my husband noticed that the man he was interviewing had fully pooped his pants, as well as the office chair that he was sitting in. To avoid embarrassment, my husband wished him a nice day and the interviewee exited the office as if everything was fine. Needless to say the poor guy didn’t get the job, and the upholstered office chair had to be thrown out with the garbage!
#11
I’m an awkward person, so every job interview I’ve ever had has been awkward.
But I’ll tell you about the most awkward.
It was seven years ago, and I had returned from Japan just a month prior. I had posted my resume and was contacted by a recruiting firm that specialized in Japanese speaking jobs. The position was advertised as Office Manager (it wasn’t, but that’s a different story) in a company 20 minutes from home. I was so nervous that my Japanese wouldn’t be good enough, that they would notice my seven-month- pregnant belly and dismiss me, worried about my lack of experience in an office setting. Still, they invited me in for an interview, so the recruiter must have vouched for me.
On the morning of the interview, it was raining. Not refreshing summer rain, not even cats-and-dogs rain, but torrential, can’t-see-2-feet-ahead-of-you-why-are-these-windshield wipers-so-useless rain. Add up the rain, the nervousness, the pregnant belly, and the fact that I hadn’t gotten used to driving on the right side of the road again, and we had a real issue on our hands. Luckily, my dad whom I was living with, offered to drive and wait in the car during the interview.
We arrived too early, so I sat in the car and chatted with my dad to k**l a little time. Minutes later a Japanese man appeared at the door, opened up an umbrella, and jogged out to the car. Uh-what? My dad put the window down, and the man happily urged us BOTH to come in. My dad gave one of those little hand waves and mumbled something about “I’ll wait here,” but the man absolutely insisted he come in as well. We shrugged and ran through the rainy parking lot and into the building.
My dad took a seat in the foyer. Well, he tried to take a seat in the foyer. But again, the man insisted he come with us into the conference room. That man turned out to be the president of the company, and that turned out to be, hands-down, the most awkward interview I ever had- the president, two managers, me, AND MY DAD. I think the whole time the managers were wondering “why the hell is this guy here?” but they didn’t question their Japanese boss.
I got the job, by the way, so naturally, my dad takes credit for it.
#12
This was for an internship at Morgan Stanley. I had got through to the interview round after clearing the first round written test. It was a coding interview (which I seemed to have forgotten and will be evident shortly.)
The very first question (which I should have been more prepared for) was ' Tell me about yourself '. Again let me remind you it was a coding interview and the dumb*ss that I am, ended this answer with "and I am not as good a coder as I would want to be", in reply to which the interviewer said '' Let us not underestimate ourselves.''.
This is where I should have kept quiet and waited for the next questions or maybe agreed with the interviewer. But this was not to be and I immediately replied back with 'We must also face reality'.
*Awkward silence* followed by a "Hmmm" by the interviewer made it very clear the direction is which the interview was to proceed.
It was as if I didn't want the internship (Let me assure I did want it). However, lessons have been learnt.
1) Be prepared for the usual expected questions.
2) Speak the appropriate amount . No less and more importantly no more.
3) Don't act over smart.
4) Sleep well before the interview.
#13
My very last question at the end of an interview at one of the largest investment banks was "what's your favorite pizza". I blanked out because I was running on fumes and needed to k**l time, but I guess it made me stand out because I got the job.
#14
The one where the interviewer farted in front of me. Not kidding. It was all I could do to keep a straight face.
#15
Well it was me giving the interview a guy literally s**t his pants 5 minutes into the interview and tried to play it off and the smell of human poop woofted around the 10x8 interview room..:: I had to pretend I couldn’t smell it as he smiled and answered my questions then he waddled down the hallways asking if he could use the bathroom before he left. Needless to say for both our sakes I didn’t call him back. Sucks man I have crohn’s so I get anxiety of an interview can cause major anxiety and diarrhea but dude you explain you have a stomach issue and go take care of it best you can or ask to reschedule. I mean he literally gave one words answers because he wanted out of there.
#16
Last minute HR add an individual to my panel interview — turns out it was my ex. I was offered the job and if I accepted we’d have to formally disclose our previous relationship. Awkward because the reason we broke up — I found out that he was engaged to someone else during our relationship, who was his now wife.
#17
In the early days of the pandemic, my friends and I would log onto Zoom calls and have a beer, often using immature names. One time, I logged in as 'Mr. Pee Pee Poo Poo Pants.' A few days later, I had an interview with Deloitte. Changing your name in Zoom isn’t immediately obvious, and I mistakenly logged in as 'Mr. Pee Pee Poo Poo Pants' for the interview.
Needless to say, I did not get the job.
Upstaged75 5 hours ago
Justin! I thought you learned your lesson with the psych appointment confirmation.
#18
Oh gosh. I am cringing already and I haven't even gotten to the story.
It has been my dream for years to work in a Japanese design conpany. In 2013, when my parents moved to Tokyo, I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to start looking for internships at design agencies. I sent out 100 emails, got 30 replies and 10 positive responses. Back then, I had been studying Japanese seriously for about one year and my Japanese level wasn't the best. I am so embarrassed looking back at the emails I sent out then!
In any case, a friendly and quirky designer responded and said I could come for an interview. I prepared what I was going to say, got my portfolio ready, memorized his name and even went to his building a day early so that I wouldn't get lost on the day.
It was a hot summer day in July and I wore a light blue flowery pants (looks better than it sounds) that i had just bought in Harajuku. I also wore strap high heel sandals. At the door, per Japanese culture, I took of my shoes. I don't think they had slippers so I felt a bit awkward in my bare feet.
The designer didn't speak a word of English, and my Japanese wasn't great either. There was a huge awkward silence as he motioned for me to sit down and show him my portfolio. We went though my work and thinking back, I think he just acted interested in politeness.
In Japanese, you rarely say “you”, and rather refer to the person you're speaking to by their name or title. Unfortunatelt for me, I was so stressed and nervous that I forgot his name, and it was super obvious. I couldn't talk my way around that! I was also shaking like a scared hamster.
After awkwardly explaining my work on broken Japanese, it was time to go. He was kind and showed me to the door. I bent over to put my shoes on again, but there was no seat to sit on and as they we're heeled shoes, I had a hard time. I bent down, and all of a sudden, RRRRIP. My pants tore. Right down the middle. Everyone in the office heard it. There was silence for a few seconds and then I quickly ran out of the door, half-heartedlt thanking the designer. I walked with my hand on my butt for a few meters until I walked into the first store I came across and bought the first pair of pants I saw.
Needless to say, I never heard back from the designer.
(The happy ending is that two years later, I landed two internships at famous Japanese design and advertising agencies, and I managed to achieve a level of working proficiency in Japanese! I also never wear strange pants and heels to interviews anymore.)
#19
I once went for an interview and halfway through the interview I panicked when I was asked a question and just started smiling and the interviewer got so freaked out that he called me joker's double.
#20
They asked me what is my current occupation, I said single. English is my 2nd language btw
#21
The first 5 years after I finished high school, I found job interviews to be as scary as going to a haunted house. Mainly because a person never know what to expect and while I am sure you could do some stuff to be prepared, but I am never been convinced you can be completely ready, but one can hope.
The next item is the advice to drop a few cups of coffee ahead of time, the caffeine really helps you get through an interview. As bizarre as this may sound, I am not a coffee drinker but with the interview, I did take in about a half pot of coffee ahead of time. Today I don't drink coffee for any reason. I concluded a good night sleep and a decent breakfast worked quite well for interviews.
So I believe it was in 2010, when I went for this interview for a secretary job. You know, typing, filing, going for food for the boss etc. So this woman executive was the person doing the interview and wanted the secretary at the same time. Anyhow, taking in a few cups of coffee and having the bladder issues I have lived with don't mix well at an interview. So three quarters the way through this interview, I needed to go and ended up losing it right there. I was hoping for a cave nearby, and this lady was stunned. So we finished this interview quickly. Other than a sorry from me, nothing more was said about it.
I would say this is on the list of the top ten ways, how not to get a job. This gal actually liked me real well, and I got hired in spite of the puddle left in her office.
#22
During college, I had a job interview after classes. I decided to grab a quick bite before going in. I had on my interview suit and white blouse. The cafeteria just introduced soups to their menu. The person in front of me just got their soup. Wham! Before I knew it, they turned too quickly and I was wearing their soup. I went to the bathroom to clean up. I had yellow chicken fat stained all over me. It was too late to change. I put on my raincoat and went to the interview. Before anything, I told the interviewer about the soup accident. Can I keep my raincoat on? Oh no, I won’t judge you over an accident. I took off the coat. “Wow! You got clobbered!” She apologized and we sat down. Through the entire interview she looked at my stains. I felt very self conscious. She apologized and tried to continue. It was just a disaster. I didn’t get the job and I didn’t care that much. (And I found when I got home I had some mild burns mostly on my chest).
#23
I once interviewed for a job at a school and couldn't remember the name of the previous school I'd worked at. I had just moved to a new town and in the nervousness of the moment totally blanked on the name of my previous employer. I started sweating and tanked the rest of the interview. No job.
#24
Had a brief Zoom interview with a company that has a similarly named competitor.
I got invited to an in person interview. When the interviewer asked me if I knew the location, I said, yes! The one by X street.
She said half-jokingly, "Noooooo, that's X, that's a different company. You're apply to Y company"
I did get the job.
#25
My first year of college, my friend wanted me to work at the same restaurant as her. When I went in for my interview, I hadn’t previously known that it was for the Sushi Bar section and when asked what my favorite roll on their menu was… I had to tell them I’m allergic to shellfish and avoided sushi (at the time).
#26
I started crying when they asked me how I enjoyed one of my old jobs. It was a really rough time in my life when I worked there and hadn’t thought about it much, so when they asked, a lot of bad memories came at me all of a sudden. Needless to say, I did not get that job 😂
#27
This is a true example of- telling truth doesn’t always help you in job interviews.
Location: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee.
One of my friends had a job interview for an IT company. He has cleared all the technical rounds and now was the time for HR. Clearing all the technical rounds, he was quite confident of being selected in the company. After some basic introduction here is how the HR interview proceeds.
HR- “How do you deal with situations when you face a lot of pressure or you get depressed?”
Friend (without thinking for a minute)- “I sleep”. My friend still not realizing his blunder, was waiting for the HR to respond.
After a minute of silence- HR (laughing)- “I think you are in a lot of pressure, you should go to your room and have a sleep!” Verdict- Not selected!
Adam Belaire 6 hours ago
Think OP's friend should have clarified more. Sleep is a valid answer, considering it gives you time to reboot your brain. So long as it's not time-sensitive, having a nap to destress and give you a fresh brain to attack the problem can work 90% of the time.
#28
Not after but during an interview. I was applying for a position as a research coordinator at a University Rheumatology department. The MD in charge of the program was interviewing me. During the interview he asked me how Iiked working at one of the clinics on my resume. Having completed a Masters in Heath administration not too long before this I gave a compare and contrast of the business model between the one, he was asking about and another clinic I where I had worked. I mentioned that I got an inside picture of the one he was asking about as I had dated the administrator for a time while I was there. He said, “Oh you mean XXX ?” I said “Yes”, at which point he says, “You know he died 6 months ago”. Needless to say, I was rather stunned to hear this and had no idea how to respond other than to ask how he had died. After all of that I did get the job but definitely the weirdest thing ever said to me in a job interview.
#29
I was interviewer, taking an interview for a position of Java Developer for fresher candidates:
Me: Hello
She: Hello Sir
Cutting all unnecessary things, come to the point.
Me: which language are you comfortable with?(I meant to say Programing Language, since she mentioned in her resume Java along with C/C++).
She: Hindi, English, Bangla and Oriya
Me: What?
Me: I meant to say in which language you have expertise?
She: Bangla sir.
Me: What?
Me: Tell me what is Java?
She: I know Java Sir, I read it last night about it.
Me: What?
#30
One time someone asked what I would do if there was an elephant in the room and I said “ride it” or something stupid like that! I did not get the job.
Note: this post originally had 88 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
What do you think ?
Tele Avision 10 hours ago
At the conclusion of a job interview, the HR person stated that the job only pays minimum wage. I replied by saying that's okay because I'm going to exert a minimum effort. I still got the job.
deletemyaccount 1 hour ago
My last interview had a very basic test that included some basic math and I completely blanked how to do long division. Now I had just completed my Engineering degree which included 3 years of calculus and a year of physics. I memorized the equation and as soon as I got home I emailed the interviewer with the answer to the question. I got the job and still work for the same company.
BookFanatic 2 hours ago
Toss up between the time I had a typo on my resume that said "Windows XTP" (instead of XP) for a job with a computer firm...or the time--when asked if I liked AV--replied that I wasn't in the AV club in HS. I was in my 20s, and it was for a library. Been working here for 21 years now. Lol
Tele Avision 10 hours ago
At the conclusion of a job interview, the HR person stated that the job only pays minimum wage. I replied by saying that's okay because I'm going to exert a minimum effort. I still got the job.
deletemyaccount 1 hour ago
My last interview had a very basic test that included some basic math and I completely blanked how to do long division. Now I had just completed my Engineering degree which included 3 years of calculus and a year of physics. I memorized the equation and as soon as I got home I emailed the interviewer with the answer to the question. I got the job and still work for the same company.
BookFanatic 2 hours ago
Toss up between the time I had a typo on my resume that said "Windows XTP" (instead of XP) for a job with a computer firm...or the time--when asked if I liked AV--replied that I wasn't in the AV club in HS. I was in my 20s, and it was for a library. Been working here for 21 years now. Lol
You May Like Person Uses AI To Apply To 1,000 Jobs While They’re Sleeping, Shares The Results They Woke Up To 50 World’s Weirdest Jobs That Pay Out Quite Well Job Interview Takes An Unexpected Turn The Moment Candidate Is Shown Expectations And Salary
Indrė Lukošiūtė
Aivaras Kaziukonis
Ieva Pečiulytė
Related on Bored Panda
