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The first part of finding a job is trying to put yourself out there and send out resumes, requests, fill out candidate applications and contact anyone you would like to work for. Then the waiting game begins, and at this point, the most desirable thing is to get a call inviting you to a job interview.
A job interview is the time when you can not only sell your skills, but express your emotions and show your personality traits, demonstrating that you can get along with coworkers and you are willing to compromise when something doesn’t go your way. At the same time, it is the candidate’s opportunity to find out whether they actually want to work there, because during these conversations, they get a glimpse of what working at a company means.
Sometimes it becomes very clear that the company’s values don’t match your own, so you have the right to end the interview and to not waste your time. People on the internet had interesting experiences when it comes to job interviews and shared their stories.
If you would like to hear any more of them, Bored Panda has another list containing the ridiculous and really bad interviews people found themselves in where they needed to just get up and leave, which you can find here.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Position was advertised as fully remote.
I rock up to interview, and they say that the role is actually hybrid (3 days a week in office) and they only advertised it as remote to get a bigger pool of applicants.
I showed no shade, and said that I would be writing reviews on Glassdoor, Google and Indeed explaining that this organization does not operate with honesty and integrity, and that my experience should be a warning to others who might be attracted to so-called 'remote' positions.
I then walked out.
Because how f**king dare they waste my time.
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#2
the lady i was interviewing with would ask me a question then stop and look at her phone. after about the third time, i thanked her for her time and said something to the extent of "i value people who value my time, i'm sorry for whatever emergency you may have that you have to check your phone, but i don't think this is gonna work" and walked out.
#3
Interviewing for a position with a newer residential construction company yesterday. For context, I have nearly 15 years in the building trades, and the position wasn’t clearly defined. During the interview I was asked about my skill set, and I answered honestly and confidently that all aspects of building a residence was in my wheelhouse. Comes the talk about salary. Interviewer asks me the worst possible starting question. “How much do you need to survive?” My response was along the lines of, “ And you wonder why the last three people you hired flaked on you?” You want quality, reliable, capable people? You pay for that. You want flakes? You pay them subsistence wages, and as soon as 10 cents an hour better rolls along, they’ll bail. Good luck” And I walked out. They have called me three times since then. I let it go to voicemail.
Know your worth and if you’re good at something, don’t do it for less than market value.
#4
Yes, I did. Some where in 2012. The company was JP Morgan, Bangalore. I had an interview scheduled for 10:30 AM and when I went there on time along with others, we were made to wait on the road on a sunny day. The security didn't even allow anyone to step inside the campus in-spite of having valid appointments. I won’t wrong them as they were just following the orders.
In spite of calling the HR person who re-scheduled the interview several times, he came at 11:45 AM. Every time I called, he asked for five more minutes. Once I was inside the campus I told him what a bunch of morons those guys were for making around 40 people wait on the dusty and polluted Bangalore roads under the hot sun.
I told him to his face: I would never work for companies like these that treat people like s**t and left.
Minath 2 years ago
I had something similar but fortunately it wasn't as hot as Bangalore gets, although it was still hot enough to be sweating through my suit. The address was what looked like an abandoned shop, the interviewer was over half an hour late and the office manager role I applied for was standing in a local shopping centre persuading people to sign up to some TV package. It was a zero hours contract and all the other applicants were school leavers 15 years younger than me, I left before the interview was even finished.
#5
When I had around 10 years of experience, in one interview, the interviewer asked me to write syntax of simple SQL statements. I thought he just want to see if I have experience in SQL and I wrote the SQL.
Again, next question is writing syntax of another SQL. I asked, what are you trying to test, whether I know syntax?
Interviewer: “Yes of course.”
Myself: “If you do not have any questions other than syntax, I believe, we may not be able to proceed with the interview”.
Interviewer’s face turned red and said “I decide what to test. Your job is to answer whatever I ask”.
I walked away.
Robert T 2 years ago
If you're going to do an aptitude test, at least make it relevant to the level that you are interviewing for. I've had to complete two aptitude tests in my career. The one for my first IT job was quite well constructed and I was asked to spot the mistakes in a C++ program (the role was developing in C++) and you had to spot them and explain the mistake. I got most of them and they pointed out the remainder and asked about them. It was good for testing a decent level of experience in the language and it was relatively quick and straightforward. Arguably the more difficult one was to work on checkouts at the local supermarket - this was quite long and against the clock and appeared to be deliberately too long to complete in the time - I opted to be accurate rather than rushing to finish. I got both jobs. :D
#6
I had moved to Fort Wayne, In. from the west coast with my fiance and living there for about six months. I was 21 years old and applied for an office job. There was a strange vibe as I sat in the reception area but I shook it off as being nervous. Finally, I was called back and sat down. The man who interviewed me kept asking me strange questions that didn’t pertain to the job. Suddenly he looked me straight in the eyes and told me that they did not hire “women” for the position and that men were far superior to girls. I got up walked out into the reception area and loudly announced to all the women sitting there waiting to be interviewed that they would never ever be hired due to the fact that the company is sexist. The women looked up shocked. Maybe they thought I was a sore loser until I told them to get up and look around especially in the work area and see if they could find one woman. Not one.
#7
Looking to escape my meh paying, order pulling job at popular auto parts company. Indeed ad says $25 per order, interviewer says customer pays $25 an order, we pay you $15. My response? “Why didn’t you say this in the ad on indeed? Also why would I leave a job for LESS money?” Walked out.
#8
The people had advertised the job as an in-office management position with a reliable wage but were actually interviewing for a door-to-door salesman position with most of the pay being commission.
Andrea Purzycki 2 years ago (edited)
I went to one of those interviews when I was starting out. I was applying to admin & receptionist jobs at the time. I am not sales material but boy were they pushy. If you go to an interview and they spend the whole time trying to sell you the job, its probably a red flag.
#9
More than once unfortunately.
First time, the man interviewing me was scarfing down his lunch and making rather ridiculous comments, such as saying I "left a job after only 9 months" when I made it clear that I had worked for a sole proprietor and my boss was killed in a plane crash. I took my resume back, said I wasn't interested and left.
Second time, I had been called back for a 3rd interview. Each time, I had been asked super-specific questions. During the 3rd interview I realized they were just pumping me for information to solve their procedural problems and were not going to hire me. I was polite about it, but I told them if they needed further assistance I was going to have to be compensated and left.
#10
My mother had just died the week before and I wasn't all there. I arrived about 15 mins late. The person that was supposed to interview came out and started going on and on about the company passion and how they like to keep to time or something.
I apologised and told him my mother died the week before and I wasn't completely ok. His response? More about how they want committed people who don't make excuses when they're late.
I left him there mid sentence and just walked out.
#11
I didn’t even get as far as the interview.
I’d arrived about 10 minutes ahead; not too early, but with a polite and responsible margin. Then, I sat there for more than an hour past the scheduled time. Nobody came out to apologize for the inconvenience, explain the delay, or say how much longer.
I decided, right then, that I wanted nothing to do with people who would treat a job candidate so carelessly. If they’d act disrespectfully toward me, why would I think that conditions are any better for paid staff?
I told the receptionist that I was leaving, and I asked her to tell the interviewer how long I’d waited. I don’t know if the latter happened. I do know that I was proud to hold my head up and walk away.
#12
I was looking for a marketing job and my recruiter sent me to a well known beauty retailer in Australia for a corporate role.
I received the job description ahead of time of course and I was excited. It would be a major role for me early in my career.
I got to the head office and was almost immediately asked my religion and values. Okkkkkk. I asked what that had to do with the position and the manager said that he was religious and was looking for someone with the same ideology. I said I wouldn't answer but I didn't have an issue with his faith as it shouldn't come up at work. He then stated that the position was more a visual merch job (in FMCG retail this means stock person or someone who changes over the flags and tickets in store)
I politely said it wasn't what I was looking for, and left. I reported them to the recruiter who removed them from the books.
#13
I had just graduated from mortuary school, and had passed my board exams. I had an interview with a small funeral home that also had a cemetery. We weren't five minutes into the interview, and the owner said my first job was cleaning the garage, then I would start setting markers in the cemetery, and opening and closing graves. Being new I told him I would clean the garage, but I didn't go to school to dig graves. I thanked him for his time, got up, and left.
#14
Not me, but a classmate.
When I graduated from Northwestern in 1982, they had an experienced lady running the placement and interviewing process. She held a little class telling us in detail what to do and how to fill out informational forms, like CV or resume. She seemed pretty severe and no nonsense.
We heard of a man from a tech firm who was interviewing a young female engineering graduate. She walked into the room at the appointed time, sat, and said"Hello." He just sat there, looking at her, and said nothing. After five minutes of either plain rudeness, sexism, or what was supposed to be a stress interview, she got up and went to see the lady who managed placement, who came and collected the interviewer and told him to leave, and that he was banned from conducting any more interviews. She also wrote to his company to explain what happened.
Brando Dean 2 years ago (edited)
I was in a Job for nine years in a steelworks. I went for a job with a job placement organisation. The job would have been easier than working at the steelworks. I was straight up told that I was rejected for the job because I'm female. Also I went for a job in a kitchen washing dishes in a bakery. All the previous female candidates had been rejected because they were too slow. The boss was female. She straight out rejected me because I wasn't fast enough "because I'm female". She said as much.I ended up making a complaint that she was sexist.The job placement place ended up blacklisting her because it had happened to other women who had applied for the job.
#15
Once I left before an interview. I could hear the interviewer shouting at another candidate, something like “why should I hire you when I could hire someone cheaper in China” in an angry, indignant, lashing-out tone. It seemed to me that the situation was intended to intimidate candidates and get them to work cheap, including arranging a situation in which they could hear this going on before they even went in.
Stood up, told the other candidate “I don't think I want to work here” and left.
#16
I applied for 40 hour position since my current job at the time was only 16 with maybe 8 hours of overtime. Same kind of job with maybe more task than the current. Higher pay so seemed like a not a problem just win them over.
Turned up they asked so it is the 40 hour position you applied for?
yes I really would love full time.
Ah well those have all gone I only have 12 hours left. That not what I applied for and whilst the less hours and increased pay would equal the current pay. I just felt lied to and did not trust these two managers.
I just cut them off from their corporate talk, shook their hands and left.
Bonesko 2 years ago
This has happened to me once, but I was already working there. I was promised full time, a couple of weeks go by I ask him when I was going to get more hours then he said that he was opening up a new restaurant in 2 weeks and that he'd need servers there so he wants me on weekends at this restaurant and 2-4 days at the new one. I said sure, since it was still close to my house, plus it was in a good location so more tips. A few weeks go by and now they had to delay opening a 2 more weeks because of something or other. After over a month later than the restaurant was supposed to open I told my boss that I really need more hours and he was saying he'll move sobe shifts around, it'll be open soon, blah blah blah. Finally did and he he could only give me one day because he hired too many people, probably to see who would work out. I don't work there anymore.
#17
He asked me what my "weaknesses are." I f**king hate that question. So I responded with, "Dark hair and blue eyes." He didn't think it was funny. I just walked myself out.
#18
In 1990s, after taking VRS from my PSU job, I attended one interview. There was a panel of 3 members interviewing. As soon as the interview started, the three interviewers started smoking. I requested them that I am allergic to cigarette smoke and cannot stand it.
They said it is my choice to leave if I am not comfortable. So, I walked out of the interview.
Shelby Moonheart 2 years ago
I'm sure I didn't get a job at a pizza place when I was in high school since I waved away the smoke when the boss lite a cigarette. I got an office job instead and never worked in food service.
#19
I walked out from the interview. I really wanted that job and everything was going good, until they started to ask questions about my religion,faith and etc. It was not connected with the job they just were asking such questions which can insult you. I just stopped their questions and made them clear that I don’t want to continue the interview.
#20
The job was to sell knockoff perfume and cologne at flea markets and fairs. Not interested in ripping people off, even if I did have "the look" they wanted.
#21
Twice. But it wasn’t really a “walk out”. In both instances, I paused the interview and admitted that I didn’t think I was the right person for the job. In either case, I was contrite and thanked them for their time. I can’t remember them being upset, though one was a panel interview and one of the managers was really stunned.
LoneTomato 2 years ago
Good, better to admit a mistake or poor fit than keep wasting your and their time.
#22
I arrived at the interview on time to be greeted by somebody who I knew but considered professionally unethical. They kept me waiting for about 45 minutes before seeing me, so obviously thought something else was more important. I decided I did not want to work for a firm which was so unprofessional. Quite simple!
#23
One of my first interviews out of school. They quizzed me on all types of technical matters, that’s fine. But then they told me the relatively low pay, coupled with their requirement that I be on call nearly 24/7. Since I was in my early 20s, I had a busy social life. For me to be on call requires a whole lot on their part. I told them that my salary requirements begin at $100,000. This was in the early 1980s. They were surprised and not happy with my demand. No problem, I’ll move along.
Colin Timp 2 years ago
Some people seem to be of the opinion that workers in low-wage jobs should just get a second job. The problem is that many low-wage jobs (at least in the U.S.) want on-call availability on off-days. They literally require you to show up within 45-60 minutes of being called in; sometimes with only an hour or two before closing. They do not compensate for this on-call time unless you actually have to work. How are you supposed to have a second job?
#24
I arrived early and after waiting 20 minutes past time, a gentleman came in and asked if I'd been helped. I told him I was here to meet X. I was informed she was out of the office and they hadn't been as to reach her on her work or personal cell phones. I told them I couldn't wait anymore, and thanked them. The kicker? Three…THREE days later she called to reschedule! I didn't even answer. I couldn't believe the nerve of that woman!
Naomi Cline 2 years ago
Could have at least listened to her excuse. It could have been a totally valid one, like being in an accident and in the hospital when everyone tried to reach her? Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt.
#25
Didn't walk out per se but I did cut the interview short after 10mins as an interviewer. The candidate wasn't prepared and replied to my open ended queries with single worded answers. Tried to put the candidate at ease with casual every day questions but even those were met with a blank look and dead end answers. It was apparent that the resume to HR was grossly inflated.
StrangeOne 2 years ago
The candidate likely got some skewed advice on how to answer questions. They probably thought keeping it short and sweet meant one word answers.
#26
Once.
I had already been offered a job, but I still had interviews scheduled. I decided to see if I would get a better offer, so I went.
It became clear to me that the manager was a “turnaround artist.” I don't know if there's a better term, but it was pretty clear that she was there to try to rescue an ailing franchise (Think like an internal version of Kitchen Nightmares or Bar Rescue). She made it pretty clear that I was supposed to make her metrics look good. If this were McDonald's (it wasn't) it was the equivalent of not just ensuring that I asked every customer “Do you want fries with that?” but making my job dependent upon how many fries I sold.
#27
Yep. I was once given a psychometric test by an interviewer and left alone to complete it.
I took a quick look, realised it was complete nonsense, and left.
It was a bit of a shame since the job seemed decent we’d already covered the interview part by chatting for over an hour beforehand.
sofacushionfort 2 years ago
HR loves Myers-Briggs pseudoscience; which in itself is a psychometric that the HR field favors candidates lacking critical thinking skills
#28
I didnt leave through fault of the workplace or employer... my brother was in a car accident and got a call from my sister letting me know
StrangeOne 2 years ago
This should ground for rescheduling the interview if the boss has a heart.
#29
Once. It was right out of college. I had a newly minted degree in Business Administration from Texas State University and was out interviewing for entry level business jobs.
I can’t remember the company but I was in the interview with my resume talking to a woman and during the interview she offered me a drink. Wine or beer were the choices.
Apparently in the company culture that was normal. I wasn’t the only person offered a drink. One was offered a drink if that individual was doing well during the interview.
I declined and said I had to use the bathroom really bad-and asked where it was—She pointed and I left her office and building.
I don’t remember what the company did anymore but it was for a sales position.
#30
I never really had this bad of anxiety since this morning. I got an interview to take an assessment for a warehousing job in a certain store. I thought I would be working in a quiet part and it was night shifts. The assessment was to interact with customers etc...and I immediately froze. Thought everything was going to go great seemed straight forward then they brought all these tasks with the customers so I just had to pull one of the managers aside and told them I'm just not cut out for this.
I feel absolutely worthless. I've been jobless for over a year. Nothing seems to be going my way and I really want to put myself out there and show what I can do, everyone was really rooting for me to get this and I feel like I've let them all down.
StrangeOne 2 years ago
I completely understand about the social anxiety thing being a hinder. I'm not saying this to be insensitive. I've got some bad nerves when it comes to interacting with people. Especially after working at a coffee shop that had some very abusive customers. However, having jobs that forced me to deal with people has improved my confidence and assertiveness over the last decade. I'm not saying it gets better in a short time. It took years. But little by little, working at a company that's all about ongoing training and coaching with managers willing to help teach how to handle different situations, really helped me. Even my mom says I'm more confident and I'm speaking a lot more clear and articulate than I used to. It may have come with age, too. I just wanted to add this as a beacon of hope to those that are really suffering. Like, I used to cry whenever I heard an answering machine or not know what to say to someone, and I would sound like a little kitten when someone asked a question.
What do you think ?
Brandon Marlowe 2 years ago
I once went for a sales job interview with a solid company that had decent pay and a company car provided. Interviewer said, "I notice you didn't list any church affiliation on your resume." I asked if that was a problem. He said no. After a few more questions he explained that the car would have to be picked up each morning and brought back every evening at the company HQ (40 minutes away from my home and the territory I would be covering). When I remarked that it seemed a waste of time and gasoline to leave the car there every night he replied, "Well, you have to come in every morning for the prayer meeting anyway." I told him I didn't think I'd be a good fit. Then I walked out. (Should have reported them but used my time instead to find a good job.)
Rens 2 years ago
I used to be a carer and on my my CV-Library account I always put down my requirements for a job which included no minimum wage and no zero-hour contracts and no domiciliary care work. I used to get inundated with phone calls and offers of jobs which sounded perfect and yet turned out to be 0 hour contracts or entry level positions or some domiciliary work. It got to the point where everytime I answered a call the first thing I asked was is it 0 hour minimum wage or domiciliary... I can't be bothered to waste my time or anyone else's. Most of the time it turned out people didn't even bother reading my information that I had posted.
Vikram Srinivasan 2 years ago
After my first round with the recruiter and sending in samples of my work (several and very detailed ones per their requirements), I prepared for the next round with the hiring manager. This was an online interview. I joined the call ten minutes ahead of time. Two other people were supposed to join besides the hiring manager. Not one person showed up. I waited a full 45 minutes, and then sent emails to the hiring manager, the recruiter, and anyone who had interacted with me thus far. No response all day nor the next day. It took three days before someone got back to me, and she didn't even explain what went wrong. I told her I definitely wasn't interested in rescheduling to work at a company where people were treated so poorly before they even join. Which company? Amazon. A senior position too, btw. F**k that corporate monster.
Brandon Marlowe 2 years ago
I once went for a sales job interview with a solid company that had decent pay and a company car provided. Interviewer said, "I notice you didn't list any church affiliation on your resume." I asked if that was a problem. He said no. After a few more questions he explained that the car would have to be picked up each morning and brought back every evening at the company HQ (40 minutes away from my home and the territory I would be covering). When I remarked that it seemed a waste of time and gasoline to leave the car there every night he replied, "Well, you have to come in every morning for the prayer meeting anyway." I told him I didn't think I'd be a good fit. Then I walked out. (Should have reported them but used my time instead to find a good job.)
Rens 2 years ago
I used to be a carer and on my my CV-Library account I always put down my requirements for a job which included no minimum wage and no zero-hour contracts and no domiciliary care work. I used to get inundated with phone calls and offers of jobs which sounded perfect and yet turned out to be 0 hour contracts or entry level positions or some domiciliary work. It got to the point where everytime I answered a call the first thing I asked was is it 0 hour minimum wage or domiciliary... I can't be bothered to waste my time or anyone else's. Most of the time it turned out people didn't even bother reading my information that I had posted.
Vikram Srinivasan 2 years ago
After my first round with the recruiter and sending in samples of my work (several and very detailed ones per their requirements), I prepared for the next round with the hiring manager. This was an online interview. I joined the call ten minutes ahead of time. Two other people were supposed to join besides the hiring manager. Not one person showed up. I waited a full 45 minutes, and then sent emails to the hiring manager, the recruiter, and anyone who had interacted with me thus far. No response all day nor the next day. It took three days before someone got back to me, and she didn't even explain what went wrong. I told her I definitely wasn't interested in rescheduling to work at a company where people were treated so poorly before they even join. Which company? Amazon. A senior position too, btw. F**k that corporate monster.
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