20+ Embarrassing Job Interviews That Could Happen to Anyone Looking for a Job

How nice it would be if all job interviews had the sole purpose of discussing the desired position and salary. But in practice it is different: to get the job of their dreams, candidates often have to answer unpleasant questions and go through uncomfortable (or comical) situations.

We, from awesome.club, we also went through this process until we joined the best company in the world. After reading some user posts, we decided to share with you some funny stories about job interviews, including awkward situations, overly meticulous recruiters and impolite questions. Check out!

At a well-known firm, they began hiring people for top positions at the national level. Candidates were received at the airport, taken to the hotel to then go through the interview. A driver from an executive transport company accompanied them. The detail was as follows: this chauffeur was an employee of the HR department in disguise and had already begun to “filter” the candidates based on their behavior since the first meeting. © MasterDenn / pikabu

I went through an interview that lasted almost four hours. It felt like they were trying to dissect my brain: the questions would have been better suited for a psychiatrist’s couch, that is, they were very personal. Furthermore, the interviewer had the audacity to say: “I’m not sure if I should hire another woman. We already have two employees working, and they get along very well. And, as much as you disagree, putting three women together is asking for trouble.” I need to point out that the vacancy was for vehicle inspection. That is, I didn’t think I would need to undergo a “psychoanalysis exam” for this position. © MooPig48 / reddit

The manager asked about my expectations and explained what the company would expect from me. Afterwards, he said that I could earn a salary of up to R$140,000 a year — which would not be bad for a 19-year-old. At the end of the interview, he clarified that the position I was applying for no longer existed as it was already occupied, but he would contact me should any other opportunities arise in the future. © GlalieOnigohri / reddit

A friend was looking for a remote job and was called in for an interview. They said the job consisted of staying available at home and waiting for calls. In addition, he would receive the salary confirmations via email. He was duly compensated, but there wasn’t even a call. He was later fired, but he continued to get paid for a long time. To this day, he doesn’t know what it was. © Подслушано / vk

I was interviewed by two women for the manager position. At the end, one of them asked me:
— Do you suffer from any illness that could affect work?
I:
“Well, I have pteronophobia, but I don’t think it’s going to get in the way of my performance.
The two looked at each other and then one decided to ask:
– What does that mean?
— Pteronophobia is fear of being tickled by bird feathers.
They spent a few seconds looking at each other, serious, and then they couldn’t resist and started laughing. Finally, I was hired. © Julian Filaret / quora

On my resume it said “Wizard” and “Technologist”. Faced with this information, the HR woman asked if I knew how to do magic. I confirmed. She then asked me if I could show her any tricks. I opened the bag and took out a deck of cards. Surprised, she asked:
“Do you always carry a noise with you?”
“Yes, I always meet people like you.
I did a spell that left her quite impressed. Then she said to me:
“You must know how to lie well, right?”
— Yes, but you can rest assured that all the information on my resume is true.
In the end, they hired me, but to this day I still can’t believe I actually pulled off a magic trick in the middle of a job interview. © Jaivardhan Singh Channey / quora

“I didn’t understand why I was asked during the interview if ‘I like cats’ and if ‘I have issues with invasion of privacy.’ It was weird”.

During the interview with HR, the chief engineer entered the room and addressed me:
“Oh, you’re doing the interview?” Great, I’d like to ask you a few questions.
There were many questions, but all related to the position. After 20 minutes, he released:
– All very well. You can hire him, we agree.
HR:
“But he is the first candidate. I think it would be better if we interviewed other people…
— Why look further and waste valuable time if the first one already pleased me?
Over time, I saw that this man really cared about others and did not tolerate unnecessary bureaucracy. He is the dream boss: he protects the department’s employees and offers rewards whenever possible. © al56.81 / pikabu

There were two people interviewing me: a guy from HR and a woman, who represented the department I was going to work for. The two of them were talking the whole time and gave me almost no opportunity to speak. I just sat and listened. It lasted about an hour and eventually they didn’t hire me. © deleted / reddit

I got up early, as my interview started at 9 am. I had to cross the city, but I got there in time. A lady greeted me, asked for a copy of my resume, looked me up and down and said, “You are overqualified for this position. We’ll be in touch if anything comes up. Thank you for coming”. I was rejected without even going through the interview. What was left for me was to go home laughing about the situation. © Saumya Nair / quora

I once had a Skype interview. Knowing that the interviewers would only see my upper body, I wore a nice dress shirt but kept my polka dot pajamas on the bottom. During the conversation, I was asked to fetch a document and, without thinking too much, I got up and went to get it. It wasn’t until I heard the laughter that I realized what I had done. Luckily my future boss and the other guy were both very nice and laid back and didn’t mind. And yes, I got the job. © Dee / quora

I was called to interview for the position of store saleswoman. Two women led the conference:
— What is your salary expectation?
— BRL 1,500 — 1,800.
“Why so much?” Are you paying apartment installments or do you have a family to support?
Five seconds of silence, and my look of surprise.
She said she’d think about it and would get in touch if she was interested. I don’t know why they thought that. © Iskander61 / pikabu

The interviewer asked me: “What is your degree?” I replied that my level of education was higher education. She was referring to myopia. We laughed a lot about the situation. © mazafakafiiish / twitter

I was invited to an interview in another city. Halfway through the journey, the bus broke down and we had to wait three hours on the open road for the other one to arrive. The latter took us at a speed of 40 km/h. When I got out of the vehicle, the problems only got worse: I fell into a puddle; I ripped my pantyhose; I broke the nail; I soiled the coat and stained the new skirt. I threw my hands up, wanting to cry, but I thought, “Hey, what is this?! I didn’t travel 300 km to give up now. I’m going to the interview.” I passed. I have been the director of the company for 10 years. © Подслушано / vk

During an interview, they decided to give me some prank exercises. Luckily, I knew all the first ones and was able to solve them without any problems. When they showed me the 5th one, which I also knew, I was already out of patience and, even before reading the question, I said: “Yes, about bacteria, the answer is 59”. © vanillacoder / twitter

I was one of the last candidates. The interview was conducted by the manager’s assistant. We were the same age, and he asked me four questions.
First: “Do you like football?”
Monday: “Which series do you like the most?”
Third: “What kind of music do you listen to?”
Fourth: “When can it start?”
It lasted about 30 minutes. We talk about silly things, we laugh a lot, we have fun. It felt like we were lifelong friends. I no longer work there, but we still keep in touch. © deleted / reddit

I was once asked a question that took me by surprise:
— Do you cry easily? What can make you cry at work? Stress?
I thought and decided to be honest:
“With all due respect, I can cry when I’m really hungry.
They all burst out laughing and said they would feed me first before they scolded me. That same day, I received an offer to join the team. © Sheila Marie Cena / quora

Finding a job after maternity leave is not easy. I went through several interviews in the week, but without success. At one company, the HR lady looked at me with pity and said, “You need to start working, so it’s no longer worth being honest and saying you were on leave for three years. This is not indicated on your work card, so say you only had the baby for six months.” That little lie actually helped me pass an interview later on. © Подслушано / vk

What’s the weirdest question you’ve been asked in a job interview? Comment! We await your stories.