Worst job interviews revealed: Late interviewers and odd questions
BBC shares shocking job interview stories ranging from 40-minute delays to unexpected personal questions and legal boundaries.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Tiara Allen had to wait 40 minutes for her retail job interview due to a scheduling error.
- Chas Edwards was asked if he was a crier during a publisher assistant interview in New York.
- Corinne Card was rejected immediately after answering that she enjoyed working with people.
- Experts note that interviews serve as a two-way street for candidates to evaluate company culture.
Job hunting often places candidates under immense pressure and uncertainty, but some individuals encounter interview experiences so bizarre they defy belief. Tiara Allen arrived precisely on time for an interview for a retail position, only to find her interviewer absent.
When the interviewer eventually arrived, Tiara was informed that the meeting had not been entered into the company schedule. Although she urgently needed employment at the time and accepted the job offer, she acknowledges that she would handle the situation very differently today.
"I would not take a job if they took that long," she stated, adding that how she was treated during the interview process served as an indicator of how the firm typically managed its staff.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Tiara is far from alone in her ordeal, as numerous individuals shared their worst interview experiences with the BBC following a previous report on uncomfortable interview questions.
During an interview for an assistant role at a book publisher in New York, Chas Edwards encountered an entirely unexpected inquiry when asked if he was prone to crying during his very first job interview.
"I was asked for my first job if I was a crier."
Chas Edwards
Assuming the interviewer was joking, Chas replied that he did not cry, only to discover later that this specific response secured him the position. Despite setting a record by outlasting every previous employee who had never survived three months with the same manager, he remains somewhat grateful for the bizarre ordeal.
Terrible interview experiences and off-label questions often function as critical red flags regarding corporate culture and internal management. Unjustified interviewer tardiness or inappropriate inquiries clearly demonstrate unprofessionalism and disorganization, signaling candidates to carefully weigh whether such an organization deserves their long-term commitment.
Corinne Mills, joint managing director of Personal Career Management, suggests that asking interviewers to clarify unusual questions by repeating them back can be beneficial. She emphasizes that interviews are ultimately a mutual evaluation process where candidates also judge the company.
While awkward questions are frustrating, certain inquiries cross the line into illegality. Discrimination based on protected characteristics violates the law, meaning employers cannot treat candidates unfavorably due to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.
Euan Cameron, co-founder of hiring software firm Willo, points out that despite the inherent power imbalance between employers and applicants, candidates should avoid overanalyzing the process. An interview remains fundamentally a conversation between two people.
Source: BBC Business
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