What's the Most Embarrassing Thing That's Happened to You in an Interview?

[ProudLib72]

Let me just start by saying that I had an experience this morning at a job fair and it set me to thinking. I was just beginning to tell the interviewers all about how wonderful I am when the chair I was sitting on broke. I fell on my butt and ripped my pants (up the side). The only positive was that I was wearing a sport coat that hid the rip. Of course I behaved like nothing had happened.

So what horrible thing has happened to you while interviewing for a job?

[Ohiogal]

1. Oh no!

Your experience, although pretty embarrassing, made me laugh. Sorry! Did you get the job?

I had a job interview once where the owner of the company took me out to lunch. I was like 23 and he was in his 60s. He proceeded to cast aside the job interview in favor of telling me he had an "open marriage" and he would like to have an affair with me! I was quite naive at the time and was just horrified and wondered how in the world was I going to get myself out of this abominable situation. This was in the late '70s. Finally, I just came right out and said I am not that kind of girl, no way, it ain't gonna happen. At least he seemed to take it in stride and after that, nothing more was said. Needless to say I didn't get the job. Nor would I have accepted it if he had offered!

[ProudLib72]

8. That is much, much worse than my incident!

And I can't say that I'm surprised. I bet that a lot of women have gone through (and continue to go through) that experience.


BTW: I was at a job fair. 15 minute interviews, going table to table. The thing is, I had applied last summer to teach at the early college I was interviewing with when I broke the chair, and they told me that they remembered my resume. I had been a "top candidate"! Now just imagine the headlines "Top Candidate Breaks Chair, Falls on Ass".

[Ohiogal]

11. Theyll really remember you now!

[ProudLib72]

12. That's what everyone keeps telling me!

But is it really the way I want to be remembered?

[Funtatlaguy]

2. I started.

Didn’t know it until I got home.
Was a pretty shi**y job anyway.

[Flaleftist]

21. Auto-correct cleaned up your shart.

[Funtatlaguy]

25. Well that shucks.

[Atticus]

3. I showed up at the office of a university dean for an interview concerning my possible

admission to pursue an additional degree. After shaking my hand, he motioned me toward a pair of arm chairs and a sofa to one side of his desk. Relaxing a bit, I sat down in one of the chairs as he sat in the other.

I then noticed that he seemed to be inspecting my shoes, so I casually glanced down---and saw a pair of my wife's pink nylon bikini panties hanging out of my polyester slacks! I'd put them on fresh out of the dryer that morning and "static cling" had done the rest!

I think I blurted out "How did those get there? Sorry!" and stuffed them into my pocket. My degree came from another school.

[ProudLib72]

10. He probably thought, "That Atticus is a party animal. No way could he make his grades!"

[True Dough]

19. I wish it was your wife

who posted here at the DU with the screen name "underpants". It would provide a whole new level of meaning.

[Atticus]

23. No relation. nt

[underpants]

36. 😁

[eppur_se_muova]

4. I was in a phone interview when the cats came into the room and started a screeching fight ...

... and of course I started yelling at them. Not sure at what point I pulled the phone away, but I'm pretty sure I shouted "No! No!" at least into the phone.

I still got invited to a site interview. :}

[ProudLib72]

9. Anyone who has had cats would have understood immediately

The person on the other end was probably rolling on the floor laughing.

[eppur_se_muova]

17. The thing that irritated me was that I had closed the door for privacy ...

... but that door was not properly installed by the crappy builder who built this house, and opens if pushed hard, because the bolt is not aligned at all. So the cats "broke in" to my private interview, despite my precautions.

Since then, my one tomcat has learned he can open that door by jumping at it hard enough. He's postponed a couple of vet appointments that way.

[Lunabell]

5. I stupidly put my panties on over my hose.

As I was walking down the hall of the hospital where I was interviewing, my panties slid down my legs to my feet. I didn't miss a step as I reached down and grabbed my panties. I don't think anyone saw, but I noticed there were security cameras everywhere.

[CurtEastPoint]

6. omg I am choking...

[applegrove]

28. I know someone who was giving a speech in university when her old pare of underwear started to

slip down her legs. She stepped out of them the rest I don't remember. She may or may not have had a desk to hide her.

[Freedomofspeech]

7. During my interview for a job as a high school librarian...

The asst. Superintendent who was interviewing me said that he if hired me and I didn't produce that he would be all over me like a cheap suit (I am female). I told him, sorry but I don't wear cheap suits. I was offered the job but turned it down because there was no way that I was going to work for that jerk.

[stopbush]

13. I interviewed for a marketing job with a major American orchestra.

The interview was with the HR director and the guy who would have been my boss.

About 10 minutes into the interview, the guy said he wouldn’t hire me because he could see that I would have his job within six months. The HR lady started sputtering and apologized to me, but that was the end of the interview.

Oh yea, and I had driven over an hour to get to that interview.

[ProudLib72]

14. I don't think that would be embarrassing for you

More like for the guy who didn't want you to take his job. I'm taking it that you were good enough that you got a job elsewhere quickly enough?

[stopbush]

15. My employment history has been rather spotty since I moved into the nonprofit world.

Long stretches of unemployment, mixed in with periods where I do pretty well.

My credentials are excellent, and I get plenty of interviews for jobs that pay well. BUT, I turn 65 in September, and I am always hitting up against ageism in hiring. Ageism is very much a thing in the job market.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

16. This wasn't me, and it might even be apocryphal, but

Years ago I was told about an interview back in the '70s, where a recent female law graduate was interviewing for a job at some prestigious law firm, and she was asked whether she could type (this sort of thing really happened in those days). Her answer was, "Yes, I can type. I can fuck, too, but I don't do either for money." Whereupon she got up and left. I don't know if this really happened but I hope it did.

[underpants]

37. I hope that's true too.

Hilarious

[Ron Obvious]

18. The soles of my shoes, which I just had glued that morning, split open

I was very poor in those days, and my $9.99 shoes from Payless were of inferior quality but I couldn't afford to replace them so I superglued the soles and shoes back together. It held together until the middle of the interview when they gave way. I tried to hide it by contorting my body into an uncomfortable position, but I talked to the woman who interviewed me years later and she most certainly noticed.

I got the job anyway. Possibly out of pity.

[Laffy Kat]

20. I fainted.

It was early in the morning, I was running late, and I never eat breakfast, but also missed dinner the night before. I got to where I was going and when the gentleman came out to meet me, I stood up to shake his hand and went out like a light. Yep, that was embarrassing.

[ProudLib72]

29. Did you get the job???

Man, I am thinking of starting a second thread for those who were doing the interviews to post. I'd really like to know the guy's take on you fainting.

[Laffy Kat]

32. No, I didn't get the job.

It was so long ago I don't remember much about it. The guy was really nice and appropriately concerned and a couple of women came over and sort of took charge. They finally let me leave and I can't remember if they even called again. It was quite awkward for all of us. I had mercifully forgotten all about it until I read your post.

[ChubbyStar]

22. I was making a brilliant point and tapped my finger on the desk between us

when my Lee press-on nail came flying off and landed in his hair. I guess I nailed that interview

[MLAA]

27. Lol!!!

[Texasgal]

24. My first interview out of Nursing school

Big hospital setting. Things were going great until my brazier busted with a loud snap!

LOL! I sat there stunned...not saying a word. Ran down to my car afterwards and tore the damn thing off on my way home all while crying!

Got the job though, and stayed employed there for over 15 years!

[MLAA]

26. Spilled coffee all over the interviewer's desk....still got the job whew!

[trackfan]

30. Pretty much everything.

I'm almost 60, and have never gotten a job when a competitive interview was involved. Every job I've gotten has either been via the fix being in because I knew someone, or through a temp agency.

[Shrike47]

31. I've only had a couple three jobs interviews in my life and got all the jobs but in court...

First thing in the morning I was representing a client at a sentencing. Before the judge was on the bench, but while the bailiff, clerk and stenographer were waiting to start, I felt what I thought was a dryer sheet up the sleeve of my blazer. I started to pull it out. And pulled, and pulled. A bra had gotten tangled up with my blouse in the dryer. As the judge entered the courtroom, I was waving a lacy bra.

One of my many graceful and dignified moves.

[underpants]

38. Lots of bra misshaps here

[zanana1]

41. That was hilarious!

That's one way to win a case!

[captain queeg]

33. Never dressed up much except for an interview (or wedding, funeral, etc.)

So I had to dig out my dress shoes which were in the closet for the last couple years. Interview was going ok when I looked down and saw that the soles of my shoes were disintegrating. There were black chunks laying on the floor around me. Of course as long as I sat there talking no one was going to notice, but when I left the room I could see chunks on the floor leading down the hallway. I'd lost a lot of material. Don't know what the soles were made of, they were nice and expensive shoes. I just hoped I could get down the hall and around the corner before anyone noticed. I think I made it but who knows if anyone put it together.

[UniteFightBack]

34. In my early twenties the interview asks me...so what is that you think you could most improve upon

and I said ....being on time.
Oooops

[underpants]

35. 👀 marking this to read later

I saw this yesterday and meant to contribute but got lost elsewhere reading stuff.
Going for a run now. I've got something to think about while on the run.

[underpants]

39. Never anything really embarrassing but I don't have a good record on phone interviews

The first phone interview I ever did it became painfully clear that I wasn't what they were looking for.

The second was for a purchasing job and the first question was about a "complex procurement". I was caught flatfooted and it was obvious. I had this iPad in front of me but a quick google search wouldn't have helped. I found the answer several days later but it took some searching and reading. I think they lead with that because they already had someone in mind to take the job but they had to go through the process (public sector). The next day I asked my experienced basically mentor (he'd been doing this for over 30 years) and he was dumbfounded as well, "Why in the hell did they ask THAT?! That's beyond my level of needing to know that".

Side note. Ever had an interview with someone who's blind? Those Braille note takers are some clacking distracting things I'll tell you. Longer story there. Toughest interview I've ever had (and I've had many). Got the job. 295 people had applied for it.

[ProudLib72]

42. The latest thing in interviewing is the "one way interview"

I've been doing a lot of those lately. They send you a link to an online "interview". You sit in front of a computer with a video and microphone turned on. You can see yourself in the screen. A question pops up. You have 45 seconds to think about the answer and three minutes to record it. It's the most nerve wracking experience you can imagine because you don't have the opportunity to do a second take. Anyway, I was in the middle of recording one of my answers when some security pop ups came on and cluttered the screen so that I couldn't see the interview window. Of course that was distracting. I hemmed and hawed for about twenty seconds before I got all the pop ups closed. Later on I emailed the hiring contact and told her what had happened. I didn't hear back from her.

[zanana1]

40. I thought I made a good impression...

The interviewer met me in the waiting room and we walked together to his office. I told him about my previous experience and even made him laugh. When we got to his office, he told me to have a seat and I missed my chair, falling on my butt. We both laughed about it (me while blushing) and I got the job! Thank God he had a sense of humor!

[ProudLib72]

43. You fell on your butt too!? Hurray, we're butt falling twins!

[Aristus]

44. I tend to be a fast-talker. And the faster I talk, the worse my enunciation gets.

I was in an interview and got to talking so fast that eventually, the last word of a sentence came out "fumfuhmbburblefuh"

Strangely enough, I actually got the job. I think the interviewer liked me...

[benld74]

45. My 1st job interview was a phone interview

In the middle of it my college roommate arrived after his night shift job.
Slams the door
Shouts out HEY MAN!
Cranks up the stereo to 10
Shouts out SEE Y A!
And leaves

I tell them
I didn’t catch that last question
Let me turn down the stereo
Which
I did

I got the job
But was told afterwards the stereo almost killed my chance

[ProudLib72]

46. Sounds like your roommate didn't want you to get a job

If you got the job you might leave!

[benld74]

47. True. I lasted another 6-8 months at that place

I was the ONLY one who had a steady job. It was a true PARTY apapartment thats for sure, I could TELL some stories!

I guess what truly made my mind up, was getting woke up around 3am by MY stereo blasting away.
I walked into the livingroom, 8 people around the kitchen counter, smoking, toking, drinking, talking laughing away.
Turned stereo down, went to bed.
Got up at 630 to get ready for work.

Made EXTRA sure I banged, doors, cabinets etc when getting ready and when I left.

Began looking for apartments that day.
Moved within 1 months time.