Interview Oops
How do you recover when something goes wrong in an interview? While we could write a blog about ways to handle it, such as forgetting your resume, we could not see some of these coming, so we could not possibly prepare you for it. We weren't even prepared to read these mistakes that happened during an interview.
Someone rushed from class to the interview, stopping by their dorm on the way to grab some clothes. What they didn't do before entering the interview was change out of their slippers and into appropriate shoes. Evidently, the interviewer didn't notice, and they got the job.
One candidate did a great job, and the interview went on for a long time before an offer was made. As they stood up to shake hands, the candidate realized the hard way that their right foot had fallen asleep. They toppled over, taking out a chair and spraining an ankle in the process.
As you should know, it is recommended to send your interviewer a follow up thank you. We also recommend that you proofread, even when using autocorrect... perhaps especially if you have autocorrect. An applicant sent a thank you email from her phone, but her phone changed the word "excitement" to "excrement." Obviously, that drastically changes the meaning of a sentence. The applicant caught her mistake almost immediately and called to apologize, but the interviewer was too busy rolling on the floor with laughter to answer.
A woman arrived for her interview, put her keys in her purse, hit the lock on her car, and shut the door -- on her thumb. She began calling out for help, unable to get her thumb out. She twisted and turned and was finally able to get into her purse, grab the keys, and unlock the door. She did great in the interview until they asked her to take a typing test. She explained what had happened and requested to come back the next day for the test. They got her some ice water to soak her thumb for the rest of the interview. When they finished, she was offered the job without the test. They said anyone who could remain that calm and professional under the circumstances was someone they wanted working for them.
An applicant was to perform a typing test. The interviewer stated to "right click on the file," so the applicant typed the word "click." There was a moment before they both realized what the other one was thinking and laughed. The applicant was hired.
When an applicant arrived, he was requested to go into a side room and fill out the application. He sat down, assuming he would be taken to someone's office for the interview. He was wrong; he was sitting in the interviewer's chair, so when she came in, she had to sit in the smaller chair. He was a little mortified.
First interview: great. Second interview: nailed it! Walked in for the final negotiations and grabbed the chair to sit in. Somehow released the mechanism and the chair shot up into their face, knocking out two teeth. Blood was everywhere. Still was offered the job.
A woman put in for a job (human resources) she had no experience for, but as a single mother, she was desperate. She was surprised to get an interview. One of the first questions asked was what made her qualified for the position. She admitted she wasn't qualified but with a child to provide for, she guaranteed to be the hardest working employee they had. The company praised her honesty, a key quality in an HR professional. She was hired. True to her word, she worked hard and moved up the chain to regional HR.
Similarly, a young man got the date for the interview mixed up and and showed up a day late. Figuring he had nothing to lose, he was brutally honest the entire interview. Not only was he hired, he won an award a few years later.
You never know what could happen during an interview! What's the most amazing thing you've seen during the interview process?
