Have you ever walked out of a job interview?

I told an interviewer for a job at my company but in a different department (construction/facilities/building operations) that his demands were ridiculous and good luck with that. It was for an EA position in construction where all the workers wore coveralls and/or hardhats or jeans and t-shirts. He said if he had to wear a suit so did I. I told him with the salary advertised, that's ridiculous and your EA is not an executive. He was a nasty man, I could tell immediately. I said, "Let's not waste any more time here."

He lasted not even one year in that position.

Sometimes (for some reason) the interviewer acts like an ass. I've had an interview for a scholarship before where the guy was a total asshole and I was sure I'd be rejected but I was not. Maybe she was trying to see how professional you'd be under scrutiny OP.

Fuck this assignment (I.e. free work) shit. From experience, 9 times out of 10 it means they have no idea what they want.

Once. The interviewer was 90 minutes late. Called me in just as I’d had enough and was gathering my things to leave. He took a “what’s the big deal?” approach. I asked I’d it would’ve been a deal breaker for him if I were the one who was 90 minutes late. He didn’t answer and I kept walking. It felt great.

I had an interviewee effectively "walk out" of the interview when the first words oit of her mouth were "I know you have an inside candidate and this is not a real interview" referring I assume to the person holding the position as an interim. Truth was everyone at the organization hated the interim and he was doing a terrible job. We were hoping to hire as soon as possible.

Moral of the story. Just interview professionally no matter what. It can't hurt. You can always turn down the job once offered but getting the offer gives you that option.

R2 places that use deception off the bat like that to test you should already be a red flag. They haven't even hired you and they're already using you like a pissant.

No, but as an interviewer, I've kicked applicants out of the interview

Not walked out, but threw in the towel a couple of times mid-interview and cut it short immediately when it was clear the job was not what I hoped. It's obvious to the interviewer when you've lost interest

Yes. MLA Convention one year in Chicago. Respectable schools have an interviewing suite in one of the host hotels, with beverage service and a living room area. Cheap schools use the giant ballroom the MLA sets up with hundreds of tables a few feet from one another. This interview was one of several I had that year.

The department chairman first gave me the wrong table number, so I introduced myself to an interview team from a different school for a different position. Then I went back outside to look at the table assignments, found the correct table and went back in. The chairman was alone and greeted me over eagerly. Small Catholic college in the Northeast, small department, mediocre students (according to him), but it was a tenure-track job in a very tough year.

We chatted for about fifteen minutes when he announced that I was the perfect candidate! Then he told me the starting salary, the outrageous expectations for earning tenure at his college, and I had to accept or decline before I got up from the table. No campus visit (too poor to fly candidates there), just yes or no right now. I burst into laughter loud enough to turn heads four tables away in every direction, got up, and slowly walked out.

I have never walked out of a job interview, but I had a very unpleasant experience with my general physician a couple of years ago. My original physician moved to another state, so I was assigned a new one through my insurance. Long story short, she wanted me to call her before filling my prescriptions for antidepressants. She called me an hour late, did not even apologize, then proceeded to ask me why I wanted to talk with her. I reminded her that SHE WANTED TO TALK TO ME. It was awkward as fuck. She refused to fill my prescription and thought I should try some other meds, then argued with me about it. I was so irritated that I dumped her immediately and filed a complaint. It was so bizarre.

I had two academic interviews where they told me in the interview that the position wasn't actually tenure track although advertised as such. In one case the committee acted surprised that it wasn't listed properly blaming the department secretary. (As a Black friend said later "Was she Black?" And when I said yes, he said "So the blamed the little old Black lady who sits out front." The second time they said that they hoped to turn it into a tenure track job. The first time I walked out. The second I played along since I had traveled a distance. I got free lunch and dinner out of it but the university took forever to reimburse my travel expenses.

Actually the second job might have been worth the risk looking back but I think I withdrew. I had a full time gig in publishing in NYC.

I've ended a couple of phone calls early with recruiters. I've worked in marketing (digital) for nearly 20 years now, and it was clear they had no idea what they were talking about when interviewing me. That was a bad sign right from the get go.

Not walked out but effectively ended one. It was an internal interview with another department. We get to the "do you have any questions" section and I do--prompting an answer that the interviewed for position was being manned by a beloved consultant. They obviously were going to hire that person. They had to interview me because I was an internal applicant and they had to show they didn't just give the job to the consultant. Once that was obvious, I pretty much dropped the interviewee act and just talked them as if we were co-workers having a chat in the communal kitchen. I wished them luck with their consultant and that ended the interview. Fucking time wasters.

I didn't walk out of one bad interview but should have. It was a word processing position and the supervisor was this young guy who looked to be in his late 20s (I was early 40s at the time). Anyway, the moment he stepped into the room, he was rude as fuck, acting as if he didn't believe anything he read on my resume, and made it clear he had made up his mind before even entering the room that he wasn't going to hire me. By the time it was over I didn't even want the job anymore and on my way out, I stopped by the desk of the v.p. who sent me up there (she was in charge of the w.p. department) and told her how nasty he was. I told it was obvious by his behavior that he never intended to give me a fair interview and could not have been more unprofessional.

It was a complete waste of my time but two weeks later I was hired as an EA at a law firm making way more money than the w.p. job was paying, so thankfully it all worked out.

In the 90s, when I jumped every two years for increases of 10k or more, I asked for my resume back on two occasions. The interviewers didn’t have a clue about concepts or terminology.

New trade accounting systems allowed cheap clerks who were bad at simple math to function under close supervision. My position would have been babysitting idiots who snapped gum.

Your takeaway: Tie all trading confirmations to your statements; you keep the firm balanced.

I've never walked out of an interview. I did, however, have one where it became clear midway through that they misrepresented the position and that I was completely unqualified for it.

For a moment I didn't know how to proceed. I wondered why they even offered me the interview in the first place.

I figured the best approach was to be polite, ask some thoughtful questions, and then move on. I treated it as if I'd met someone at a hotel bar and made the normal "what do you do" chit chat. Then we shook hands and I never heard from them again.

I got to to a third round, which was a bunch of executive testing.

It turned out to require six hours of work - three hours completing the tests and three hours reviewing the findings with the consultant. Nobody told me until I agreed to do it. It was irritating but I thought I wanted the job... though the disrespect in not fully briefing me on the demands of the process raised a question mark.

So eight separate tests - including a math and comprehension tests. I knew I bombed (and I have a Master's degree so I shouldn't have, but I knew I did.) And sure enough... her first question out of the gate was 'let's go back to the beginning... what were your marks like in high school?' Which I thought was odd but then I realised. At the end she's like... so, these two were problematic. What's your thoughts? I said well, they were timed, and the clock was in my line of sight the whole time and I found it really distracting. Plus I remember thinking at one point: Why are they asking such complicated questions about such badly, densely written material that has nothing to do with the work I'll be doing? (It was literally a train leaves Chicago type questions.) I said I knew I bombed those two, and I almost withdrew right after I hit complete because I knew it was producing a false picture of my capacity (which the testing proved because it also did my IQ.) And the consultant says: I think I can spin it. And I say: I don't want it spun. They insisted on these crazy tests, let them see what it yielded.

They offered in the end, I declined. The whole thing was just like going on a date with someone who had a great job and the all the perks and was just too much damned work.

[quote] Once. The interviewer was 90 minutes late. Called me in just as I’d had enough and was gathering my things to leave. He took a “what’s the big deal?” approach. I asked I’d it would’ve been a deal breaker for him if I were the one who was 90 minutes late. He didn’t answer and I kept walking. It felt great.

You gave it 30 minutes more than I did. After waiting one hour, I walked up to the HR drone t the window and said (loud enough for the other people in the office to hear) "If this is how you treat people you're trying to recruit, I can only imagine how poorly you treat them once they're hired". Then I turned and walked out.

And yes, it felt great.

Acting auditions are legally job interviews.

I had a tv casting director whom I had met twice previously just start screaming angrily at me when I asked a simple question about the scene, in which EVERY LINE OF DIALOGUE other than mine was blacked out! I was so stunned at the volcanic rage I just stood there not knowing what was even happening. The useless assistant also just stood there like an idiot. I finished the scene and said thank you, while the browbeating resumed!

This character also sleeps around when drunk, which I'm sure the spouse knows nothing about. I've never been back!

You all sound like you splash drinks in the faces of your enemies too.

Yes, I have.

The fourth blowjob was just too much to expect.

I wouldn’t even wait a fucking hour. I’d walk after 30 minutes of waiting over the interview start time

I too had a very late interviewer. I didn’t walk out, but he bought me a fancy lunch during which I asked obnoxious, skeptical questions about their product (megadose vitamins). It was kind of fun not having to behave.

I had an interview scheduled. Showed up and the office was closed! Wasn’t a holiday. They just decided to close. They called the next day asking me to come back. I shouldn’t have but needed a job. Shitty company.

[quote] I wouldn’t even wait a fucking hour. I’d walk after 30 minutes of waiting over the interview start time

Me, too. Unless someone explained to me what was going on (emergency, car accident, previous meeting unexpectedly going long, etc.). Even with an explanation, it's a bad sign. Everybody's time is valuable.

No, because I figured why do that when his office and the bedroom were in the same suite!?

Other side of the table:

My (academic) department was hiring in 2014 and I was surprised to see an application cone through from a guy with a relatively Ivy League recent PhD, a half dozen peer-reviewed journal articles, and a manuscript accepted for publication with a very good university press. He was a "hotshot" according to my junior colleagues who still go to conferences and such. He was in the third year of a tenure track position at a small, decent liberal arts college. I convinced myself that he wanted to move to a research university with a PhD program in his field for greater career opportunities.

In exchange for not doing (expensive) convention interviews, our dean allowed us to bring our top three candidates to campus. (We interviewed via Skype.) The search committee was unanimous in short-listing him. So I invited him and the other two candidates to campus in late January. He was first. He asked to be on campus on a Friday and said he would like to stay in town until Sunday, if possible. The dean cleared paying for an extra two nights. As is customary, we asked a couple PhD candidates to pick him up at the airport, take him out to dinner, then escort him to the hotel. The next morning, before fetching him from the hotel, the graduate students came to my office to tell me that 1). dude is an asshole; 2) he had two glasses of wine and four drinks at dinner; and 3). he did not seem to be interested in anything about the department.

We had a full day scheduled for him, beginning with a morning meeting with the two other faculty members in his specialization. Then a meeting with me (department chair) and an associate dean. Then lunch with any faculty or graduate students who wanted to come. Maybe 8-10 people came. He was talkative and drank alcohol with his lunch (which we were not allowed to charge to the department; I had to put it on my personal card). We had a break scheduled for him before his "job talk" at 3PM. I showed him to our reading room and told him if he needed anything, to come to my office down the hall. As I turned to leave, he said something like "Yeah, sorry bruh, I'm not really interested in your job. I just wanted a trip to LA to visit some friends. I'm sure you understand."

I silently exited and went to my office and called the dean. She said, Fuck him, and I canceled his job talk. I called a cab to take him to his hotel. My assistant called the hotel to tell them that Mr. So-and-so would be checking out today. He never contacted me again, though he submitted his receipts for reimbursement to our admin.

A few weeks later I received an email from the dean at the guy's current college. He asked me if J**** L**** interviewed with us. I said that he had. He asked if we made an offer. I said that we did not. Then he said that this asshole told him that he had an offer from us and was trying to use it for a raise. I looked him up during the pandemic. He was in his seventh year there, still an assistant professor, which means he did not get tenure. Justice was served.

Good story, r27! And yes, glad to see the asshole got his just deserts.

Love your tale, R27. Highly satisfying!

I have, but the interview didn't seem to notice?

I got offered the job 2 weeks later at an even higher salary after the winning candidate didn't turn up.

I stayed for 5 months and eventually realised that it was so badly run it'd eventually go under.

So I stole almost £100,000 ( $160,000 at the time) gave in my resignation and left.

Nobody ever noticed the missing funds and I established my own company with it.

This all happened over 30 years ago, they went out of business in about 1994.

There was one time I flounced out, does that count?

Years ago, a friend recommended me to someone she knew at a local firm. This woman called me, said she’d heard I was great, and wanted me to come in for an interview. I wasn’t really thinking about leaving the job I had, but I thought she seemed nice and thought why not. From the minute I sat down, she was yawning, barely looking at my book of sample work, slurping on her giant Starbucks, and glancing at her computer. I was dressed way more professionally than she was, and clearly knew more about the profession. After about 20 awkward minutes, I said I thought it wasn’t going to work out and I was going to leave. She didn’t even seem fazed. I think she was on drugs. One of the most bizarre experiences I’ve ever had.

So R30 walked out and took anything that wasn’t nailed down. Even took the coffee creamer and Kleenex.

In the wake of the 08 recession, I interviewed with a creature who told me to my face that the candidates for the position are not that great.

I was too stunned by his slip of the tongue to ask why he would schedule an interview with an unsuitable applicant.

I stupidly hoped in the bottom of my heart 'not that great' referred to "someone else". It didn't. He meant me and he was cruel and unprofessional enough to waste my time and insult me to my face.

I will not put up with this bullshit now.

R33 = HR Cunt

No I haven't, but I've been considering it next time I go job hunting. Though such an attitude is largely a waste of time.

Was that Noel Clarke, R19?

Not walked out. But I have made interviewers — always women managers with sloppy demeanors — lose their shit and watch them implode after flipping one of their pointed questions back at them. I'm usually quite prepared — information wise — for interviews. My interview questions have exposed outright lies. And when I catch them lying, I then patiently drag them through a really, really long, hard-to-end exchanges by asking more and more questions from my preparation. This doesn't happen all the time. But it does happen.

That story by R27 was great.

[quote]Was that Noel Clarke, [R19]?

No, the abusive person was the casting director, and I was the actor. I'm not Noel Clarke, just some middle aged guy not used to people screaming at me like they're gonna slug me. This person was seen as very top-tier in casting, but most have caught on by now and their status has slipped as of late.

R32. The bitch was stealing ideas from you.

I worked for a large Canadian- based publishing-cum-content behemoth for 21 years. They are public and grew monstrous, posting gains mainly by acquisition of smaller companies, either cash-rich or competitors. Two of my friends were told to provide “business plans” of how and what they would do in position they were applying for. Both were not hired, but their ideas were stolen by the hiring manager and implemented. Later on when I applied for a manager position, and I was asked this question, I replied “Well, you’ll have to hire me to find out”. Mind you, I was being interviewed by my current boss’s boss, who knew me very well (was also a friend) as to my capabilities, who then proceeded to chew me out, yelling at me that I wasn’t “prepared” for the interview, I wasn’t taking it “seriously”, etc. etc. I had one more interview to go through with HR the following Monday, but I was so shaken up by being screamed at, I promptly dropped out, simply saying the job was not right for me. When my boss asked me why, I told her and apparently she threw this woman under the bus and got her fired. The results of all this ended with me leaving after 21 years since it ended with me in the fire vis-a-vis frying pan. If you think the glass ceiling doesn’t exist, all the players mentioned here were women, and anyone who was subsequently hired, were men. No one puts men through this in a company where everyone knows how they work. They are just simply promoted.

I am founding director of an academic research center at a university. The center was only the third such entity establishes at an American University. In my fifth year here, a dean at another, better university contacted me to see if I would be interested in applying for their soon-to-be-established center directorship. I agreed and sent off my CV.

They flew me to campus and practically regaled me. Fantastic dinner, incredible breakfast, meeting faculty, opulent lunch, and, finally, a sit down with the dean and his team. They tried to do what R42 described, i.e., get me to tell them how to set up a successful new center. It took a couple questions and answers before I caught on (I was trying to impress them!), but I noticed that a couple people who seemed to be tangentially related to the meeting were furiously scribbling notes. When he asked the next question, I told him that I had given him some fairly substantial information already and if he wanted to hire me, or just pay me as a consultant, I would be happy to answer any other questions. He laughed heartily but clearly what I said did not penetrate his thick skull.

He kept trying for another twenty minutes before I stood up, buttoned my jacket, and asked where the nearest men's room was. I flew out late that night and just chuckled to myself at the brazenness of his tactics. They felt pressured to match what my school and a few others had set up, but had no idea how to do it. I am friends with my counterpart at Stanford and that fall, at a conference, we chatted about the other school. She revealed that they solicited her as well, but she straight up told them that she would not apply to their position and offered to consult.

I'm in the InfoTech/InfoSec field. I had one interview that was typical star chamber. Asking me about thing no in my realm of experience. By about 90 minutes in and got up saying "You obviously have a wish list., good afternoon gentemen" and walked out.

Of course other jobs I've interviewed for and nearly got had their funding revoked when the ITER project started.

What’s with the ghosting of unsuccessful interview candidates? I think most people would appreciate even a form email.

When I worked on 5th Ave. as a colorist, I applied for a celebrity hairdresser that planned to open 30 luxury salons throughout the US- one was planned in Elizabeth Taylor’s old mansion. A former Aveda educator, I found out halfway through the interview- that there was no budget for education, or set salary- it was all commission- and they weren’t giving me new clients, only my own.

Above the table was a schematic that looked like a cross between a ceramic spark plug and a Ming vase- the interviewee proudly exclaimed that it was a specially designed, exclusive toilet brush. The entire chain- from robes to every fit and finish by Tom Ford. My “spidey” sense tingling, and past experience with companies, I smiled, cut the interview short and left.

The original investor pulled the plug without ever opening a single salon and the hairdresser sued by landlords for millions and counter sued the investor. My clientele and I would’ve been left completely stranded if I had taken the job!

I was applying for a prestigious scholarship and academic program. By the time I had my interview I was already accepted to a program that was less prestigious but more with my interest and was going to accept. Still, I wanted to do the interview so I could say “I turned them down” and also so I could at least get my face known by the folks in the department.

However the interviewer was an ass and he clearly didn’t like my proposal. It dealt with international relations and he didn’t like a word I used to describe US and China relations, I think I said something like “mistrust” or “rivals”. He asked if I thought a different word would be better and I told him “No, I stood by it, and if that is going to be a problem then this program won’t be a good fit”.

I didn’t get in, but I was later invited to give a career talk to their students about 5 years later.

Yes, once in my youth I walked out of an interview.

The interviewer was ready to rip me to shreds as soon as he saw me. He was struggling through the interview and I could see he had something on his mind. He said he didn't believe anything that I had put on my resume was true. He said he didn't know how I had held the jobs I held. He said that I was a very good speaker and my parents should be proud of that but there was no need to lie. Then, when he began his next sentence, I got up and walked out.

Later that day I wrote someone at his company, who I thought was his superior, and told them off. I even asked if they bothered to check into anything I had said prior to the interview?

Two days later I got a call apologizing on the interviewer's behalf. They actually bothered to call the places I had worked and discovered that I wasn't lying about where I worked or what I'd done there and that if anything, at one place, I was downplaying it. (I did so intentionally because I hated that aspect of that job.) He told me the interviewer was having a bad day and was sorry but not to worry because he wouldn't be interviewing people anymore.

They then invited me to come back and meet everyone else at the company.

I told them no thank you and hung up the phone. It would have been good money but why are you employing someone like that? Also, I couldn't imagine staying there for the next few years knowing that's how it all started. I got a job at another law firm two months later.

Yes, before I finished my degree someone suggested I apply for a small job answering the phones over lunch hour in a business one of the Agronomy professors owned. I interviewed and he came at me repeatedly for not having a degree yet, saying that it was a personal failing of mine and even suggesting I couldn't answer an office phone without a Bachelors at minimum. At that point I said he was being ridiculous, so I reached over and took my resume back, though neither he nor the assistant had actually taken it or looked at in the first place, then left.

The weird thing is that no one in the office seemed shocked or surprised. The interview was in a room with the door open and I know everyone heard it, it was a tiny building, and they just kept on like this had happened before.

R47, that's more of a flounce out.

R45.

No answer is your answer.

R48.

Having a bad day?

Wtf.

Having a bad day=stay home.

Yep. About 20 minutes into the interview I could tell it was not a good fit and I was not vibing with the interviewer. I got up and said, "thank you for your interest but at this time I think I am going to pursue other opportunities." They were dumbfounded.

Once. It was at a university, and you know how academia is. This one old bitch who was one of 5 people interviewing me was so sarcastic, that after 15 minutes, I said, “You know what? I don’t think this would be a good fit for me.” And I simply got up and walked out because I knew I would never get the job anyway by the way they were treating me, so why waste my time? Nobody said a word either as I walked out.

Many years ago, I was interviewing for an assistant position. The little cunt asked me where I saw myself in five years. I said “In a position with more responsibility and a chance to make a difference in the company”. She snipped “You’re not interviewing for that position. We need to fill THIS job with someone who wants it.”

I was so taken aback, I didn’t have words for a moment. Then I said “Yes, I see. Thank you for your time.”

Cunt.

R54 I hate panel interviews with more than 3 people. It says a lot about a company.

And, yeah, academia is a pretty toxic work environment generally speaking. Non research staff get treated like shit.

[quote] So I stole almost £100,000 ( $160,000 at the time) gave in my resignation and left...Nobody ever noticed the missing funds and I established my own company with it.

I wouldn't be bragging about this if I were you. It's really dishonorable (and illegal).

I'm doubting the veracity of this part of your post.

I’m in the mood to eat ass.

Why all the hoop jumping now (and mostly for entry to mid level roles)?

I had one last week I wanted to walk out on. First of all, it was zoom and, when I entered the meeting, the interviewer said she was on Google Chrome or something and she was going to speak to me over the phone (so she couldn't see me, but I could watch myself being interviewed). Then, she was so low energy and seemed incredibly uninterested in anything I had to say that I started to babble. She went to great pains to tell me that there was alot of downtime on the job (mentioning it several times for whatever reason). The whole thing lasted 20 minutes. If I get hired it's only because there's no one else or because I already work for the company and won't have to be trained (which takes a few weeks).

I worked for a company once where there was a big reorganization. My position was going to be eliminated, but the company was trying to find other positions within the company for the employees who were being displaced.

I was referred for a job in the Marketing department, and when I went for the interview, the manager was a total cunt. The first words out of her mouth were, "Why are you here?" She was nasty and made disparaging remarks about my resume, implying I had no business interviewing for this position. I wanted to walk out, but I tried to remain professional.

After about 5 minutes, the manager said, "Well, I might as well give you the test." It was a test that involved grammar, punctuation, and a section where you looked at pictures and composed headlines for them. I did the test, handed it back to her, and she went through it, then said, "Hmm. Wow. You didn't get anything wrong."

At that point, I was done with this bitch. I said, "Yeah, how about that? Best of luck in finding an applicant who does better," then got up and left. The next day, that manager's manager called me and wanted to set up an interview with me. I told him I was no longer interested in the position because of the terrible experience I had with her. He apologized, and I thanked him for the apology, but said, "She should be the one apologizing to me, not you."

Shortly after that, I left the company altogether. Best career decision I ever made.

R61 Wow. How do people like that even get hired/promoted? Is it all office politics?

Nothing gets done correctly or on time anymore because people are hired based on their personal relationships in the organization. Grift and incompetence. See the former first family of what this looks like, it's infuriating.

R62 I have no idea how that woman ever got hired into the company or how she ever lasted. She was truly a miserable person.

Almost. About 25 years ago I went for a job interview. After first meeting with HR I met for an interview with the manager. He was very condescending despite my excellent experience and professionalism. After 10 minutes I was considering getting up and leaving. I even told him I wasn't sure if the position that I was interviewing for was right for me. Afterwards I got a call back from my placement agency that they wanted me. I told them the manager had attitude issues and there was no way I would accept the job. They came back with a higher salary offer, but I declined.

Yes, it was about two hours into a day long interview with someone who once sabotaged a job I had gotten before. She didn’t remember me and had no idea who I was. I had observed her teaching a lesson, which I was then supposed to teach. Her style, lesson, and interaction with kids was appalling and she would have been my supervisor. I then knew I had no interest in working there, though I was interested in the school and the town. It was like the soap opera reveal in Tootsie where I said “You don’t remember me do you?” Then I read her the riot act and walked out, leaving her to explain to the administration and parents who had already interviewed and loved me. Her assistant, who I had worked with before ran out to the parking lot after me and congratulated me and said what an awful person she was. I never felt so vindicated in my life before.

But they wanted you, R65. You got the job. Clearly the manager liked you.

No but upon realizing the job was a temporary position, decided I wanted out .

As a forest ranger, I would deal with private forest owners. The job was for 4 months to fill in for someone on secondment, and that was only made clear 20 mins into the interview. Fuck it, I thought. I figured I'd like some fun and the opportunity presented when the female lead interviewer asked how I would deal with a client who had poorly growing forest, as a result of extremely poor soils. I trotted out the standard prescription, and then added" You do know, off the record of course, how one deals with these problematic sites?" No, she replied, somewhat puzzled. "Well, you ask the client if they are insured and if he says yes, tell him to drop a match. some dry day..".

There was silence in the room as I scanned her face, taking delight in the turmoil of emotions she was clearly experiencing, as well as the look of shock and horror on her face, as she reddened from the neck up, her face resembling a magnificent sunset.

Two days later I received a letter thanking me for attending the interview but saying I would not be a suitable fit.

R67 No, HR loved me, and they told me the interview with the manager was basically just a formality. The guy was an asshole, there was no way I was going to go into a job knowing I was was going to have to deal with a direct manager who talks down to me.

OP here. Surprise. I haven’t heard back from these assholes yet. Should I even bother following up?

I was interviewed for an at home customer service job for the NYT.

The company sent me the paperwork and I realized it was only $11 an hour.

I wrote back to the HR letting them know that $11 an hour was too low of a wage to warrant the commitment.

They were obviously very desperate to try to fill this job.

R70. No answer is the answer. You will be hired for the right position and for the money you want but this is a "no".

Fuck HR

Once. A woman walked in and announced "I am so and so and I'm in charge of hiring and FIRING you" stressing firing. I got up and said "bye" and walked out.

I am not putting up with someone who starts off like that.

R19 What year was that?! I can’t imagine that flying in today’s world.

R27 and R61 have shared the most satisfying stories in this thread so far. Felt like smoking a cigarette after both of those.

That said, all these jobs you people have interviewed for, and the interview processes themselves, sound incredibly stuffy. I’m so glad I’m my own boss, don’t work in an office, and don’t have to go through all that phony, degrading bullshit.

"Good day, Dr. Brewster! I said, GOOD DAY!"

I have, right after I’ve viciously face-slapped them

I walked out electronically last week. A company called me about a position, and I talked to the HR guy. The position wasn't right for me, and I said so. He asked me to talk to the hiring manager because she had another position that was a better fit for me. So I had the interview with the hiring manager. In the first minute, I explained the background. As it turned out, she did not have a second position. So we both laughed at how incompetent HR is, and I told her I didn't need to take up anymore of her team. It was all very cordial.

It was not a job interview, but an interview before the condo board. Of the three individuals, two were very nice, but the third was an absolute horror. He questioned why I was single, to which I replied that I was married to my career. I passed and settled into my condo, and never greet the fat slob when I see him in the lobby or elevator.

I interviewed with Corporate Express in November 1996. I did my research and during my first interview I spoke knowledgeably about the company and its history. The lady who interviewed me was lovely. As in she behaved like a human being, and didn't have some kind of attitude. The following morning I interviewed with Rick Israel, one of the presidents. He started asking questions about my then current employer. I more or less cut him off and told him I wasn't going to provide proprietary information about my current employer to him. A few weeks letter I rec'd my rejection letter from the lady who initially interviewed me. She praised me to the skies, telling me she knew wherever I worked that I'd be an asset to the company. It was obvious that Rick couldn't get what he wanted and axed my chances. Funnily enough, he's responsible for lots of community based, postive activities. I must have spoken to him on an off day.

If that interview with him happened today, I would've stood up, concluded it, and shown myself out.

I’m glad you posted his name, R81. I wish we could get the full name of the asshole in R27’s story. What’s the worst that could happen?

I’ll name the fuckers in my story. They’re a provincial health regulator in a Canada..

Damn, Canada sounds as backwards as the US!

Um, Canada is basically a suburb of Minneapolis. What did you expect?

I idealize Canada. Disappointed.

I don't get the need for higher ups to have to assert their power during an interview. It's completely unprofessional and is that the image you really want to give out to people who express interest in wanting to work for you? It's pathetic.

You always get articles on what people going for jobs need to do, but there are never any on what people who are giving the interviews need to do. People forget that you're interviewing them as much as they're interviewing you.

It’s pretty standard to have at least two people if not a whole panel interviewing you nowadays, but I kind of wish there was a law that there must be at least two people from the organization there to at least make sure each of them keeps things in check with the other.

A group interview for the telemarketing firm Universal Surveys. We were put on a list to have an interview and I noticed that I was pretty far down, so I asked where the bathroom was and just left. I knew I wouldn't even last a day on that job.

Group interviews are pathetic. Flabby attempts to be efficient.

I was in a Zoom interview where one of the interviewers was a total bitch and I just simply left the Zoom meeting halfway through. Obviously she would be miserable to work for so why waste anymore of my time?

Reading this thread makes me realize how many fucked up assholes there really are in the world.

I guess I've been lucky in coming across very few toxic people.

These assholes have been spoiled by the shitty economy.

So many people have no idea how to interview. The worst are those who think that being complete assholes or asking really arcane questions are a good way to 'test your character'. No - that just means you have a toxic work environment.

You don't interview for the 1 in a 1000 scenario. Interviewing is stressful - I want to make the person feel as comfortable as possible in order to have them open up and get a better feeling of what they'd be like on a day to day basis.

There's so much bullshit leftover from 1980s corporate culture - it's maddening.

And any company that has a tier system for reviews / promotions where you HAVE to put 10-20% in the bottom tier is a stupid and fucked up place to work. That bullshit came from Jack Welch. It creates the most toxic work environment.

After winnowing down to a few qualified candidates, they should just pick names out of a hat. Interviews are really just a waste of everyone's time, a chance to ask silly questions and get silly answers.

I also don't understand why there needs to be more than say 3 interviews. Or worse - you interview with everyone then they want you to 'meet the team' - where everyone gets to size you up and ask uncomfortable questions.

NO - the power to hire should be limited to a select group of managers or executives. The 'team' does not decide who to hire - they are usually suspicious and territorial.

If managers or execs don't hire good people, then they have to deal with it and it will be reflective of them and their department.

Interviewing provides only a surface-level assessment. There are some who interview very well, but they are sociopaths and don't work that hard and rely on their charm.

I avoid anyone who is too polished and prepared or perfect in an interview. 90% of the time, this person knows how to gain trust and use their charm to their advantage - it's not a sign that they are going to be great at their job or even that they can work well with a team.

R90 I love group interviews. I am able to bounce off the others and look better.

With equivalent experience, employers often go by first impressions of personality, which are wildly variable and inaccurate unless a person is dumb enough to say something that raises a red flag, which most won’t. Research suggests that structured interviews are more useful, but I personally hate being on the receiving end of standard questions because some interviews don’t know how to converse naturally with you to help ease the tension and make the interview feel less robotic.

*some interviewers, rather

R96 Even 3 interviews is ridiculous.

At least the posters in this thread had the dignity and self-control not to leave an upper-decker in the toilet on the way out.

I've never walked out but I did sabotage 2 interviews. One was a classified ad that advertised something along the lines of office work, but it turned out it was managing people in a warehouse or something to that effect. The interviewer had 10 of us in the office with her, she would pick a person, do a few questions, then send them on their way. I was actually the last person one on one, but I basically said I don't know how to manage people (actually true) and at times don't even like being around people. She was taken aback a bit by the last part but they lied about what the job was, so whatever babe.

The 2nd was some data entry job at Chicago's parking garage operator. It was below ground in the parking garage offices beneath Grant Park. A staffing agency sent me there. The directions were impossible to read so I took forever to find the damn place. And then, I see I'd be in dingy offices with no natural light entering data for $11/hour. I was just non-committal and unenthusiastic in my answers. And they didn't pick me, so it worked.

There are times I did want to leave and/or viciously slap some interviewers.....

Has anyone ever been duped into interviewing for a "marketing," "management training," or "event planning" position that turned out to be door-to-door sales?

The issue now is since people have either been working from home or not working at all, they are really reluctant to go back to toxic work environments with micromanagers and the Chad's and Karen's they work with before. I had a really decent working experience up until this past January and then went on unemployment, and while I've only had a few serious calls that intrigued me, a good majority of them did not seem favorable even based on the phone messages I got. There will have to be a major improvement in the corporate structure for them to be at 100% capacity again when offices are back in full swing on site. I've worked for huge corporations and I've worked for small companies with few employees, and the unnecessary drama of the large corporations has soured me on wanting to go back, especially with only a few more years before I can legally retire.

There's nothing a gay man loves more than a great opportunity to dramatically flounce out the door!

R103: I responded to a work from home classified that I though was data entry and light calling to help some guy with his business, but turned out to be a pyramid scheme for some protein powder or whatever.

I’m a mental health nurse. After completing my training in Scotland and while waiting for my registration, I went to London for an interview. My interview should have been at 4PM, but was delayed until 6.30PM. A patient had been very disruptive all day, and the staff on the interview panel were on a short fuse. My interview went well, and as we were concluding it, the patient burst into the room. The staff all left the room and put him in seclusion. In Scotland, this has not been an option for decades, and it is rather disapproved of. I left. They offered me the job and I turned it down.

Cunts sent a form rejection email today. Fuck them for wasting my time.

You will find the right position at the salary you need and want.

R96 multiple rounds of interviews and multiple interviewers is a sign to me that the company has no idea what they want.

I thought it was a power move to have applicants jump through hoops.

The ‘Head of People’ spent the first ten minutes of the interview trashing my current HR Director and several people we had both worked with. I zoned out after that because there’s no way I would have worked with that douche.

I was interviewed once by a pet insurance company. I knew it was a lost cause—I work in a high tech industry and I’m very good at my job (for real). This was definitely a step down. I made it to the final round and interviewed with the CEO. He came into the room, never sat, peppered me with questions like a machine gun, and left after 10 minutes. The nature of my job (PR) to have measured, thoughtful responses, and I knew this asshole didn’t want that. I didn’t get the job, but landed a great job at a tech company a month later.

The company needed investors to grow, and the CEO and his partner wife brought in a third partner, who promptly fired them and kicked them out of the company. I snickered.

I walked out of an interview, and I was the person who was hiring. A woman sat down for an interview in my home. She was to be a housekeeper/executive assistant to me, helping me with household things and errands that I didn't have time to do.

I told her that one part of her job would be to do some filing, and her response was that she didn't like to do that, so no, she wouldn't be doing that. I was slightly shocked, but went onto the next duty, which was to do the grocery shopping. I mentioned off-hand that she would need to leave her cell phone on in case I remembered something to add to the list or she could call me if she was trying to decide which product that I would prefer.

Her response? "Oh, no. I don't do that. I won't be the type of person who is on their cell phone in stores." Very smugly.

So after her telling me twice that she wouldn't do what I needed her to do, I just stood up, and said "This interview is over. You aren't interested in this job enough to even pretend to care about your duties. Let me show you to the door."

She was so shocked that I kicked her out, I think, because I was much younger than she, and I think she thought she could push me around. Little did she know that I had owned my own businesses for 15 years and had long-time employees who were older than my parents.

The perfect person for the job came in next, and she's been with me for decades.

When I was young I was a great interviewee. I don't know what I did correctly. I interviewed into acceptance at universities way above my transcript and scores. I got amazing internships in college. Got great job offers. Changed cities and countries. Changed fields and got job offers for which I wasn't the most qualified. I had some terrible interviewers and also some surprises of terrible jobs sussed out in the interview. No thanks. . I always smiled through such interviews because what's it to me? I think many people are caught in difficult circumstances. They know their company kinda sucks, or they know they are in a rut themselves, or that the position to be filled sucks and they can't afford a qualified candidate, And on and on and on. I've never had it as bad as them so I just smile and try to be human and empathetic but respectful.

Stay tuned next week for yet another thrilling adventure in the life of...

"Flouncy Magoo, Job Applicant"!

You're a douchebag R114. You expect a housekeeper to be your personal secretary and to act like a douchebag by checking/talking on her cell in a store. She was right to say no to that.

We’re going to need your responses to our questions in SMART format.

Can you tell us about a time when...

OP one of the WORST interviews I had was with the job I'm currently at (almost 2 years now). I couldn't answer or as any question correctly, was scoffed at, the 2 managers I was supposed to meet with "had an unexpected meeting" and I ended up meeting with the Office Manager.

It was altogether one of the worse interviews I ever had. And I was shocked as hell to hear the next day they wanted me in for the 2nd interview. I am usually not good in situations where I am feeling personally attacked but, for whatever reason, I must have held it together enough to impress them (and that must be their "tactic").

I learned something from that interview...don't lose it and act affronted, just continue on asking a few questions you had prepared, answering the ones they ask as best you can with a cool and calm demeanor.

I've made more money here than I ever have in my life here, but it's not paradise and it's not without dealing with some BS. Still, glad I stuck it out.

[quote] She was to be a housekeeper/executive assistant to me, helping me with household things and errands that I didn't have time to do.

She dodged a bullet.

1. I could tell by the interviewer's smiling too much and hesitancy in questioning that I was there strictly to fulfill some hiring rule(s). I got up while he was in mid-sentence, said "Thank you for your consideration" and walked out.

R115, are you really good-looking? Because those are the experiences of a very hot person.

Lol@121

No, but during one interview for a postdoc job that was very underpaid (as the majority tend to be because I'm "still in training," the interviewers asked me to tell them my "dream" salary and when I said $75K in my field (grad school education--I undershot it, actually), they laughed in my face. I was pissed! They offered me the underpaid position and I turned it down because I got another offer from people who didn't laugh in my face.

Slightly off-topic here - when I was showing my house for sale, a local tv personality and his much younger gf came to view it. I had a clifftop house and it was immaculately presented. I was about to show them the lowest floor when the gf said, 'I don't think we'll bother,' and walked to the front door. I must have looked shocked at her rudeness because the tv guy looked quite embarrassed. You can be sure I spread the story far and wide.

The takeaway from this is, even if the situation warrants rudeness, stay polite, even as you walk out the door.

R118: What the hell is SMART format?

R47, you're a cunt.

R30, you're a sociopath.

HTH

R126, it’s generally referred to as STAR:

Situation: Set the scene and give the necessary details of your example.

Task: Describe what your responsibility was in that situation.

Action: Explain exactly what steps you took to address it.

Result: Share what outcomes your actions achieved.

I pity people who have to be proficient in interviewese.

Slap a couple prestige diplomas and some plum jobs on the CV, and give a vibe of friendly competency. Wear the right clothes be impeccably groomed, and professional. Is this no longer enough?

I've experienced people who were great in interviews but suck as team members or are bad with job responsibilities. They basically put their best fake face on and talk a good game of bullshit.

One interviewer (IT manager) was hostile (I believe he was homophobic because his attitude changed after I mentioned my partner when asked if I was married). I was hostile right back and said "thanks but no thanks" with a smile when I left. He looked surprised, jerk. That was my only experience. Usually, people are jerks (true colors) after you're hired.

[quote] when asked if I was married

If this was in the U.S. isn't this question illegal?

SMART = corporate bullshit

R132 - Yeah, he asked about my marital status in relation to joint-filing federal taxes - this was shortly after 911...I did not think much of it at the time, but will in the future.

I didn’t but should have.

15 years ago I had just finished my MBA and was doing rounds of interviews for those fancy strategy consulting firms (McKinsey, BCG, etc.). That day I went in, the interviewer was a bit late. No big deal, he apologised and explained they were having leaving drinks for a colleague in a meeting room next door. He smelled of alcohol and was clearly tipsy. I was a bit shocked by the lack of professionalism at such a prestigious firm, but didn’t say anything.

Interview started with the usual questions. We spent a bit of time talking about the B school I had attended (Europe top 5, International top 15) vs the ones I had declined (in particular one that is Europe #1 and international top 10). After a while, we went on to the mini case studies, as is de rigueur with those consulting firms. These case studies tend to be maths heavy and require you to be able to mentally manipulate lots of data quickly to come up with a solution. I really struggle with numbers (yeah, despite an MSc in financial economics and an MBA), and therefore failed the case study. He explained me how to solve it, and I realised I had studied this specific accounting methodology but had forgotten all about it. He then said sarcastically that if I had chosen to go to the other B-school (the « better » rated one), then I would have probably done better at that case study! I was left absolutely speechless by the rudeness. Fucking cunt.

Needless to say I didn’t get the job and frankly I’m not sure I would have accepted it anyway considering the guy’s behaviour. In any case I realised that consulting was not for me anyway.

More stories

I’m actually no longer nervous for interviews. I know I probably won’t get the job anyway.

Maybe, it’s the pandemic but I’ve never seen such disorganized hiring. I’ve had hiring managers email me on weekends for last minute interviews sometimes a month or longer after the deadline closed and even show up late to their own meetings,

I recently applied for a position, not in education. When a job is posted in education, you have a good two week window to apply and be considered, after that you tend to be placed in the second pile. This new position is for a search firm for schools, applied two weeks ago and the position has been up for 3. I have emailed and asked when the process will start and no answer....is this normal

R139 Not if they really are interested in hiring someone. I'd write 'em off. You don't want to work for a place that doesn't seem to be organized enough to do a simple thing like respond to an e-mail.

I hate companies who post the same jobs over and over. Harlequin and some of the other book publishers are the worst at this.

Yeah. What the fuck is up with scheduling interviews a month after the deadline for applications?

People who can are riding out their unemployment benefits. I wish I were able to do the same.

A bit off topic but I’m amazed at how delusional some of these employers are. They want you to have a college degree, ten years of experience, and pass an exam for a job that pays $18 an hour. And they wonder why they can’t fill positions!

I've done it twice. 1. The woman interviewing me would ask a question, I would answer and then she would tell me the answer that she wanted to hear, rather than appraise my response. After 30 minutes of this nonsense I told her I had another appointment and had to go. Oddly enough I was offered the job but refused. 2. Another woman took me to a coffee shop with tiny tables (this was back in the day when you had to bring a large portfolio to show case your work). She them proceeded to take phone calls all through the interview. I'd be talking and she would get the call and take it on the spot without apology. After the 5th call I just closed the folio and calmly left.

Those days are long gone R45. Now it's just ghosting.

Bump

When did the hiring process become so convoluted?

I’m gonna finger my asshole when I get home!

I was scheduled to have a zoom interview this morning. I logged on. The host never started the meeting. So I emailed them that I was waiting. Then I got an apology and said they would like to reschedule. I will not reschedule with them.

I met with HR and they scheduled me to meet with 3 executives I would be working with. The first one was so horrid and rude that I told his very nice assistant who was walking me from one interview to the next that I didn’t wish to continue because there’s no way I would ever take the job and I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time. She was very gracious, handed me my coat and I left.

[quote] Slap a couple prestige diplomas and some plum jobs on the CV, and give a vibe of friendly competency. Wear the right clothes be impeccably groomed, and professional. Is this no longer enough?

I'm afraid the world has marched on a bit since the 1960s, Darrin Stevens.

Yes. One interviewer was kinda cute yet it was apparent that he wasn’t into hiring me. So I interrupted him mid sentence and announced “I have to go now…. Gotta take a sitz bath”. Got up and left. He just sat there looking clueless like a veal.

God this process is such a nightmare

Somehow I don’t think the Olympics will turn out to be a nice distraction from COVID

Last interview was in April, nothing since.

though honestly maybe it's shouldn't have r152. Every thread on this kind of topic always seems to come back with the same result: it's a completely arbitrary and idiotic process and everyone would be better off just drawing names out of hats.

sorry, "it shouldn't have"

Let’s call out the companies who post the same jobs over and over again wasting peoples’ time. Everyone engages in social listening and media monitoring these days. I’ll start: Harlequin Enterprises Limited, HarperCollins

The job posting that appear and reappear are the companies wish list, there is no budget for the positions.

I had a phone screener on Friday. This HR cunt told me it would only be 10 minutes then proceeds to grill me 40 minutes. It felt like an interrogation.

At one point when I was job hunting I posted my resume on monster.com. One of their recruiters reached out at that time and was supposed to work with me but it never panned out as in that initial call was the only time they ever contacted me. After that every time I tweaked my resume I'd get a call from a monster recruiter as if they'd never contacted me before. They did that three times before I called them out on it and pulled my resume off the site.

I removed my résumé from indeed.com. They have too many scam job ads. I’m only using LinkedIn exclusively now.

My scam calls or virtually nil now.

It’s all about who you know. Every job I’ve gotten cold ended up being a complete nightmare

It’s been an employers job market for over a decade now. If the economy was healthier, they couldn’t get away with pulling the shit mentioned in this thread

Don’t even waste your time on recruiters.

Take a nice sitz bath

As someone who has been on hiring committees, I can confirm that it is a completely arbitrary process. A lot of managers don’t know what they want and think that something better will come along

The hiring managers want to hire their friends and family.

I was supposed to have a zoom interview last Monday but they canceled it. They called me I didn’t know anything about them. But I had a week to learn about the company. And then they canceled the interview. Two days ago I got a LinkedIn notification that the same company was snooping around my LinkedIn profile. So maybe they’ll reschedule.

Thanks for the confirmation r168. At some point, certainly when anyone gets to some "third round of interviewing" I assume the process just becomes idiotic and you may as well draw names out of a hat. You've weeded out the crazies and hopelessly unqualified, and at that point you should stop pretending there is some magical way to pick "the best." Especially since there isn't some best, really.

Indeed is sketch asf

I have. It was a shitty non-profit and interviewer was an ugly girl obviously with a chip on her shoulder and attitude deigns to say to me “We expected you at 3pm” (it’s 3:05). Says it like she expects someone to kiss her ring. I said fuck this and walked out.

Well, R173, to be fair, if your interview was at 3:00 and you showed up at 3:05, as an employer, that'd be a deal breaker for me.

Rule #1 of interviewing - always show up early.

R144 A lot of the time those postings are just for show. They already have a candidate or short list of people in mind

R175 In some cases yes, in most cases, no.