Worst interview

Showed up a few weeks ago for an interview for a simple job, it was just data entry work, nothing game related.

I was told to go back to the manager's office, he comes out as I'm walking up, letting someone out. A classmate (hot blond girl, who is totaly clueless and can barely type) comes out, and he says "see you monday morning" and looks at me saying how he is sorry but the position has just been filled,...

I had a phone interview with microsoft for a programming position. It sucked ass. I was on the phone with the interviewer, sitting in front of my computer. He got me to log on to a microsoft online chat room thingy, and asked me some programming questions. The questions werent hard at all, but I just cant work that way, on the phone talking to someone while he watches every keystroke I make... It was just retarded. Needless to say I messed it up and didnt get any further in the interview process. At the time I really really wanted the job so it was very discouraging. I have a feeling I could have programmed circles around whoever did get the job, but just not under those circumstances.

I'll cut a rather long story short and just tell you what I found out after the interview: sometime during the interview my ear started to bleed. I didn't know that it did; I just felt something "itching", so I scratched it away, not knowing it was blood that was making its way down my ear lobe.

Oddly the interviewer didn't see a thing - probably because I was facing him partially with my other side; however, when I went to the bathroom after the interview to check out what was wrong, I discovered that I'd smeared my entire face on that side with blood, almost all the way down to the jaw.

I didn't get the job and I have to say (also since I was a lot youger back then), I felt quite sick.

In an interview for a small outlet of a retail store, I positively wowed the interviewing manager. He said I was the sort of employee that they were looking for, and that I'd get the job as soon as he could clear it with his superiors. I walk away thinking I had the job.. well, anyways, after the interview he asked if i knew a certain girl, his niece. We were friends at the time, but a couple days later she asked me out. I wasn't interested, so I said no (nicely) and went about life as usual.

Needless to say, the manager strung me along for about 6 months before I finally realized I wasn't going to get the job because i shot down his niece. I haven't been in that store since.

Quote:

Original post by Chokki In an interview for a small outlet of a retail store, I positively wowed the interviewing manager. He said I was the sort of employee that they were looking for, and that I'd get the job as soon as he could clear it with his superiors. I walk away thinking I had the job.. well, anyways, after the interview he asked if i knew a certain girl, his niece. We were friends at the time, but a couple days later she asked me out. I wasn't interested, so I said no (nicely) and went about life as usual. Needless to say, the manager strung me along for about 6 months before I finally realized I wasn't going to get the job because i shot down his niece. I haven't been in that store since.

lmao

Only interview that went badly for me was one at the union, i thought it went well, then i found out i got the job (and because it was a big group interview thing) i couldnt find 1 person that didnt get a job. everyone i saw @ the interview managed to bag one, i couldnt figure it out, they empolyed idiots,

so.. i figured it was an equal oportunity thing and i was too normal.

The only interview that I could say ever "went badly" was the one time I didn't get the job I wanted; specifically at Concrete Pictures. I honestly think the reason was that I intimidated the head art guy... not mentally, but physically. Seriously, I shook his hand in the firm way I do with everyone, and I nearly broke it. The guy barely looked up at me for the rest of the interview. :(

Lesson learned: Don't assume everyone doesn't have girly hands.

I absolutely hate phone interviews. On this one phone interview for a programming job, the guy asked me, "So, I see you have C++ on your resume. How do you like C++?" "Um, I like it fine..." I wait for him to ask something like how I solved problems in code. Long pause. Then he says, "So, I see you have DirectX on your resume. How do you like DirectX?"

Interview for a programming job I didn't really care for during a school job fair kind of thing. The interview is going well until...

- So, do you have a car ?
- Wha.. I don't own a car, no.
- Then why are you wasting my time ?

I never knew wether or not it was some kind of joke since the guy never stopped me on my way out. I got a way better job anyway [grin]

I've always faired quite well in interviews, probably because I tend to keep my cool rather easily. The last position I went for (general software engineering...), I got asked a load of general logic, problem solving, and coding questions, and there wasn't one I couldn't solve pretty damn easily. The interviewer was pretty shocked, as apparently people tend to struggle with them...

I do remember going for a job in a shop once when I was at uni, I didn't really care about it, and the interview was rather stale. Anyway, the guy said that he was going to offer me a job as soon as he had cleared it with his supervisors. After about a week of not hearing, I rang back, only to be told that he wasn't there. I rang back once more before I couldn't care less anymore, and got a job elsewhere. About 6 months later the shop closed down.

I had a phone interview with EA about eight years ago that didn't go as well as I would have liked (this was before EA's practices became widely known). The guy mainly asked me about a program I had written that had gotten somewhat popular among people playing q3test (Quake 3 test). At the end of the interview he asked me if I would like him to bring me out to Redwood to meet the development team working on some James Bond PC game. I told him I'd love it, and he told me he would call back within two weeks with more info. He never did call back, and shortly there after that PC game got cancelled. [crying]

The good thing about phone interviews is that you can pick your nose and it won't affect your chances.

I've had my share of bad interviews, but the worst one I had was for the Department of National Defense. It was for a summer co-op position, probably maintaining web sites. When I got there, the guards didn't know who I was trying to meet and it took them a while before I got my visitors pass. After I got past Canada's first line of defense (an 80 year old woman), I was escorted by Canada's second line of Defense (he was younger, in his 70s) to the elevators. When I got to the right floor, I met one of the interviewers, who apologized for running late and asked me to have a seat in their office. It being after 3:00pm on a friday in the summer, I sat in a mostly empty office watching government workers leave for the day. Every ten minutes, some clown in a uniform would walk by saying "You're still here?". An HOUR later, the interviewer came back and got me.

The interview room itself was probably the smallest office I'd ever been in. There was about foot of clearance on either side of the desk in the middle of the room and boxes piled up in the back. On the other side of the desk was a four star general who sounded exactly like Jean Chretien, and the other interviewer, who we'll call Jeff.

The general asked a few questions, most of which I could hardly understand, and I think I gave ok answers for. One line of questioning was:

General - "So, say we are to give you a new program to write. How would you go about writing it?"
Me - "What kind of program?"
General - "Lets say a web service."
Me - "Well, first I'd write a prototype..."
General - "Are you sure?"
Me - "Um, I'd write up a design"
General - "Are you sure?"
Me - "I'd write a requirements document..."
General - "Ok"
Me - "Then I'd start a design..."
General - "Are you sure?"
Me - "Um, I'd get the requirements document approved by my superiors then signed off on..."
General - "Ok"

Basically I had to figure out the DND paperwork process during the line of questioning. After every question, the General would say:

General - "Ok. Any questions Jeff?"
Jeff - "No."

It looked like Jeff was having a worse time than I was. The next question was a little strange:

General - "Would no be offended if we asked you to move boxes?"
Me - "Uh, no. Why, do you need boxes moved?"
General - "No. Some people just get offended if you ask them."
Me - "Isn't that a union job?"
General - "Ha ha. No. Any questions Jeff?"
Jeff - "No."

After that, Jeff escorted me back out of the building. I asked him what sort of technology they used and it became pretty clear that DND was a complete Microsoft shop. We got on the topic of C++ losing ground to C# and Java.

Jeff - "I think everything is going to move over to C#" (it was new at the time)
Me - "I'm sure a few things will stay with C++, like telecom"
Jeff - "No, I think it will migrate too."

I had to hold in my laughter. Maybe it was the thought of rewriting 10 million lines of code to an untested system on an OS that isn't telecom grade, or everyone's phone conversations stopping while the garbage collector ran. I let him have the last word and left after a handshake.

The following Monday, I got a call from Jeff saying I didn't get the job. I didn't do anything wrong, but they found someone with more relevant work experience. Oh well.

Not exactly an interview but:

When I was in college, I wanted a part-time job but I really didn't have any experience. I ended up seeing that a big name office supply store was hiring so I figured what the hay, went in and asked for an application. Eventually, a manager comes out from his office, greets me, hands me an app and tells me to fill it out in the store. I find a quiet spot and fill the thing out, takes about 30 minutes.

When I'm finished, I track the guy down and hand him my application. After a brief scan and a question or two about availability he says, 'This looks great, I'll talk this over with my boss and let you know soon.'

Now this particular store had both front and rear entrances, with that manager's office stationed right next to the rear exit. When I gave him my application, I headed out towards the front but quickly decided to use the back exit instead. As I passed by the manager's office, I noticed his door was slightly open, and he was still holding my application. From a distance, I slowly walked by hoping to catch him talking to his boss about it. Instead, I watched as he scoffed at the paper, gave a shrug and a smirk, and flipped my app directly into the trash.

First some setup: in college I worked at a bicycle shop. You may not know it, but bicycle stores can sell some really expensive bikes and accessories. I was in sales so commissions could be quiet nice. The shop I worked sold trek, cannondale, and a couple of other brands.

So the trek sales rep for our area came around and said that trek was hiring for 'inside sales' positions at their headquarters in Wisconsin. Since I was nearing graduation and didn't have anything else lined up I sent in my resume and got called for a phone interview, then they wanted me to come to wisconsin (two states away 10 hour drive) for an in person interview. I drove, they paid for a hotel. So I go to the interview, and it's completely obvious I'm wasting my time. The two people interviewing me could not have been less interested. It was palpable. I could only guess they had already filled the positions or something. But that's what I had to do guess, because I NEVER HEARD from them again.

So a couple of weeks past, I faxed them a letter of inquiry. No response. I thought that was a bit rude so I subsequently did not sell another trek bicycle. I had a customer come in dead set on a $2000 trek mountain bike and I sold him a $2000 cannondale. The trek sales rep was livid when I told him about my experience.

That job would've sucked anyway.

Quote:

Original post by SageofAges So a couple of weeks past, I faxed them a letter of inquiry. No response. I thought that was a bit rude so I subsequently did not sell another trek bicycle. I had a customer come in dead set on a $2000 trek mountain bike and I sold him a $2000 cannondale. The trek sales rep was livid when I told him about my experience.

You're a squirrely little stinker, and I like your style.

I interviewed for a job earlier this year. There were three positions available. Very simple 2 month web job just modifying html. The experience required was one year and I had about 5. I had to take one of their tests and scored 17% higher than average. The interviewer was impressed and said they'd let me know. Well 3 days passed and I called again to recieve an answering machine. I get a call the next day at 8am saying I didn't get the job because "I didn't have enough experience".

What really pisses me off is that I don't get jobs for the summer because nobody wants to hire someone for 3 months. Meanwhile my friend who has no real formal education in web development gets a ton of jobs.

I haven't had too many formal interviews, but I had a pretty awkward one for Fry's Electronics (it was the most computer-related job I could find at the time).

Near the end of the interview, the lady questioning me asked, "Do you love Fry's?"

"What?"

"Do you Love Fry's?"

"..."

"Say you love Fry's!"

I shook my head and chuckled, and that's about the time the interview ended [lol]

Quote:

Original post by extralongpants "Say you love Fry's!"

I have entirely the wrong images in my head right now. Something like this:

The worst was a phone interview when I just woke up. I thought I could do it. He asked me simple questions, and my answers were way off and completely unrelated. I realized what happened only minutes after the interview ended.

Quote:

Original post by Ravuya Quote: Original post by extralongpants "Say you love Fry's!" I have entirely the wrong images in my head right now. Something like this: <image>

[lol]

Naw, it was more like she was saying, "C'mon man, I'm trying to help you out here. You know how it goes - you've got to put on a plastic smile to make it in the corporate world. If you don't do it, you're not going to get the job... [etc.]"

But I like your rendition better [lol].