Interviewing nightmares

Aug 06 2007 by Print This Article

Having to interview job candidates can be a real nightmare. You never know exactly who will come marching into your offices and managers often have to wade through a lot of dross to get to the buried treasure. Speaking of which, the Washingtonian.com has a list of interview horror stories that have to be read to be believed.

One of the most-interesting has to be under the heading of "Wardrobe Malfunctions." Scott Langerman of Comcast SportsNet relates, "A guy who forgot dark socks to wear with his suit colored in his ankles with a black felt-tip marker."

Deirdre Appel of Mortgage Bankers Association tells a tale about a hungry candidate: "The candidate mentioned that she had not had an opportunity to eat and began unpacking a lunch on my desk. She unpacked a china plate, a set of silverware, a cloth napkin, and a beautiful salad."

William Lyle of Systems Planning and Analysis has this story to tell: "I was interviewing someone who took a cell-phone call and asked me to leave my office while they talked."

Finally, Rick Sherman of Mitretek Systems states, "When a candidate was asked about his greatest accomplishment, he replied that it was writing a short novel. When the interviewer said, 'No, I mean something you did while at work,' the candidate replied, 'But I did write it while at work!'"