16 Job interviews, After Which the Candidates Pondered, “Was it a Prank?”

Looking for a job is like going on an adventure in a fantasy world. During an interview, you can meet fantastic bosses and villains from HR, or you can easily feel like a clown. We always love reading stories of people who are happy to share their “not-so-great” experiences. And these stories may remind some about their funny job interviews too.

• At an interview for a tech startup, they asked me, “If you could be any animal, what would you be?” I answered with “otter” because, you know, they’re fun, active, work well with their hands, and are cute. They really debated whether or not to hire me because of that answer because, and I quote, “We only hire predators, never prey.” © rileysweeney / Reddit

• Once I went to a job interview and the guy interviewing me answered a call and talked on the phone for exactly 28 minutes while I sat there across the desk, waiting. Didn’t even ask me to step out. I know this because I looked at my watch a few times trying to look annoyed. I actually got the job and I’ve been in this company for 10 years. © silk_mitts_top_****s / Reddit
• A girl I know was trying to find out her salary during a job interview. She wasn’t hired because “she was just in it for the money.” © HeIIoSidney96 / Twitter
• I was about 22 and very unsure of myself, so... The accountant who was looking for an assistant took me to the company cafeteria for coffee. We filled our styrofoam cups, sat down, and he asked questions, very kindly, while I did my best to answer with confidence. Then my cup began to leak. Coffee just started quietly seeping out the sides. I had no idea what to do. I tried to hide it. Tried to pretend it wasn’t happening. There were no nearby napkins. The leak leaked faster. I froze. Bless his heart, he finally noticed, got up, found some napkins, and I figured out what to do with them. © Kathryn Berck / Quora
• When I was being interviewed at a car factory, I was asked questions to check my qualifications. After a couple of standard questions, I heard an unusual one: “How much horsepower does one horse have?” Surprisingly, I knew the answer because a couple of months ago, I couldn’t sleep and I was watching a show where they said that 1 average horse can have up to 15 horsepower. I don’t know why I remembered it. But even useless facts might actually be useful. © forcy / Pikabu

• I was invited to an interview but the guard wouldn’t let me in. I told him where I was going, I told him my name, asked him to call and check. I called the number myself and they told me they didn’t know who I was. I left. Then they called me and asked me why I didn’t come. © TheTavrist / AdMe
• I had a job interview in a cozy office and there was a big mirror next to the door. Everything seemed to be fine. I said goodbye and walked through the mirror instead of the door. Everyone was shocked. The mirror was okay but I felt embarrassed. © Podslushano / VK
• Applied to work at a vet clinic. The veterinarian did the interview while spaying a cat, apparently one of the cleanest and quickest surgeries they do. I fainted. Was not offered the job. © Remembers_that_time / Reddit

• Applied for a job selling cars at a dealership. “No experience required. Will train.” It all seemed to be going well and the guy actually said I would be a really good candidate, but he would not hire me because I was a woman and he had married men working as salesmen and I might have affairs with them. I was angry because he was never going to give me the job in the first place. © Donna Currie / Quora
• I was interviewed at a fast-food restaurant and didn’t get the job because “your hands are too big to use gloves.” © aKawaiiLizard / Reddit

• I was in a taxi with my future boss and she suddenly asked me, “How old do you think I am? It’s okay, tell me.” She looked 45 but I decided to say 35. She got offended and said, “How did you guess?” The rest of the way was spent in silence. © misakorol / Pikabu
• I was at a job interview and I didn’t like the fact that 5 HR people were asking me questions. They spent an hour asking me about my management style, what I would do if my employees had a conflict, how I would control them. After each answer I gave, they looked at each other mysteriously and smiled. At the end of the interview, I asked them, “How many subordinates will I even have?” They said, “None.” © St***none / Pikabu
• The weirdest question I’ve ever heard was, “What will you do if your colleague’s socks smell bad in the office.” They were trying to make me say that I would fight the colleague. © krambabulya / Pikabu

• It was my first “professional” law firm interview. I was SO nervous. I had applied for a legal secretary position. The attorney whose name was on the door was going to be interviewing me, so I was a nervous wreck. When he walked into the room, I stood up, introduced myself, and shook his hand. He looked me up and down and said, “Yeah, you’ll do.” I turned around and walked out without saying another word. © PaisleyPuff / Reddit
• I was in another group interview, and they made us go around and tell them the last kind of chocolate we ate. I think I said Nutella, and the interviewer made me go into detail about what it was and tasted like. After we all finished, she said, “Thanks, guys, I just really wanted some chocolate.” © unknown author / Reddit
• I took vacation days for an interview, bought my own plane ticket, and paid for my own hotel. First thing the interviewer said was, “I have no intention of hiring you. This is just a courtesy because I knew your brother.” I had 8 more hours left on my interview day. It was painful. They ended up offering me the position many weeks down the road because they couldn’t fill it. I politely declined and got a very passive-aggressive worded survey to fill out, explaining why I had passed. I’m an eye surgeon. This was for a training position at an Ivy League institution. © seeing_red415 / Reddit

Have you ever had any awkward job interviews in your life?