Comments on: Worst HR Interview: The Story

By: Nesto

Nesto — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:06:37 +0000

Interesting…Well, during my 3 months of unemployment, I received a call from the VP of a telecommunications company in Houston Texas. He informed me that I had the qualifications he needed for an Executive Assistant/ HR Generalist position within his company. When I arrived for the interview, the first thing that came out of his mouth was “are you Hispanic?” Course, I answered his question with a big smile on my face and followed him to the interview room…his office . He proceeded by giving me incite to his rise as a business owner. After he gave me his history, he began with his next question. 2.”Do do have any small children?” “If so, this will be a problem because I need someone at my beck and call.” I responded by telling him no, no children of any kind. 3… “Are you a Christian?” “We are all Christian here and get along just great.” I told him that I should be Catholic but attend church every other week…Sundays. 4.”One final question, are you married or single?” See, we are going to be extremely busy during the next couple of months as our business grows. I need busy bodies here. At the end of the interview, he asked me if I had any questions or comments. I ended the interview with this: Mr. David, I want to thank you for taking the time off your busy schedule in meeting with me today. This interview has been a blessing for me in so many ways. Let me fill you in; I have one year of experience as a Human Resources Assistant and 8 years within business management. I can admire the way you so happen to build your successful business without any lawsuits during your time you hired your current staff and during recent interviews for this position. Every question that you asked me is illegal and if I gave you an answer that did not meet your needs, I will be suing you. I will take the opportunity if you will still have me. Happy to say that he gave the position and I only lasted 4 months there. I walk away with meeting Satan…the business Satan. ***His sister slipped in the office and he fired her because he said she was clumsy*** that did it for me. People, this is real…I’m not joking…REAL

By: Never Keep Something Big from your Supervisor « The Employment File

Never Keep Something Big from your Supervisor « The Employment File — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:21:45 +0000

[...] to your supervisor is one of the most important things you can do as a subordinate. Whether its a mistake, a potential conflict of interest, or something else your supervisor should be the first to [...]

By: Firsts and Worsts « TalentedApps

Firsts and Worsts « TalentedApps — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:22:33 +0000

[...] recently posted a worst interview

By: Laurie

Laurie — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 02:42:21 +0000

@Mark Oh My God. That’s the craziest & best interview story. Wow. Amazing & gross.

@DMarie Don’t you wish that people like the Director of HR would just go find something else to do? They give HR a bad name!

@Jessica I love to swear. Love it. I couldn’t make it through the day without tossing out a curse word. It’s the only way to roll.

@MegBear I’m not going to beat around the bush, Meg. That guy sounds like a loser.

By: Meg Bear

Meg Bear — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:41:22 +0000

I once had a horrible interview with a sr. partner for a consulting job . The whole time he corrected my answers telling me I was wrong etc. I was convinced I just wanted to leave and then he says to me “I’m not going to beat around the bush, I’m going to recommend we hire you”. I was so shocked I couldn’t think of what to say, so I found myself stuttering a lame “ok”-type response.

By: Jessica Lee

Jessica Lee — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:59:58 +0000

oh, i love this story. and i love someone who can pull out a curse word here or there. shows they’ve got some fire in the belly. and HR pros who curse, even better. love it.

By: D Marie

D Marie — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:52:05 +0000

My worst interview…

I had a Friday afternoon interview set up at a commercial and residential property management company in Overland Park, KS. I met with a VP and the Director of HR. The interview with the VP was fantastic! The Director of HR was less than fantastic. Her card indicated that she had her SPHR certification, but it must have been a typo! At one point in the interview, she asked me where I live. I tried to redirect the questioning without success. When I finally answered, she then asked how long of a drive that would be for me (30 minutes) and inquired about my means of transportation. Mind you, this was between her husband calling on the cell phone several times to arrange for a sky diving trip the next day. To finish up the interview, she told me that the owner of the company frequently got himself in trouble. She gave a great example; he fired someone because she was pregnant. I practically ran out of that office and promptly called my recruiter from the parking lot to let her know that this position is clearly NOT what I’m looking for.

By: Mark Stelzner

Mark Stelzner — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:33:15 +0000

The unspoken question is as follows: Did said head removal and subsequent fecal throat filling ever occur? (NOTE – This is not to imply that you need a breath mint.) Incidentally, I did like your response!

My most painful interview involved me walking in with my starched-white shirt and suit covered in blood. I had just witnessed a horrific accident on the interstate and had pulled over the help the driver. In the process, I managed to get splattered (apologies for the gore) head to toe. Still in shock, I got back in my car and drove to the interview, now running about 15 minutes late. I walked directly into the HR VP’s office and began to chat as if nothing was amiss. Suddenly realizing my state, I tried to reassure her by saying – “Don’t worry Sarah. It’s not my blood.” She screamed and ran out of her office to call security. Nice one Mark…. *grin*

By: Julien Dionne

Julien Dionne — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:25:45 +0000

Here is my worst interview story. For a final interview with a consulting company, I had to fly down from Ottawa to Houston for an interview on Monday morning. They made all the travel arrangements and I left on Sunday afternoon. However before the plane took off, we waited and waited and waited for the weather conditions to improve. When we finally left, it was too late to grab by connecting flight in Chicago (I only got to Chicago around midnight!).

Here is the fun part: the weather was also very bad in Chicago and all the hotels were full. I thought it was not the best idea to take the presidential suite at the hotel’s Hilton so I ended up spending the entire night walking around the airport and trying to sleep on the floor. Luckily I had managed to get on a waiting list for the next morning’s flight.

I finally arrived to Houston, shortly before noon. My suit was the most wrinkled suit you could imagine since I had tried to use my carry-on as a pillow. I had not taken a shower since the previous morning. I was at least 2 hours late for the interviews. I can only imagine what I looked like and what must have went on in their mind when I stepped in the board room.

The interviews went on for about 2 hours, then I was on the cab to get back to Ottawa. The next day I got a call saying: “We really need troopers like you”.

Nice. I took the job.

By: hrwench

hrwench — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:57:01 +0000

I lose my huevos when I become angry. Why? Because anger sometimes = crying. I HATE IT. If I could get a handle on that one thing I think I could be more successful.