Most embarrassing job interview mishaps

Dancing, smoking and showing up with a bird among bizarre behaviour

Most people are on their best behaviour when meeting with hiring managers, but some actions are simply bizarre. In a recent survey, staffing firm OfficeTeam asked 150 executives to recount the most embarrassing job interview moments they had heard of or witnessed:

• “The candidate sent his sister to interview in his place.”

• “The person was dancing during the interview. He kept saying things like, ‘I love life!’ and ‘Oh yeah!’”

• “A job applicant came in for an interview with a cockatoo on his shoulder.”

• “The candidate stopped the interview and asked me if I had a cigarette.”

• “We had one person who walked out of an interview into a glass door – and the glass shattered.”

• “The candidate got his companies confused and repeatedly mentioned the strengths of a competing firm, thinking that’s who he was interviewing with.”

• “A guy called me by the wrong name during the entire interview.”

• “We’re a retail company, and when we asked the candidate why she wanted to work for us, she said she didn’t want to work in retail anymore.”

• “An interviewee put his bubble gum in his hand, forgot about it, and then shook my hand.”

• “A job seeker gestured with his hands so much that he sat on them to stop it.”

• “A candidate fell asleep during the interview.”

• “An applicant was doing really well in the interview until she got to the reason she left her other job. She told us everyone was out to get her.”

• “A candidate insulted the interviewer on his tie.”

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