Reuters has an article up about a recent survey of HR managers about the greatest interviewing mistakes that they've ever seen:
Commentors, what is the worst interviewing mistake that you've ever seen or done?
Link via Ace of Spades HQ
- When an applicant was offered food before the interview, he declined saying he didn't want to line his stomach with grease before going out drinking.
- A candidate for an accounting position said she was a "people person" not a "numbers person."
- Candidate flushed the toilet while talking to interviewer during phone interview.
Commentors, what is the worst interviewing mistake that you've ever seen or done?
Link via Ace of Spades HQ
Had one guy pad his resume by claiming that he served in the "US NAVE". Yep, misspelled "Navy".
Scheduled a 9:00AM interview. Applicant showed up at noon, then asked if I could postpone it another hour so he could get some lunch.
One guy flipped open his cell phone and called someone.
He told that person my salary offer and then said the "other" job offer is offering him more. He would need seven thousand more to consider working here. I told him to take the other offer as I ushered him out.
His parting words, "Okay how 'bout just five thousand more...I really want to work here."
"Just to let you know, I'm non-denominational and will be taking all religious holidays off."
"Excuse me?"
"Yes. All the Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and so forth. Even the Satanist holidays too. It's against the law for you to discriminate on the basis of religion."
"The tools you let me use...I can take those home with me? 'Cause at my last job they fired me for stealing when I did that."
"No you can't take the tools home."
"Aw man. Can I at least borrow them? 'cause I have this side business racing motorcycles."
The boss discarded any resume that didn't have the little accents over the 'e's.
During the interview, she mentioned a former employee running off to the bathroom and crying. I wondered what the boss had done to her to make her cry.
The "woman" I would be replacing was 16 years old.
The position was for "office manager". Managing FOUR offices.
The pay was $10,000 a year. Gross.