Interview Bloopers

Interviews are essential to getting hired for most jobs. Most everyone knows the basic rules: bring copies of your resume, arrive 15 minutes early, dress professionally, etc. Sometimes, interviews take place where all rules are tossed out the door rather fast. Having sent candidates out on interviews for more than 20 years, I have acquired a mental list of resume bloopers and thought I would share a few today!

One candidate was dispatched to a very traditional client who frowned upon candidates who were not impeccably dressed and groomed. Having prepped the individual about this, she went to the meeting in a very impressive looking suit. The CEO walked in wearing a Grateful Dead t-shirt and sandals!! The rest of his staff were dressed in similar garb!! As I learned later, he had secured concert tickets for his team later that day!

Another candidate arrived at the interview and was ushered into a VP's office containing a 100 gallon fish tank with some very sick looking fish. This candidate was a computer programmer who moonlighted in a shop that specialized in rare tropical fish. He spent the next 20 minutes inspecting and repairing the filtration system and walked away with a job offer as a programmer!

Several years back, I worked on a project for a client who needed to 10 people with various technical backgrounds and contacted me at the trade school where I was assisting graduates in their search process. Over the course of about 2 weeks, they interviewed about 15 people and selected 9. We had one slot to fill and I sent a talented, if not a bit offbeat, candidate. Right after the interview, the hiring manager called and asked if I had seen the young man before he went to the meeting. Having not, I was curious. As luck would have it, he stopped by on his way home......in his lime green trousers and bright yellow blazer! Apparently, he spilled breakfast on his suit and tried cleaning it in the washing machine! In a fit of panic, he borrowed clothes from his uncle! End of story!!

I am sure there are some entertaining interview bloopers out there worth sharing. Whether you were the interviewer or the candidate, please share your unusual experiences!