News & Events

By Patty Hampton, CSP, Managing Director

Over the years, my colleagues and I have run into a few interview blunders. Here are the most memorable that made our top 20 list. Enjoy, we all need to laugh sometime.   

1.  
   1. The applicant’s email address was, “sexymama2000.”
   2. The applicant’s voice mail message played a song for you and you actually listened!”
   3. The candidate said he would tattoo the company logo on his arm if hired.
   4. The candidate interrupted his interview to call his therapist.
   5. The candidate made a typo in the spelling of his own name and then insisted it was spelled that way.
   6. The candidate brought her mother to the interview and asked if her mom could fill out a job application too.
   7. The candidate brought a bag lunch and ate during the interview.
   8. The candidate took three cell phone calls during the interview.
   9. The candidate chewed and popped gum during the interview and wore an iPod, clearly demonstrating their multi-tasking skills.
   10. The candidate said, “I am so well qualified, if I don’t get this job it proves your management is incompetent.”
   11. The candidate arrives five minutes late to the interview and asks “Is my hair okay?”
   12. After the interview, the candidate implies I should consider him for the position because we are of the same race, and states, “Help a brotha’ out” as his closing statement.
   13. The candidate takes off her suit jacket, exposes her bare arms, and immediately begins to use her resume to fan her underarms as she responds to the first question.
   14. The candidate arrives 20 minutes late to the interview; she claimed she just left her babysitting job and proceeded to apologize for her unprofessional attire of flip flops and a beach dress.
   15. The applicant disclosed that he’s been living in his mother’s basement for 35 years.
   16. The candidate wowed me with her tears and won an Oscar for her performance.
   17. The candidate responded to an interview question by giving me a history lesson on Black History Month.
   18. The candidate asked for a moment of silence during his interview.
   19. The candidate asked for grooming techniques for the interview – it was clear that she was dressed for Happy Hour.
   20. The candidate stated, “I hope you’re impressed with my resume, I got all of my highlights from e Harmony.”