Just be forewarned if you visit MSU: Bring CA$H! 
I don’t either. I first thought **upend **was embarrassed for using the term “pied-a-terre” like some sophisticated know-it-all, but his last line implies the interviewer didn’t know its proper meaning. /shrug
During a phone interview for a sort of office job, the interviewer asked me to tell her about something I find intimidating.
My mind went completely blank for what felt like an eternity, and I finally managed to say, “Bears,” only to immediately wonder why, of everything I could have possibly said, my brain only summoned up bears.
Amazingly, she thought it was genuinely funny, and I tried for a (horrible) recovery, going into a brief story about an encounter with a bear I once had while doing some volunteer work in a national park, and how it was “an uncomfortable brush with mortality”.
The interviewer’s next question was something along the lines of “This position involves working with our established peer-support network for individuals living with <very frequently terminal medical condition>. How do you think you’d cope with the emotional toll of working with the terminally ill and their caregivers?”
I’m guessing it’s that the interviewer didn’t know a pied-a-terre is a type of apartment, which makes him someone you wouldn’t want to work for?
Embarrassing for THEM…just a strange experience…
I was just out of college and got an enthusiastic interview call from a defense contractor known for lavish visits for recruits. I asked if they could pay airfare for my fiance’ as our wedding was in 2 months - no problem. Asked for separate hotel rooms - no problem. Asked for a rental car - PROBLEM - their policy was that a host would provide transportation. I was thinking that she could use a car to check out the area during my interviews.
We showed up at the plant in the rain in a taxi and it was clear that security didn’t know what to do with us, especially my fiance’. After about 1/2 hour I was called into HR and fiance’ was left to sit on folding chair in a small bare lobby. After an hour of paperwork another HR senior person explained that the job had been closed for two weeks and he didn’t know who would had authorized my fiance’s travel. Yeah Right.
So we taxied back to airport in the rain and waited 5 hours for a flight home. I was eventually reimbursed…
I recently had a job interview via Skype that ended up being entirely in Russian, since the person could not speak English. Or at least, she said she couldn’t speak English.
My Russian is not the best.
A highlight was when she asked me about salary expectations, and my answer basically boiled down to, “well yes, I expect to have a salary.” Konechno.
Next time, could you please warn people to swallow the contents in their mouths before reading your post? Thank you.
Actually, I think Knowed Out’s speculation is likely closer to the truth.
My worst was definitely the incident in my late teens, when I’d been desperately job hunting, without even getting an interview for over a year, as the town had pretty much no jobs available, and I couldn’t afford to move. A new cinema was opening up, and I was so excited to be offered an interview that five minutes in, the pressure got to me and I flubbed an answer, promptly burst into tears, and spent the rest of the interview with the manager, who kinda knew my parents, trying to make me feel less stupid.
Didn’t get it.
A year or so back I had one rather awkward one, though not exactly embarrassing for me; it was a retail job, mostly till/front desk. The interviewer asked the totally standard question of “How would you cope with an angry customer?”, and I started my answer by saying I would
“mentally step back…” and was just going on to say something like I would remind myself that the person isn’t really angry at me, but their situation, when she angrily butted in saying “No! you can’t step back!!! You need to stay there, behind the counter!”
I tried to clarify that I didn’t mean I would physically move, it was a figure of speech, but she just kept repeating that I had to stay behind the counter and deal with the customer, and I couldn’t step back, the counter wasn’t wide enough. It was kinda weird.
Didn’t get it.
I was pretty desperate for a job then as well, but I was still quite glad I didn’t.
A little background is needed for this interview. I had a temporary contract on one floor of the hospital (psychiatric hospital) and somewhat unexpectedly I got a full time position, even though seniority might have dictated otherwise. After a while I realized that my extremely toxic boss “Betty” expected my undying gratitude in the form of being her toadie. First of all, “suck up” is not in my skill set, but also as a nurse you need to work as a team. I wasn’t overtly rude or disobedient to the boss, but I was not bringing Betty gossip or ratting out team members for minor infractions that only she thought were important. (For instance, Betty wanted staff taking breaks as scheduled, instead of when you actually had time, or demanded we give a bath in the morning, instead of in the afternoon when the person in our care was calmer and more amenable.) As she realized this, she started to make life more and more difficult for me in subtle ways. (Calling me into her office during a patient meal time, so there were less hands around to feed our people. Or she would send me for training and “accidentally” forget to back fill my position, so the staff would work short that day and after I was already in the training room doing whatever, call me back to the floor and tell me I needed to do my regular duty. Bonus if I was wearing nice “I’m not wiping ass today!” clothing.
So fast forward a year or so and ANY JOB off the floor where Betty would be my boss was greatly appreciated. I applied for a position with an addictions outpatient unit. I had basically zero experience in addictions but this job had sane hours and a sane boss. I prepared as best as I could for the interview, and selected a time slot that worked with my lunch hour. I had to interview in scrubs, but I put a decent sweater over my scrub top and managed to comb my hair out of the pony tail and put on lipstick before my interview. I was starving, but had little chance for even grabbing a half sandwich because Betty had kept me hopping all morning.
I walk in and discover the three people interviewing me were the manager for the new place, the lady from HR, and horrors! Betty my boss!
One of the first questions on the set question list was about a medication.There was a typo and the medication was referred to by a wrong set of initials, (VDA)but it was clear from the context what medication was asked. (VPA= Valproic Acid, or Divalpox, or Epival) So I said VPA needs levels monitored because the theraputic dose has a specific range…"
Betty cut me off and said "But this question is about VDA, Mona Lisa. I think you had better answer the question.
The other interviewer commented “No, Mona Lisa is right, there is a typo VPA is the correct answer.”
Betty scoweled at me. There was also a question about how to get two co workers to work together. I gave standard answers, then they quizzed me about “Well what if that doesn’t work” and after that answer they said “What if that still doesn’t work?”
I was lightheaded from not eating, (this is now about 1:45 pm and I had been at work since 7, my early morning bagel seemed a long time ago) and the office was incredibly stuffy for me in my layers of sweater and scrub top. I said “Probably cry.”
Well, that was it. Later I got a call from the other nurse manager who said she knew I didn’t have much experience with addictions but she would have liked to hire me if there had been more than one position. Betty dressed me down for “making her look bad.”
:eek: OMG. I give you all the respect in the world for making it through the interview at all. I would have frozen deer-in-the-headlights-like and my brain would have emptied. I am light-headed just picturing being in this scenario.
Not embarrassing, more of a “these young kids today.”
I applied for a second part time job at a Panera bread. I already had a full time, salaried job, I just wanted a little extra income. I interviewed on a Saturday afternoon.
The manager asked, “Is the customer always right?” I snorted and said, “No.” He laughed with me and said you’d be surprised how many teenage kids declare, “Yes, of course, always!” because they think that’s what the manager wants to hear. We then went into a discussion of how to handle irate customers, blah blah blah. I got the job.
Going back to the interview-while-lunching bit…I recently read an article about some bigwig who will talk to the staff at a restaurant and tell them to intentionally mess up the prospect’s order. He assures the staff that he will leave a good tip, but he wants to see how the prospect will handle the screw up. What I found interesting was that not only is he looking for you not to rip the server a new one, but will you have the courage and speak up at all, or will you quietly and timidly eat your shrimp when you ordered a steak.
Well at least they did not ask the question “Describe your best boss and your worst supervisors and what did you learn from each?” That was a question going around a fair bit at that work place in those days. :eek:
Here’s a great one. I was interviewing for my first job after business school in the biotech industry in 1998 and there was a large company at the time that made assay supplies called Gen-Probe. I was very excited for the interview and as I was walking down the hall with the interviewer, who was walking somewhat fast, I dropped my pen under a set of wall cubby holes where they sorted interoffice mail. My eyes followed the pen and didn’t notice the wooden fixture/cabinetry sticking out from the wall , which was obvious to all but a blind person. So as I grabbed the pen and started to get back up, I smashed my head really hard into the bottom of the unit so badly that I almost knocked myself unconscious and made everyone stop what they were doing and stare at me. They brought me some ice to put on the back of my head, which was bleeding quite a bit, and I still did the interview that way, but didn’t get the job…
I once went to a job interview at a community organization that got funding from the Catholic Church. Being a Gay person, I was a bit concerned about a Catholic organization, but at the time liked the idea of working, period.
I went to the interview, not really sure about working there, but desperate for a job, and willing to put myself back in the closet. (Hey, it was the early 80’s, and I was young…)
The interview was going along fine, when I could have sworn they asked me “If there was anything special that might be a problem working there”… Well of course, my answer was “I’m Gay”…
The interviewer stared at me with a puzzled look on his face, and said, “I asked if there was anything special that would qualify you to work here, but thanks for sharing”…
I got the job and worked there - openly Gay - for a few years until I went back to College. The interviewer ended up being my boss, and totally cool… Loved that job.
I worked for a bank that got bought out. I was named a “key employee” and was given a bonus to stay with the non-surviving company until the merger was complete, regardless of whether I found a position with the new company.
I got a call one day in my office that went something like this:
Me: Done been Bought Bank, Branch Operations, may I help you?
Him: Hey, this is Joe Schmo with We Bought You Bank. I’m the Director of Telecom and was given your name as someone I should hire for my team.
Me: Um, Ok, can you tell me a bit about the position?
Him: I can actually tailor the position to fit your skills, what do you know best about telephony?
Me: You picked up the phone, punched some numbers, magic happened and you’re talking to me.
Him: {{long pause}} Really? I wonder why So-and-so gave me your name?
Me: I’m not sure, either, but I doubt I’m the man for your job.
Him: Well, thanks for your honesty. What is it that you do?
We went on to have a good conversation and I did land a job at the buying bank, but that was an odd interview.
Had a great interview with a supervisor who said he’d love to hire me… but he had to give me the company’s personality test as a formality. I filled out the almost-nonsensical questions (like “Which sounds better… a black dog or a blue bowling ball?”) and five minutes after was informed by a minor drone that I did not get the job.
The embarrassing part? I nicked the corner of their building trying to back out of a tight spot after the interview. Which brought the company president running out and yelling at me.
Damn, that was nineteen-frickin’-seventy-three and I’m still not over it.
Remember the personality test I mentioned in my story? One of the questions made it sound like I was going to work for the Nazi Party and several of the other questions were obvious attempts to find out if I was gay or not. I’m glad I didn’t get that job.
"A gay Nazi Party member demonstrates exactly the sort of mental flexibility we are looking for!
We’d also have accepted a Black KKK member … "
:eek: What year was this?!
My story happened back in my poverty days. I was 18 years old and dropped off a resume at a little novelty store with a “Help Wanted” sign. They phoned and pretty much said “you’re hired”, which actually gave me a bad feeling. I went down to the store for an interview during which they said “Are you comfortable with what we sell in our back room?” I was like, “What do you sell in your back room?” They took me back and showed me … a room full of, uh, “adult” items. I remember backing slowly out of the store going “I really don’t think I’m qualified for this job.”