Anyone Ever "Bomb" an Interview?

[roses_92123]

One of my best friends is an executive recruiter here in San Diego. He is basically a "head hunter" and finds people all sorts of different sales/management types of jobs.

He loves to share with me the interesting, funny and downright wacky interview horror stories that he hears about on a regular basis.

Last week, he tells me about a woman who went in to interview for the position as a CFO at a biotechnology company. She had outstanding credentials and was extremely professional.

She walks into the panel interview (just one chair in front of 5 people) and as she is walking in....completely looses her balance. She stumbles a few steps then lands and knocks over the HR manager who was standing up to greet her. She landed full force on top of this guy. They will be talking about that one for months I am sure!

My friend is still waiting to hear if she got the job or not!!! Hopefully they won't hold that dramatic stumble against her!!!

Anyone else have some unique or funny interview stories?}(

 

[Fit_mommy]

RE: Anyone Ever

OMG how embarrassing for that poor woman!

No stories here but that was certainly a good one!

 

[lwseymour]

RE: Anyone Ever

Yes, many.

I was just corporate downsized last August after being with a company for 22 years. Our jobs were sent over to India. The word "interview" is a freakin nightmare to me. I am as shy a person as they come, and everybody wants someone "outgoing". Not that I blame them, I wish I were outgoing. I adore outgoing people. I wish I were one of them. Is is possible to overcome EXTREME shyness at 41?
If not, what type jobs should a shy person apply for? I'm not kidding here, I honestly need advice.
Lisa

 

[fitnessangel]

RE: Anyone Ever

Do a Cathe workout a few hours before hand- this should get you psyched up- Just Kidding, although it may help I believe that to overcome shyness, you will have to work at it. You will also have to identify what exactly makes you uncomfortable in a situation (Is it the fear of rejection, the fear of being looked at differently, or what other fears you may have that could pertain to this...). You may never become an "outgoing" person (or so to speak), but you can work to become more comfortable in certain situations. Job interviews are already nerve racking, so don't beat yourself up for feeling a bit uncomfortable at one. Have you always been shy or did you develop this more after an event? You don't have to answer these questions on the board, but just think about them internally. Also, it is hard to be outgoing in times of stress, depression, or other challenging times. It is also hard to reach out after you have been hurt or when people are rude and unkind. We aren't always surrounded by the "nicest" of people, so don't take offense to someone not willing to be polite and chit-chat. Anyway, we all have unique attributes that make up our personality. I don't think being shy is a flaw that you should be ashamed of- just work at trying to be a little less shy. And, yes you can overcome extreme shyness at any age- just set your mind to overcoming the obstacles. HTH and good luck

 

[red_mct]

RE: Anyone Ever

You just need to appear and act confident. I don't care if someone is introverted or extroverted BUT I do expect them to be able to converse easily with others in the office. That's a must for most jobs, know what I mean? So you just need to ACT like it's true, even if it's not. Can you practice interviewing with a friend or family member? Have them ask you the typical questions and practice some responses, out loud, which will get you accustomed to saying the words, which is half the battle.

Good luck!
Marie

 

[allwildgirl]

RE: Anyone Ever

Lisa - believe it or not, I'm as shy as they come. But I ACT like I'm not. Now, sometimes this takes supreme effort on my part, but I manage to pull it off pretty well. I practice saying things in my head tons of times before I actually say them. Even for silly things like ordering food or calling someone on the phone. I like Marie's idea of practicing interviewing with someone you're comfortable with, so you can get accustomed to talking about the kinds of things they'll ask you about.

Best of luck!

 

[goldenpath]

RE: Anyone Ever

A friend told me this story that happened at her place of employment:

A lady was going to an interview (some administration type position) and she parked her car in a “No Parking” zone at the side of the building. While she was in the interview, a delivery truck backed into her car and seriously damaged it. Not really sure what happened to the car, who paid for it, etc. BUT she ended up getting the job.

 

[LauraMax]

RE: Anyone Ever

Oh man, I did the same thing! I mean, before college I went to interview at a car dealership & after the interview I backed into a cobra light pole! Needless to say I didn't get the job, I guess they didn't want me driving around all those purdy new cars. ;-)

And on an interview w/a professor to get into a PhD program, for some reason my bra came unhooked the second I crossed the threshold of the prof's office door. WTH? Bad karma--I had to sit through the entire interview w/my arms crossed & didn't even get into the program. :-(

 

[lioness]

RE: Anyone Ever

I've been on tons of interviews but this one stands out. I can't remember what the position was for but when I got to the door I had the sudden urge to run but didn't. I walked in and talked to a lady that was there. The guy that was to interview me wasn't in yet so I was told to wait. The lady left the room and a few minutes later I heard her yelling and cursing at someone. It wasn't really bad but I thought you should at least have some type of manners when you have a guest in your reception area. I wanted to leave but thought what if the guy comes in while I was walking out. So I wait. The guy finally came in. He was really nice but as we were talking I realized that he had dried blood on the side of his face (probably from shaving). I didn't say anything but he touch the side of his face and said something about it. Then he started to pick at it while we were talking. Of course then it started bleeding. He had to excuse himself to get some tissues. In between all this, I am thinking, I don't want to work here..leave..run...get out while you can. I was more than a little grossed out. I sat through the whole interview. At the end he said, I don't think we should shake hands and I agreed. I never heard from again..thankfully.

 

[hiitdogs]

RE: Anyone Ever

I "bombed" a lot of interviews. I interviewed for a position as the executive assistant for the general manager of a very high-class fashion magazine. So I bought a very expensive designer suit and nice shoes with heels (should have known better, I never wear heels, it's a disaster waiting to happen ). I got out of the car and my heel got stuck and ripped off. I didn't have enough time to get back home for another pair of shoes or to a store for that matter. I had a pair of red loafers in the car, so instead of hobbeling in with a broken shoe, I put the loafers on - it sure was quite the fashion statement a very light green/pastel business suit and red flat loafers.
The guys who did the interview looked at me like I came straight down from Mars, and I felt pretty uncomfortable. I didn't get the job, there is a big surprise, huh ?

The other one was as the marketing and development coordinator for a start-up company. I went through the front entry when the sprinklers came on and one of them burst, spraying water right at me, I jumped aside, tripped and fell. Not only was I wet from head to toe but my stockings had a big whole right on my knee and runs all over my leg. I ended up getting the job.

Carola