We’ve all been interviewed for jobs.
And, we’ve all spent most of those interviews thinking about what
not to do. Don’t bite your nails. Don’t fidget. Don’t interrupt. Don’t
belch. If we did any of the don’ts, we knew we’d disqualify ourselves
instantly. But some job applicants go light years beyond this. We
surveyed top personnel executives of 100 major American corporations
and asked for stories of unusual behavior by job applicants.
The lowlights:
1. "... stretched out on the floor to fill out the job application."
2. "She wore a Walkman and said she could listen to me and
the music at the same time."
3. " A balding candidate abruptly excused himself. Returned
to office a few minutes later, wearing a hairpiece."
4. "... asked to see interviewer’s resume to see if the personnel
executive was qualified to judge the candidate."
5. "... announced she hadn’t had lunch and proceeded to eat
a hamburger and French fries in the interviewer’s office – wiping
the ketchup on her sleeve"
6. "Stated that, if he were hired, he would demonstrate his
loyalty by having the corporate logo tattooed on his forearm."
7. "Interrupted to phone his therapist for advice on answering
specific interview questions."
8. "When I asked him about his hobbies, he stood up and started
tap dancing around my office."
9. "At the end of the interview, while I stood there dumbstruck,
he went through my purse, took out a brush, brushed his hair, and
left."
10. "... pulled out a Polaroid camera and snapped a flash picture
of me. Said he collected photos of everyone who interviewed him."
11. "Said he wasn’t interested because the position paid too
much."
12. "While I was on a long-distance phone call, the applicant
took out a copy of Penthouse, and looked through the photos only,
stopping longest at the centerfold."
13. "During the interview, an alarm clock went off from the
candidate’s brief case. He took it out, shut it off, apologized
and said he had to leave for another interview."
14. "A telephone call came in for the job applicant. It was
from his wife. His side of the conversation went like this: "Which
company? When do I start? What’s the salary?" I said, "I
assume you’re not interested in conducting the interview any further."
He promptly responded, "I am as long as you’ll pay me more.
"I didn’t hire him, but later found out there was no other
job offer. It was a scam to get a higher offer."
15. "His attach=E9 [case] opened when he picked it up and the
contents spilled, revealing ladies’ undergarments and assorted makeup
and perfume."
16. "Candidate said he really didn’t want to get a job, but
the unemployment office needed proof that he was looking for one."
17. "... asked who the lovely babe was, pointing to the picture
on my desk. When I said it was my wife, he asked if she was home
now and wanted my phone number. I called security,"
18. "Pointing to a black case he carried into my office, he
said that if he was not hired, the bomb would go off. Disbelieving,
I began to state why he would never be hired and that I was going
to call the police. He then reached down to the case, flipped a
switch and ran. No one was injured, but I did need to get a new
desk."
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