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4 Horrifying Interview Tales in Time for Halloween
22 Feb, 20231-2 minutes
If you hear the words ‘horror story’, the first things you think of might be ghosts, ghouls and strange goings-on in a haunted house.
But sometimes, it’s our real life experiences that make for the most horrifying tales.
Take a job interview for example. Whilst this should be the chance to find your dream role, on the odd occasion, it can turn into a nightmare.
To celebrate spooky season, here are 4 of the most horrifying interviews which we’ve heard of:
A job in disguise…
After finishing University, I was on the hunt for my first full time job when I came across an appealing sounding role in the North West.
After passing the first stage of the interview process, I made my way to the trial day.
The day began pretty normally but I started to question things when everyone was packed onto buses and driven to different locations across Liverpool. It turned out the role I had applied for wasn't what I expected. The company had completely disguised what it actually entailed - delivering leaflets in the middle of nowhere.
I felt completely misled and after repeatedly expressing that I no longer wished to continue with the process, my trainer informed me 5 minutes before the end of the shift that he ‘didn’t think the role was for me’.
Not only were my continuous pleas to terminate my trial ignored, it was pouring with rain and freezing cold!
Exhausted and miserable I was packed back on to the bus and taken back to the office. Needless to say I never set foot back there again.
A deep misunderstanding…
Many years ago I attended a group interview where we were put into teams of 8 for an activity which was being watched by the interviewers.
I didn’t know this at the time, but they were analysing how good our persuasion techniques were and how well we could talk someone around to our way of thinking.
During the activity, we were all asked to pick a celebrity and I chose Whitney Houston.
They then told us that all 8 of our celebrities were on a lifeboat stranded in the sea and there was only room for 7 people. The point of the exercise was for us to argue why we should remain on the boat.
In hindsight it probably wasn’t the best thing to say but I said that I would take one for the team and get off the boat voluntarily.
In my head, I was being a team player but in their eyes I’d ruined the whole experiment and needless to say, I never got the job!
A flying start…
When I was 19, I was headed to a job interview and before I even entered the room things had started to go wrong.
Maybe it was the nerves or maybe I just wasn’t looking where I was going, but I managed to fall face first up the stairs and drop my handbag in the process.
I was hoping no one saw but the contents of my bag fell out one by one and rolled right to the bottom of the stairs.
After recovering from my fall, I gathered up my belongings, shook myself down and made my way back up to the room. I went much more carefully this time and it’s only then I noticed how rickety the stairs were.
The fact I was rushing, nervous and the stairs were so narrow was a recipe for disaster!
There’ll be no prizes for guessing that I didn’t get the job but on the bright side I didn’t have any lasting injuries!
Get out whilst you can…
One of the first interviews I ever attended was probably one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had!
I was a little early and was asked to take a seat whilst I waited. I was sitting in a room with the current employees and let’s just say they weren't shy in telling me exactly what they thought about their boss.
I’m not sure if they were trying to make me more nervous or giving me a chance to run for my life, but they informed me that he was rude, strict and generally a horrible person.
Despite what they told me, I wanted to give the interview a go, however this was a bad idea. He was exactly how they described and even cut me off mid way through talking to answer his phone.
I wasn’t offered the job and after that interview, I wouldn’t have accepted it even if I was!
Who is Spencer Clarke Group?
Since 2017, we've been changing the face of recruitment. From our employees, to the way we do business, to the culture within our office, we're determined to make a difference and create a positive impact on everyone around us.
Recruitment to us isn't just about matching candidates and clients; we’re passionate about finding candidates the perfect job which has the ability to boost their salary and standard of living, better their work life balance and improve their mental health.
Similarly, we understand the impact which an experienced and skilled employee can make to a business and we love seeing clients thrive through the hard work of candidates which we have placed with them.
We operate in two sectors:
In eleven specialisms:
Healthcare, Social Care & Nursing
Corporate Functions & Business Support
Planning, Development & Regeneration
Highways, Infrastructure & Engineering
If you’re searching for a new role, why not visit our job page to take a look at the latest opportunities? Alternatively, upload your CV and one of our experienced consultants will contact you when a relevant opportunity becomes available.
If you’re struggling to fill a role, why don’t you give us a call on 01772 954200 to see how we can help? One of our consultants will be happy to listen to the challenges which you are facing and advise on the best possible solution for you.
