GARY WILL is a consultant and speaker who works with individuals and organizations to help them attract employers, employees and customers by adopting a marketing attitude.

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Recent Submissions to Interview Horrors!

Interview Horrors! Archive

Go to the Archeus WORKSEARCH homepage
The web's most thorough guide to selling yourself to an employer.

Other articles:

Writing a Persuasive Cover Letter

Putting a Spin on Work Experience

Improve your ability to communicate the value you offer an employer with Gary Will's book How to Prepare for an Employment Interview -- now available by e-mail in Microsoft Word format.

Sample chapters:

1. Selling Yourself in an Employment Interview
2. Is Preparation Even Possible?
7. What You Need to Know About Business
14. Asking Questions -- An Essential and Overlooked Step

Some of the worst questions and incidents from actual interviews

This is a brief sampling of submissions from readers that truly deserve the label "interview horrors." We can only hope that none of us have to go through similar experiences.

QUESTION: If you had to pick one puppy to euthanize out of a litter of twelve how would you pick?

The interviewer asked me if I knew any "how many _____ does it take to screw in a light bulb" jokes. I replied, "Not really." He shrugged and appeared disappointed.

QUESTION: Tell me 10 things about my desk. (Asked by CEO) QUESTION: Spell whippoorwill. After spelling it correctly I was asked how many other ways I could spell it.

I was asked to pick up coloured cards. From this "test", I was told that I would probably marry a wife-beater which would make me an unsuitable candidate. (For a position as an administrative assistant in a legal firm.)

The interviewer asked a couple of general questions and then said, "Discuss morals," and silently sat waiting for an answer.

QUESTION: "Please explain why you need this job."

Question for promotion with my current employer (note I am looking for a NEW job!): "We don't pay anyone what they are worth. How will you motivate yourself to excel and increase company profits without personal financial incentive?"

Part of the interview process was a typing test -- the letter you had to type was a rejection letter! I got the job, but what an odd experience! I thought, is someone else typing mine?

QUESTION: We anticipate that everybody in software will be laid off in 6 months. Why do you want to work here?

QUESTION: What's your worldview?

QUESTION: Why is your name hypenated? Is it because you keep getting married and adding on names?

QUESTION: What does your dad do for a living?

QUESTION: Give me advice on how to use duct tape.

QUESTION: I can't see you and you can't see me. We're on a phone. Now, tell me how to tie my shoelaces. (My first thought was to tell the contract interviewer to go to Kiddie Cobbler and buy a pair of shoes with Velcro, but I wanted the job and deferred.)

QUESTION: How do you feel about the current peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and the U.S. role in it?

QUESTION: How was your childhood?

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