It’s that time of year again—no, not back to school time. It’s CareerBuilder’s annual list of strangest job interviews, and HRSBT couldn’t be any more excited! If you’ll recall, 2016’s list was filled with stolen family photos, psychic mediums, and pet birds. So what does this year have in store?
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According to CareerBuilder, this year’s strangest job interviews include:
- A candidate asked to step away to call his wife to ask her if the starting salary was enough before he agreed to continue with the interview.
- A candidate asked where the nearest bar was located.
- A candidate brought his childhood toys to the interview.
- A candidate ate a pizza he brought with him (and didn’t offer to share).
- A candidate asked the interviewer why her aura didn’t like the candidate.
- A candidate invited the interviewer to dinner afterward.
- A candidate stated that if the interviewer wanted to get to heaven, she would hire him.
- A candidate ate crumbs off the table.
- A candidate said her hair was perfect when asked why she should become part of the team.
- A candidate sang to a song on the radio playing overhead.
- A candidate bragged about being in the local newspaper for allegedly stealing a treadmill from an older woman’s house.
- A candidate put on and took off her sunglasses repeatedly.
If you’re conducting an interview and someone starts to brag about being in the newspaper for theft, that should immediately raise some flags! Sometimes, it’s not even a strange interview that can cost a candidate the job!
Using information from a recent survey, CareerBuilder identified the biggest body language mistakes that have resulted in a candidate not getting hired. These include:
- Failing to make eye contact: 67%
- Failing to smile: 39%
- Playing with something on the table: 34%
- Fidgeting too much in their seats: 32%
- Crossing their arms over their chests: 32%
- Having bad posture: 31%
- Playing with their hair or touching their faces: 28%
- Having a weak handshake: 22%
- Using too many hand gestures: 13%
- Having a handshake that was too strong: 9%
What’s the strangest job interview you’ve ever conducted? Share it in our comments section below, or e-mail us, and it could be featured in the next HRSBT!
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 Melissa Blazejak is a Senior Web Content Editor at BLR. She has written articles for HR.BLR.com and the HR Daily Advisor websites and is responsible for the day-to-day management of HR.BLR.com and HRLaws.com. She has been at BLR since 2014. She graduated with a BA of Science, specializing in Communication, from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2008. Most recently, she graduated in 2014 with a MS of Educational Technology. |
You had a candidate who brought a pizza and didn’t share. I had one who brought a six pack of Budweiser with two empties he had enjoyed while waiting to be called in. He didn’t share those either.