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Best or Worse Interview you ever had ?

Brother did an interview recently for a PR firm which apparently sounded awesome, but was decorated in style of Rameses Tomb...

Sat in on an AIB once many years agoand heard a clearly confused candidate pressed on their general knowledge of current affairs. He was asked about the years Task Group deployment to the middle east, and what concerns he'd have if he were the TG commander. He responded with 'around Greece' - on further pressing (the board assuming he'd picked up on some previously unknown geopolitical issue) he explained he'd be worried about steering around all the rocks in the water there. Watching the Board President trying his damndest not to lose self control, he then asked what the solution would be, cue explanation that he'd put a man in the cabin from where they steer the ship from and keep a firm watch out for rocks...

I have never before or since seen an interview panel nearly collectively lose it so spectacularly!
 
Very weird one was when I was last in the USA. Had to go to discuss a new product, arrange to meet the Client on the first day or she arranged to meet me in a Coffee shop.
Ok start talking chit chat but she actually wanted to discuss everything in the Coffee Shop. Next to us was another table with two women doing something similar? Spent the next 4 days meeting in Coffee shops.

At the same time there were at least two job interviews going on in the coffee shops over the next days.
The client said this was normal in the States, bloody weird to me.
 
Worst interview was in the NHS where, following restructuring, I had to apply for my own job! I ended arguing with the interviewing officer who happened to be my boss and virtually told her to f*** off and stop being such a tit! I got the job, but by the skin of my teeth I was told. I don't think it helped when I said "Oh, by my efforts then and no other buggers!"

Strangely we went on to a good working relationship once the air had cleared.
 
Many years ago I worked for a large national organisation and worked my way up from porter to shift leader. The department I was in was restructured and I had to re apply for the job I was doing. I was then told by HR that because I had started as a porter I was not suitable but before I reverted back a few grades with loss of income could I train up the person who was going to do my job. I refused and handed in my notice and was gratified to hear later that the new boy had made a complete cods of it and cost them thousands.

I then went for a job with another company, very affable bloke doing the interview, asked if I wanted tea or coffee, very large breasted attractive woman brought the coffee in and when she left I remarked that she was an absolute stunner, he said he would tell her later as she was his wife.
 
Worst interview I was ever in, on the interviewing side, was in Zimbabwe when I needed a clinic nurse, mostly to look after all our AIDS patients, worker and family. One candidate stood out well and we took her on (she'd previously been in the NHS but had returned, she said, from a sense of duty - astonishing.) One of the other candidates was a young single mother - as they mostly are - who had her family of two or three toddlers outside playing on the grass. She obviously needed the job desperately, and was in some distress during the process. Our labour relations man knew her, said she was a reasonable nurse, but forbade me from picking her as the process was to be wholly on merit. Unfortunately there wasn't anything else she could be offered. That's Zim for you.
 
Best and best. Brig. Toyne-Sewell (then Comd. 19 Inf Bde), so you want to be an Officer, yes please, passed.

Next, RCB, so what are you reading - Flashman - well done, spent next 10 minutes discussing historical fiction, job done!

Worst, everything since!
 
I've only had a couple of real job interviews. Best one was the current job. I'd been doing some contract work for my company, but had been laid off by the contracting firm. The sales director of my present company wanted me onboard, as he knew my work (in the training world) and was keen that I join them rather than go and find something else. But it wasn't his call to hire me, as there was a moratorium on hiring at the time. So I had to attend an interview with one of the two owners.

The interview consisted of meeting him and the sales director in a bar and getting utterly wankered. "Can you start tomorrow?" This was a Thursday, having been laid off on the Monday. Friday into work with a blinding hangover. Turn over my bank details etc and get a plane ticket thrust in my hand. Off to Rome on Sunday.

About 1.5M miles flown since, and several jobs in the company, I'm still there. Oddly enough, that owner and the sales director no longer are.
 
I had an interview for Tesco's today but turned it down, I am simply not imaginative enough!
 
when I left school I trained as a chef (civvy not ACC so I can cook properly)! Back in the 80's I went for an interview with a well know carvery chain. The interview went quite well they wanted a qualified second chef, to work any 5 days out of seven, work split shifts etc, I enquired how much they were paying reply £130.00 per week plus tips, I asked how much were the tips told approx. £20.00 per week. The look on the managers face when I told him; 'the best place to look for a qualified chef on that £150.00 p/w was up his arse! The look on his face was priceless!! Then I walked out of the interview, the agency was not happy with me when he phoned and complained about my attitude, I then told them how much they wanted to pay me, all I could hear down the phone was a very load laughing fit!

STILTS
 
Many years ago I applied for a job at a Midlands University and attended along with about ten other candidates. We were told that the previous incumbent had departed and his 2ic was acting in the interim; the 2ic was also being interviewed. During my (very free-ranging) interview, which was with 5 board members, I noticed (but nothing clicked) that nobody was taking notes, and then during lunch and conversation with the 2ic, someone asked him how it felt to be having to undergo interview to keep his acting role. His answer and attitude made it clear that he thought we were a bit dim to have any optimism as he had been promised the job regardless. It turned out that the institution felt that so long as they advertised and interviewed, they had fulfilled the norms and could put their own man in.

Been there, done that. Twice, for my sins.

If the academic institution you're interviewing for doesn't want to pay interview expenses, don't bother. They're just going through the motions to satisfy their own HR department.
 
Interview expenses? I wish, up until 2 years ago my side of the contracting world was in a mess, absolutely no work thanks to Smug Git Coes sports day. I was using the few sheckels I had to travel 400 miles round trip for a crap job that barely covered costs just to keep working as holes in a CV look shit.
The current post is odd, I nearly blew the lot by bad mouthing a contracting company who the interviewer was big friends of and just managed to cover my tracks but I turned the job down twice and yet I'm working here with an open ended contract on the best money in 20 years!
Despite all of the mess I make on a daily basis it seems no one else is willing or able to do it so I get heaps of praise and so far havent soda syphoned the boss whilst holding him in a headlock! Thats for later!
 

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