10 Job Interviews That Went Horribly Wrong

Job interviews don’t always go as planned — and that’s what makes them unforgettable. From hilarious mix-ups to jaw-dropping surprises, these 10 real-life interviews took an unexpected turn. Get ready to laugh, cringe, and rethink your own interview stories!

• I got tired of my job, so I decided to look for another one. They invited me to a job interview. And my friend says, "Put your panties on inside out. No one will know but you. They say it's good luck." So I did. Suddenly I find out that I'm being fired from my current job. That same day! And they never hired me at the new one. © Overheard / Ideer

• I sat across from the interviewer, feeling confident, until she suddenly asked, "What would you do if you found a wallet in the office?" I hesitated. “Uh… I’d turn it in.” She smiled but kept staring.
  “What if it had a lot of cash? No ID. No way to trace the owner.” I shifted in my seat. “I’d still turn it in.” She nodded.
  “Good. Last month, we had an employee fired for keeping one.” I swallowed. Was this a real test… or was there a wallet hidden in the room right now?

• The interviewers took me out to lunch at an upscale restaurant. I was having a nice conversation and didn’t get the chance to look carefully at the menu. I skimmed it and ordered what I thought was described as rare meat.
  In fact, it was described as raw meat, carpaccio. I was horrified when it came out, but I had to eat it. I got the job, and they told me months later how impressed they were that I ordered carpaccio. I never confessed. © Gilword / Reddit

• I got told I was going to interview over chat, which turned out to be with an “AI chatbot”, not an actual person. The chatbot asked me 30+ questions, and I answered them all with a fair amount of detail. Afterward, I received an email that had an analysis of all my answers and what it told them about my personality, etc.
  Their analysis was complete garbage and clearly seemed to work off trigger words rather than actual analysis of the entire response. They noted at the end of the document that it was the analysis and not my responses that would be sent to the company that was looking to fill the role... © villan / Reddit

• The hiring manager leaned in. “Tell me—if you had an unlimited budget to start your own company, what would it be?” I grinned. “Oh, that’s easy. I’d—” He held up a finger. “And why haven’t you done it already?”
  I opened my mouth, then closed it. Had I been settling this whole time?

• My favorite job interview was when I had a candidate give a great, confident answer to my opening question. She spoke passionately for about 15 minutes, explaining her experience, skills, and why she was the perfect fit for the role.
  Then, without missing a beat, she pulled out her phone and said, “And you won’t believe this,” before flipping through photos of a towering stack of pancakes. “Look at this masterpiece! I made these from scratch. Twelve layers. Fluffy. Perfectly golden. It took me three hours, but it was worth it.”
  The job had absolutely nothing to do with cooking. But her enthusiasm was so contagious that I honestly wanted to hear more about the pancakes.

• I had 2 phone interviews in the same week and managed to mix them up when I started talking about aspects of company A to company B. The guy paused and said something to the effect of, "Do you even know who you’re interviewing with?" It did not end well. © FannyComingThru / Reddit

• I was hurrying to make it to a job interview, practically jogging down the street. As I moved quickly, I noticed another man keeping pace beside me, though I had a slight lead. When I reached the entrance, I held the door open for him before heading inside for my interview. After speaking with the recruiter, I advanced to the next stage—meeting with the boss.
  As I stepped into the office, I was surprised to see the same man from earlier. Before the recruiter could even step out, the boss immediately declared, "We’re hiring him. No interview needed—he’s punctual, responsible, and courteous."

• At an interview for a tech startup, they asked me, “If you could be any animal, what would you be?” I answered, “Otter, because they’re fun, active, work well with their hands, and cute.” They debated whether or not to hire me because of my answer, because, “We only hire predators, never prey.” © rileysweeney / Reddit

• I wanted to work as a librarian at the college. The conversation with the deputy director was very pleasant, he even offered me a position with a higher salary. But then he looked at my CV and disgust showed on his face. He said, "There are no vacancies for you!" Later I found out that this man had once been offended by a local newspaper, and he now hates all journalists. And I used to work only as a journalist. I never managed to change my profession. © Merry Old Lady / ADME

Here’s an article about job interview secret tricks every applicant should know.