Unveiling The Quirks: 5 Awkward and Memorable Job Interview Experiences

Job interviews are pivotal moments in one’s career, and they often come with unexpected and amusing experiences. In Asia, where cultural diversity and customs abound, job interviews can take on a whole new level of quirkiness.

Through a series of past experiences and from people’s experiences on Reddit, we explore the humorous and unforgettable moments that have occurred during job interviews. From cultural nuances and language barriers to unexpected questions and unique interview practices, these stories offer a lighthearted glimpse into some memorable moments when interviewing.

1. Interviewing just for the sake of it

“Met this guy at a job fair, he loves my work, gives me his card, and tells me to call him the next day. I call him and we set up an interview.

I go to his office, he looks at my portfolio, and tells me it’s great and that I’m a great fit for his company. He proceeds to give me a tour of his entire office, introduces me to a bunch of people, and tells me about the great lunch spots in the area.

At the end of the interview, we sit back down and he says this, ‘Love your work and you seem great, but we’re actually not hiring right now, but I’ll keep you in mind.’” – u/Burrito_Loyalist

2. When talking about ‘self’ becomes an issue

“It was for a management position. Something I’d done twice before. All the standard questions were asked. I felt like it was going well.

Then he suddenly says to me, “I’m hearing a lot of “I” from you. I’m concerned, because we are about the team, here, and not the individual.”

What? It’s a job interview and you’re concerned that I’m answering questions you have asked specifically about me, with answers that address your questions about me. That’s utterly nonsensical.

I don’t even remember how I responded, but I knew I didn’t want to deal with his semantic word and mind games, which I was sure I’d only seen the surface of, so I steered us right into concluding the interview, and I left.” – u/Armyguy

3. Sleeping on the job

“I was being interviewed for a project officer role in a small charity by the chief executive and two other members of staff. About 20 minutes into the interview I am in full flow when I notice the chief exec’s head nod. It momentarily stumps me, but I recover quickly and carry on.

He then proceeds to full-on fall asleep, including slumping over in his chair and making little snorting noises. I still carry on, whilst desperately trying to catch the eye of the other interviewers. They totally ignore the situation.

We carry on and after about five minutes he wakes up and we eventually finish the interview. Nobody says a word.

The next day he rings me to ask me back for a second interview and then apologises for falling asleep and tells me he was recently diagnosed with narcolepsy.” – u/stephknits

4. Always be a predator – never the prey

“At an interview for a tech startup, they asked me, ‘If you could be any animal, what would you be?’

I answered ‘Otter’ because you know, fun, active, work well with their hands, and cute.

They really debated whether or not to hire me due to that answer because, and I quote, ‘We only hire predators, never prey.’ They weren’t sure how to quantify an Otter because none of them had ever paid the least bit of attention to any sort of animal documentary or read biology or, you know, visited a zoo recently. Safe to say, that job was so bad.” – u/crcgrit

5. The importance of context

“As a 6’6” 260lb man, I interviewed for a job in Asia and the last question they asked me was “what do you think will be the hardest thing about moving to (x) city?”

Having had a look around town for a belt and trouser I realised that Asian-sized clothing would never fit me so I just responded with:

“Honestly? ……. I think the hardest thing about moving here will be finding a piece of clothing that fits me” they had a good chuckle and I got the job.” – u/scottzilla90

Let’s hear your stories

We know you probably have one or two funny stories we would love to hear.

Share with us in the comment below about an awkward job interview you have been part of over the course of your career.