Worst Interview Experiences

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Going on an interview is as nerve-wracking as a first date--except with your livelihood at stake, instead of a goodnight kiss. We can all conjure up a memory of the worst job interview we've ever experienced. You're probably cringing just thinking of it. But rest assured, no matter what your worst experience was like, someone else has survived something just as bad, if not worse. Here are some true stories that may make your experience seem better!

• My first ever real job interview was more than 100 miles away, so I had my suit all pressed in my car, but was wearing jeans with holes in the seat and paint marks all over. I thought I would change at a service station when I got closer. Well, how stupid did I feel when I started to get changed and noticed that I forgot the suit trousers?! I went to the interview anyway, thanking God my suit jacket was just long enough to cover my holes!
  
  
• During an interview for an internship at a television station in the mid-1980s, the short, chubby news director was tipping back on the wheels of his high-backed chair, when it tipped over backward. My first instinct was to pretend it wasn't happening. But it became clear he was stuck, lying down backwards in his giant chair like a turtle that couldn't flip over. About a minute passed, and I realized he was as embarrassed as I was. I offered to step outside for a minute, he nodded, and I left. A minute later, he was properly installed behind his desk. I figured my chances of getting this internship were zero and my television career was over before it had even started, but a few days later, he called and gave me the internship.
  
  
• I sat with my legs crossed appropriately for the interview, and then when I stood up to shake hands with the hiring manager, I fell flat on my face--my legs had gone totally numb. The interviewer helped me up, said nothing about it and ultimately hired me for the position. After I'd been there for some time, I confessed to my manager that I was surprised I got the job. His reply was: "You made the greatest impression of any of the applicants."
  
  
• Once, I woke up late for a job interview. I hadn't shaved in six days, but figuring I could do so en route, I grabbed my electric razor and ran for the bus. While shaving, the razor's battery died midway through, leaving me to attend the interview with scruff on half of my face.
  
  
• On Thursday night before a Friday interview, I lost a crown off of one of my back teeth. Since dentists in my city typically don't work on Fridays, I had to go online and search for an emergency dentist who'd be able to glue my tooth back on before the interview. Well, no sooner was I in the dentist's chair than they announced that I needed an emergency root canal. I mentioned my afternoon appointment and was told that they'd get me out of the dental office "in plenty of time." I thought we were going to make it until I suddenly realized they were re-numbing my entire mouth about two hours before the interview. Needless to say, I arrived at the interview with half of my mouth still entirely numb and the other half only marginally better.  I explained to the CEO/interviewer--when I arrived on time--that I had an emergency root canal that morning and was still very numb and was having difficulty speaking. I was hoping to get brownie points for making the interview under such hardship and hoping the interviewer would reschedule for another time. No such luck--after I apologized profusely, the interviewer offered me a box of tissues "in case I started drooling." I then went through the entire interview sounding like Daffy Duck. Needless to say, before I could send a thank you to the CEO/interviewer, I received a "thanks, but no thanks" email.
  
  
• You know those horrible trick questions interviewers sometimes ask? Here are three that I faced in one interview: "If you had been on the Titanic, would you have been in a row boat, on the ship, or freezing in the water? If you were a Spice Girl, what would you call yourself? How would you feel about doing small personal errands like dog sitting or buying gifts for my 'lady friends?'" I don't think it mattered what I answered--I didn't want the job!

What can you learn from bad interview experiences? At the least, grace under pressure. And you'll always have a good story to tell at parties.