8 Students Share Their Most Humiliating Job Interview Stories (and What You Can Learn)

Making a unique, first impression is difficult to pull off. While sending in resumes to a company you would like to work for is a simple feat, going on to the next round and having a face-to-face conversation with a potential employer is a whole different story.

The best way to learn is from other people’s mistakes, and lucky for you, eight fellow students have been asked by yours truly to share some embarrassing true tales that’ll help you further prepare for any upcoming interviews.

1. Losing The Job Over Lateness

“I was having an interview with a representative of a tech company and it was scheduled for 2pm. Given that it was only 15 minutes away, I left at 1:40. Unfortunately, I hit some traffic on the way there and ended up parking right at 2pm. I rushed my butt inside the building and checked my watch for it to read 2:02pm. When I asked a young receptionist I was here for my interview, she smiled at me and said, ‘Interviews are only for people who are here on time. You lost the job.’ Thinking her smile meant that she was joking, I laughed. Her smile faded and she literally said, ‘Dude, I didn’t know losing your job was comedic.’ I had never been roasted harder than by that receptionist.” – Richard, University of California, San Diego ‘16

Being on time is actually about being five to 10 minutes early. You never want to risk losing your interview time or simply coming in late even by a minute, because that really is the first impression. While you also don’t want to show up ridiculously early for an interview, don’t be afraid to show up at the office with several minutes to spare; it never hurts.

2. Wearing The Wrong Clothes

“Dress to impress, no matter what the job is. I picked up a position at a local restaurant my freshman year of high school, and given that it wasn’t a huge corporate job or anything, I thought I would just go with some slacks and a nice Hawaiian button-up. I got totally called out in the interview by the boss, asking if that’s how I typically dressed up for interviews and he looked very offended. I didn’t get the job, unsurprisingly to me.” – Gabe, Pepperdine University ‘14

Look the part! And even at times when it seems like you don’t need to go full suit, make sure to dress up and look classy. Not sure how to dress for your particular industry or company size? Check out our tips on the WayUp Guide.

3. Not Preparing At All

“Can anyone sympathize with me in thinking how to answer ‘Tell me about yourself’? That is the most difficult question in the world to nail. And when my interviewer asked me that on one occasion, I was holding ‘Uhhhhhhhhhhhh’ for at least 10 seconds. And don’t even get me started on ‘What are your biggest weaknesses?’ Do not say I don’t have any like I did, because pretentiousness is not looked highly upon in the workplace!” – Steven, University of California, Santa Barbara ‘18

Make sure to research common questions asked in interviews because it will definitely come to your advantage knowing what to say and have an idea of what to say. Do this a few nights in advance so you can at least have topics, thoughts, and anecdotes to have in your mind in case a potential employer asks.

And good news: We mapped out how to answer the most common interview questions in our WayUp Guide.

4. Not Giving A Good Handshake

“My film crew got the opportunity to work with a popular director in our county and we had to meet up with him. Apparently, without me even knowing, I left the guy hanging on his handshake from the get-go because I saw something on the ground when we went into his office to meet him. For the rest of the interview, I felt a cold presence from him and I didn’t know until after when my other crew members told me.” – Kyle, Arizona State University ‘14

A strong handshake goes a long way. Wipe the sweaty palms off and rub your hands together right before the interview to get that warm, comforting feeling with your handshake. And don’t be afraid to initiate it!

5. Forgetting Good Body Language

“During my interview, I was definitely tense since this was one of the four accounting firms I wanted to work at. The interviewer also seemed to notice so he simply said to relax and that being nervous is normal. Maybe due to the amount of anxiety I was having, I took the comment a little too literally and slouched very low on my chair. While he didn’t point it on during the actual interview, the recruiter put in a snarky comment on the end saying, ‘I didn’t really appreciate the lack of posture you were giving me,’ and I actually didn’t end up getting the job. Although it probably wasn’t the full reason, I suspect the lack of strong body language had something to do with it.” – Maggie, University of California, Berkeley ‘16

While relaxing is important during the interviews, relaxing too much with a lack of strong body language can show apathy and lack of concern. Although you would not want to overdo this, keep your body straight, put up hands on your lap, and make sure you’re giving the interviewer your full attention.

6. Not Paying Attention

“Always listen and let the interviewer say what he or she needs to say! At my first interview at a funds management company, I wanted to show the interviewer I was really paying attention and attentive, so I just kept saying ‘Yeah’ literally after every five words the interviewer said, so much to the point where she told me to stop and that it was irritating. It was just really awkward after that.” – Sean, Texas A&M University ‘18

You have to make that connection with your interviewer and show that you’re there to listen and follow directions. Listen to when you’re being spoken to and never cut off what your employer has to say; feel free to even wait a second or two before answering. Keep eye contact as well so the interviewer knows he or she has your attention.

7. Giving Off The Wrong Vibe

“Make sure to have the confidence when you’re going into your interview and not be nervous to the point where you lose the job just like that. At one of the first job interviews I had, I wanted to seem eager for the job, but at the same time humble and modest. That kind of attitude cost me big, because the whole interview went well until the end when I said, ‘If I don’t get this job, it’s okay! I’m sure there are better people out there for me, and I’m just happy for the opportunity’ to the employer. This lack of faith in myself kind of gave off the wrong impression to her I think, making her believe I probably didn’t want the job enough. I didn’t get it after having a solid interview, so I believe that to be my biggest fault.” – Julie, San Francisco State University ‘17

Assume you’re good enough to obtain the position you’re interviewing for; you wouldn’t be applying unless you truly believed you could do a good job right?

8. Asking Strange Questions

“Make sure to have questions ready to ask your interviewer to show interest, but also make sure to have the right questions. I watched a lot of YouTube videos and read online forums that all said ask questions at the end of the interview because it’ll show interest. My naive self, however, did not know what specific questions were to be asked, so I asked questions such as ‘What do you like to do in your free time?’ and ‘Where did you get your earrings from?’ The interviewer looked very uncomfortable, and since then, I have made sure to keep my questions job-related, not personal.” – Kate, Biola University ’18

The question portion may be one of the most underrated parts of the interview that can stand you out from the rest. Where can you get a list of questions to ask your interviewer? You guessed it: The WayUp guide has everything you need.

If one were to take anything from this article, just know that being confident and prepared for your interview is key. Ask others who have gone through the same process about their experiences, study beforehand, and even do mock interviews to make sure you’re giving off the best impression. You’ll nail it!