What Not to Say in an Interview: Honorable Mentions

When I wrote the post on the Top 3 Things You Shouldn't Say in an Interview, there were a few gems that didn't make it in. I think they deserve a mention, though, so here you go. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.


Question I asked: Tell me one thing you learned from the first job you ever had.
Applicants Answer: How to manipulate the system.

Me: So that's the gist of the job. Do you have any questions for me?

Applicant: Yes. I'm currently under the protection of the Federal Government. They may come to me in the middle of the night someday and have me move out of state, and I won't be able to come back to work. Is that a problem?

Question I asked: What do you consider to be your greatest weakness?

Answers I've received:

I'm bipolar.

I don't like people.

I'm almost always late.

I have depression.

Question I asked: Think back to a time where you had to deal with someone - a client, co-worker, boss, whoever - that was a hard person to communicate with. Please tell me what you did to overcome this and resolve the problem.

Applicant (this was for a computer position): Well, one day I got a call about a computer that was broken. I was sick, so I told them to hold the phone up to the computer. Then I told the computer, 'Look, I'm sick today. I don't feel like coming in. I fixed you just last week and I know you're ok, so I need you to stop being stupid and work. Will you do that for me?' And then (candidate fixes me with smug expression), it worked. I fixed it just by doing that.


And the granddaddy of them all...

During one particular interview, the applicant continually steered the conversation towards an abusive relationship they had been in. Your job as an HR professional (for both legal and professional reasons) is to steer it away from personal issues and keep strictly to what is relevant for that position. In an attempt to do this, I said:

"Please tell me about an important goal you've set for yourself and accomplished in the past. What steps did you take to insure that you would be successful?"

At this, the applicant launched into yet another lengthy jeremiad on the abusive spouse, the majority of which I apparently have blocked from memory. I do remember the last part, however:

"And when [the spouse] finally got a gun and SHOT ME IN THE HEAD [emphasis added], I decided I had to get out of there. That was a goal I set for myself."

Wow.

What do you say to that as an interviewer? Of course you want to say how awful that is or express concern for the person, but that's what you have to stay away from. So how do you possibly follow up a statement like that?

Er...so you'd say your greatest strength is...your skull's ability to withstand bullets?


And that is why my job is always interesting.