15+ Job candidates who didn't impress their interviewers at all: 'He's brought his baby with him to an interview'

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Nov 17, 2025 11:00 AM EST

These job candidates certainly made an impression on their interviewers, but it wasn't the positive impression they were hoping for! Instead, they left these hiring managers totally baffled by the way they conducted themselves, and it's a good lesson on everything you should not do at a job interview. 

Lesson number 1: just come alone. Please don't bring your baby along, cute as they may be! Unless your infant son or daughter is going to be working alongside you every day, try your hardest to leave them with another caring adult who can tend to them for the 45 minutes you're interviewing. It's not that the hiring manager won't find your little bundle of joy charming… but that is the only thing they're going to remember about you. "Remember that candidate who couldn't find a babysitter for their kid, even with all this advance notice, so they brought him to the interview?" they'll laugh amongst themselves. You won't know about that conversation, though, because sadly, you will not get that job. Conversely, don't bring your mom or dad along, either. This is a common pitfall for nervous youngsters who are interviewing for their first job. They get so anxious that they ask Mom or Dad to sit with them during the interview, and as you can imagine, the parents just end up answering the questions and talking over their child. Ridiculous! 

That's just lesson #1 — if you want to learn a bunch of other things to never do at job interviews, keep scrolling. 

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  • 01
    Man in suit points to paper with pen while looking at smiling blond woman in white suit in office setting
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02
    Ascarea I was filling a truck driver position for a construction company. Guy came in for an interview. He didn't have a drivers license.
    via u/Ascarea
  • 03
    Daedalus_0_ The worst one my wife's told me when she was interviewing someone for a sandwich place was three questions one after another that the interviewee couldn't have made themselves seem dodgier. Q. "If I get hired can I get an advance on my first months pay?"
    via u/Daedalus_0_
  • 04
    A. "No sorry, that's not something we're allowed to do" Q. "Ah ok... Will I be doing cash drops at night from the safe?" A " No, only supervisors have access to the safes" Q "Will I be working on the till?"
    via u/Daedalus_0_
  • 05
    The... Once interviewed someone over Skype video call. First they were 20 minutes late and we had to have our office manager call them to remind them they had an interview. When she finally called, she sounded like she just woke up and she was sitting in a
    via u/The_Count_Lives
  • 06
    dark room with the blinds closed. Didn't show us any of her work, could barely answer our questions. For all I know, we interviewed a vampire.
    via u/The_Count_Lives
  • 07
    jaugernatofa¶ Had a guy shit himself because he got sick morning of the interview and was giving it his all. Helped him with onsite gym to clean up had his wife come get him. Interviewed him a week later out of pity and he showed up and was hired on the spot. He got my job when I left the company a few years later.
    via u/jaugernatofa**
  • 08
    Gavtek Was interviewing to hire an accountant. This one guy, I don't know if it was just nerves or not, but my first question after telling him about the company/role was "so tell me about your experience and which aspects you think would help you in this role." He responded "it's all in my CV."
    via u/Gavtek
  • 09
    I tried to push him a bit by explaining I've read the CV but I want to hear his take on it so I can get a feel for his communication skills, how he thinks, etc. "I can't give you any more information than what's already there."
    via u/Gavtek
  • 10
    I tried a few more questions, all of which were responded by picking up his CV and reading from it. Awkward AF.
    via u/Gavtek
  • 11
    berandom1984 Had a guy spend a whole hour talking about how his last job was out to get him and the owner covered it up. And it was a large financial institution that he was a super high up in and now they have blacklisted him and he can't find work anywhere and he can't get out of bed and do his normal routine until he smokes himself out. And he was too
    via u/berandom1984
  • 12
    nervous for the interview so he had to smoke in order to drive to the interview to calm his nerves. He asked how we thought he did and I told him the Second step was a drug test, so not so well.
    via u/berandom1984
  • 13
    hacksawsa I was doing technical interviews. Candidate gets dropped off at my office by previous interviewer. I'm newish to the interviewing game, so my first question is kind of medium hard. He smiles nervously, "I don't know." Okay, that's cool, I'd rather that than BS. I ask the next
    via u/hacksawsa
  • 14
    question, a bit easier. Smile, "I don't know." Uhhhh, okay. I pull up a basic trouble ticket, explain the problem. "How would you go about fixing that?" "I don't know." I then ask him a question which he was nominally certified to know.
    via u/hacksawsa
  • 15
    "I don't know." At that point I was out of questions. I had planned for a 45 minute interview, but "I don't know" doesn't take a long time to say, and is hard to follow up on. Meanwhile my boss messages me, asking how the interview is going. I tell him "not well".
    via u/hacksawsa
  • 16
    He shows up at my door about twenty seconds later, pulls me out into hallway, and tells me that I confirmed the last interviewers experience. Then he took the candidate away, and sent him home. Perfectly nice person, but seemingly devoid of any knowledge of computers, as far as we could tell.
    via u/hacksawsa
  • 17
    stin... OI got this one B2B Sales Position when I was interim sales manager. Guy comes in with colored spiked hair, wearing ripped jeans with his Baby Mama and his crying baby...yes...but wait no its gets better. Guy arrives 30 minutes late as well! I was on the call with
    via u/sting2018
  • 18
    a customer so I was busy and wasn't that inclined to interview someone who was late and showed up dressing unprofessional. As the guy is waiting for me he tells the secretary he has to go cash a check and get his baby some milk... I finally come out and ask the secretary where he is, she informs me he left to go cash his check and buy his
    via u/sting2018
  • 19
    baby some milk...and I'm like "WOW" I go back into my office an hour and half later he comes back, I'm in a meeting with the GM he's told to wait. Keep in mind by this point • He's brought his baby with him to an interview
    via u/sting2018
  • 20
    • He's brought his girlfriend with him to the interview • He arrived 30 minutes late • He left to go buy his baby some milk & cash a check • He's now 2 hours later • He's unprofessionally dressed for a B2B sales job interview
    via u/sting2018
  • 21
    • He's unprofessional to our sectary as well in regrads to his comments and behavior But it gets better I come out and greet him and the first thing he says to me "My time is valuable, I don't like waiting for you" and I'm standing there in shock...and I go excuse me?
    via u/sting2018
  • 22
    He says "I'm here for the interview, and my time is valuable and your constantly too busy to talk to me...lets get this interview over with so I can start" and I'm like "Wow" So I smile and say "Well I got great news, the interview is over we won't be moving forward with your application"
    via u/sting2018
  • 23
    He protests, I ask "Did you even bring a resume?" He said "No" and I'm like "Alright our interview is over, good bye" I was amazed, my secretary said he stood there for like 5 minutes just staring into space wondering wtf just happened to him. When his girlfriend stood up and asked the sectary "Does that mean we aren't going
    via u/sting2018
  • 24
    hire him?" and the sectary said "I believe so" He left after that.
    via u/sting2018
  • 25
    fra... I was really surprised when interviewing how many people didn't show up. The worst though was a guy who did show up. Two hours late. Really expected me to interview him too. Edit, I tried to ask why he was so late. Maybe he had a good reason. Nope. He worked late the night before
    via u/frankers1998
  • 26
    babypuncher_ Guy comes in for an interview for an entry level software development position. He's fresh out of college, just like we were looking for. Apart from some alarmingly bad breath, the interview itself was going just a bit below average. He seemed a little slower than other applicants, but what really
    via u/babypuncher_
  • 27
    killed it happened about 30 minutes into the interview, when we were interrupted by the receptionist. Apparently someone had double parked their Subaru Outback in two very clearly labeled Motorcycle spots out in front of the building. These short, narrow spots are not at all long enough to hold a car, and he was literally blocking in someone's jeep. The owner
    via u/babypuncher_
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    of said jeep, was trying to get to the hospital for a family emergency of some kind, and everyone in the company had been running around looking for the owner of the Outback to get them to fucking move. Of course it was the dumb-as-bricks interviewee.
    via u/babypuncher_
  • 29
    my_name_is_gato I worked at a smaller law firm and was in charge of interviewing for staff. One gal said she hated lawyers. She was applying to work directly for lawyers.
    via u/my_name_is_gato
  • 30
    A poorly timed lawyer joke I could forgive and maybe appreciate, but if you are going to torpedo your chances that hard, I don't even know what to say other than good luck elsewhere.
    via u/my_name_is_gato
  • 31
    envkvd I was a recruiter a few years ago (never again). I was doing a pre-interview of sorts with a 45-50y/o woman at my office for a position with a client, and she had a gap in her resume a couple years prior. I asked about it thinking she was either unemployed at the time or that maybe she was omitting something, not at all expecting her to be
    via u/envkvd
  • 32
    honest if the latter were true. But no, she exceeded expectations. Told me she used to work at the company I was interviewing her for, and that she was escorted out by security for punching one of her coworkers. So she thought it'd look bad to leave that on there and preferred I'd leave it off upon submittal. I remember
    via u/envkvd
  • 33
    not knowing if I should laugh at her joke or end the interview but when she never "lol jkkkkk!"-ed me, I wrapped things up real quick. She called me a week later asking if there was any feedback and if the client would like to schedule a phone call.
    via u/envkvd
  • 34
    K_leuttece The applicant was rude and dismissive when I went to meet him in the lobby! I think he assumed I was the receptionist. He did not get the job. N.B. Being rude to the receptionist is also not okay.
    via u/K*****_leuttece
  • 35
    Ballard0233 Guy with no manufacturing experience wanted to be a Team Leader. He had only driven a fork lift for a number of years. He was loosely in charge of five guys. He had zero regard for safety, was working on a "management" degree at a local tech school, but the only thing he really learned from it was "aces in their places." He had no other
    via u/Ballard0233
  • 36
    experience to help him get the position. He was a nice enough guy, so we said he could work for us in the warehouse, but couldn't be a Team Leader without a lot more training.
    via u/Ballard0233
  • 37
    He declined, then applied for the Team Leader position two more times through temp agencies. We eventually told the temp agencies that we didn't even want him in the plant.
    via u/Ballard0233
  • 38
    [deleted] Interviewing for a technical contract role at a bank. The applicant had an IT degree and Masters in Finance, so looked pretty good on paper. Going through the interview he was okay, nothing fantastic, but honestly we weren't fussy, just needed a lot of seats. filled quickly and would get rid of the incapables once they were on the job.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 39
    At the end of the interview, did the usual, do you have any questions? He did, he wanted to know why banks charge interest on loans, and seemed genuinely shocked that it was a source of revenue, then he also wanted to discuss bank fees
    via u/[deleted]
  • 40
    and pulled out his personal bank statement. It seemed like he applied, and attended the interview rather then call or go to a branch for his banking questions.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 41
    Euchre It was my manager doing the interviewing, but a guy comes in who has clearly not showered, wearing a dirty T-shirt, a clashing pair of pajama/lounge pants, ratty sneakers, and no socks. You could smell him walking by. This was a store where our dress code was dress pants and shirt, black dress shoes, black socks.
    via u/Euchre
  • 42
    He went in the office, and was back out in 2 minutes. Manager told me he only asked him "Is this how you plan to appear if hired?" The guy reacted confused, and he told him "Never mind, thanks for coming in." On his way out, he asked if he had the job, to which the manager says "I'll let you know."
    via u/Euchre
  • 43
    His application and resume were in the shredder before his ride backed out of the parking spot.
    via u/Euchre
  • 44
    SapphireWych I'm the manager for an escape room. He made it past the sit-down interview stage mostly because we were desperate and we moved him onto the training portion. However, if you can't do training well, we don't keep you on because you usually work unsupervised (so it's essentially an extended technical interview period).
    via u/SapphireWych
  • 45
    Dude's training went horribly, when you told him he made a mistake he either looked confused and said he couldn't possibly have done it, or outright argued that he had done it correctly and that you were wrong. Sent him an email saying thank you, but he wasn't quite suited to the position and we wouldn't continue his training. He emailed back saying "thank you, but I am
    via u/SapphireWych
  • 46
    suited to the position and I know I'm a good employee so I'll see you for training tomorrow at the scheduled time," to which we responded in no uncertain terms that he was not welcome back on the premises ever. We kept the office closed the next day, don't know if he showed up or not, but we thankfully haven't heard from him since.
    via u/SapphireWych
  • 47
    Thunda792 I was doing an initial contact before an interview with a kid who was looking to volunteer at a nonprofit I'm involved with. He mentioned that he was 14, and I informed him that we aren't able to accept volunteer applications from anyone under 16. He said "okay" and left it at that. Until he started sending incredibly
    via u/Thunda792
  • 48
    inane questions, and seemed to have assumed he was accepted. For the last 3 months, he has been sending an average of three questions a week, despite repeated reminders that he's welcome to reapply when he turns 16. I suspect there's a screw loose somewhere.
    via u/Thunda792
  • 49
    [deleted] • When asked something like "Tell us of an example of great responsibility a manager gave to you, and how you handled it". The response was "They put me in charge of the cash register and even though I had to fight the temptation every day, I never stole anything from it".
    via u/[deleted]
  • 50
    Three wooden chairs with woman sitting in seat on the right, wearing white shirt and looking at paper she's holding
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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