15+ Hiring managers who had unforgettable interviews with job candidates: 'A girl stopped me mid-question to ask my star sign'

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Dec 8, 2025 11:00 AM EST

We all know that it's hard to get a job right now, and these hiring managers are sharing the exact reasons why they rejected certain candidates. 

Nailing a job interview is very difficult, even if you spend hours practicing and know all the right things to say. Sometimes you're super confident going into the interview, but when you don't know the answer to an important question, it makes you self-conscious for the rest of the questions. Some of the best advice I've seen is to try and view the whole thing as a conversation instead of an interrogation. Sure, there are lots of questions being thrown at you, but you can also ask questions of the interviewer to assess the company culture and make sure it's the right fit for you. 

Now, as these hiring managers will tell you, there are some candidates who get immediately flagged as a "no." For example, if you're dressed in a very inappropriate manner, like wearing a shirt with a swear word on it to the interview, there's just no chance you're getting through to round #2. If you whine about how you hate waking up early, or complain about your chosen career path, that'll make the interviewer crumple your resume and toss it in the trash. And those are just some mild examples! Keep reading and have a laugh at all of the ways that job seekers are failing their interviews in hilariously shortsighted ways.  

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  • 01

    'Hiring managers, what's the most strange or cringeworthy thing a potential candidate has said or done during the interview?'

    Man in navy suit and patterned tie with laptop in front of him smiles at man in blue shirt sitting across the table from him
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • 02
    Panwall He had "fighting skills" listed. We move boxes. Dude was bigger than Gregor Clegane and offered his "services" anytime even if we didn't hire him.
    via u/Panwall
  • 03
    Battlescarred98 Me: "Tell me about your strengths and areas for improvement" Her: "pretty good" Me: ".....and your areas for improvement?" Her: "not really".
    via u/Battlescarred98
  • 04
    babwawawa My first management job in IT, it was around 2001 or so. Hiring a general Windows/Solaris sysadmin. One guy comes in with a HUUUGE backpack. Do the interview, he's clearly on the spectrum, but I like him OK.
    via u/babwawawa
  • 05
    Pretty smart, functional. As he's leaving, I casually ask, "What's in your bag?" He then explains that it's mostly O'Reilly books that he brings to all his interviews so he can prove people wrong if he needs to.
    via u/babwawawa
  • 06
    maddomesticscie... The guy showed up to his interview wearing pigtails, chunky club kid shoes, a kilt, striped tights, and a shirt that said "f " on it in big block letters. I passed him on to my boss to interview.
    via u/maddomesticscientist
  • 07
    Snorkleboy13 I had a sales candidate tell me, "I don't get out of bed for less than $200K USD per year." I let him stay in bed.
    via u/Snorkleboy13
  • 08
    Woman in blazer and red shirt smiles and rests hands on keyboard, in background two men work in the same office space
    via TheStandingDesk on Unsplash+

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

  • 09
    borninalandslide When asked about experience with source control software, the guy we interviewed said "I've actually written a song about it", and before we could stop him he started singing it.
    via u/borninalandslide
  • 10
    karateexplosion Asked a candidate about previous job experience, working for a company that made and sold prosthetic limbs. "Oh, I was so passionate about it! I just loved it so much that I wanted to run out in the street and cut people's arms and legs off just so they could experience our product!"
    via u/karateexplosion
  • 11
    [deleted] I introduced myself to the candidate, "Hello, I am John Smith." She responded "No, you're not. You're Tom Brown."
    via u/[deleted]
  • 12
    I spent the next few minutes trying to convince her I was John Smith. I finally took my driver's license out and proved who I was. Did not hire.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 13
    mrcchapman When asked about strengths and weaknesses, the candidate replied "I crave KFC and often get myself a bargain bucket." I just didn't know what to say next, let alone whether they considered it a strength or a weakness.
    via u/mrcchapman
  • 14
    Shall-Not-Pass "What is a skill you wish you possessed?" "I've never been that great at Karaoke."
    via u/Shall-Not-Pass
  • 15
    [deleted] Before I had even asked the guy to sit down he said, "Yes, this seems like a nice place to work. When do I start?" I like confidence in a potential employee but there's no need to be cocky.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 16
    long_wa J_big_... Legitimately had someone put 'Medieval Reenactments' under qualifications....for an IT role.
    via u/long_w***_big_b***s
  • 17
    dainty_flower Me: can you tell me about the gap in 2010-12? Them: I took time out to work on myself Me: Ok, so can you tell me why you left you last position? Them: I was asked to leave, and I have to disclose this, I embezzled from them.
    via u/dainty_flower
  • 18
    Me: So, did you work on yourself in prison between 2010-2012? Them: I don't think that's important. Now I google people every single time before I interview them :)
    via u/dainty_flower
  • 19
    clark6050 I only witnessed this because I'm not a hiring manager, but this dude tried to take his mom in an interview with him. Obviously the guy said "i would like to interview the applicant one on one please" and this bitch threw a fit and stormed out with her son.
    via u/clark6050
  • 20
    ni... Explaining why he left his last job: 'Because I had to get up at the ass crack of dawn.' Edit: I agree with him, totally valid reason, probably could have worded it better. I thought it was hilarious, personally. Didn't get hired. because there were other people more qualified.
    via u/niccig
  • 21
    B 4Blastoise I interview at least 5 potential caregivers a week to work with seniors that have dementia. We don't ask the typical job interview questions, we ask them a series of common scenarios they will encounter and see how they react/respond. One of the questions is "what would you do if you walk into a client's room and
    via u/B**r4Blastoise
  • 22
    they start screaming at you to get out?" The correct answer is some variation of leave for a few minutes and come back with a big smile on your face and usually they will be happy to see you. One caregiver said she would bear hug the client into submission be she doesn't tolerate any
    via u/B**r4Blastoise
  • 23
    disrespect. When I tried telling her that's the opposite of what you should do she replied "no, I would stick with the bear hug."
    via u/B**r4Blastoise

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jobs hiring manager job candidate hiring workplace job interview job application
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