tell me about your most embarrassing job interview!

[ohmeowzer RN, RN]

my friend who is a RN , went for a job interview . the person who was interviewing her asked her , now that you left your last job what would they be saying about you? she said " what do you mean?" the lady said to her well , would they be saying your mean , or rude or will they say your bad to work with and on and on. well she said she sat there stumped not knowing what to say. then said i always thought they liked me and the lady said " well what are they saying? she said i don't know and started crying. the poor girl had no idea what this lady wanted her to say. then the lady said " all i wanted to know what are your strengths and weaknesses? the girl said to her why didn't you just ask that? i felt so bad for her. i told her ya know what ,that was a stupid question. i have never been asked that in a interview have you? she said she doubts she will get the job . i said so what big deal. tell me about your embarrassing interview !! thank you !!

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

My worst job interview was when the interviewer asked me if I was married or had kids as it is always more difficult to accommodate the schedule needs of nurses with families.

[FORTHELOVEOF!!!!]

I had just quit smoking the day before and my head wasn't quite right, a little head in the clouds feeling and couldn't quite think out any good answers for the interviewers. Long story short, at the end of the interview they asked if I would come in for a on the job interview that they liked to do for those people who didn't interview well in the office. I didn't end up going and had a cigarette after I left.

[Nascar nurse, ASN, RN]

I was the interviewer, interviewing a RN. The lady was middle aged, very polite, professional and was very classy looking in her skirt. I offered to give her a tour of the facility mid interview. She stood up and her slip immediately fell all the way to the ground - pooling around her ankles. Quicker than a blink of an eye she grabbed her slip, threw it in her purse and said "Yea, me! My weight loss plan is working good" and was ready to go on with the tour. She never missed a beat and the entire thing didn't seem to fluster her at all.

What a way to prove you can handle pressure! I hired her that day.

[onthejourney]

I had a one-on-one interview for a CNA job while I was in nursing school. The interviewer asked me something along the lines of "Tell me about a difficult situation and how you managed to over come it". The only thing I could think of was how a few days earlier I had lost my keys somewhere but managed to break into my locked house by lifting up the back screen door off the track. I immediately blushed and said something "like oops sorry I know it was supposed to be nursing related but that's the first thing that popped into my head!" I didn't think I would get the job because of my stupid answer sounding criminal, but I did! I worked for them as vacation relief that summer!

[Glycerine82, LPN]

I had one interview for a non medical position where I stared at the wall for what felt like 5 minutes before answering the question. I was like drawing a total blank. My mind had nothing in it. I could feel myself turning red. I finally answered something and figured I would t hear back but I did!

"No day but today"

[Marston3s]

I nailed the first half of my interview, then they asked me, "What do you know about this position?" The question was so simple it was stupid but I choked, literally, I sweat through my clothes, and I couldn't talk (like in bad dreams). I almost passed out. I started saying really stupid things that I have blocked out of my memory because they are too embarrassing to remember. Needless to say I didn't get the job but I did eventually end up getting that position at a later time.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I was the interviewer, interviewing a RN. The lady was middle aged, very polite, professional and was very classy looking in her skirt. I offered to give her a tour of the facility mid interview. She stood up and her slip immediately fell all the way to the ground - pooling around her ankles. Quicker than a blink of an eye she grabbed her slip, threw it in her purse and said "Yea, me! My weight loss plan is working good" and was ready to go on with the tour. She never missed a beat and the entire thing didn't seem to fluster her at all.

The exact same thing happened to someone while I was interviewing them! The applicant was VERY flustered. I suggested she pick it up ... and I escorted her to the nearest bathroom so that she could put it on again (or not) in private.

She didn't get the job -- but the slip falling off incident was not the reason.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

I was interviewing for an IM and he was very stern and monopolized the interview for what seemed for-eva! He really was acting weird. I sat there, and looked at my hands resting on my portfolio on my lap and decided I'd say that I had to get to another appointment and just get up and leave if he didn't cut it out. Just then, I heard him say, "'cause you COULD KILL SOMEONE!!!!" with such theatrics and all, he even took off his glasses and leaned forward and scowled for effect.

Puh-Puh-lease, seriously?

I took one look at him and couldn't help but snicker and shake my head. I really was going to get up and leave. But then, he stopped and kind of looked stunned, then he set his glasses down on his desk, and rubbed his eyes and immediately calmed down. The rest of the interview was better, until... he asked for references and when I spoke of a doc I had worked for, and that I would text this doc to let him know if he was going to call (beyond the ref letter I provided) so that he would be sure to answer this important call, I got, "I DO NOT TEXT!!!!!!!!" I had to calm him by saying that this doc has instructed me to text him, and that I didn't mean for him to do the texting, UGH.

Needless to say I did not pursue that one.... hey, I'd need him to keep it together for a simple interview folks. Turns out I saw him post new ads every month or two. Yup.

[DoeRN]

I interviewed a nurse for a position once who had on false eyelashes. They were extremely long and I didn't think they were appropriate and neither was her attire. I guess she thought I was a male because of my nickname and she wore a very short skirt and a low cut blouse to the interview. She also had on a bunch of makeup and too much perfume. She looked surprised when I met her in the lobby. But anyway I was asking her the standard questions and her eyelash came off. She got up and ran out of my office, ran to the nurses station, and asked where the bathroom was. She returned and was flustered for the rest of the interview. But she wasn't hired because of other reasons.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

[Hygiene Queen]

I once interviewed at a clinic wherein I was I was given a tour of the department and introduced to a few of the doctors. That seemed like a pretty good sign to me until I was told to please come back tomorrow wearing no makeup! The interviewer told me that one of the docs thought I was too distracting.

I was very young (19 or 20 years old) and even though I was embarrassed by this, I did as I was told and returned with no makeup.

As I was sitting in the office, a nurse came by, looked at me with great pity, looked a the interviewer and said, "Why this? This poor girl looks dead!" I was in silent agreement with this nurse and started to feel a bit angry.

I was told to come back again with makeup!

Being the stubborn mule that I can be, I did indeed come back, but only because I wanted to work in the clinic and have nice hours. I suppose I also wanted to show them that I was agreeable and not easily flustered.

So, I came back and got the job... after several folks were invited to discuss my appearance. Honestly.

Now, I had to get my physical. I was sent to Internal Medicine (where I would be working) and I was given a physical by the doc who had found me "distracting". I have to tell you, he was a pervert and I told the interviewer this when I met with her shortly thereafter. Of course, she denied this, but even in retrospect, I still say that "physical" got weird at one point and I called the doctor on it, right there in the exam room.

Believe it or not, I worked there one month before I got sick of that doctor and I walked out. Literally.

Apparently, I can't even walk out of a job without it being complicated. I got to my car and had a flat tire and I could not work my jack. A nice gentleman happened by and changed it for me and I was outta there!

To top it off, I was telling a close friend my ordeal when she burst out laughing. She had happened to be at a nearby restaurant the day I walked out. There were some clinic staff there who were guffawing over the stupid little CNA who had tried to walk out, got a flat and was too dumb to even change her own tire. My friend could not stop laughing, "It was you! It was you!".

I promise you that I was dressed very professionally and had my hair and makeup very conservative when I did that interview. I can't explain it. It was very very strange, embarrassing and rather demoralizing... but I have a good sense of humor and laugh about it now.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I had a friend who interviewed for a job at an insurance company as a nurse and had an unexpected menstrual flood when she stood up to take the tour of the office. Helluva mess, but she made light of it, said it was a good thing she was going to be working with nurses, and kept cool. She got the job.