What are the 10 worst things people have ever said or done in an interview?

Maria Brown, MENA Associate Director from Reed Abu Dhabi in UAE has over 10 years' recruitment experience and shares here some of her experiences over the years…

• When interviewing for a sales job, one candidate said: "I have never gotten a job by being honest".
• One interviewer’s question was “Which famous person (dead or alive) do you aspire to be like?". The candidate replied “Hitler”. Needless to say, he was rejected for the role.
• Worried he would forget some of his interview preparation, one candidate had written interview notes on the knees of his trousers so he could read them while sitting down.
• One young lady had a cold on the day of her interview, but keen to secure the job she went regardless. When she met the manager she sneezed, wiped her nose on her hand and then shook the client’s hand….. Not the best start…..
• When asked “Why should you get the job?” the candidate said "Because I'm really good looking and people like me".
• A candidate went for an interview for an Office Manager job and half-way through told the interviewer she did not want an office job…?!?!?
• When asked “Do you have any questions?”, one interviewee answered: "How many paid sick days do I get?"
• One client interviewed someone who was so nervous that he was visibly sweating and suffered from uncontrollable flatulence during the interview. The interview lasted less than five minutes and the candidate could not leave the building quick enough.
• To calm his nerves, one candidate went to have a drink or two before an interview. He showed up for the interview and promptly threw up on the interviewer’s desk. Needless to say he did not get the job.
• During an interview, one candidate was asked “Why have you never managed to hold on to a job longer than 6 months?”. His response was "I have a real issue with authorities and cannot stand anybody telling me what to do".

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