Diji Aderogba, a Nigerian Film Director, based in London, asked on Twitter, “How did you know you weren’t going to get the job during your job interview?” and people shared some hilarious, raw, and messed up experiences of how not to fail a job interview. Read on to learn some job interview mistakes you probably didn’t realize could cost you the role.
Every interview experience is different because our personalities, career paths, and life experiences are not the same, so interview answers will also differ for each person. However, sometimes a job interview can steer far from what you expected just because something you did or said didn't resonate with the recruiters. Diji's tweet did more than enough to highlight that, as you will see below.
~ How did you know you weren’t going to get the job during your job interview?
— Diji (@directordiji) October 29, 2022
Share your story 😂
Source: Twitter
If you go into a job interview expecting a particular set of questions, you might end up blindsided.
@halimahthebird: I had prepared for interview questions based on media/telecommunications, and when I got there, they told me to write copy on how I’d sell a course to a doctor. I just knew that was the end.
@OlamideEribunmi: One of the interviewers asked if I took the time to check the company’s vision, mission, and goals. I just smiled and said, “Truth be told, I didn’t check.” Omoh!!! Immediately after the interview, I just continued applying for other jobs.
@daramatoye: When I gave them my expected salary, and they looked shocked.
From the above tweet, your answer to the salary expectation question can solicit shock if the employer’s expectations are lower. You already knew that, but you probably didn’t know that asking smart questions might not get you hired, as per this next tweet from Ngozi.
@The_Ngozi: When I asked them, “You’ve asked me why I should be hired for the role. I’d like to know why I should work with you. What’s your employee value proposition?” Then they said that was the end of the interview.
As per these two tweets, being too honest might also not get you hired.
@Chinonyerem: A long time ago, when I applied for a Marketing/Customer Service role, I told them I’m very impatient with people
@femiri_annie: Just after NYSC, I was desperately job hunting, and I was killing the interview when they said I was really well-spoken and they would rather have me in their marketing team, I replied, “God forbid.” There was an awkward silence for about a minute then, “we'll get back to you.”
@AuditorSUN: After owning the interview, the MD asked me how I would manage my relationship with the board of directors and the Managing Director. I told him I report to the board, but I will try to manage the MD well, but where he refuses to be managed, I will report my findings to the board.
From AuditorSUN’s story, some tough interview questions are designed to make you fail a job interview, so tactful answers are required.
No matter how tough it gets, do not lie on the CV or in the job interview; you might have to swim through the murky waters like Deji and Jeff below.
@dejiview: The interviewer asked about my experience with a Pivot Table. Me thinking it was a physical table, I started listing lies. I talked about how I had used it in my previous job for manual labour. After the interview was over, I looked up Pivot Table on google. It is a tool on Microsoft Excel.
@jeffreyvictor14: One of the core competencies I wrote on my CV that I was "Ingenuity." I’d copied it from elsewhere without understanding the meaning. It was for a teaching job in a nursery school, oh. The interviewer asked for the meaning of ingenuity. I said it meant fake. Oga started to laugh. I just told him to give me my CV.
More tricky interview questions - when they comment or ask about your appearance, it’s best to keep your cool. Remember, your interviewers are also human.
@blackandfly: (Only interview I ever went for) after answering all his questions, interacting, and laughing, one of them said; "One last thing, your facial hair, is it something personal or religious? Can you cut your beard if we asked you to?" (I had just shaved a little bit the night before)
@stevolalaski: One of the interviewers said, "this one is dressed better than us. Are you not coming for our jobs like this?" I just lock up no stress again. The man was even serious.
Here are some tweets to remind you that interviews can also have dramatic moments when the unexpected happens.
@codemon: I left the call without warning after the 5th annoying question.
@tolusaba: What’s your funniest interview moment? Two years ago, I was at the final stage in a series of interviews, and just as I opened my laptop bag to demo a product, a couple of condoms fell right out.
Hopefully, some of these funny interview stories made you laugh as you learned how not to fail a job interview. We are always rooting for you to soar higher in your career.