Top 10 Funniest & Bizarre Job Interviews Experiences in Kenya. Is This You?

By Jane Gakaria,

Terrible interviews? We’ve all had them and if you haven’t, expect to have one. Whether you’re the interviewee or interviewer, we’ve all had one where the interview went downhill straight from the beginning or was smooth sailing until you got to the dreaded end. You know, we’re always told to prepare thoroughly, but it’s not like someone can prepare for an interview backfiring?

That said, I spoke to several HR Managers on their worst interview experiences and here’s what they had to say.

“Well, I haven’t heard any controversial experiences but I can say that two incidents do come to mind. One, there was a gentleman who’d come in for an interview and could barely understand English or Kiswahili, which got me wandering how he even applied for the job in the first place since the application form which was in English. So I was forced to cut the interview short as language became a barrier. The second incident is when a young lady who was a fresh graduate came for an interview dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. When questioned why, her response was that she had never been to an interview before and so didn’t know what to wear. (Mercy Muturi, HR Officer, Alternate Doors)

A lot of attitude is what I get most especially from fresh graduate girls. Some come with this attitude of ‘I’m a hot commodity’ and act as if they are doing me the favour by being there. Oh, and let’s not forget about the eye rolling too. Others also come dressed inappropriately in t-shirts while others wear things that expose too much cleavage. I don’t like jumping into conclusions, so I first ask them why they are dressed the way they are and advise them on the way forward. I even had one ask me “Now what do expect me to wear yet I don’t have any suits and my closet is full of jeans?” Magdalene Mburu, HR Manager Crown Plaza.

Only two experiences stand out. One was when I was interviewing a young lady for a pharmaceutical position. She was so nervous that she could barely speak and when she did she wasn’t audible. Her hands would constantly shake and her nose kept on sweating. It later turned out that she was an introvert and didn’t know how to interact with people well. I eventually had to cut the interview short and told her to go prepare herself properly and figure out a way to control her nerves.

The second incident is when I was interviewing an older man, who looked to be in his forties, for a senior position. Halfway through the interview he received a phone call, answered it (while still in the interview room) and I had to wait for him to finish so that we could continue. To make it worse, it wasn’t an emergency (judging from his response) and seemed to be a casual phone call with a friend. You know, just because I as the interviewer may be younger than you doesn’t mean you should take me less seriously or disrespect me. I did eventually finish interviewing him but long before the interview was over I had already crossed him off the shortlisted list. Martin Githaiga, HR Officer with Corporate Staffing Services.

Two interviewees stand out. One a gentleman who was applying for an Assistant Sales Manager position. He was so cocky and arrogant and even when he sat down on the chair in the interview room he sat like it was his personal couch; he just slouched back and crossed his legs. He had this ‘air of entitlement and privilege’ to him and acted like he automatically knew he was the obvious option for the job. And when it came to negotiating the actually salary he kept on arguing that he deserved so much more. At one point I became so incensed by him that I left him in the board room (where the interview was being conducted) and never went back.

The other was a young lady who was applying for a sales position. She was so negative and constantly kept on looking down at the hiring company. She was so picky and even had the view that working for the potential employer would be a setback for her. She had this bad attitude of ‘can you imagine me working for such a company? Earning such a salary? Hell no I’m too great for them! Which makes you wonder why she even applied for the job in the first place if she felt it was beneath her.. Beth Wanjira, Recruitment Manager At Corporate Staffing Services.

In conclusion, potential employees should learn to take interviews seriously. Don’t be like the examples stated above, instead learn from them. And if you have to be remembered by a HR Manager let it be because of something good rather than bad.

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