Bad Interview Moments Forum

[El Pollito]

just remember, people are too busy to dwell on stuff like that

[ghostoftraynor]

How bad a faux pas to say "dude" in an interview with an associate? Just kind of slipped out while I was bemoaning a hobby.

should be nbd if it was an otherwise fine interview

Yeah I caught it and apologized. Still feels like a blemish on an otherwise very good series of 4 interviews.

I had similar moments during the interview process and let them worry me. So I totally get it, but that kind of thing almost certainly doesn't matter. If they gave you a call back, they think you are qualified. The interviewers are mostly just trying to gauge whether (a) they'd want to work with you and (b) you are actually interested in the firm/practice group.

*Not really a big deal, but for future interviews I wouldn't apologize for saying "dude" or anything like that. Everyone is different, but most likely the person on the other side didn't even think twice about it. I completely understand how stressful the process can be, but I'd try to power through your internal discomfort.

[EzraFitz]

How bad a faux pas to say "dude" in an interview with an associate? Just kind of slipped out while I was bemoaning a hobby.

should be nbd if it was an otherwise fine interview

Yeah I caught it and apologized. Still feels like a blemish on an otherwise very good series of 4 interviews.

I had similar moments during the interview process and let them worry me. So I totally get it, but that kind of thing almost certainly doesn't matter. If they gave you a call back, they think you are qualified. The interviewers are mostly just trying to gauge whether (a) they'd want to work with you and (b) you are actually interested in the firm/practice group.

*Not really a big deal, but for future interviews I wouldn't apologize for saying "dude" or anything like that. Everyone is different, but most likely the person on the other side didn't even think twice about it. I completely understand how stressful the process can be, but I'd try to power through your internal discomfort.

I would agree with this. In our office we actively call each other dude. My head wouldn't have even turned until you apologized. A lot of seeming chill and normal in an interview (imo) is not overanalyzing yourself as you go. You (likely) don't do this in normal life, so it'll come off stiff in an interview.

[Anonymous User]

I have a few for you guys.

1. OCI with a NYC firm. Interviewer shows up about 5 minutes late. Interview starts off well but quickly slows down. She quickly asks if I have questions for her. I run through all the usual questions but she's only giving me a few words per answer. At one point I forget what I was going to ask and pause for about ten seconds. Once I remember what I was going to say and start speaking again, she interrupts me and says that it looks like we were out of time. I didn't hear a knock but since the clock was behind me, I figured I must have missed that. As I turn around to leave, I see the clock and our time wasn't up. She was just tired of me I guess.

2. Interview for an internship. Guy calls me up at around 11 and asks me to come in a few hours later. Like an idiot, I agree. I had just gotten to drunk brunch so had to cancel that pretty quickly. I get there, turns out his office is next to the office of a company I used to work for that had let me go under not great circumstances. The office is half deserted and he's the only one there. Through the interview, he keeps making references to my internship with a district court judge. I have done no such thing but the judge I did intern for has a niche area so I thought maybe he figured it was a federal judge and was just misspeaking when he said district judge. Nope. He had somebody else's resume in front of him. I figured that out when he asked how it was to attend a different school. I hand him a copy of my resume and the interview continues. Somehow we still have not spoken about the actual job. Right when we talk about what it entails, he meanders into speaking about the "pro-bono" work he does representing men in divorce cases. He then rambles for at least 10 minutes on how men are so poorly treated and how badly women and family lawyers manipulate the system. Did I mention he's talked about his kids but isn't wearing a wedding ring? I wonder where his feelings come from. Turns out one of the duties he would want me to do is manipulate google search results so his firm comes up at the top when people enter certain search terms. Yeah, it's that kind of law. He tried to frame it as being a kind of public interest law. This leads to him shitting on NYU for a while for some reason I didn't catch, related to how they do a lot of PI work. Eventually the interview ends and I get up to leave. He asks me what other firms I'm looking at and uses the opportunity to bash family lawyers once again. I leave and as I pass by the office of my previous employer, I see one of the people who fired me. It's awkward. It's even more awkward when he gets in the elevator with me. I was supposed to hear back from him today at 2 by the latest but haven't heard back from him. He said to email him but then added that since that's what cost Hillary the election, maybe I should call him instead. I haven't done that.

[cavalier1138]

He said to email him but then added that since that's what cost Hillary the election, maybe I should call him instead.

This kind of shit is what makes this thread worth it.

[PeanutsNJam]

Lol what kinda weirdo asks people which country they'd nuke in an interview. That's a weird thing to ask anybody you just met, in any context, except maybe if drunk/high/combination.

You all ok with: "Marry, Fuck, Kill: Trump, Paul Ryan, Bannon?"

Personal offense is one thing, but that's just a weird as fuck thing to say in an interview.

[Minnietron]

How bad a faux pas to say "dude" in an interview with an associate? Just kind of slipped out while I was bemoaning a hobby.

should be nbd if it was an otherwise fine interview

Yeah I caught it and apologized. Still feels like a blemish on an otherwise very good series of 4 interviews.

I had similar moments during the interview process and let them worry me. So I totally get it, but that kind of thing almost certainly doesn't matter. If they gave you a call back, they think you are qualified. The interviewers are mostly just trying to gauge whether (a) they'd want to work with you and (b) you are actually interested in the firm/practice group.

*Not really a big deal, but for future interviews I wouldn't apologize for saying "dude" or anything like that. Everyone is different, but most likely the person on the other side didn't even think twice about it. I completely understand how stressful the process can be, but I'd try to power through your internal discomfort.

I would agree with this. In our office we actively call each other dude. My head wouldn't have even turned until you apologized. A lot of seeming chill and normal in an interview (imo) is not overanalyzing yourself as you go. You (likely) don't do this in normal life, so it'll come off stiff in an interview.

Next time, apologize and use the correct vernacular: "bro." Dude is close, but if you really want to nail that interview story, bro or nothing.

[Bach-City]

.

[theconsigliere]

Lol what kinda weirdo asks people which country they'd nuke in an interview. That's a weird thing to ask anybody you just met, in any context, except maybe if drunk/high/combination.

You all ok with: "Marry, Fuck, Kill: Trump, Paul Ryan, Bannon?"

Personal offense is one thing, but that's just a weird as fuck thing to say in an interview.

Obviously Paul Ryan is the best looking so marry him. And I bet Bannon is a quick one so I'd fuck him. And I'd love President Mike Pence, so kill Trump.

Super easy

"Wrong."

Gold dig Trump

[ghostoftraynor]

Lol what kinda weirdo asks people which country they'd nuke in an interview. That's a weird thing to ask anybody you just met, in any context, except maybe if drunk/high/combination.

You all ok with: "Marry, Fuck, Kill: Drumpf, Paul Ryan, Bannon?"

Personal offense is one thing, but that's just a weird as fuck thing to say in an interview.

Absolutely weird and dumb. I don't think anyone here has disagreed with that.

[barkschool]

Honestly, I just want to hear how your interview went and how badly you handled it

Not how u feel

[Anonymous User]

Right when we talk about what it entails, he meanders into speaking about the "pro-bono" work he does representing men in divorce cases. He then rambles for at least 10 minutes on how men are so poorly treated and how badly women and family lawyers manipulate the system. Did I mention he's talked about his kids but isn't wearing a wedding ring? I wonder where his feelings come from. Turns out one of the duties he would want me to do is manipulate google search results so his firm comes up at the top when people enter certain search terms. Yeah, it's that kind of law. He tried to frame it as being a kind of public interest law. This leads to him shitting on NYU for a while for some reason I didn't catch, related to how they do a lot of PI work. Eventually the interview ends and I get up to leave. He asks me what other firms I'm looking at and uses the opportunity to bash family lawyers once again. I leave and as I pass by the office of my previous employer, I see one of the people who fired me. It's awkward. It's even more awkward when he gets in the elevator with me. I was supposed to hear back from him today at 2 by the latest but haven't heard back from him. He said to email him but then added that since that's what cost Hillary the election, maybe I should call him instead. I haven't done that.

Lmao I know exactly who this is, because I had an almost identical interview experience. Against my better judgment, still took the job. He was terribly afraid of email trails and essentially just wanted interns for SEO. You definitely dodged a bullet here.

[gaddockteeg]

How bad a faux pas to say "dude" in an interview with an associate? Just kind of slipped out while I was bemoaning a hobby.

arguably not as bad as saying "sheeeeeee-it" when asked if you enjoy hiking

Just kind of felt unprofessional at the time.

I think it depends on the interviewer. I once slipped by telling a mid level associate interivewer it was "hellllllllla dope" that he went to a college near mine and he laughed it totally changed the mood of the interview. I got an offer that I ultiamtely did not accept but my connection with that associate still sticks out to me.

[Anonymous User]

Right when we talk about what it entails, he meanders into speaking about the "pro-bono" work he does representing men in divorce cases. He then rambles for at least 10 minutes on how men are so poorly treated and how badly women and family lawyers manipulate the system. Did I mention he's talked about his kids but isn't wearing a wedding ring? I wonder where his feelings come from. Turns out one of the duties he would want me to do is manipulate google search results so his firm comes up at the top when people enter certain search terms. Yeah, it's that kind of law. He tried to frame it as being a kind of public interest law. This leads to him shitting on NYU for a while for some reason I didn't catch, related to how they do a lot of PI work. Eventually the interview ends and I get up to leave. He asks me what other firms I'm looking at and uses the opportunity to bash family lawyers once again. I leave and as I pass by the office of my previous employer, I see one of the people who fired me. It's awkward. It's even more awkward when he gets in the elevator with me. I was supposed to hear back from him today at 2 by the latest but haven't heard back from him. He said to email him but then added that since that's what cost Hillary the election, maybe I should call him instead. I haven't done that.

Lmao I know exactly who this is, because I had an almost identical interview experience. Against my better judgment, still took the job. He was terribly afraid of email trails and essentially just wanted interns for SEO. You definitely dodged a bullet here.

What's SEO?

I wanted to ask him questions about his divorce work because he was entertaining when he was venting about it but I had things to do and I was tired.

[Anonymous User]

I joked to a stiff NY interviewer (when he asked me how I was) that things were going well except that I'd be missing pre-orders of the SNES classic. He went on a rant about how his kid is wasting away his life playing video games and how much he hates them. Not knowing what to say, I went for one more failed attempt at humor and said, "still better than watching the Fake News, right?" and then laughed at my own joke.

Someone had to laugh, and it clearly wouldn't be him.

[Anonymous User]

Had a two-on-one screener with a firm with a great reputation. They had clearly decided to take on the roles of "good cop" and "weird cop". Weird cop, in addition to just being awkward, decided that the best time to eat breakfast would be during my interview.

[Nagster5]

What's SEO

Surprisingly enough, if you put SEO into google it's the first result.

[Anonymous User]

I joked to a stiff NY interviewer (when he asked me how I was) that things were going well except that I'd be missing pre-orders of the SNES classic. He went on a rant about how his kid is wasting away his life playing video games and how much he hates them. Not knowing what to say, I went for one more failed attempt at humor and said, "still better than watching the Fake News, right?" and then laughed at my own joke.

Someone had to laugh, and it clearly wouldn't be him.

That really sucks, but I feel like video games and politics (even really mild jokes like fake news) are just total no-gos in interviews. I love playing games, but haven't mentioned it a single time on my resume or otherwise. I just have the impression that it runs the risk of being really off putting for older people (as partners tend to be) who don't fully understand it as a hobby. In the same vein, I just assume all my interviewers are stuff Trump supporters, even when they give off all impressions otherwise. Too risky.

[Anonymous User]

I joked to a stiff NY interviewer (when he asked me how I was) that things were going well except that I'd be missing pre-orders of the SNES classic. He went on a rant about how his kid is wasting away his life playing video games and how much he hates them. Not knowing what to say, I went for one more failed attempt at humor and said, "still better than watching the Fake News, right?" and then laughed at my own joke.

Someone had to laugh, and it clearly wouldn't be him.

That really sucks, but I feel like video games and politics (even really mild jokes like fake news) are just total no-gos in interviews. I love playing games, but haven't mentioned it a single time on my resume or otherwise. I just have the impression that it runs the risk of being really off putting for older people (as partners tend to be) who don't fully understand it as a hobby. In the same vein, I just assume all my interviewers are stuff Trump supporters, even when they give off all impressions otherwise. Too risky.

I feel like once you have a couple of offers, it's more worth it to take a risk to try to find a right fit. I've spoken about my weird hobbies and risky opinions in some interviews, and it's made me like the people who chatted with me about it more. If someone is set off that easily during an interview, imagine when shit hits the fan at 3am on a Friday.

[PeanutsNJam]

What's SEO

Surprisingly enough, if you put SEO into google it's the first result.

My whole first page is "Search Engine Optimization", which isn't what that guy was referring to.

[grand inquisitor]

What's SEO

Surprisingly enough, if you put SEO into google it's the first result.

My whole first page is "Search Engine Optimization", which isn't what that guy was referring to.

it is, in fact, what he was referring to. also, i appreciate the humor in your post, nagster.

[Mullens]

What's SEO

Surprisingly enough, if you put SEO into google it's the first result.

My whole first page is "Search Engine Optimization", which isn't what that guy was referring to.

Except this time it was. The post talks about how the interviewer wanted to "manipulate google search results so his firm comes up at the top," which is literally the definition of Search Engine Optimization.

[PeanutsNJam]

My bad I didn't read close enough. Just seems odd for a person to hire law student interns to do web design/content creation for websites.

[kykiske]

I once inadvertently said "I completely agree. That shit drives me nuts as well." The word just slipped out of my mouth. I thought I would get auto-dinged.

Then, the ENTIRE room started to chuckle, and one of the interviewing partners said, "Good, now we know you're a normal person."

Offer came in three days.

[valign]

What's SEO

Surprisingly enough, if you put SEO into google it's the first result.

My whole first page is "Search Engine Optimization", which isn't what that guy was referring to.

That's exactly what they were referring to.