A student walked into the interview room and immediately felt an intimidating atmosphere. The interviewers were very serious - looking and didn't give any reassuring smiles. Then, during the interview, they were constantly interrupted while trying to answer questions. This made the student lose their train of thought multiple times and they felt like they couldn't get their full ideas across. It was a very disheartening experience for them as they thought they could have done much better if they had been given a chance to fully express themselves.
Nervousness is a big one. Many students get so nervous that they can't perform at their best. For example, they might forget important facts or concepts they've studied for years. Another common element is unexpected questions. These can range from really strange hypothetical situations to questions that seem to come out of left field and are not directly related to the student's area of study. And then there's the pressure of the interview environment itself. The formality and the knowledge that a lot is at stake can make students feel extremely stressed.
In an interview once, the room was freezing cold. The employer didn't seem to notice or care. I was shivering while trying to answer their questions. And on top of that, they were asking really personal questions that had nothing to do with the job, like about my family's financial situation. It was a very uncomfortable experience.
I heard of a case interview where the technical equipment failed. The candidate was all set to present a complex data analysis case, but the projector didn't work and there was no backup plan. The candidate had to struggle to explain the graphs and data just verbally, which was a nightmare as it was hard to convey the full picture without the visual aids. It made the candidate seem less prepared than they actually were.
A student had prepared extensively for the wrong topic. They thought the interview would focus on a particular area of their subject based on some misinformation. So when the interviewers started asking questions on a different area, the student had no clue how to answer. They tried to bluff their way through but the interviewers quickly saw through it, and it was a really embarrassing and horrible experience for the student.
I had an interview where the waiting area was freezing cold and there was no one to greet me for over an hour past my appointment time. When the interview finally started, the interviewer seemed completely disinterested, just looking at their phone half the time and giving one - word answers to my well - thought - out responses.
Sure. One of my worst interview horror stories was when I arrived at the interview location on time, but the interviewer made me wait for two hours without any apology or explanation. By the time the interview started, I was already frustrated and it affected my performance.
One horror interview story I heard was about a candidate who entered a very dimly lit interview room. The interviewers were sitting in the shadows and barely spoke. They just stared at the candidate in silence for minutes, which made the candidate extremely uncomfortable. It was like they were trying to intimidate him on purpose.
One horror story is when a teacher was asked really inappropriate questions during an interview. The interviewer started asking about the teacher's personal relationships instead of focusing on teaching skills. It made the teacher feel extremely uncomfortable and violated.
Well, I knew someone who went for an interview at a very posh company. They made her wait for two hours before the interview started. Then, during the interview, the panel of interviewers were all very cold and seemed uninterested in what she was saying. They hardly asked any follow - up questions and she left feeling really demoralized.
Well, there was a case where a job applicant thought the interview was a casual event. So, he showed up in flip - flops and a tank top. The interviewers were shocked as it was for a corporate job. Also, a friend of mine had an interview where the interviewer kept interrupting her and not really listening to what she had to say. It made her feel so unimportant and she didn't get the job.