Every now and then, we hear some funny stories related to the hiring process. We think you will agree that these tales are well worth sharing. If you think you've heard it all, read on.
I interviewed a gentleman for a television field technician position. His background did not reflect any type of experience in electronics or televisions. I asked him whether he had ever taken the back off of a TV and actually seen the inside.
His response was this, "Are you kidding? It's dangerous back there!" Needless to say, he did not get the position.
I once asked a candidate whether there was anything he did not like to do, expecting an answer related to the computer programming position for which he was applying. After much debate, he answered, "I don't like to clean my bathtub."
Upon assisting in viewing some applications for warehouse assistants on a previous job, I came across an interesting response. Under the ethnic race section, the applicant checked the "other" box and had written in Human. A very unique answer indeed. That individual was hired for the position.
I was hiring for a collector position and received a resume with the following as the candidate's Goals and Objectives:
"I want to be successful as everyone does, but I want to kick it up a knotch (his misspell) and be VERY successful and become #1 in everything when it comes to professional, family, and personal way of life."
You want to be VERY successful? Why didn't you tell me before? What a novel goal in life. Does Emeril know you are using his phrase? Thanks for your time -- next!
When a prospective employee tested positive for his drug screen, we called him to inform him that he was not eligible for hire. His response was, "I smoked pot three weeks ago at a party and didn't think it would show, but now it should be OK. Can I take it again?"
Several years ago, my place of business was located at 140 West 51st St. in New York City. A job applicant set up an appointment for an interview but canceled the day before because he was not feeling well. Fair enough. We rescheduled the appointment for 10:30 a.m. a few days later. On the scheduled day, he called around 10 a.m. to say he was stuck in traffic and would be a little late. Again, fair enough.
At about 10:45, he called to say he would be even later, because he went by mistake to 1240 West 51st St. instead of 140 West 51st St.
I could not resist asking him, "How's the water today?" He seemed puzzled, until I explained that there is no such address as 1240 West 51st St., because the last address before the Hudson River is in the 1100s. He then confessed that he simply had overslept. He was admittedly a very creative fellow and perhaps was a good swimmer, but given the lack of honesty, we went on to the next applicant.
We had a gentleman come in one day and fill out an application for employment. When he reached the part of the application asking, "Have you ever committed a crime? If yes, please explain," he responded with the following answer: "Yes -- a Mr. Meanor." Needless to say, it was the highlight of our day.
As an HR manager, I was reviewing an application for a construction worker. Under "Ever convicted of a felony?" the applicant wrote "Breaking and entering." Under "Any other special skills?" Applicant wrote "Good with hand tools." No kidding.
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