Just when you thought it was safe to schedule another interview…
October is here, which means pumpkin spice, scary movies, and the return of one of our favorite Halloween traditions: Interview Horror Stories!
Back in 2024, we shared some of our recruiters’ wildest interview experiences. Two years later, we’re back with four more tales from the recruiting crypt. All true. All submitted by recruiters. And all just a little spooooooky!
1. The Case of the Imaginary Family
Years ago, a recruiter interviewed a woman for a Planner position. Everything seemed normal. She was personable, chatty, and even shared stories about preparing Passover dinner for her husband’s family.
She got the job, settled in, and proudly displayed a photo of her two children on her desk.
A few months later, a colleague overheard her talking about her husband and recognized who she was describing. There was just one tiny problem.
He wasn’t her husband.
The colleague knew because the man was her ex, and as far as she knew, he wasn’t married at all. As the truth unraveled, it turned out the employee had fabricated her marriage, her children, and her entire family life. She was ultimately fired.
We’ve heard of stretching the truth on a resume, but inventing an entire family? That’s a psychological thriller waiting to happen.
2. The Interview With an Unexpected Plus-One
A recruiter was conducting a video interview with a candidate in his mid-20s. Everything was going smoothly until the first question:
“Why are you interested in this role?”
Instead of answering, the candidate turned to someone off camera and asked them the question. A woman’s voice responded. Then a chair appeared. Then the woman herself!
She pulled up a seat beside him and proceeded to answer the interview questions. Even when the recruiter addressed the candidate directly, he continued turning to her for answers.
We’ve heard of practicing with a friend before an interview, but bringing your own personal spokesperson? That’s a new one.
3. The Candidate Who Wasn’t Quite Human
A recruiter logged into a video interview expecting to meet a candidate. The person on screen looked exactly like their LinkedIn photo, with one major issue.
It wasn’t a person. It was an AI bot.
The bot had apparently been programmed to answer questions as the candidate. Once the recruiter caught on, they announced they were ending the call. That’s when things got weird.
“No, please don’t go. This is the only job that I’ve ever been this excited about,” the bot pleaded.
The recruiter responded: “Maybe next time you actually show up for the interview if you are excited, so we can have a conversation.”
The bot continued begging until the recruiter finally disconnected. We’ve heard plenty about AI changing recruiting. We just didn’t expect it to start begging for second chances.
4. The Interview That Needed a Coffee Break
Our final tale begins with a perfectly ordinary candidate screening. Everything was going fine until the candidate suddenly stood up and announced: “I’ll be right back. I need to make a pot of coffee.” With that, he walked away.
No request to pause. No waiting until the interview was over. Just an apparently urgent need for caffeine. We’re all for a good cup of coffee, we just recommend brewing it AFTER your interview.
Recruiting Can Be A Spooky Space
If there’s one thing our recruiters have learned, it’s that you never quite know what to expect during an interview. Behind every resume is a real person, and getting to know them takes experience, good instincts, and occasionally the ability to keep a straight face.
At Pivotal Talent Search, we’ve seen just about everything. Somehow, we’re still getting surprised.
Happy Halloween from the Pivotal team! May your candy bowls stay full, your interviews stay human, and your candidates remember to make their coffee after the call.