With so many tips out there on how to have a great interview, it may be surprising that people mess up in big ways. We here at Prime Financial Recruiting have heard a lot of horror stories. Here are some of the worst:

• During an interview, references were requested. The candidate provided names and phone numbers. When asked how they knew each other, the candidate responded, “Well, the first one is my parole officer. The second is my buddy, but he’s still in jail, so you may not reach him. The third is my drug dealer.”

• Someone showed up to the interview in their pajamas and apologized for oversleeping.

• On the drive to work, a recruiter was cut off. The driver of the offending vehicle swore, honked the horn, and flipped the middle finger. That driver turned out to be coming for an interview. He took one look, recognized the recruiter, and promptly walked out.

• One candidate provided three references. Each one was a different name, but they all had the same phone number: that of the candidate. When called, he put on ridiculously fake accents, sometimes slipping out of character or forgetting which person he was supposed to be.

• One candidate brought their mother to the interview without prior warning and insisted she sit in. After the interview, the candidate asked if her mother could be interviewed as well. She did not speak English.

• One candidate expressed nothing but hatred toward the company he was interviewing for, their employees, and the products.

• A candidate answered the phone, quite obviously high. He asked not to be called again unless we would pay him in weed or tacos and hung up.

• Someone once gave the perfect interview -- had he been at the competition. Apparently, he forgot who he was interviewing with and had prepared for the wrong interview.

• One man entered wearing a full suit, hat, cane, fur coat, and a tremendous amount of jewelry. He announced that he was dressing for the job he wanted, not what he was interviewing for. He furthered stated he was willing to “pimp slap” anyone to prove his point.

• Someone once stood outside the office, swearing and arguing with both a coworker and a client. He entered the office perfectly professional and later denied anything had happened.

With stories like these, is it any wonder why we have blog posts dedicated to interview tips, both for the phone and in person? 

Who are we? Prime Financial Recruiting recruits for the secured-lending industry including factoring, asset-based lending, and purchase order finance.