Worst interview experience you’ve had? Had a bad experience with American Express and withdrew my application after the interview. Nailed every question but the interviewers were complete assholes that I would not want to work with.

I once interviewed for an analyst position for an RIA. Got there and they wanted to do the interview outside because it was a nice day….I was in a full suit…in july….and it was an EIGHT HOUR INTERVIEW

I have a very English sounding name but my CV shows I was educated (privately) in east Asia. I was being interviewed by a senior gent who received my CV from the HR rep as he entered the room and he didn’t even glance at it as he sat down. He smiled encouragingly and warmly said he wanted me to talk him through it so he could get a feel for my communication style.
I did, from most recent to oldest and, half an hour later, finally reached some relevant work experience in my early 20s …in east Asia.
“How did you end up there?” He asked, surprised.
“I started there,” I smiled, “It’s where I was born and raised.”
“Oh,” he said, finally flipping my CV open to the back page and frowning at it, “Do you speak English?”

…honestly I was shocked into silence. When he looked up, I answered, “I think I have been demonstrating my proficiency in the last half hour.”
He didn’t like that, I think; never heard from him nor the recruiter after that.
Git.

Had an interview where the interviewer left me waiting for about 45 minutes and came in apologizing for being late because he was wrapping up a game of ping pong

Had an interview where the guy couldn't remember my name. Then couldn't pronounce it, then called me the name of another person who had come in to talk to him during my interview. That + some other signs just made it seem like a mess. They were happy with me at the end, but I declined the position when they offered. I don't like constantly flying at the seat of my pants and being forgotten before I even start.

Two interviewers (FA and Senior production manager) stepped away from the interview on multiple occasions to take client calls (after market hours) and told me everyone at the firm was a workaholic and to not expect to go home before 7-8 pm (mind you this was for a trading position East coast hours)

Went for 6 rounds of interviews with top management including the CEO with positive feedbacks and was told I am ‘in’ and was sent some relocation options etc and then I was told the CEO’s wife wanted to interview me that same day in the evening via zoom just to say hi and get to know me. She run the philanthropy part of the company. During the interview, She didn’t ask me work related questions and seems very uninterested and tired and then the next day I was told they decided not to hire me. 🙂. I wonder what happened there?

When I was out of school, my first job interview at a small financial service company. I get there on time for my interview, the customary 10 minutes early. I let the security professionals know I’m here for my interview. They let the company know and they relay me the information that someone will be down in a few to come get me. I wait around 45 minutes no one comes down. I ask again they say they are wrapping up a few things and will come down to bring me upstairs. I wait another 45 minutes at that point I am growing impatient and finally they told me the hiring manager was FIRED and there won’t be an interview. This is my first interview out of school. That should’ve been a red flag not to be in financial services.

McKinsey sent me to wrong office location for final round interview. I was out of state candidate and coordinator provided address for new location - I was interviewing on a Friday, everyone was moving to this new location the next week. Showed up, not a soul was there. Raced to other location, 15 min late for first 30 minute case and technology wasn’t set up. Second interviewer cancelled right before because she was sick. Partner took me to the cafe for a coffee because he didn’t want to put me through case interview after all of that…two weeks later had additional virtual case and then didn’t get the job. Was told passed all cases, but didn’t have enough implementation experience which I had been transparent about since the beginning!!

Scary you said AmEx. Interviewing there now. Mind diving deeper?

This thread is amazing.
Shows how screwed up the recruiting process is and with the right connections, it can be a cake walk for some. Most financial companies continue to tout their great “hiring process” nevertheless.

Credit Suisse: First round of interviews with the hiring manager and second in command.
The second-in-command took the interview from a park where he was playing with his daughter. Kept off the camera, audio kept going out.
The hiring manager didn’t come on time and then claimed that her camera wasn’t working, asked me to walk me through my resume, then didn’t ask a single question.
Feedback to recruiter- Was very hard to communicate with the candidate (even though I had, acc to me, pretty good responses to very few questions that they did ask)

Small Asset Manager: Was interviewing for a senior risk role. Interviewed with everyone but the CEO.
Was traveling internationally, the hiring manager sent a SOS email to call him back.
I reached my destination and called him back. He mentioned that I was their selected candidate and the only thing remaining is to speak with the CEO.
He also said HR is doing their formality of reaching out to couple other candidates and then it should all be wrapped up in next 2 weeks.
Radio silence for 2 weeks, feedback to my recruiter - one of hiring manager’s friends, much more senior to me, got let go so the hiring manager gave the job to him as a friendly favor 🤷🏻‍♂️

I interviewed with McKinsey in San Francisco in 1996 out of undergrad. In the final round interview with a partner, he asked me questions like:

“How would you describe your socio-economic background”

“Tell me about the people you hung out with in high school”

It was terribly uncomfortable and inappropriate. Then, at the lunch afterward with all the candidates, we were introducing ourselves and some kid from Berkeley upon hearing my school snarled “well THAT’S a balanced education” and I’d had enough.

So I said “Remind me what you study at Berkeley again? Economics? Not bad, but [my school]’s department is better. In fact, it’s better at what I study, too. Moreover, it’s better at *everything* it chooses to be excellent at. So enjoy your “balance”.

Of course I didn’t get the offer and I didn’t care. i was interviewed by a jerk and surrounded by jerks as possible coworkers.

Fast forward 7 years and I’m at HBS and a Summer Associate at McKinsey!

I worked on an interesting “study” with great colleagues and got an offer to come back full-time.

Part of that dance is the “sell weekend” where you go back to the office for a weekend of wining / dining.

One of the events they put on for us was a cooking school where we all worked on preparing a big meal under a chefs guidance.

So my girlfriend (now wife) and I are paired up with… NONE OTHER than the exact same partner who had needled me 7 years prior and his wife!

“Have we met before? You look familiar…” he asked.

“Nah. I just have a familiar face.”

I just figured life was too short. I didn’t take the offer either, and had never planned to. I was just logo collecting to increase my stature in recruiting with other companies. It worked beautifully.

Few of my own and surprisingly at top name companies:
Google: interviewer came 15 mins late and wound up the interview call in another 12-15 mins. It was a 45 min scheduled interview. I was interrupted twice by his kids walking in the room during those 15 mins and interviewer then turned off his camera obvious reasons. No points for guessing I failed. I had excellent feedback on all other rounds except this one.
Atlassian: 2nd round interview with 2 member panel and they ask me non relevant (to my profile) questions. Wound up quickly and when they opened up for questions, I upfront asked them that it seems I am not what they were expecting, so what is it they were hoping for…. Both the panel members started talking among themselves if they knew what the hiring manager wanted them to evaluate the candidates on. So these 2 decided to sit on an interview panel without even knowing what they were evaluating me for!!! Off course I did not get the job!

PayPal: Interviewer decided to interview me while he was driving and obviously distracted. Then top it all had Google maps ON & talking in the background! 🤷🏽‍♀️

Boutique investment bank in the South asked what my parents did for a living and if my father chose my major.

After they treated my like crap they asked if I would reconsider withdrawing. I told them no.

Fidelity: Had multiple zoom interviews, first one the hiring manager didn’t show up. Rescheduled, interview was going well and then the hiring manager starts vaping in the office. I legitimately thought I imagined it but then he continued to keep vaping. When they offered me the job, hiring manager didn’t show up AGAIN. Rescheduled, he apologized profusely. I declined the offer.

I recently had one where the interviewer never showed. It was on Zoom so I called them and the receptionist had no idea there was an interview that day. She took my info and promised to call me back. Never heard from them again.