It was Workers’ Day on Monday in Nigeria, and in celebration of that, this week’s Creative Gist question is, what is your weirdest interview experience?
Have you seen the movie ‘The Intern’? 70-year-old Ben Whittaker, played by Robert Deniro, was picked by her boss Jules Ostin (Anna Hathaway), over a younger person, not because of his competence but because of his age. Of course, Ben’s character grows to become more important to Jules’ life, but the point is people get picked for jobs for the weirdest reasons sometimes.
The creatives we have today share some weird interview experiences- some of which might leave you rolling on the floor with laughter. You might find at least one interview experience relatable. So, let’s dive right into them.
I was too good for the role, so I wasn’t hired. In 2020, I applied for a front desk role, But they were like, I was too good to be in that position. He asked me if I wanted to be PA to the boss himself, and that was like twice the standard pay. I accepted, only to discover that I was actually too good for the role and left three months after.
My weirdest interview experience was in a particular job interview where the HR tried so hard to intimidate me because I applied for the job even when my course of study didn’t tally with the job description. He really did a great job of persuading me and making me feel intimidated. But I stood my ground and didn’t waver. Anyways, I ended up getting the job.
The weirdest experience I’ve had so far was when I had a poet over on my visual podcast, and this guy started saying romantic lines. Generally, I can be a really shy person, and he started saying things like “I see the stars in your eyes” and all those poetic lines. I was very uncomfortable because I was getting this vibe that the guy liked me and was trying to hit on me on air! Like, on my show, that was so weird!
I applied for a job as a media relations associate at a PR firm. I was asked to create a content calendar for some entrepreneurs during the interview process. I drafted the content calendar and was told they'll get back to me soon. On getting back to me, I was asked to prepare another content calendar for a different set of entrepreneurs. I found it bizarre and asked why I was asked to draft a content calendar again. The lady said, to ensure they knew I was the right fit. I laughed so hard. I didn't draw another calendar because I found out they were using my ideas to do their work. I felt really stupid, they called again and offered to pay me 50k, lmaooo I asked 50k for what?! And that was the end of my story with them.
My weirdest interview experiences were interviews where I had to pretend like I didn’t have friends or know someone in the panel interviewing me. It was a funny yet quite weird experience.
Conclusion
The creative industry is booming and increasingly competitive. And so, anything can happen, including some of the interview experiences above. Everyone wants a great pay, work environment, and a career boost, but these rewards start with the interview process.
However, these interview experiences are not enough to generalise the norm in the creative community. So we would like to know, what is your weirdest interview experience as a creative? Please share with us below.
PS. If you would like to contribute as a respondent in the future episodes of the Creative Gist, send us an email to [email protected] or reach us via WhatsApp +2348088809311
