Rudeness, slander, racism… A job interview can be the setting for situations that are as surprising as they are disturbing. Thomas, Sarah and Aleksandra* tell us about some occasions when recruiters stepped over the line.

Somewhere between a sketch and the surreal – Thomas’s absurd interview

20 years ago, I was looking for a company to do my graduation internship in computer engineering. Out of all the job interviews I had, there is one that I will never forget.

On the day of my interview for a position in a digital services company, I arrived 10 minutes early. The person who was supposed to meet me got annoyed and told me: “People who arrive early are a pain.” Obviously, this made me uncomfortable right from the start. 5 minutes later, she came back and told me that she had to deal with an emergency, she had to pay a visit to a client and asked me to wait for her. I was very young and inexperienced, so I waited for half an hour.

When she got back, the interview began. She was telling me about the company and the job when all of a sudden she stopped and said: "Aren’t you going to take notes?” I explained that I was very attentive and had a good memory. She looked down her nose at me and said: “Really, so how many people work at this company?” “What's my name?” “How do you spell my first name?” I felt like it was all a bad joke. Fortunately, this job was not my first choice, so even if my application was not successful, I didn’t care. I started to play her at her own "game" by answering her questions correctly.

But the surprises didn’t end there. When she saw that I gave as good as I got, she announced in a derogatory tone that I would be paid the bare minimum and that it was a good thing too. She had no shame or scruples in considering trainees to be her little minions who deserved no salary at all. By the time the interview came to an end, I didn’t think it was still possible for her to shock me, but shock me she did! At that time, my hair was quite long and I used to straighten it. Standing on the threshold to her office, she turned to me and said: “By the way, that surfer haircut isn’t going to work for me, so you’ll have to do something about it.” Fortunately I can laugh about it now.

A helping of sexism and racism – Aleksandra’s interview

I am originally from Poland. I arrived in France at the age of 18 to study law. After graduating with a master’s degree in social law, I was invited to a recruitment interview to work as a lawyer in an employers’ organisation. When the big day arrived, I entered the room to I find myself facing 4 men, including the Chairman. I don’t need to tell you that for a young woman with no professional experience, this was intimidating.

When I introduced myself, the President interrupted me: “You’re 27 years old and married. How many babies and how much maternity leave are you planning to take?” I was taken aback. He asked me this question without any show of embarrassment, quite the contrary. The maddening thing was that the man was a lawyer who is familiar with and supposed to uphold the law. 

I kept looking and went to another interview at a firm of accountants, once again for a position as a lawyer. The interview with the manager was going well until the moment when, after 45 minutes of conversation, she said to me: “I see you’re from a foreign country, so how do get by in French?” I was speechless. She had read my CV and cover letter, and we had been speaking in French for over half an hour. What more did she want? She knew perfectly well that my French was perfect, so her comment was completely illogical. At the time, I did not understand. Now that I am 42 years old and have the benefit of hindsight, I realise that it was simply racist.

I also remember asking her what time we started work. She looked up at me and replied: “I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask that”. I gave up being a lawyer 7 years ago now, and I know why: the shoemaker’s children always go barefoot.

I had a traumatic experience – Sarah’s terrifying interview

I was looking for a part-time job in assistantship alongside my studies. I was contacted for an interview. I was very anxious as it was my first encounter with the working world. On the day of the interview, the CEO, a charismatic man in his fifties, welcomed me. I walked into a huge office, just me and him. He invited me to sit on the sofa and offered me a coffee.

We chatted about my studies, my ambitions and the reasons I had applied. Up to that point, it was a very traditional conversation. And then, at one point, he ordered me to close my eyes. I didn’t understand, so I asked him why. He insisted, so I did. Then I felt something and I opened my eyes. He had taken off his trousers and I was face to face with his private parts. For a few seconds, although it felt like forever, I was frozen to the spot. Then I got up and ran out from the office.

Until this day, I never told anyone about this experience. I was young, and I came from a family of immigrants for whom it is important to make a good impression. I felt ashamed. Ashamed that I found myself in that situation. It was the most traumatic experience of my career.

*Names have been changed to protect the authors