7 Fashion Journal readers share how they messed up a job interview

“Why would you write ‘pubic relations’ instead of ‘public relations’?”

Job interviews are difficult at the best of times. While the combination of nerves and pressure to perform can sometimes create magic, it can also lead to a perfect professional storm. Stumbling over your words, leaning in for a hug when it’s clearly a handshake, accidentally calling your interviewer ‘Dad’… most of us have a job interview blunder stashed away in our internal vault of cringe.

Looking for a new 9 to 5? Head to our Careers page for new listings daily. 

Sometimes it’s nice to know you’re not alone. For lessons in what not to do, we asked Fashion Journal readers to anonymously share the time they messed up a job interview.

Clara*, 23, she/her

You need to know the company inside and out. Repeat back to them their values and their latest projects… you have to really love whatever it is or you can’t sell it. I once interviewed for a magazine and they asked me [which was] my favourite issue. I was stumped and it cost me the job.

Do your research, and then do some more. Live and breathe it. Know more than the interviewer. Scare them with your knowledge and enthusiasm. You got this… make sure the role you’re applying for really aligns with who you are.

Aisling*, 22, she/her

This is going to be so random, but I went to a job interview I was a bit out of my depth for. The interview was going well until I was asked “If you got the job, how would you get to work?”. I’m 22 and just graduated, so public transport is my best friend. I replied and said I know the public transport system like the back of my hand. I kept going on about how good the system is and how long I’ve lived in Melbourne for. He replied asking which train line runs through Windsor. I confidently replied “Frankston” and he said “No, it’s the Sandringham [line]”.

In the end I got the job, but the interview was cut short. I learnt overconfidence can backfire. Don’t go on about the public transport system… I obviously have a few trains to catch before the public transport system looks anything like the back of my hand. I still cringe in disgust every now and then and when I’m put in charge of directions, it’s always brought up.

Mischa*, 42, she/her

I was asked if my attention to detail was good. I said “Yes!”. Then they asked “Why would you write ‘pubic relations’ instead of ‘public relations’ then?”. This was way before Schitts Creek. It was the ’90s and I didn’t get the job. Now I always do a search on the word ‘pubic’ on all submissions of copy – life hack from a PR professional.

Sue*, 21, she/her

While caught up in the rat race that is business school, I managed to get through to the assessment centre round of a seven-stage process for an internship at a consulting firm. I was so shocked to receive the email, I very lightly dropped my pen on my laptop from a few centimetres above.

It somehow smashed my entire screen. Between broken AirPods and borrowing my mum’s seven-year-old MacBook, the mid-pandemic interview was filled with every technical difficulty under the sun. In a world where remote working was all we knew, you can imagine I did not impress.

Ivana*, she/her, 24

For my first-ever retail job (post being fired from the local Brumby’s), my mum was simply adamant that nothing in my wardrobe would be appropriate for the interview. She insisted I wear something of hers, and I rocked up to the interview looking like a middle-aged Amish woman with an affinity for baby pink chiffon. I was so consumed by insecurity, I forgot my name in the interview and ended up getting changed in the public bathroom. Safe to say I was an unsuccessful candidate.

Raffaela*, she/her, 30

I like to think there’s no such thing as messing up a job interview, only practical learning. My grand realisation came after a group interview. I was interviewing to be a Red Bull girl, so I guess you could consider it more of an audition? Unfortunately, I didn’t realise that at the time. The interviewer assigned us a task to work on as a group, and I took it way too seriously.

In retrospect, clearly they wanted to observe how we interacted with one another, how ‘bubbly’ we were and how well we would fit as a brand ambassador. But instead, my priority was being the best at the task to the detriment of everything else. I didn’t get the job and it didn’t take me long to work out why.

Sita*, she/her, 26

As a broke and party-orientated 18-year-old, I wanted my moment in the Melbourne hospitality spotlight. After a few unsuccessful attempts at getting a job at a bar, I started applying at restraunts. With no experience in the biz, I was suprised to get an interview at an upscale Italian spot.

I carelessly got plastered the night before (a Thursday ritual – Billboards was my favourite) and had to drag my hungover carcass to the 9am interview. My hair was ratty and I smelled like club floor, so I wasn’t off to a flying start. I then pulled out my CV. With it came an entire open bag of cigarette filters, which spilled all over the floor. I didn’t get the job.

*Names have been changed.

For tips on nailing your next job interview, head here.