Friday OT #1 - Working for the Weekend

[Angie]

Thank you to @ruxCYtable for this question! I'm always so grateful for topic suggestions.

Job interview stories. Could be good, bad or indifferent. OR an unusual or funny conversation with a new employer.

I'm going to let him do his story. I can tell an unusual conversation with a new(-ish) employer, though.

We have several managers in our department. I work with mine a lot, and just occasionally with the others - some more than others. I was at my desk doing something but listening to rap on my headphones at the same time (I think it was Pandora at the time, so it was up on my second monitor visible). One of the managers with whom I had rarely worked and only seldomly interacted came up behind me to ask me a question.

Him: "Angie, how does this... what are you listening to there?"
Me: "Oh... um, J. Cole. He's a rapper."
Him: "You don't... seem like you'd be a rap fan?"
Me: "Yeah, always have been!"
Him: "Can you bust off some lyrics for me right now?"
Me: "I can... but better not. I'd like to not get fired."

It was a unique conversation, for certain! What are yours?

 

[CYCLNST8]

Thank you to @ruxCYtable for this question! I'm always so grateful for topic suggestions.

Job interview stories. Could be good, bad or indifferent. OR an unusual or funny conversation with a new employer.

I'm going to let him do his story. I can tell an unusual conversation with a new(-ish) employer, though.

We have several managers in our department. I work with mine a lot, and just occasionally with the others - some more than others. I was at my desk doing something but listening to rap on my headphones at the same time (I think it was Pandora at the time, so it was up on my second monitor visible). One of the managers with whom I had rarely worked and only seldomly interacted came up behind me to ask me a question.

Him: "Angie, how does this... what are you listening to there?"
Me: "Oh... um, J. Cole. He's a rapper."
Him: "You don't... seem like you'd be a rap fan?"
Me: "Yeah, always have been!"
Him: "Can you bust off some lyrics for me right now?"
Me: "I can... but better not. I'd like to not get fired."

It was a unique conversation, for certain! What are yours?

I wrote down a question on a piece of paper for one of our older employees to ask one of our younger employees who was a hip hop fan: "Anne, are you down with O.P.P?"

After laughing hysterically for a few seconds, "Yeah, Jim. You know me!"

One of the highlights of my career.

 

[ScottyP]

I wrote down a question on a piece of paper for one of our older employees to ask one of our younger employees who was a hip hop fan: "Anne, are you down with O.P.P?"

After laughing hysterically for a few seconds, "Yeah, Jim. You know me!"

One of the highlights of my career.

Now I have that song playing in my head. Thanks.

 

[jbclone10]

This one just happened yesterday. I work within a group of 15 people (all over the US). One guy just reached 40 years with the company. The rest of us got on a call to decide what we should give him as a congrats... Gifts are decided and the discussion of payment comes up. Manager says she'll collect all the money and buy the gifts. Here's where the wtf moment comes out. Payment options are discussed. Two teammates, who are older, state, "I won't use Venmo or Paypal. I'll mail you a check."

The two other younger teammates and myself start a separate slack chat and joke about who should ask what a check is.

 

[Farnsworth]

I love job interviews, they are the best! Right out of school I was terrified like most, but over the past 10 years or so I enjoy them greatly. As the interviewee, HATE being the interviewer. When everything in my world is contract work now I probably interview 10 times a year.

My style is to basically take over the interview and direct it where I want to go, as I know some of their questions will trap me. Bring up weaknesses first and position the conversation how I want it. My interviews always run long with a lot of laughing and side talk.

I'm trying to think of some of the better stories but let me think as I'm on a conference call right now .

One of the more interesting experiences I've had is that the fire alarm went off twice during an interview (once on each side of the aisle). Both turned out great as you're forced to just talk freely with one another for an extended period of time.

 

[JM4CY]

Interview story: I don't know how to accurately or delicately describe this so bear with me. Walked into an interview room guided by a guy from management, the first "big boy" job out of college. Guy had one of the largest.... uhm... fupa's you have ever seen. It was pronounced and awkward looking that you couldn't notice it. The interview goes really well and was encouraging. End of the interview, the Fupa guy stands up to walk me back out and the front of his pants are all dark and look wet. But not in the direct crotch area, which was dry-looking, but all around the outskirts of his crotch. He was drinking coffee or anything so he didn't spill anything and I was with this guy for two solid hours. So then of course I start thinking "what in the ****....." I took another look because I was so confused (one of those can't look away from a car crash kind of things). And the wetness on this dude's crotch was outlining some sort of huge maxi pad because he must have this kind of issue on the regular. I have plenty of sensitivity to unique health issues as I have some but it took me a while to get over the fact that a guy was literally sitting across from me while he was pissing himself and asking me about what my strengths and weaknesses are.

 

[isucyfan]

An interviewer once asked me how I had fun at work, I guess looking to hear about how I enjoyed team potlucks or happy hours or something. I regaled her with a story about how I pulled off an epic prank on a coworker, convincing them that a different very pregnant coworker was going into labor (we even simulated her water breaking).

I got the job because of this answer, went on to manage a department there, and the interviewer is now one of my best friends.

 

[Angie]

I wrote down a question on a piece of paper for one of our older employees to ask one of our younger employees who was a hip hop fan: "Anne, are you down with O.P.P?"

After laughing hysterically for a few seconds, "Yeah, Jim. You know me!"

One of the highlights of my career.

I love it! I had a really young colleague, just out of college, on another team who came up to my desk just to chat. I had on some Beats, and the conversation turned to them:

Him: "Those are Beats?'
Me: "Yes, my kids and husband surprised me with them for Christmas."
Him: "That's nice! Dre makes them, right?"
Me: "Yes, he started the company!:
Him (clearly really wanting to show his knowledge): "Didn't he just sell to Apple for a ton of money!"
Me: "He did - and you know what, good for him."
Him: "...Why good?"
Me: "Because he's been making rap tunes ever since honeys was wearing Sassoons."

He just smiled confusedly and went back to his desk.

 

[CYCLNST8]

I love it! I had a really young colleague, just out of college, on another team who came up to my desk just to chat. I had on some Beats, and the conversation turned to them:

Him: "Those are Beats?'
Me: "Yes, my kids and husband surprised me with them for Christmas."
Him: "That's nice! Dre makes them, right?"
Me: "Yes, he started the company!:
Him (clearly really wanting to show his knowledge): "Didn't he just sell to Apple for a ton of money!"
Me: "He did - and you know what, good for him."
Him: "...Why good?"
Me: "Because he's been making rap tunes ever since honeys was wearing Sassoons."

He just smiled confusedly and went back to his desk.

Poser.

 

[Angie]

Pfft. Poser.

Act like they forgot about Dre.

Nothing comes out when they move their lips, just a bunch of gibberish!

Thank you for making my day.

 

[JM4CY]

Nothing comes out when they move their lips, just a bunch of gibberish!

Thank you for making my day.

Thank you. I might need to now bump that old daily earworm thread now. I don't see this song leaving my head.

 

[Angie]

Thank you. I might need to now bump that old daily earworm thread now. I don't see this song leaving my head.

I usually have to listen to a song twice through entirely to get it out of my head!

 

[CYCLNST8]

Nothing comes out when they move their lips, just a bunch of gibberish!

Thank you for making my day.

I've had to train a few of my employees on the correct response to:

"Warm it up, Angie."

 

[Angie]

I've had to train a few of my employees on the correct response to:

"Warm it up, Angie."

We try to teach our kids this! It's the only time it's okay to scream, "I'M ABOUT TO!"

We also tell them they all gonna make us lose our minds far too often. We tried listening to the edited version w/them last week, and it was unfulfilling.

 

[CYCLNST8]

We try to teach our kids this! It's the only time it's okay to scream, "I'M ABOUT TO!"

We also tell them they all gonna make us lose our minds far too often. We tried listening to the edited version w/them last week, and it was unfulfilling.

They would sometimes struggle with part 2 after I'd repeat.

"Oh- oh- I know this! Um... That's what I was born to do??"

 

[ISUcyclones11]

When I was nearly done with college I interviewed with a lady who told me about how she left the company to start a directly competing business then came back after it failed. Thought that was odd.

 

[Angie]

They would sometimes struggle with part 2 after I'd repeat.

"Oh- oh- I know this! Um... I'm about to??"

No, no, no. You have to say it with authority! As if you were born to do it!

 

[madguy30]

Attempted to serve in a restaurant that was very corporate and really required servers that knew their foods/upsell strategies.

Since I had never served and didn't have the other two skills, I was really bad.

After a 3rd training session, both back house and front house manager sat me down to basically fire me.

When one asked me how I thought I was doing, my response: 'Awful'.

It turned out they had a bussing/barback position open which fit me much better anyway, so they talked to me about it and I was just like 'I'll just do that'.

After a while I probably could have served as I got to know the processes but since it still required me to talk nicely to the public I never even inquired.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

In college, I worked for a recruiting company and I would drive to Marshalltown to conduct preliminary interviews for entry level jobs. One time, a guy came in, smelling of booze and clearly drunk, tried to sit down, and completely whiffed on the chair. He wasn't even close, probably a good two feet away. It was like he was sitting in an imaginary chair.

He never tried to brace himself or catch his fall. He just plopped down on his ass, fell over backward with his boots pointing towards the ceiling. I asked him if he was ok, but he just sat there on the floor staring at the wall for a solid five count. Then he slowly stumbled to his feet and walked out of the door, never saying a word.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

Last year, I was interviewing a really clean cut professional looking mid 20s guy and 10 minutes in, I hear this really loud "The b*tch is calling. The b*tch is calling."

He forgot to silence his phone and he apparently had a colorful ringtone for his wife.

I sat there stone-faced for as long as I could before finally cracking up.