I'm in the midst of trying to fill a few positions at work, which basically means I'm spending hours talking to strangers. That's a thing I try not to do when it's avoidable, but for whatever reason, I genuinely don't mind interviewing people.
It's probably because sometimes you end up with a GREAT story.
I haven't had any interviews go completely sideways lately, but there have DEFINITELY been some in the past.
The one that stands out the most happened probably 15 years ago. It was a completely different lifetime when I worked for a small non-profit owned by a guy who was probably 60 years old. I needed to hire a training specialist, so there was a steady stream of instructional designers and classroom trainers and such marching through. The one that stands out to this day, though, was the young woman who showed up with a small suitcase in tow. As she wheeled it up the ramp into the building, I prepared to ask her question after question to see if she was "the one."
She was employed at the time, at a company that is centered on training, no less, but she gave off some ... vibes. I don't know exactly what was off, but something was. While her credentials all lined up and she had the experience I needed, I was hesitant.
And, so, I asked for some samples of some training she had developed.
Hey! THAT was what was in the suitcase! She had samples of her work ready to share.
First she pulled out a most excellent course she had developed to help workers understand some proprietary software. It just so happened that was exactly what the open position entailed, so we were off to a good start. Her next example was something a bit more unconventional - some graphic design work she had done. It was all sorts of fine and dandy, and I liked the idea of someone having some graphic design experience for the role ... but.
BUT.
The graphic design work she had done was for a website. A website called "Black Foot Fetish." It was EXACTLY what it sounds like - visitors could pay to get access to photos of Black feet because they had a fetish for feet, apparently Black ones in particular. The woman had a whole portfolio built around the work she had done for mother truckin' "BlackFootFetish.com."
Did I mention that it was a panel-style interview? Because it was. I was seated next to the 60-something year old owner of the company as this 20-something year old instructional designer showed off her fancy Black Foot Fetish work.
Eventually the interview wrapped up and I headed back to the conference room to debrief with the owner. Obviously, the whole thing was a hard "NO" because, like, don't use that as your example. Randomize it somehow. Lie to me about what website the work was for. ANYTHING.
The owner of the company didn't know what a foot fetish was. THAT was what he wanted to debrief on - he legit asked me to explain what it was and I had to stand there and tell my boss about fetishes and dead. DEAD. It was the most awkward professional conversation I've had in my entire life.
But here's to hoping the round of hiring I'm doing now will lead to a gem or two like that. Life needs a little more spice these days. Just not THAT kind of spice. Ahem.