The WORST interview experience ever

I worked a full time job while I was going to school full-time.
Graduated in three years with a BA and a BS too - so trust me, two
nights per week may be stressful but it can get worse (try six)!

While in college my job was in retail, so that meant most days I was
working 6 days a week, and ALWAYS the weekends! Our HR person would
auto reject anyone that put they weren't available on Saturday - so as
others have put, be thankful they were even willing to work with you.


You really don't have to have the entire day off when you have
classes. Go to class in your work clothes, and go to work. As others
have mentioned, we've all done it.

And of course the fact that your writing a letter to the Company
complaining about the interview is so insane its surreal.

Let me get this straight...you applied for a job at one of the most
popular retail clothing stores in the country and expected to have
partial weekends off? Nice try.

Truthfully, if you put on your app that you would not be able/willing
to work on Saturdays, then I'm suprised you were called in for an
interview at all.

Like many others here, I worked part-time/full-time the entire time I
was in school, including during my student teaching. (Which felt like
having a part-time job and a full-time job at the same time, in
addition to classes.)

Most of my managers were great about working around my schedule, but
only if I was willing to meet them halfway, which included days when I
came to work still dressed in my 'teacher' clothes and would write
lesson plans while on break.

I do wonder, however, why anyone would expect interviews to be
enjoyable. It's an interview, not a party. Frankly, as long as they
didn't throw stuff, consider it a good interview.

(True story. During the interview for my first 'college job', two
employees got into a fight and when the store manager tried to
intervene, they started throwing anything they could get their hands
on. As it was in the kitchen of a fast food joint, this included
frozen hamburger patties, fries, various condiments like ketchup,
mustard and mayo, as well as fixins like tomatoes, onions and
lettuce.The employees were fired on the spot, but had to clean the
kitchen before they were allowed to leave.)

It seems pretty clear that this job wouldn't work out for you, since
you're unable to work the hours they need. That is most likely why the
interview was so short - I'm sure her decision was made then and there
and she saw no need to waste your time or hers.

As for your complaints about the woman herself, I don't know why you
objected to her small talk. That's generally done to relax the
candidate and help make the interview easier for you. I'm sorry you
were offended by her comment about California, but I doubt she said it
to be mean. And as for picking up the wrong paperwork on her way to
greet you, well, was that such a horrendous error? I'm certain she
apologized when you corrected her.

Have you been on many job interviews before? I don't think I've ever
had one that started on time.

I would like to tell you to try waiting tables. I've found a lot of
restaurants are flexible with the hours you can work. Many of them
even ask for your availablility on the application, and build your
schedule around the hours YOU can work. The last place I worked and
the current job I'm at let me build a schedule around my family's busy
schedule. As an added bonus, a lot of chains, like TGI Friday's, offer
tuition reimbursement programs. Plus, you can make $20/hr. easy on a
busy night.

JCPenney's just didn't have a need for someone with your schedule. If
you didn't like the interview experience, let it go. I think if I had
a bad feeling after an interview, I wouldn't even take the job if it
was offered to me.

Obviously if you got so upset over a simple interview, then working
retail really isn't for you. Trust me, it's a tough job and if you are
a full time student like me, it's even harder. I can understand why
the interviewer would be reluctant to take on an employee who is
unable to work Saturdays. It's an important, high sales day in
retail.

If you go to a university or a junior college, maybe you should try
and look on campus for a student friendly job. Usually those jobs are
decent paying and your employers work around your class schedule.

Best of luck.

Tacky? Maybe you didn't notice but she's human. I take it you've never
made a mistake in your life.

And the woman was trying to work with you. I'd say the company did
themselves a favor by not hiring you.

That was your worst interview ever? Thank your lucky stars and take
the advice of the previous posters to heart. Oh, and hang on because
at some point you'll get the interviewer who believes in the "stress
interview" and talk about unenjoyable. From your letter, it appears
that the interviewer didn't discriminate against you on the basis of
race, religion, gender or ethnicity. Californian doesn't count as an
ethnicity as far as I know. She made a mistake about your name,
which, in the grand scheme of things isn't really that bad. She was
asking you about what hours you could work--evidently you weren't a
match for the company. Comments about California--get over it. I'm
from Montana. You think I catch s*#t when I leave the state??? Buck
up.

Wait until you are faced with the truly illegal and immoral. Try
being called a bohunk (where the slur means something) or being asked
how you, as a girl, would handle clients or being asked what church
you go to or how many babies you're going to have or any number of
inappropriate questions that make you want to reach over and rip the
interviewer's heart out...but you can't because there aren't many
jobs, unemployment is so high and, dear god, you really need health
insurance and so you're willing to put up with anything and you smile
weakly and field the question to the best of your ability. Exhale.

All I can say is that if this letter truly reflects your expectations
when interviewing for jobs, I think you're going to have a rough go of
it down the road. Interviews are work on both sides of the table and
they aren't meant to be a tea party. It's business.

Maybe another reason you did not get the job was because you had
attitude about the interview being late, and about her saying the
wrong name. They don't want their other employees complaining that
Andrea here shows an attitude whenever something goes wrong or
whenever she does not get her way.

Let me tell you as someone who has been on both sides of the interview
process - that wasn't a bad interview. It only seemed bad because it
didn't go your way.

Let's take this step by step.

She called the wrong name. It happens. She doesn't know you from Adam
and she is interviewing a slew of people. She has an armful of
paperwork and just had the wrong one. It was a mistake. We all make
them. Jsut laugh it off and don't let it shake you.

secondly. The interview started the minute she came and called you in,
which means from the second she saw you she was sizing you up.
Everything from how you reacted to that name incident and the
question regarding California - those were all part of the actual
interview. She was trying to get a glimpse of who you are. Sure the
question may not have been the best, but again, find a way to turn it
around.

The actual office part of the interview is never really that long - 5
minutes is MORE than enough time to get a read on someone. Your body
language, whether you are actively listening, asking pertinent
questions yourself THOSE are the important things.

Your availability put her in a tough place. I'm sorry but if you can't
work the high volume days when you are most needed, then of course
they will look for someone else who CAN work those shifts.

I worked full time while I was in school full time. It IS possible. I
have students who work for me now. I can accomodate a lot of
schedules, but you have to have flexibility and you seemed to be firm
in your stance that you weren't going to work on a school day. Sorry,
but that doesn't cut it.

You will need to learn to be more flexible with your schedule because
if you are unable to commit to weekends - specifically high volume
days like Saturdays, then you are going to find it tough getting a
job.

ok with the wrong paperwork.. simple mistake... with the "small
talk".. bad question to ask/say.. with the availability.. shes just
telling you like it is.. they make XXX amount that day.. shes trying
to get people that she needs to work.. i Dont see how thats bad.. I
take 3 classes.. and am available for at least a few hours every day
of the week. If they dont want to schedule me.. thats their choice.
this lady has probably interviewed so many people.. she just cuts to
the chase and doesn't waste time. I honestly don't see how this was a
"bad interview".. But i'm probably wrong.

I work in retail. Yesterday I had probably eight customers treat me
with a total lack of respect, at least two of whom were actively rude.
One man flat-out accused me of lying to him when I said we were out of
the item he wanted. With the exception of maybe two regulars, no one
knew or cared what my name was. In the course of my career working
with the public, I have been assaulted verbally and physically, and
have called the police to get rid of belligerent customers more times
than I can count. I have been called names I wouldn't want my mom to
think I know.

I have had bosses that scheduled me 36 hours during finals week, that
scheduled me too few hours to pay for the gas to get to work, and that
made my job twice as hard as it needed to be through their
incompetence. One of them was unable to remember my last name until
the day I finally quit. To be fair, I have had some great bosses that
genuinely cared about my well-being too.

Through all that, I have smiled, nodded, and dutifully done my best to
help my customers, because that is the job at hand. Anyone that
thinks retail is for sissies should think again. Dealing with
customers requires thick skin and the ability to stay on point no
matter what. If you are thrown off your game by something as
insignificant as being called by the wrong name, working in
retail would make you miserable. Count yourself lucky and move on.
Good luck.

at some point. But especially newbies.....welcome to retail, you work
when they need you to work.

Hmmm. It sounds to me that you didn't make yourself available when
they would have needed you to work and that, therefore, you are the
reason the interview went downhill.

Personally, I don't think PFB is the place for such a complaint - you
interviewed and you didn't get the job. That isn't what this forum is
for.

As far as the small talk and the *GASP* calling of the wrong name, it
doesn't appear that the interviewer was saying anything egregiously
rude - seems to me that she was merely trying to lighten the mood.
You, on the other hand, are hypersensitive, it would seem.

And as someone else posted, here's a bit of constructive criticism for
you - you need to make yourself available to employers. I, too,
worked all through college. I fail to see why it should be such an
issue to work on days you also have classes.

It's called real life.

You've GOT to be kidding!

Let's see, you had to wait ten minutes for the interviewer. How
horrible.

She called by the wrong name. BIG DEAL. She probably had twenty
resumes sitting on her desk that morning. It was an honest mistake.
Are you really that sensitive? Trust me, if you are...you dont' want
to work in retail anyway.


And what's the deal about not working on days you have classes? I
worked all through college and grad school and waitressed mornings
before taking the train into the city for my evening classes. This is
the REAL WORLD kid. Wake up and smell the coffee. The world doesn't
revolve around your class schedule.

She even tried to work with your schedule, offering you a shorter day?
That's RARE.

You're a whiny brat. Sorry. This letter was stupid.

Congratulations. If this is your idea of the worst interview
experience ever, you've had a pretty nice life. I hope that you
continue to have a nice life, because everybody should. You may,
however, want to find a different field than retail, even if you're
just working a job until you finish school and get started on a
career.

wow, the worst interview experience I ever had was when the office
manager took me to an office for an interview, left to use the
bathroom and never came back. It was after 5 and there was no one
there. I later found out she had a huge drinking problem. I lived
through that and you shall live through your horrific experience too.

What a shame a company refuses to bend to your strict timelines and
schedules-especially on their busiest days!!. I can't even imagine
being treated this way...after showing up ten whole minutes before!!

Please tell me this is some kind of joke. We're talking retail here
and it's a given that the employee works according to the company's
schedule. Saturdays (and sometimes Sundays) are mandatory becuse it's
those two days worth of business that make up for the other five day's
of slow business or loss. Most retail establishments need the most
help on weekends and weekday nights.

Though your letter IS well written, it's totally uncalled for. If this
is THE WORST interview experience you ever had... consider yourself
blessed. Seriously if you expect a retail company to give you
saturdays and two days off a week besides that...then maybe retail
isn't the field for you.

Oh by the way, JCPenny's isn't laughing AT you they're laughing WITH
you!!!!!

Everyone makes mistakes. I'm sure the interviewer had other things on
their mind and "slipped" when it came to getting your name wrong.
This should not have been a deal breaker for you, but you seemed to
lose your focus at this point.

I moved to Ft. Lauderdale for 5 years before moving back to my birth
state of Indiana. I have the opposite problem you have, people assume
that I enjoyed it there and want to know why I moved back. It comes
up in nearly every interview I've had since I moved back. Most likely
the interviewer was just trying to make small talk as you stated.
This is common and has occured in nearly every interview I've ever
been in. Just take what's said with a grain of salt.

If you plan on applying to more retail establishments, stay open with
your hours. Most places will work around your school schedule, but
they will not be happy to hear that you aren't willing to work the
entire day a class lands on. Look at it this way, the more flexible
you are, the more likely you are to get a job and to get time off when
requested. Good luck with the next interview!

WORST? Im sorry to read you consider this interview your 'worst . . .
experience ever'. If you didn't expect to get the job why'd you waste
their time?

Your schedule does not come first when it comes to retail. You'd be
lucky to find businesses willing to work around your schedule. Word
of advice in applying for a retail job, leave your availability open.
Once you set the days you cannot work, especially weekends, that'll be
the last time your application sees the light of day.

I just think it's inappropriate to be addressing a personal
job-related problem in this manner, via this website.

Even if I thought you had valid complaints, which I don't think you
do, there are proper channels to go through for such things.

Besides, I always figure, if the interview process is bad, do you
really want to work for them?

Years ago I was the manager of the telephone operators at a large
medical center. A large number of my part timers were college
students who were told early on in the interview process that they
would be required to work nights and/or weekends. Most had no problem
with that and those that did ended the interview right then and
there.

You can't work 6 hours and take classes the same day? You're not
going to be too employable if you take that stance. Most of my
operators were taking full class schedules, some even worked the
12-8AM shift, went to school during the day and slept in the evenings.
Granted, the 12-8AM shift was very quiet and they could get some of
their schoolwork done while on duty. I had no problem with that as
long as the job got done.

If you want to obtain part time employment, you will need to be more
flexible. Retail especially will always require part timers to work
weekends.

As far as the interview itself, yes, the interviewer called out the
wrong name. Did you stop to think how many interviews she had already
had that day? She made a mistake. Humans do. As far as the small
talk goes, that is something some interviewers use to "break the ice"
and make the candidate more comfortable. I don't know what you're
taking in school but once you go into your chosen profession, expect a
lot more interviews and they won't always be pleasant.

Dear Andrea,

We were considering you for a position in sales, but now that we're
read you letter, we think you should be head of Human Resources. You
clearly know a heck of a lot about how to run an organization. Our
current head of HR never thought of letting people work whenever they
wanted. But, gosh, you've got a great idea there. Never mind the
customers. We don't need 'em, you and me, Andrea.

Oh, and since you seem to have zero tolerance for getting names wrong,
we're "JCPenney," not "JcPenney." Darn trademarks.

Signed,
JCPenney CEO

"I didn't expect to get the job before writing this"

I question this a little. As someone with a few job interviews under
his belt, I sense that you were not in the right state of mind about
this interview. I could be wrong, but you seem like as soon as she
mistook your name and made the California comment, you got out of the
mind set you needed.

Without getting preachy, or acting like I'm down on you, I would like
to tell you that the interview is YOUR time. Don't let the
interviewer get you off of your feet because of a mistaken name or
snide comment. Own the person doing the interview. If you were
perturbed by the comments, then I'll bet a person that does interviews
for a living could sense your unease. The job hours you requested
probably were the biggest hurdle, but use this as a learning
experience. Keep your chin up and walk in next time like you belong
there and they would do well to hire you. Even if they say your name
wrong or make a crappy comment. Be confident and the rest will fall
into place.

Are you kidding me? I am stunned that you actually wrote a letter to
JCPenney's complaining over this.

There is nothing "enjoyable" about an interview. That doesn't change
no matter WHERE you interview at.

But to write a letter?

Did the interviewer insult you or degrade you in anyway? Did she
refuse to hire you because of your race or religious beliefs? Did she
tell you you had no skills or qualifications to do the job?

No? Then you have no basis to complain over an interview that didn't
go the way YOU thought it should.

What, didn't they bend over backwards and roll out a red carpet for
you? Is that what you were expecting?

& what would a panel of people have done differently than this one
woman?

Seems to me you are just honked off over not getting the job and
decided to try and twist it around to make it look like it was their
fault instead of yours. You were foolish enough to walk into an
interview for a part-time job with no schedule flexibility at all and
you are surprised that they said, "No thanks?"

I suppose on a job like this, you believe that you should just get to
set your own hours for whatever works for YOUR schedule with no
concern for the other workers there who ARE flexible and ARE willing
to come in whenever they're asked.

Please let us know when you join the rest of us adults here in the
real world.

If you say you won't work a Saturday most retail places won't even
give you a second thought.

At least she was trying to work with you.

Welcome to the real world!! Its nice to have you here. Get comfy..its
going to be a bumpy ride!!


I have been on both sides of the interview table and its nerve
wrecking from both sides. That first few things you complained about
were nit picky. She was trying to make small talk with you. Trying to
make you feel more relaxed and at ease. So she called you by the wrong
name. BIG DEAL! It happens. Maybe she looked at the wrong paper. Maybe
she got confused. Maybe she was having a stressful day. She IS only
HUMAN after all. Its not like she was trying to offend you or tick you
off.

And as for the comment about California..if you didnt agree then all
you had to do was carry on YOUR side of the conversation and explain
if she was right or wrong. Personally, I have lived in Jacksonville
Florida all my life except for a few years that I lived in California.
And to be honest, I was DEFINATELY glad to get get out of there and
dont plan to ever go back and dont want to live anywhere else BUT
Jacksonville Florida. And a lot of us who live here feel the same way.
Maybe she was wrong to assume that you felt the same way but
considering that she said it in question format that left it open for
you to agree or not. What was your reply??

Personally, to me, it seems you are trying to get the interviewer in
trouble because you dont like how the interview went.

As for the rest of it, well, the retail business doesnt stop. And
after years of Human Resources trying desperately to cover a schedule
with people who have VERY limited schedules...most of them are just
refusing to do so anymore. There arent many other jobs, other than
retail, where you get to pick your own schedule or say when you will
or wont work. Either you work when they say so or you dont work at
all.

If you have a night class then why cant you work during the day? That
makes no sense. You go to work, go to school, go home. Easy as that.
If you want to work bad enough or need the money bad enough you will
figure out a way to open your schedule more. I know people who work 40
hours a week and go to school full time. There is a way to make it
work.

It isnt their fault that you cant fit working their schedule into your
schedule. Next job interview you might want to find a job that
coincides better with your life. Retail obviously doesnt work for you.


I am glad to see that retail employers are not just hiring anyone who
walks in the door just to fill a slot. I cant tell you how many times
we have had to stretch people to cover hours because too many people
are on the schedule who just dont want to work..or cant.

Writing this letter shows your immaturity. I dont think you are ready
for this level of responsiblity.

You essentially limited yourself to working 4 out of the 7 days of the
week. Most employers won't go for that. I wouldn't hire you either.
That's probably why the interview only lasted 5 minutes. You were
starting to "tie their hands" even before starting the first day.

In retail (and with a lot of other businesses that hire part-timers)
there is this built-in conflict between the management staff and the
part-time staff. This conflict is due to the different levels of
priority that they place with their jobs. For the management staff
the job is usually the number 1 or 2 priority in their lives. With
the part-time staff it's, for the most part, not as high as it is for
the management staff. In the interview you have to at least appear to
be placing the job that your interviewing for as a top priority. The
more you relegate it downward as a priority the less chance you will
have at being hired for it.

I really hope you are kidding. This was crazy

If you want to work for a company then you have to be prepared to do
the hours that they give you.

I have been through what you have been through. Ever since I was 16,
I went to school, worked parttime until 11 pm, 12 during Christmas
holidays. I did my homework during breaks because the shifts would
start a few hours after school. (ofcourse this was not every day). I
had mostly weekend shifts. There are many people that go to work and
school at the same day why should you be any different.

If you really want the job then you should take what they are
offereing. They were willing to work around your school hours. Also
they probably require that new hires work weekends, the longer you
have been working in a company the better hours they give you.

If you are not willing to even meet them halfway then maybe you are
not mature enough to work yet. If you want a job, you can't have
things your way, you have to go by what they want.

Perhaps you can try finding employment elsewhere, also be willing to
give in a little. That is if you really want the job.

Well since you wrote a complaint letter, even if you were going to get
the job, you probably won't now.

This is a peculiar letter, and I'm not sure what you are expecting to
gain or are trying to accomplish by writing it.

I think you did not find the interview enjoyable because Penney's
couldn't accommodate your schedule. The interviewer agreed to limit
the amount of Saturdays at your request, and yet you were still
unhappy with the number of hours. If you really wanted the job, you
wouldn't be so nitpicky about the interviewer. You're probably going
to have a hard time finding an employer willing to work around your
school schedule, especially during the upcoming holiday season.

Good luck.

I hate bad interviews too but.. how would having more than one person
make it a better interview experience?

I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing you wrote the company on
this, at least you chose to say something. I doubt anything can or
will be done though.

Good luck on finding a job, I know it can be hard when you have
classes.