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A Cautionary Tale:
The Alaant Team Shares Their Recruiting Horror Stories!

Stop apologizing at work

by the Alaant Team

As Halloween creeps up on us yet again, our team is out to spook you with our scary recruiting stories. These stories are cringeworthy and we’re hoping they’ll make you think twice before becoming one of our cautionary tales.

   Ghosted!

A candidate came to register with us and while she was filling out the paperwork she asked to use the bathroom. She never came back!
A candidate was once fired within three days of starting because they told their new employer they needed to go to Mexico for dental work.

PRO TIP

Always be honest, if it’s not a good fit for whatever reason just say so. It provides valuable feedback for the employer and leaves a better impression of you.

   Keep Calm and Be Scared by Others

We thought we had found a great candidate for a very hard-to-fill position, but the candidate was completely unprepared for the phone interview with the client and had done no research on the company, took the call in the car while driving and dropped the call three times. Needless to say, no job offer was extended.

PRO TIP

If you must be in the car, please pull over and be sure you have excellent cell reception. And we can’t say this enough, always prepare for an interview (phone or in-person) by doing your homework to learn about the company and the position you’re applying for.
During a video interview, hundreds of dream catchers were hanging behind the candidate. The lighting was also a bit dark and all the dream catchers cast a strange vibe, but things got weirder when the candidate was asked about the role they wanted and responded: “Whatever has as little human contact as possible.” Yikes!
Once an interviewee completely faked a video conference and moved their lips while someone off-camera answered the questions.

PRO TIP

Not only can we see you on camera, we can hear you too. Please keep this in mind and prepare to conduct your own interviews.

   Halloween Costumes are Not Proper Interview Attire

A candidate came to an interview in shorts, sandals, and a Hawaiian shirt.
One of our recruiters once had to give a candidate their suit jacket before an interview because the candidate’s shirt was wrinkled and covered with cat hair.

On two separate occasions, we have purchased dress shoes for applicants because they showed up to the interview wearing sneakers.

PRO TIP

Always dress professionally whether you’re interviewing with a recruiter or a potential employer. It all counts toward making a good first impression.

   Eeek!

We have witnessed candidates bringing so many strange things to interviews, this includes:

A back scratcher
(actually used during the meeting)
Live wild animals
(a baby squirrel)

PRO TIP

When going to an in-person interview please leave everything in the car except copies of your resume, a pen and a notepad.

   Sleeping Like the Dead

A candidate who was a great fit for the role with excellent references had an early morning interview. The candidate happened to be a new mom and had been up all night with the baby. She admitted she was exhausted and struggling to stay awake. The hiring manger was running late, and the appointment was delayed for about 15 minutes. When the manager went down to greet the candidate, she had fallen asleep! The candidate was mortified. Fortunately, the hiring manager had just had a second child and was very sympathetic. They had a great conversation over coffee. And happily, she still works there today.  

PRO TIP

Try your best to schedule interviews at a time you will be able to present your “best self.” If not possible, be honest and warn meeting participants in advance of any unusual situations (i.e., coming from work dressed non-traditionally for an interview or a new baby = very tired mommy!).

Happy Halloween from the Alaant team!

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