Interviewers share “interesting” encounters with intern candidates

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Graduation season has arrived. It’s time for hiring managers to welcome an influx of internship candidates. While there is a lot of advice on how to impress the interviewer, some candidates are just too “serious” to handle the interview, leaving interviewers unsure if they should be angry, cry or laugh.

On a recent post on Heawork, some HR professionals shared their “interesting” encounters with intern candidates. Let’s see if you have the feeling of déjà-vu.

1. A group discussion ends in tears

Repeating “I agree with you” is no longer a magic spell. Interns today tend to insist on their own point of view and make no concession in any aspect during a group discussion. Ome interviewer witnessed a candidate cry because they lost a debate. The rest of the candidates were silent and did not know what to do. In the end, the HR professional gave the candidate a tissue and called it a day by recognising everyone’s “efforts”.

2. Only introducing name and major in English self-introduction

A self-introduction in English might seem like a basic requirement during an interview. But if you think every candidate is well-prepared for this, you will be disappointed. One interviewer recounted an incident where a candidate only said “My name is xxx, I am studying xxx” and then looked at the interviewer and stopped.

3. Too honest

An interviewer once asked a candidate the reason(s) to apply for the job. The candidate answered;

Candidate: A friend sent me the job ad and I thought it seems interesting, so I applied.

Interviewer: So how much do you know about our company?

Candidate: To be honest, I don’t know much. But I had a look at your company website yesterday and saw your company covers a wide range of businesses...

None of the information repeated was relevant or useful

Interviewer: Oh, thank you for your "hard work"!

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