Your CV has made it through the first round of selection, and you’ve been invited to a job interview for the role you’re after. However, even the best-prepared candidates can face the unexpected on the day, and come out of the interview feeling more confused than when they went in. Here are your stories.
Maëva, aged 32, who works in community outreach, looks back on one of her very first interviews: “There were about ten recruiters and I was a recent graduate. One of them clearly wanted to trip me up, with questions that were almost twisted and a smirk on her face. At one point, I answered something and I was sure of myself, but several times she asked me again if I was sure of my answer. I wasn’t anymore. My brain went blank and that’s when I realised it was all over. I didn’t care anymore.”
“When I was young, I went for an interview at a strip club where they did pole dancing,” recalls Katy, 31, now working in communications. “The job involved approaching men in the street to invite them to the club. I knew what went on there, but I just wanted to see the place for myself. I never wanted anything to do with those people, especially after realising there were lots of bodyguards who beat up women who couldn’t attract enough men to the club.”
An “indecent” proposal
Estelle, aged 30, a journalist, recalls her worst experience: “It was at the end of my last internship. I’d seen an advert for a freelance role; I was just starting out, so I wasn’t sure if it was right for me. What’s more, they were expecting me to produce far too much work. Throughout the interview, they kept insisting that my youth ‘suited’ them, and for good reason: paying a young person to produce a newspaper on their own is good business. Once they called me to offer me the job, I turned down the offer, which I found indecent.”
“I was asked to type a text on an ‘Azerty’ keyboard, even though I’d never used one before,” says Kate, 37, who works in administration. “The person conducting the interview told me that they were employing undocumented workers and that I would have to sign some ‘important documents’. At that point, I realised this was going to end very badly.”
Sometimes, a job interview can take a strange turn… (Cartoon: Bernard Hage)
Mathieu, 27, who works in marketing and communications, found himself facing a veritable panel of judges: “Seven people sitting opposite me, all with different backgrounds, asking me technical questions on all sorts of topics. I felt completely at a loss, especially for a role that didn’t involve any managerial responsibilities. I wondered how a company could possibly justify bringing so many people together for an interview for a role like that. Not very efficient, is it? For another interview, I also had to take numerous logic, personality and language tests, etc., without ever receiving any feedback on the relevance of these tests (which I passed, according to the online platform)… and without ever getting the job.”
A passion for the signs of the zodiac
Sometimes it all comes down to a question that’s taken the wrong way, as Sophie, 38, found out: “Do you have any children?” The famous question. I have three, but I simply reply that my private life won’t get in the way of my work. A brief silence. Then my future boss explains: ‘Here, we ask the question to explain the arrangements (sick child days, educational support, activities)…’ At the time, I thought to myself: ‘Yeah, right.’ But once I started the job, I realised she was being completely sincere; parents do have benefits and the company is flexible with them.”
“The person conducting the interview was really passionate about the signs of the zodiac,” says Jane, aged 31, a coach. “At one point, she asked me what mine was and started analysing whether we’d make a good team at work. The interview ended up lasting two hours, and I even had to pay for a missed physiotherapy appointment because I couldn’t get there in time.”
Share your stories with us at temoignage@paperjam.lu before the deadlines. In our upcoming issues, we’ll be exploring new themes: the best and worst feedback I’ve heard (1 June) and your tips for really switching off on holiday (10 June).
This article was written for the June 2026 issue of Paperjam magazine, published on 20 May. The content is produced exclusively for the magazine. It is published on the website to contribute to Paperjam’s comprehensive archive. Click on this link to subscribe to the magazine.
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