I'll start with my own little story. I just came back from one. It's a small business, vaping startup I think. They're looking for someone to help with office work and deal with outside stuff. So apparently my interview wasn't going well cause I'm a fuckin neeerd with a college degree, while the two doods seem who interviewed me look like the bullies and trouble makers in high school.
The thing that turned me off is when they asked if I can handle "occasional harsh words". Like, be honest with me dude - you meant "will I shut up and take verbal abuse". I left with a distinct feeling they won't be calling me back, saying I got the job, but I sure as hell am not taking it if they do want me to.
P/S I don't smoke, vape or even drink. I only ever sucked dick, which is forever yummy
Probably my worst is I went for a quite highly competitive job in server maintenance and other computery communication like stuff. It was actually a very high paying apprenticeship, £23k a year which is like 50% on top of minimum wage at a glance.
Obviously I wanted it. It was multiple rounds of interviews and then a group interview day bonanza. Of course on the day I felt like absolute shit, had a migraine, covered it with some intense painkillers which made me sweat like crazy.
There's a group interview problem solving session that lasts about half the day with 3 company people observing us all. We're given various tasks and made to split in to groups, that whole jazz. Usually I'm top dog in these situations but the feeling of impending death was holding me back a little.
Either way I'm still shining through. At the end we all sit down around a table and talk about our experience. To find out of the 10 people there I'm the only one without a degree....for an apprenticeship. I made some remark about it which got a laugh from the room but... why even invite me under these circumstances? Tokenism? Probably.
Anyway at the end of the thing I approach the company people resigned to the fact I'm not getting this job and ask if they would send me feedback. One of them calls me a few days later, she's one of the founders of the company. She thought I did amazingly, she acknowledged that I was up against it with no degree but they went with the guy who did have a degree soz...and said next time I need to show a little bit more 'enthusiasm'.
Then I burst in to flames and died.