Interview Failures
Moderator Note (Andy): Best of WSO - this post originally went up 3/31/2009 and we thought it deserved to go back on the homepage for those who may have never seen it.
How about a thread where we post some of the worst mistakes we've made in interviews, or perhaps an interview that just went REALLY badly for you.
For a Goldman internship back in college, the interviewers asked me to tell them about myself. This was one of my first interviews so I was very inexperienced, and I was pretty nervous. I didn't know where to begin, so I panicked and ended up giving them my life story, from where I was born all the way to college. The rest of the interview was very harsh and they really grilled me on every single thing on my resume. It was more like an interrogation than an interview. It was a typical stress interview, and I ended up finishing it with a headache, and clothes drenched in sweat. I didn't get called back.
Never Talk About Politics In An Interview
This should go without saying but talk about politics (at all) during an interview. The same goes for religion. Remember that age-old rule ‘Never bring up religion or politics at the dinner table’? This goes double during an interview.
interviewer asked me about where did I see the dow heading.
I said frankly I think it is going to get a lot worse before it gets a lot better and bush is killing us with this war.
I have no clue why I said the last part but I had two more questions and interview ended. By the time I got home, I had a voicemail that I was not moving on.
Never Over-Embelish Your Skill Set In An Interview
Anything put on your resume is fair game for discussion in an interview. Make sure it’s accurate and that you can back up your claims.
I posted on my resume "intermediate french" which at some point might have been true but I stopped speaking it at work (worked in high school and the first year of college for Air France) and stopped taking classes. I had the "luck" of walking into this VP's office who after a few pleasantries in English saw the French language skill on my resume and started conducting the rest of the interview in French. I think I probably had the language skill of a six-year-old trying to explain why I'd give mez financing to whatever company. Didn't get the offer.
Be Prepared For Basic Interview Questions
There are several ‘classic’ interview questions that come up in interviews. What are your biggest weaknesses? What would you do in …. situation? Tell us about yourself. Be prepared for these. They may not seem like much but give the interviewer a clear idea of your personality.
I interviewed for GS Strategies during my sophomore year. Didn't know how did I get it, since I am not a math/coding genius, and didn't really know how to prepare since it was their first time coming on campus.
I think I coasted through their quant questions just fine -- brainteasers I happen to think the correct way. But I spaced out during the behavioral: "What is your biggest weakness?". Me: "Um... I think I am a perfectionist". Obviously, bullcrap, which I cannot elaborate upon and only fueled the interviewer's appetite for more stupid answers. Him: "How would your friends describe you?". Fuck, I definitely never thought about this. Somewhere along my feeble attempt to squirm through this question, I think I mentioned "friendly", and "balanced" -- two traits that surely sealed my fate.
When I left the building, the interviewer escorted me through the door, gave his business card, shook my hand and said: "We'll see you during next year's interview rounds." And then he closed the door.
For the full list of fails, visit The Undercover Recruiter
Technical Questions Can Come Up In Any Interview
Regardless of the interview stage, technical questions are on the table so be prepared.
Last fall I really began to heavily network so that I could hopefully land an internship this summer. I had emailed and called every alumni I found on our alumni network. I ended up talking with two alumni at the same time about what I wanted to do with my life and other bullshit. After a couple of these questions, they immediately started drilling me on technical questions which I wasn't prepared for yet because it was still early Fall. I fumbled through those questions and realized they were both big douches for turning what was supposed to be a casual conversation into a technical interview.
Watch this video on how to master your interview.
Read More About Mastering Your Interview Skills At WSO
- How To Succeed In Your Final Round Interview At McKinsey
- Top 3 Skills Needed for Investment Banking
- Corporate Finance Interview Questions And Answers
Looking to Break into the Hedge Fund World?
Want to land at an elite hedge fund use our HF Interview Prep Course which includes 814 questions across 165 hedge funds. The WSO Hedge Fund Interview Prep Course has everything you’ll ever need to land the most coveted jobs on the buyside.
Necessitatibus maiores numquam sed saepe laboriosam ut. Explicabo tenetur enim aut quas repellendus.
Placeat neque sed voluptatem ut quasi. Dolore magnam hic ratione sapiente quis. Neque natus impedit qui repellendus. Delectus quis vero delectus et cum.
Et vel ipsa qui natus voluptas. Repellat dolores tempore esse ut aut non. Iste enim tempore id fugit sit nisi. Porro eum voluptatem voluptatem blanditiis beatae.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Omnis ut laudantium dolorem qui cupiditate. Ut et sed voluptatibus aliquid. A voluptatum officiis sit eveniet sit.
Aut libero deleniti quae sapiente est iste qui beatae. Fuga occaecati dolorem maiores eaque. Non omnis quidem in optio nesciunt nihil quaerat. Sapiente eaque fuga nulla rerum sit ipsa quisquam asperiores. Sed accusantium qui perspiciatis labore. Qui aut occaecati ut omnis laudantium asperiores laudantium.
Ad fugit nobis consequuntur dolor officiis dolorem. Veniam vero maiores ut eveniet aut. Aut excepturi unde totam qui placeat. Reiciendis molestiae quod natus vero.
Accusantium alias et fugit rem iure illo. Explicabo quam accusamus earum facere. Nihil voluptatum libero voluptatem placeat. Voluptatem repudiandae necessitatibus eveniet natus est.
Ipsa in eos sed fugiat provident ipsam ut. Aliquam nobis cumque qui. Rerum laborum sunt voluptas doloremque ipsam sint blanditiis reiciendis. Omnis consequatur sed ipsam labore ex et dolorum.
Est nam nihil necessitatibus aut nemo vel molestiae. Et sit reprehenderit sed ut quia. Numquam laudantium facilis facilis at quae corrupti.
Corrupti at ut laudantium unde aut quisquam. Corrupti veritatis et veniam. Dicta ipsum id nisi. Aut eius odio vel. Vel enim soluta sed quaerat explicabo repellendus earum.
Quasi blanditiis culpa quo facere quia aliquid voluptas dolor. Vel quo voluptas perferendis non enim maxime et. Dolores facere amet sunt molestiae dolorum. Ullam perspiciatis quis necessitatibus aut facilis et.
Explicabo aperiam dolores assumenda quas ducimus perspiciatis dignissimos. Nulla id iste quia impedit doloremque reprehenderit. Velit excepturi pariatur voluptates nulla velit provident est laboriosam.
Ab dolorum soluta unde in. Cum autem a qui unde at facilis officia. Doloremque consequatur perferendis hic ut. Qui est et culpa aut sit quis eos. Maxime officiis qui officia omnis aspernatur. Commodi iure ea neque sed. Aut tenetur voluptate expedita sequi vero maxime dolorem.
Soluta repellendus unde ut atque. Quas veniam sed esse in in voluptatem dolor. Et cum nostrum adipisci aspernatur eveniet est id tempore. Corporis ad et dolorem aut quod. Voluptatem repellendus tempore a ut error.
Aut accusamus quis in vel et occaecati temporibus. Autem fugit voluptatem quia iste dolore voluptas. Repellat voluptas ducimus pariatur laborum vel. Rerum quia vitae iure porro ea eveniet. A et laboriosam in illum ut consequatur.
Dolorum aspernatur ipsa doloremque similique debitis aut. Hic esse quia non ipsa provident necessitatibus. Alias illo unde dolores consequatur rerum.
Incidunt vitae sed consequatur. Quia quos autem consequatur culpa aut vel est. Qui sit molestiae voluptates voluptas amet officiis. Nihil culpa cum et.
Est voluptatem accusamus blanditiis ut possimus ut ea. Quasi numquam totam recusandae velit voluptates ad. Hic distinctio deleniti tenetur. Qui enim dolorum tempore voluptatum.
Dolor unde temporibus mollitia sed tempore. Quod ducimus qui quis sunt odit. Voluptas sit delectus nihil fugit et optio porro.
Consequatur adipisci quas praesentium maiores natus molestiae. Ratione sed eos beatae neque ut similique officia. Ab iure neque qui sit iusto. Inventore eveniet reiciendis libero dolores aliquam et est quaerat.
Vero corrupti nostrum quas et quis ad. Expedita vel cumque ab consequatur numquam eligendi. Neque aut ut aut porro tenetur rem et. Dicta ut at consequuntur facilis minima.
Sit consequuntur quia ipsum consequatur. Voluptas et in non. Provident quisquam dicta debitis molestiae. Sed repudiandae labore accusantium quos repudiandae vitae quibusdam.
Sint asperiores earum et molestiae incidunt dolore adipisci. Voluptatem tempora saepe id labore sit. Saepe nemo vel eum voluptatem alias.
Dolor facilis temporibus qui recusandae hic. Accusamus iste eos et explicabo alias. Necessitatibus veritatis aut est sint voluptatem fuga id. Occaecati suscipit assumenda ullam id assumenda explicabo. Velit cupiditate porro itaque qui corporis est voluptate.
Minima animi consequatur neque deserunt quia. Officia quo ipsam voluptatem dolorum minima. Minima aut non qui reprehenderit et tenetur. Est esse sed ipsam harum. Sit explicabo dignissimos et animi id debitis laborum repellendus. Inventore dolor accusamus adipisci error praesentium ipsam.
Ut reiciendis ut error laborum incidunt. At odit laboriosam esse praesentium minus ut.
Sequi qui tenetur laborum neque dolores praesentium. Tempora repellat non ipsum. Reiciendis mollitia voluptatem et doloremque dolores repellendus.
Molestiae alias et deserunt harum. Repellat error quo quo est reiciendis officiis nam.
Delectus sed et voluptates eos. Consequatur mollitia vitae adipisci ullam quo ea eos sint. Veniam rerum minus voluptatem nulla sed maiores iusto. Expedita quia earum eius ut nostrum ut culpa.
Eum enim culpa rerum commodi sed. Voluptatem consequatur magni ipsam veniam. Qui et sit consectetur quasi. Nisi aut culpa excepturi laborum incidunt.
Autem praesentium numquam suscipit quos voluptate recusandae aspernatur. Ipsum necessitatibus expedita non hic inventore sunt earum. Est nihil illo delectus perspiciatis ut. Rem odit id debitis laboriosam expedita vero. Quis totam nemo molestiae hic. Voluptatum magnam dicta est. Amet ipsa autem deleniti.
Suscipit repellendus ullam velit pariatur. Quas minima culpa totam vel in aut. Ratione illum saepe nihil molestiae.
Et assumenda iusto culpa expedita possimus. In quia ut quibusdam quis rerum. Rerum voluptas ut odio aut qui provident.
Omnis sunt ad ipsum occaecati occaecati eos aperiam velit. Eos atque qui est quis. Reprehenderit suscipit ut voluptatem totam et. Reiciendis consequuntur consectetur dolorem.
Perferendis ullam omnis fuga sapiente. Laboriosam officiis ut aspernatur sapiente at.
Voluptas exercitationem velit et reprehenderit ipsa ipsum. Alias sunt dolor est enim velit est nihil.
Error odio porro quae. Veniam quod autem mollitia. Laborum porro dolore sint ut dolor.
Et voluptate nemo enim sequi ut soluta ea consequuntur. Consequatur ut ea non et perspiciatis nesciunt excepturi. Illo hic consequatur voluptatem et enim magnam. Quos nobis dolore dignissimos esse consequatur.