The deadline is fast approaching, so make sure to submit bad interview stories before it’s too late. The bell will toll at midnight on June 30, and your chance to win a $500 gift card toward a brand new wardrobe will be over. So enter now, and tell us your tales of interviews gone awry. Below is an example of a story that tickled our fancy, so check it out if you need some motivation.

After spending several years in retail work, I had decided it was time to move on and find a job with more responsibility. My first interview was for a position as an office admin for a well-to-do online corporation. When I got there, the receptionist told me that the hiring manager was ready to see me, so I shook my nerves away and entered a corner office with a sweet view. “Paul?” I heard the woman say, and suddenly I realized that it was my ex from high school. I had ended the relationship senior year because I wanted to be a “free man” and “explore other options” in college. She had obviously done pretty well for herself without me—too bad that didn’t make her any less bitter. “So those ‘other options’ must not have worked out for you,” she said, half jokingly, a big diamond ring gleaming on her left hand. Not only did I not get the job, but I was totally embarrassed by being unmarried and unemployed in front of my ex. I guess my wish to be a free man worked out a little too well! Oh well…

Wow, that’s awkward. Do you think your story can top it? The only way to find out is to send it in and let us decide. But hurry up, you don’t have much time. And make sure to keep your stories G-rated—in other words, leave out anything you wouldn’t tell your grandma.

• After you’ve submitted your gruesome tale, look over our interview tips and job advice so you’ll be prepared for anything the next time an employer is grilling you.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 27th, 2008 at 8:19 am and is filed under Announcements, Jobs, Work, Careers, Share your story. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.