I also hate it when they lean really close and have bad breath or body odour (or both). That's when I make an excuse to leave. It's just too much to cope with.

I could not agree with you more!  Especially when your on a bus or train and there is someone who smells horrible and you're stuck sitting to them.  Oh the horror!

Yes, and it's often not the people who look a bit dirty. It's often those who seem clean but this horrible smell just seems to ooze out of them. It's even happened in meetings too.

Like today when I was waiting at the bus stop this guy was waiting too and he smelled sooooo bad...i started coughing a lot more!  The smell was unbearable...then the bus smelled too after he got on...not even the air conditioning on the bus helped. poor bus driver.

Rude job interviews -- I can tell you so many stories.  Then I tell other people and they don't believe me.

THE STUPID STUDY CLUB:  a group of women were all taking a HR course on interviewing people.   About 4 of them were working in one particular industry and decided to do a group project together.  It was personality types, interviewing styles,team work roles etc.  So they all called me for an interview the same week.  I went thinking they were interviewing me for real jobs.  Some of them were very rude.  One was asking me a whole list of questions that I thought had no relevance to the job at all.  The answer was that she was trying to see how I would "fit" in their workplace.  I finally asked one what position I was interviewing for and she told me there was none.  

A week or two later their instructor called me.  He asked me if I knew that they were doing a research project and using me as a test subject.  I said no. He said that he thought it was unethical for them to do that.   He was going to give them all a failing grade.  Of course, most of them had to pay for the course them because their company would not reimburse a failing grade.  Then they all decided to black list me for that industry (even phoned me to tell me that) and despite being well qualified I could never get a job.  

THE DEATH TRAP:  Another job that was crap pay and dangerous as well.  I had already had to complete some aptitude tests on line. I went to the interview and it took me two hours to get there on transit.  

The job was handling chemical waste and broken glass.  The pay was around minimum.  They were showing me all the safety equipment like Kevlar vest, white coveralls, full face mask, additionally shielding.  I asked why there was job opening (good idea to know if the person moved up in the company, left for personal reasons or just left).  They told me that she was still in the hospital but she was going to be ok.

Two people interviewed me and the HR lady had to stay home because she was sick.  They said they tried to phone me earlier but I had already left.  They said that I should call her later.  I just expected that she would call to reschedule because how would I know when she was back.

After about 10 days she called and was very rude to me.  She said that I wrote about her in some advice newspaper column that I was angry because I had to pay for a babysitter and the interview was canceled.  I don't have any children.  So I never wrote in to any advice column about her.  

CHURCH SNOBS:  Another situation that was terrible.  I was sent a fax about when an interview was: date and time.  I called the day before to confirm.  I showed up and waited two hours.  It seems that they did not have me on the schedule but the panel of about 4 people decided to fit me.  The person who arranged the interview said I was booked for the next day.  I showed her the fax and she was really angry (who at me?  she should have been angry at herself).  During the interview she made fun of my religious background -- it was for position at a church's head office.  

THE ILLITERATE:  Many interviewers must just be plain illiterate.  I write a cover letter and send a resume, yet they either don't bother to read it before the interview or say to me "But do you have an experience doing this type of job?"  Well, if I did, I would have highlighted that in the letter and resume I sent.  Or they say "I was looking for someone with more experience".  At that point I usually just feel like walking out and saying "maybe you should hire someone with more experience then".  

THE QUICKY:  The other type of interviewer is the "quicky".  I did not spend time writing a letter, resume, finding and ironing interview clothing, polishing shoes, estimating travel time, using the equivalent to one meal or more for bus fare  --- to be asked two questions that could be asked over the phone.  The interview time is often less than 5 minutes.  They need to "see" me why?  -To discriminate against me for my physical appearance and my autistic mannerisms.  

DISGUSTING:  Another man sat on the table in front of me, his pants were unzipped.  He wrote down "chipped tooth" and "old" on my application.  Then he asked me if I could to do "something" for him.   Like what?

Once the police scolded me that I should not give out my name, address and phone number to people I didn't know.  What exactly am I doing when I am applying for a job??

OTHERS:  I was asked once in an interview if I had a mortgage.  It was not relevant at all.  Plus people asking me if I am married, if I have children which is illegal anyway.  

LIARS:  I applied to an agency for a nanny job.  The "owner" said she had to a do a police record check.  I said that was expected.  She said that she got it done after 4 days and that she needed to "discuss" it with me.  I know I don't have an record, never been arrested etc.  I said ok fax me a copy then.  She was lying because I know that it takes several weeks for a record check to go through.  I found out she had a website that said only foreign nannies are good and anyone in this country would be too old, lazy, fat etc to work as a nanny.  

Bastards.

I ought to have on my resume "companies that measure personality for fit need not apply"

Actually it could help perhaps (MAYBE) if I actually were a BS in computer programming. Ideas? Even though I have maybe twice that in experience.

I have 25 credit hours undergraduate in IT after I graduated college.  3 were along with the 48 graduate hours I took one semester (3 undergraduate, 6 graduate one semester), and the rest were courtesy the State of Maryland. It is the equivalent number of hours of my psychology minor (25).

It is a shame you guys who must use public transportation. But then again I wouldn't be driving either if I wasn't paid about half of six figures a year. I live in an excellent location for the post-petroleum world. But for the privilege I pay $1150 a month in rent. LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION! Right up against the Airport, near Metro, and not too far from Washington.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...04566.html

It is National Car Free Day today and I drove to work. I feel like a dumb dumb because I woke up too late.

They say they will call you on (insert day here) they don't.

You respond to an ad, they ask you to come in for an interview. It's about filling out an application instead and they said they will call you. They don't.

I call my rehab place and I get a answering machine with the person's voice saying to leave your name and number and she will get back to ASAP. You leave your message, she never calls you back. I used to call another man there about if I was approved or not and his answering machine also said to leave your name and number so he can get back to you, he wouldn't. Then he claims he never got my messages.

They do that to make sure you don't shop lift. I just try to ignore them. I know they are doing their job and they can get fired if they weren't paying attention to their shoppers and one of them had shop lifted. Blame the shop lifters.

Wow.  I'd have taken names and gone right to the top with that one.  I may not do well with HR underlings, but I've got a way with upper management...

One interviewer told me that I could ask questions.

My question: "Does the corporation plan any mergers or acquisitions within the next seven fiscal quarters?"

His Answer: "What the (f-word) do you want to know that for?"

Everyone else in the room was shocked at his response, and they asked me to leave right away. But when I got to the lobby, I was detained by security. A few minutes later, someone else came in and told me to leave. As I was driving away, the interviewer runs out the door and tries to flag me down.

It turned out that another company had approached his supervisors just that week to discuss a possible merger. Their discussion was supposed to have been in complete secrecy, with no leaks to the press or competitors, and here I come asking a completely random question that kicked his paranoia into high gear.

They never did call me back.

Depends on the assistant.  I remember when store clerks were a lot more formal and not so egregiously "friendly" when it wasn't that bad.

Of course, when you actually need assistance, they're nowhere to be found.

I still occasionally run into that wonderful old servile-but-snooty attitude, but mostly in places where I can't even contemplate the possibility of affording anything.

Too bad that wasn't an opportunity for you to make some money off the situation.  What a bunch of .......

I would have sued these people, the company they worked for, and the school they attended.  Unethical doesn't even begin to describe it.

I once took the bus to an interview, and when I got there the guy who was supposed to interview me wasn't there and wasn't expected back anytime soon.  I rescheduled, and when I showed up again, he had forgotten that he had an interview but talked to me anyway.  

Oh, that makes me so mad!  I hate it when they ask me questions that make it obvious that they haven't bothered to review my resume.  Another thing I hate is when I send them my resume, but when I get to the interview I have to fill out an application with the exact same information that is on my resume.

Been there, done that.

I've had to fill out my marital status and birthdate on a few applications lately.  Yes, it's illegal, but what are you going to do? 

Take the pen and draw a thick line through those boxes.

I know some IT departments use that as a trap - they'll ask for stuff that is obviously not relevant - what forums you use, online aliases and so. anyone who is thick enough to fill it in? immediate binning, you're a data leak liability.