The Worst Interview Ever…Or the Best?

M Mehran

I never believed in “bad luck” until the day of my interview. If there was an award for the most chaotic interview experience, I would have taken home the trophy—and a lifetime supply of embarrassment.

It all started when my alarm failed. Not just once, but twice. I woke up 45 minutes late, panicked, and somehow spilled coffee on my shirt in my desperate rush. I barely made it to the office, hair sticking up like a cartoon character, and shoes mismatched—one polished, one scuffed. But I told myself, Hey, it’s character, right?

The waiting room was crowded, and every other candidate looked like they had stepped out of a magazine. Confident. Calm. Completely untroubled by spilled coffee or late alarms. I slumped into a chair, trying to look busy with my phone, though I was mainly practicing deep breaths that did nothing.

Finally, my name was called. I stood, tripped slightly over my own foot, and stumbled into the interview room. Three people looked up. Their expressions? Perfectly neutral. I cursed silently. Stay calm, stay calm.

“Tell us about yourself,” the HR manager said.

I opened my mouth, but at that exact moment, my stomach let out a loud growl. I froze. The silence in the room was deafening. I muttered, “Uh…I’m hungry?” and immediately wished the floor would swallow me whole.

The interviewers blinked, then the senior manager leaned back and chuckled. “Honesty. That’s rare.”

I took it as a good sign and soldiered on, despite my coffee-stained shirt, my mismatched shoes, and my very audible stomach rebellion. Questions came at me: experience, skills, problem-solving scenarios. And somehow, I survived each one—though not gracefully.

Then came the “teamwork” question. “Tell us about a time you had a conflict at work and how you resolved it.”

I panicked. I could either lie or tell the brutal truth. So, naturally, I went with brutal truth.

“Well,” I said, “there was this one project where my teammate and I totally disagreed. It got heated. I yelled. They yelled. I cried…a little. But eventually, we laughed, talked it out, and actually finished the project successfully.”

The room was silent. Then the HR manager laughed—a genuine, hearty laugh. Not the fake polite kind, but the kind that makes you feel like you just told the funniest story ever. The other two interviewers cracked smiles, and suddenly the room didn’t feel like an interrogation chamber anymore.

Finally came the curveball question: “If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be?”

I hesitated. Most people probably said invisibility, super strength, or mind reading. I paused dramatically and said, “I’d probably have the power to stop time…so I could sleep more before interviews.”

All three burst out laughing. I laughed too, even though part of me worried it was the wrong answer. But judging by their smiles, it was exactly the right answer.

At the end of the interview, the HR manager shook my hand. “You’re…unique. We’ll be in touch.”

I walked out, expecting the worst. Days later, the email arrived.

We would like to offer you the position.

I stared at the screen, stunned. The chaos, the embarrassment, the mismatched shoes—it had all worked. Somehow, being completely honest, flawed, and unpolished had made me stand out more than any rehearsed answer ever could.

That interview taught me something unexpected: perfection is overrated. Sometimes, authenticity, humor, and even a little disaster can win the day. It’s not about looking like the perfect candidate—it’s about showing you’re human, resilient, and able to handle life’s little catastrophes with a grin.

And maybe, just maybe, showing up in mismatched shoes is your secret superpower.