Job Interview Horror Stories

Posted on April 27, 2010 by David Dilmore, DVM

One of my worst interview experiences was when a candidate for an associate veterinarian position showed up for his interview completely inebriated!  Per my typical interview practice, I had arranged an early arrival time for the candidate that would allow him the opportunity to observe the hospital team in action and chat with the doctors candidly before I arrived for the formal interview.  About five minutes after the candidate was supposed to arrive, I got a panicked call from the chief of staff. He started off by saying, “I think we have a problem with the candidate.”  I was thinking that maybe he was late or not dressed appropriately? But no.  I rushed to the hospital to help with the situation.  When I arrived, it was blatantly apparent that the interviewee had had a few “pre-interview” cocktails.   Mind you, it was barely 9:30 in the morning!  Needless to say, not the best first impression. I ended the interview right then and there – thanked the candidate for his interest, told him we would be going in a different direction and sent him on his merry way.  It was the shortest interview I’ve ever had.

As you approach graduation and search for your first veterinary job it is important to remember that the first impression you give to your potential employers lasts a long time.  As someone who performs interviews frequently, I’m happy to share some tips about what NOT TO DO in an interview.   And as obvious as some of these might seem, these tips are all born from actual experience.

  • Don’t be late. Make sure to double check your times and dates. I have had doctors miss an interview with me because they had the wrong date.
  • Don’t wear jeans and a t-shirt. Dress for success, conservative business or business casual.
  • Don’t have a couple of drinks before the interview to relax.  So that’s what that smell is.
  • Don’t bring guests to the interview.  Yes, this is my wife (husband, significant other, etc.). They just wanted to help with the decision. 
  • Don’t bring children to the interview.  Don’t breastfeed your infant in the interview either. This actually happened to me!  A lady I was interviewing reached down and began to breastfeed her son as she responded to one of my questions. This was very uncomfortable for me in a professional situation; I did not know what to say, what to do, or where to look.
  • Don’t forget to ask follow up questions.  Take advantage of this opportunity to interview your potential employer.
  • Don’t forget to ask questions about benefits, salary, vacation days, etc. I did not ask about vacation days in my first job. I got three whole days off that first year. Not a great honeymoon for me.
  • Don’t forget to ask about a mentorship program. Don’t be like me and be by yourself on your third day on the job with a 100 pound post-partum Rottweiler to spay (the longest spay ever).
  • Don’t have the wrong contact information on your resume. If I call and can’t get in touch with you it is hard to offer that dream job.
  • Don’t forget to follow up after the interview. Where are you in the process? When can you expect a decision?
  • Don’t burn bridges. You will most likely have a few job offers. If you make the wrong decision at first, you want to make sure that you have remained on good terms with the other practice owners that you turned down.  After 3 months in my first job, previous offers that I turned down in another state were not open to me because I had stated succinctly that, “I cannot ever foresee myself living in this area.”

We’ve all had bad experiences at job interviews. Here’s hoping that these tips will keep your horrific job interview experience to a minimum!

I invite you to share your interview horror stories with the rest of us. What did you or the interviewer do wrong? What did you learn?



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