He Put His Foot In The Door And Right Into His Fat Mouth

I’ve been working at call centers and customer services for a while now. At the moment, I am a team leader at a technical hotline that answers customer requests about everything concerning Internet and computer for business customers.

In the first-level entry jobs, we hire just about anybody who can speak and write German and is able to put basic information into a ticket system so second- and third-level can call back and solve the issue as soon as one of the more qualified technicians is free.

Second-level technicians are tech-savvy workers promoted from first level and educated by us. All you had to do was work hard and show talent and you’d get a chance.

Third level needs a diploma or certification in order to get the job. Once or twice a year, the company will offer stipends to especially talented second-level employees so they get a chance to rise up in ranks, but never new hires or outsiders. Outsiders know we offer educational benefits after a certain time, so we have lots of people trying to rise through our ranks and get their certifications through us. Lots of drop-out students try, too.

As a team leader, it is my duty to do the last job interview for everyone who wants a job with us and will go to my team, which is a first-level team only. I have the final decision if an applicant will get in or not. Screening and interviewing are usually done before people even get to me and it is absolutely entry-level. I’ve heard that HR has already requested their contracts and badges when I get them scheduled for interviews, so I’m sure no one expects me to ever turn anybody down. I never have so far, and I’m not sure my interviews are more than a formality.

Today, I have three interviews scheduled. I’m standing outside our side door with an employee who is very upset due to some stress, and I’m trying to get her to calm down before she goes on working.

While I am consoling her, a young man briskly walks straight toward us, completely ignoring the big sign for the main entry.

Young Man: “Get away, you fat a**es!”

And he rudely pushes between us to get to the door. We stare at him while he tries to get in several times, which doesn’t work because it is an employee-only door. After rattling the door several times he turns around and yells at us.

Young Man: “Get me in here, d*** it! I’m here for my interview! I’m an engineer! I’ll be your boss soon! So move your fat a**es or I’ll get you fired!”

For a moment, I think I’m having a bad dream or am in a bad soap opera. I can’t believe what I am hearing. My employee chuckles beside me, so at least something good is coming out of it, but I could barely restrain myself against so much stupidity.

But I think it isn’t my problem and decide to let it slip and just give the manager of the third level a warning later on. I point the guy to the main entrance with my best customer support voice, which makes my employee chuckle even more, and soon we go in again.

Shortly after that, I go down to HR to retrieve my own first applicant. It is a young man who sounded nice at the phone interview and is a promising candidate. He told us he’d had to interrupt his technical studies due to family troubles and hoped to work his way up through our ranks to finance his career.

But guess whom I find in front of the HR’s office waiting for his interviewer?

You guess right! It was Mr. I’ll Have You Fired!

Our HR lady turns to introduce us.

Me: “I don’t need his name. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to be part of my team with all those fat a**es surrounding him!”

He went beet red and tried to stutter an apology, but I quickly shut him down and went past him into HR and gave our recruiter my final decision on the hire and a report on why I’d not work with him and wouldn’t conduct the last interview.

Then, I rushed out without sparing him a second glance.

How stupid could he be to botch his best chance to get paid education by insulting unknown people in front of the workplace where he had an interview? If he had done his proper research, he would have known who I was, because my photo and name are easily accessible on the company’s website!

This story is part of the Bad Interviews roundup!

Read the next Bad Interviews roundup story!

Read the Bad Interviews roundup!