All Our Tomorrows

In an article titled “The Dumbest Job Interviews Ever,” -1 human resource professionals shared their worst hiring experiences with real candidates, trying to get hired for real jobs. The article starts with the account of an employer who asked prospective job applicants to fill out a questionnaire. To the question, “Choose ONE word to summarize your strongest professional attribute,” a woman wrote, “I’m very good at following instructions.” It was downhill from there, with one job-seeker tossing an empty beer can in the receptionist’s trash can, announcing he was “trying to take the edge off.” Along the same lines, another applicant specified that his availability was limited, because Friday, Saturday, and Sunday was (quote) “drinking time.”

Still another ill-advised response came from a candidate who applied for a customer service position. When asked what he might not like about the job, he said, “Dealing with people.” While there were many others, ranging from very strange to truly ridiculous, the clear winner of the “most foolish…