If you like this article, be sure to check out our updated version, which includes more gut-wrenching and awkward moments from job interviews gone horribly wrong.
The job interview! It can be funny, scary, nerve-wracking, and sometimes liberating. At some point or another we’ve all been on an interview we really wanted to nail. Sometimes those interviews didn’t go so well. It’s all part of the process. Being in HR, I’m a sucker for a movie or TV show with a good interview scene. I’d like to share the most memorable job interview scenes from the movies. These clips range from humorous to frustrating to inspirational. So without further ado… we start with “great” scenes where people didn’t get the job (aka learning experiences).
7. In “Fun with Dick and Jane” the market is crashing. Jim Carrey’s character, Dick Harper, has wrongfully taken a lot of the blame for his past company’s collapse. In this scene, we see the challenges of an unbalanced labor market. Later in the film, jobless Dick Harper turns to crime.
6. In “Step Brothers” starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly have a funny job interview scene while wearing tuxedos. Although it’s comical, I can tell you first hand sometimes candidates say the strangest things. The takeaways from this one; come alone and remember the interviewer’s name!
5. Before “Argo” Ben Affleck starred in “The Company Men” alongside Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper. His character goes from earning 6 figures to unemployment and he quickly learns that finding a job is a lot harder than he thought. Here’s what happens when the frustrated jobseeker meets the dismissive and overworked recruiter.
Now onto the scenes where the interviewees get the job:
4. This one is a little more serious. It’s one of my favorites, from “Transformer 3: Dark of the Moon” – yeah, I know what you’re thinking “Transformers”? But there’s a great moment here. We all just want to do things that matter.
3. Back in 2013, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson starred in “The Internship.” In this scene, a couple of middle aged men try to navigate job interviewing in the digital age. It’s a funny take on the generation divide and technology.
2. This is one is awesome. Have you ever had of those days where everything goes wrong right before a big interview; a stain on the shirt, a rip in the pants, a missing button? Check out Will Smith from “The Pursuit of Happyness” – The lesson here is: just show-up!
1. In “The Devil Wears Prada”, it’s a mix of heaven and hell, but she gets the job, and hey, Meryl Streep.
Sometimes, Hollywood, in all its fictitious glory, can capture the truth of a job interview.
