#10: Drinking Water is Cool
Sometimes, the strangest interview stories stem from the most mundane situations. In this particular anecdote, the interviewee was in an unexpected and perplexing interview—over a reusable water bottle. Yes, you read that right; the presence of a water bottle became a contentious issue during the interview. To add a layer of absurdity to the situation, the interviewer conveyed their criticism under the guise of being “helpful” and professed their fondness for the interviewee. Despite this seemingly helpful intent, the interviewee left the encounter without a job offer, highlighting the dissonance between the minor issue raised and the ultimate hiring decision.
It raises questions about the significance of seemingly trivial matters during the interview process. Bringing a reusable water bottle into an interview room seems like a straightforward act of preparation and self-care rather than a transgression. In response to this peculiar incident, the storyteller adopted a new interview approach, using the water bottle as a litmus test to gauge the workplaces that might obsess over minutiae. This twist in the story reflects the importance of evaluating potential employers for compatibility with one’s values and maintaining a sense of proportion. After all, an organization’s attitude toward such trivialities can sometimes indicate broader workplace culture and priorities.