There are some things in life that are guaranteed to be riddled with awkwardness.
Meeting the parents for the first time.
Trying to explain to your nan what a ‘YouTuber’ is.
And, of course, job interviews.
The nervous sweat, the awkward pauses, the desperate attempts to appear both competent and relatable - it’s a wonder anyone survives the ordeal with their dignity intact.
But every so often, amidst the sea of standard Zoom calls and uninspired small talk, you stumble across something truly magical: a candidate whose work portfolio is so breathtakingly bizarre, so thoroughly entertaining, that you almost forget the interview itself was as dry as a stale cracker.
The Unexpected Showbiz Portfolio
Once, we had a candidate applying for a straightforward marketing role. Their CV was standard, their cover letter was perfunctory, and their interview was… well, let’s just say it could have cured insomnia.
But then, we opened their work portfolio.
And suddenly, we were transported to a parallel universe where every piece of marketing collateral came with a full-blown musical number.
No, really.
Their portfolio featured a series of elaborate video presentations, complete with costumes, choreography, and a soundtrack that can only be described as discount Broadway.
Did we hire them?
No.
But we did spend a solid two hours trying to figure out how they managed to get a chorus line of dogs in tutus to sell toothpaste.
The Art of Overdelivery
There was another candidate who, on paper, seemed perfect for a content creation role. They were articulate, professional, and had a penchant for using buzzwords like “synergy” and “disruptive” with the kind of confidence usually reserved for motivational speakers.
But their portfolio?
Oh, it was a masterpiece of epic proportions.
Instead of the usual blog posts and social media campaigns, this candidate had taken it upon themselves to create an entire comic book series about a fictional office superhero named “Captain Content.”
The plot was intricate, the dialogue was Shakespearean (if Shakespeare wrote about SEO), and the illustrations were so incredibly detailed that we almost forgot we were supposed to be evaluating their actual job suitability.
Did Captain Content ever defeat the evil Algorithmus Maximus and save the world from keyword stuffing?
We may never know - but we’re still rooting for him.
The Unintentional Stand-Up Comedy Routine
And then there was the candidate who, through no fault of their own, turned their portfolio into a veritable stand-up comedy routine.
It was a simple mistake, really. They’d meant to showcase their graphic design skills - and in a way, they did.
But when they accidentally uploaded a series of images from their failed attempts at DIY home improvement, complete with captions detailing their misery, we were left in stitches.
- “The time I tried to paint my living room and ended up painting the cat.”
- “The time I assembled a flat-pack wardrobe and created a portal to Narnia.”
- “The time I thought I could install a shelf and ended up with an unplanned skylight.”
They were unwittingly applying for a graphic design position, but had instead become the office’s newest comedy sensation.
Did we offer them the job?
No.
But we did promise to buy tickets to their inevitable Netflix comedy special.
The Case of the Unreadable Genius
Finally, there was the candidate whose portfolio was a masterpiece of sheer, unadulterated genius - if only we could understand it.
The work was abstract, avant-garde, and so incredibly complex that it made modern art look like doodles from a children’s colouring book.
Between the swirling graphics and the cryptic, borderline philosophical explanations, we spent more time trying to decipher each piece than we did on the actual interview.
Did they have a hidden message about the futility of the 9-to-5 grind?
Was it a commentary on existential dread?
Or did they simply upload the wrong file?
We’ll never know. But one thing’s for sure - it was the most intellectually stimulating interview we’ve ever had.
Need to Find Talent That Speaks For Itself?
If you’ve ever spent an interview desperately trying to figure out if a candidate is a marketing guru or a misunderstood genius, you’re not alone.
At Coburg Banks, we help you find candidates whose skills and portfolios actually align with your business needs.
If you’re ready to recruit talent that can both talk the talk and walk the walk, get in touch.
We promise the candidates we find for you will be entertaining and employable.
