Many job hunters have reported some rather bizarre interviews, but they aren’t the only ones surprised during the process. Turns out employers have plenty of eyebrow-raising stories of their own.

A new survey of 3,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals by the job-database site CareerBuilder revealed that some prospective employees have a serious lack of common sense.

For example, would you ever dream of taking a phone call or texting while you’re being interviewed? How about chomping gum or trashing your former employers?

And it only gets worse from there. Here are a few more:

  • One candidate asked, “What company is this again?”
  • One candidate wore a Boy Scout uniform with no explanation.
  • After being 10 minutes late for an interview, one candidate said “promptness” was one of her strengths.
  • While en route to an interview, one candidate flipped his middle finger at a driver — who wound up being the interviewer.
  • One candidate asked for a sip of the interviewer’s coffee.
  • One candidate wondered out loud if the job being offered was worth “starting the car for.”

Comically inappropriate behavior aside, what should you do during an interview? Experts recommend researching the company beforehand so you’ll be able to talk about how you can best contribute, staying positive, and being ready to discuss how you’ve dealt with challenges in previous jobs.

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