It’s not unheard of for applicants to lie about the reason they were terminated from their previous job. However, this applicant gave a particularly fishy explanation.

“Before becoming a HR Manager in manufacturing, I worked for a staffing company and interviewed many strange people, but the one that still stands out for me was the woman who had a very nice résumé and seemed poised and professional until the end of the interview when she asked me how many people worked in the office of the client who had the position I was considering her for.

“I told her there were about 10. At that point she then asked if she would be sitting in close proximity to them. I replied that I wasn't exactly sure of the logistics of the office. I asked her why this was important to her and she replied that she could only work in an office where she was alone in an office because -- get ready for it -- she said she smelled like fish and had been terminated from her last two positions because other people didn't want to sit near her.

“After the interview I did a reference check and asked to confirm her reason for termination, and both positions assured me that she was not fired for smelling like fish (she didn't, BTW).”

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