What do you do when a new hire orders room service for a week, then vanishes back to their old job? Or when a candidate casually admits to making date-rape drugs “as a hobby” during an interview? In this episode of The Bad Hire, Ken Monroe, Emma, and Nathan return with another round of jaw-dropping stories that show just how unpredictable hiring can get.

From bizarre excuses like a “squirrel attack,” to a head of IT who got fired before finishing his first morning, to a dental office manager whose past on escort sites came to light within days, these tales prove that bad hires don’t just waste money, they become office legends.

Some stories will make you laugh, others will make you cringe, but all of them highlight why cultural fit, background checks, and gut instincts matter more than ever.

And remember: sharing your own story could win you $10,000 in The Bad Hire contest.

Key Takeaways

• A candidate who seems perfect can still be the wrong hire.

• Background checks exist for a reason, don’t skip them.

• Red flags in interviews are often more obvious than we admit.

• Culture fit matters as much as technical skills.

• Submitting your bad hire story could win you $10,000.

In This Episode

• [00:00] Introduction & podcast overview

• [00:44] Co-host introductions & contest announcement

• [02:02] First story: The hotel moocher

• [03:07] Second story: Date rape drug confession

• [04:07] Third story: Beer and cigarette interview

• [05:04] Fourth story: Court-ordered monitoring

• [05:58] Discussion: Lying on resumes & Reddit thread

• [06:49] Fifth story: The toxic developer

• [08:45] Sixth story: The barista with a warrant

• [09:42] Seventh story: Catcalling the head of R&D

• [10:13] Eighth story: The car thief sales rep

• [10:56] Ninth story: The squirrel attack excuse

• [13:13] Tenth story: Misreading the employee manual

• [14:37] Eleventh story: The anesthetic thief

• [16:08] Twelfth story: The 911 caller EMT

• [17:18] Thirteenth story: The escort office manager

• [21:55] Fourteenth story: The bar fight confession

• [23:27] Wrap-up & call for submissions

Notable Quotes

• [03:08] "Back in 2012, I had a client ask my candidate, 'Tell them something interesting about themselves that's not work related.' Oh, my gosh. To which the candidate replied, 'I like to make date rape drugs in my bathtub on the weekends..” – Ken Monroe

• [09:44] "Our new head of IT catcalled a woman in the parking lot on his way into his first day of work. And that woman turned out to be the head of research and development. He was fired before lunch." – Nathan

• [11:32] “He walked in covered in scratches and said a squirrel attacked him in bed. What do you even do with that?” – Emma

• [17:55] “We found her phone number on two escort sites. By day four, she was gone.” – Morgan

Our Host

Ken Monroe is the founder of The Bad Hire, a show built from the trenches of business leadership and team building. After making a disastrous hire that cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars, Ken shifted his focus to helping businesses avoid similar mistakes. Today, he runs companies that have screened over 40 million candidates, helping organizations make smarter, safer hiring decisions.

• Submit your story – thebadhire.com

• Website – thebadhire.com

• Email – ken@thebadhire.com

• LinkedIn – Ken Monroe

• Podcast Platforms – Available on Apple, Spotify, and all major podcast apps