Recruiter has been inundated with your biggest business gaffes and can now reveal the lucky winners of a free copy of Antal International founder and chief executive Tony Goodwin’s new book How They Blew It.

The winners of three signed copies of Goodwin and business writer Jamie Oliver’s book which explores the stories behind the spectacular failures of 16 well-known entrepreneurs, are:

• Rob Barklamb, Langdale Search and Selection
• Paul Farrer, Pfj Recruitment Consultants
• Paul O’Carroll, Talent Intelligence

The three runners-up are:

• Iain Beason, Frontline Recruitment
• Nick Leslie-Miller, Abbeywood International
• Greg Savage, Aquent

See the winning and runner-up entries below:

Rob Barklamb

“Back in my pre-recruitment days, I joined a retail company as a regional manager. It was a big move for me - my first move from the company I had previously joined as a graduate. I’d got a nice pay rise and, best of all, a company car. It was a very exciting move and I had the highest of hopes.??

“On my first day I was to spend a day touring stores with the other regional manager, whose old car I was inheriting. We met at a store in Bromley (Kent) and then moved on to the multi-storey to drive to the next store.??

“Now, although I could drive, I was living in London and hadn’t actually ever owned (or indeed driven) a car since passing my test some two or so years earlier. As we approached the car, my colleague threw me the keys and suggested I drive.?

“I assumed the driving seat. Mirror? Check. Seat position? Check. OK. So I set off and went forward a good foot and then promptly steered hard right, crushing the door of my car against the car next door. I then proceeded to crush and dent it a bit more and exit with a good 3ft scrape/dent along the side of my car. My colleague then asked if I could actually drive (quite a big deal as a regional manager) and asked to see my licence.??

“I can honestly say that things managed to go down hill from there and it was without doubt the worst job I have ever had and I was quite possibly the worst employee they had ever had!”

Paul Farrer

“1995:  Invited to pitch to Oracle who were looking to outsource their entire Graduate Recruitment Scheme. Two-stage process: 1st a fact find and 2nd a formal pitch. They wanted to recruit 100 graduates
 
“We had launched the Graduate Recruitment Company two years earlier recruiting graduates into trainee sales role in media companies by organising fairly basic group interviews. In the fact find, I didn’t want to appear dumb so didn’t probe too much about various aspects of their process, on the assumption that it was just recruitment like anything else we do.
 
“We sent our proposal in advance as requested and then went into pitch.
 
“There were 20 line managers in the room and after a short while it became apparent we had no idea about numerical and verbal reasoning tests, psychometric profiling, competency-based questioning or IT  - yet were quoting twice the amount of our nearest rival.
 
“The meeting had been scheduled for 90 minutes but I found myself chucked out on to the street rather sooner and for some reason we didn’t win the business.”
 
 
Paul O’Carroll

“The annual gallery evening was a way of saying thank you to current clients as well as an informal way of meeting some new ones. We had used the same gallery in West London for several years, mainly because it was the right sort of size and the art was always pleasing on the eye. This year, I and the rest of the team turned up half an hour or so before the first guests, to find that there was a special exhibition in place…by an artist who specialised in sculpting people’s bottoms. The gallery was literally full of bums. It was easy to break the ice that night, but I often wonder how many guests thought our choice of art deliberate?”

Iain Beason

“My ex-girlfriend was pregnant and at home feeling sorry for herself.  We had just bought some new furniture including a two-seater armchair with a cringe-worthy name.  I was in the process of emailing a client with some important info for a contract I was on the verge of winning when she emailed me to say she was having a rubbish day and wanted me home.  I, of course, got the emails mixed up and sent one to my client saying: ‘Not long now babe and I’ll be home where we can cosy up in the snuggle chair.’

“Shortly after I received a jokey email from client saying: ‘Thanks Iain but don’t think my wife would be too happy.’

“I couldn’t hide my embarrassment and was the talk of the office for weeks.  However, I did manage to then supply seven candidates to said client on good fees, so every cloud eh!”

 
Greg Savage

“Working for Accountancy Personnel (now Hays) in Oxford Circus circa 1983, I sent a candidate’s CV to her own employer. Shocking day that was.”