Job Applicants Who Walked Out of Interviews Share Their Stories
Job hunting can be a stressful and anxiety-inducing process, especially when you are in urgent need of some money. Landing an interview can make you feel like you are on top of the world.
Unfortunately, nothing dampens the excitement of a job opportunity more than discovering that your potential employer is a tyrant, maniac, or sleazeball.
People on Reddit shared their worst job interview experiences, from uncomfortable workplaces to difficult bosses and deceptive wages.
What a Waste of Time
I was told multiple times the starting wage was $16 per hour plus medical/dental. Basic warehouse work pretty much. Loading freight, very physical and not a problem for me.
So, I’m in an interview with the manager and a couple supervisors. Everything went really well until they asked me how much I make, which at the time was $14 an hour.
“Why are you willing to take a step down in pay to work for us?”.
What? I said, “The offer was $16 an hour, that’s why I’m here.”
They actually laughed and said, “Oh no, you can get up to $16 an hour maximum pending performance reviews.” They wanted to pay me minimum wage.
I said, “Sorry to waste your time, but this is wasting mine.” I got up and left.
| ajramone
Shortest Interview of My Life
This was a life insurance company. I applied to be a financial analyst intern after I graduated college.
The first thing they said after I introduced myself was:
“Your compensation will be entirely commission based. We’ve found in the past that employees who target their family and friends have the highest sales.”
I stood up, said I didn’t think I would be a good fit for the company, shook hands with the interviewer, and walked straight to my car.
The whole thing lasted a total of 10 minutes, including the time I parked to the time I left. Shortest interview of my life.
| 4peak
Assistant with Benefits
I went to interview for an executive assistant position for a doctor who did a lot of work from his house.
He seemed impressed with my resume, and eventually the interview grew more casual. He offered me a glass of some decent whiskey.
Being young and somewhat naive and also desperate for a job, I accepted. When he offered the second round, I politely declined and left soon after.
Later that night, I got a text saying he wanted to hire me and was hoping for a friends-with-benefits situation with him and his wife.
That was definitely not the job I thought I was applying for.
What a Way to Make a Living
I work as a software engineer. I always ask how often the team works overtime. One interview they responded with, “Well, you’d be salary, so that doesn’t matter.”
I followed up with, “How often do the people on your team work more than 40 hours in a week?” This felt like rephrasing the question, but I really wanted an answer.
“Oh, I don’t think anyone has ever worked less than 50 hours as long as I have been here. Sometimes it is closer to 80, but that is just the biz, you know?”
Yes. I do know. I doubled my asking salary and they didn’t seem interested. Go figure.
| akdoug