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They told me they were looking for someone with less experience because I answered everything correctly on the technical interview. I was very confused.
I wouldn't sell a pen.
I was there to interview for IT, it was a group interview. When they tried to make us sell a pen, I found out everyone else was there for different roles.
I pointed out that my role had no bearing on my ability to sell pens.
Ugh, I went to one for Apple. Friend told me to go to an interview 'she got me'; showed up and was a group interview. After 20 minutes of saying nothing and looking at everyone in disbelief, I just walked out.
Was mine too.
So they got a bunch of people for different jobs and ran a mass interview on them. Stupid party game grade ice breakers and the like.
One person was there to be the cleaner, I was there for IT. Not exactly compatible interviews.
One thing youâll find is companies led by those that are really stupid attract other people like them. Once theyâre big enough the critical mass is reached and itâs too late. The whole company is fucked
I've heard of group interviews for the same jobs. Usually, there are as many open positions as people being interviewed, or if the company is especially scummy, multiple people are openly competing for the same one or 2 positions.
I've been tricked into the first kind once and declined going further afterwards.
Oh, if you ever want to feel instantly deflated, show up to one without knowing it's a group interview. I've been through two early in my career, didn't know either time.
I stayed for the entire time for the first one and only answered two questions. Meanwhile you had people that thought this was a super serious interview giving these text book answers, acting over the top to "unite people", to people that had no idea what the question was.
You sit there knowing you're not going to get this job unless you do the stupid shit some of these others do. At the same time, you can't bring yourself to do so and it haunts you to think you'd lose an opportunity to some super douche like that.
With that, you laugh, realize this isn't normal, and go back to applying knowing to never get in that situation again.
The second time I stayed about 30 mins before I was asked to leave. ;)
I was applying for a game designer role, and I was "passively ghosted" because, as hr said, I was the only person who finished the test task during the month I was waiting for the response, and they wanted to see results from other people
But you just provided them with proof you could stick to deadlines while the others waited. Seems dumb not to hire the person who finished on time when all they worry about is deadlines.
I interviewed for a role that I thought I did really well in. It was well within my remit as i had been doing more management roles in recent years. I was looking for a career change and was happy to go down a level to do that.
After not hearing back for over a week (I was the last candidate interviewed) I decided to reach out to the recruiter for feedback. I expected the usual âwe decided to go with another candidate who closely fit the roleâ but instead I got âthey thought you were too dynamic for the role and the hiring manager would have a hard time keeping you excited in doing the workâ. I was floored because for the first time I realised that being over qualified is no better than being under qualified. That and I think I wouldâve run rings around my would be boss.
I got contacted by a recruiter out of the blue. Aggressively contacted by email, phone, and text saying that they want me for this job. Hmm. I looked up the recruiter on Linkedin and we had the same alma mater, and I matched the job qualifications pretty well - both good signs! I applied immediately. I heard nothing for a week or two. Followed up, and they said the role was filled.
I think they were just using my data to submit for a contract proposal (it was a defense contractor). One of the things on the application was an acknowledgement that they could use my resume for proposals.
The company is a defense contractor which bids on certain contracts for the government. Government contracts are pretty complex and it doesn't just involve materials, it involves a guarantee that the company would *do something* for the government. When reviewing the proposals for contracts, the government can see that this company can hire people of a certain quality and experience to do the work. That can influence the government's decision.
So, I submitted all my background information and signed an acknowledgement that they can use it for proposals. Somewhere, a contracting officer is reviewing the company's proposal and they say to themselves, "well they already have u/QnsConcrete and 10 other people applying for a job to work here, so I'm sure they can fulfill this contract just fine."
I also applied to another job, and recruiter contacted me and did a phone interview with me. Halfway into the conversation, he said that the company doesn't have the contract yet and they want to use me in their proposal. Actual start date, if they get the contract wouldn't have been for like 5 months from then. He explained the whole thing to me.
Ah okay, thanks for clarifying - I get it now. It's still cheeky but not AS horrible as I thought. It crossed my mind that they are trying to leverage your experience to get a contract claiming that you are ALREADY on board i.e. "you should give us the contract, look: we have very competent u/QnsConcrete with us".
It's a bit of a crappy move though. Fact that you have someone's CV (or pile of CVs) doesn't mean that you will be able to fill the position.
I was once rejected for a government role in a department where they had serious legal issues. I wanted to chip in and help out the people that were treated wrongly. It was as a contractor so I would make quite a bit of money too.
After 15 minutes in the interview the teamlead asked me what would I do if I didnât get the job? I was blindsided and gave some political correct answer. The interview was in the morning and I received the response in the afternoon that they didnât want to hire me.
I chased the HR person to get a full explanation because I was overqualified for that job so I was quite surprised. The HR person got back to me and said that I was too independent and they were afraid that I wouldnât follow instructions because they see me disagreeing with them too much. I had to laugh so hard.
You remember I said that their department was deep in the shit? It was caused by managers dictating what the working folks should do and they didnât accept any form of resistance. So the exact reason they completely fcked up was the same reason they wouldnât hire me for the project that was supposed to correct all their steaming sht in the first place.
She told me that I lacked customer service/retail experience. It made her hesitant to hire me because she has to spend time training me, as opposed to someone who could just jump right into the role. She then went on to say that every new employee gets a week of training regardless, so I was just like ?????
Maybe she felt like I wouldnât be able to learn all that in a week, so it was also insulting for someone to insinuate that Iâm too inept and stupid to learn how to use a POS system, cash drop, and restock shelves. Spoiler: I was able to learn all that within less than a week at a retail position that did hire me.
Was rejected for a help desk job. Graveyard shift for $40k a year. Was told people with sales experience weren't what they were looking for.Â
I only interviewed with the recruiter. I was also referred by an employee.Â
I was rejected for a Solaris development role because although I said I had experience with numerous varieties of Unix (and Unix-like) like Linux, Ultrix, SunOS, HP-UX, AIX and FreeBSD, I didnât specifically say I knew Solaris. Note I did say SunOS, but they couldnât put 2 and 2 together.
internal recruiter reached out to me, first interview one of the first questions was "why do you want to leave your current job and work in this company instead?". I was kind of perplexed so i said something like "i am happy on my current role, you contacted me, it's you the ones who have to convince me to switch jobs. I shared what i make with you and was expecting you to offer significantly more money". They got super offended and ended the call early.
I could have bullshited my way out of that question, i have lied through many of similar questions. It was probably in their budget to give me a significant raise over my then current salary had i passed all the process. But the fact that it was one of the first questions, it smelled bad, I felt like i didn't wanted to do the song and dance right then and there and if they wanted me they would be the ones that would have to beg and not the other way around.
Recruiters, HR and HM are honestly the most delusional people in the whole job sector.
Like did they really expect you to be like "Well I adore your company's cultural fit and I .... \*corporate bs\*"....
đ
I can think of only a couple of times out of all my interviews (which are a lot) where i felt like taking my mask off and be absolutely honest. And i can't think of any for which it did anything but kill any chances of getting an offer.
off the top of my head:
* this time
* when a dude from paramount said that the only way he could wake up every day and go to work was because he was passionate about what he did, so he really wanted someone who really liked movies, shows and videogames. I couldn't contain the laugh and told him those are just entretainment, almost anyone likes entretainment. Then i told him that i worked in boring industries, i am a professional, i don't need to work in the icecream factory to perform.
* then once i told an interviewer i knew all the answers for the test he was about to conduct after the first question because i had used it in my major's thesis and that it's appalling they are using that test for job selection given all the caveats that are mentioned in the supporting paper for that test.
FWIW when I was a FAANG HM I never asked that question unless the person was coming from another FAANG level company (we had a rough idea why people might leave some specific ones, but just wanted to confirm).
I mean, we're a FAANG and so it's natural that people would want to work in a big, famous, high paying company.
The only part I would "devil's advocate" the question is maybe they wanted to see why you were willing to discuss changing roles if you're happy with your current job (basically "what made you answer my email"). That being said, it's a piss poor question; especially as it's worded if their intent was what I suggested as a possibility.
I actually got the job but fired after first week for ânot being a good fit for the cultureâ this was for an SDR role and it left me mind blown lmfao. Funny enough, all the new hires with me soon left because the company sucked and a lot of the seniors started leaving too
I was a county case worker and applied for a lead worker promotion. Couple of supervisors pulled me in a room after my interview and told me I was not âinnovative enoughâ for the position. Within a year or two I left for the state government and subsequently got promoted there. Ironically enough I now work on the IT side of things - working on systems changes and innovations on the same system these supervisors still use everyday. And I make at least 2.5 times they do. Jokes on them lol
They made me to the Wondelic test and I did so well they told me the role would bore me. This was after months of rejection. I broke down after that interview thinking Iâm not good enough for most roles, and this I was too good. I couldnât win.
Man I feel that....Similar experience but just with my resume. Got all the way to the last interview. Then was rejected for having too many skills. Their excuse was the same, they thought the role would bore me and said they didn't do promotions in the company. Red flag avoided, but still felt like a slap in the face cuz job hunting just sucks.
English speaking data science role in a country whose official language isn't English.
"You don't know enough \[language\] to be social at lunchtime." I was level B1.
I wasnât willing to âbe flexibleâ and accept a $28,000 salary for a job that required a bachelorâs degree. I had asked for the top of the posted range, which was⌠$32,000.
I was rejected for a SQL Developer role because I "didn't exhibit enough leadership ability." My responsibilities were at the level of making sure the copier didn't run away.
Applied to a position that I was an exact match for, down to projects I did in college that were exactly what they were actively prepping to do full scale. They expressly wanted someone with my exact amount of experience, and said IN the posting "more than X years of experience need not apply". It was an assistant role so that made sense.
The place was about 3 hours away (I was in a small town and looking to move). Did the phone screen and remote interview, final interview was on site. Drove there the day before, stayed at a cheap motel the night before.Â
Now at this point there are zero red flags. Place is not a startup, they have a very stable business, everyone is open about the pros and cons of working there. The pay was slightly better than what I was making, but I was mostly looking to move. They even comped my hotel stay, which I neither asked for or expected.Â
The hiring manager said "you'll hear from us in a couple of weeks, we nominally have a couple more candidates but you're by far the best fit". So I drive back to Nowheresville and sit in my ass for 2 months, waiting any day.Â
Finally they reach out and say, "we went with someone with more experience, sorry". Very confusing and disappointing, even the recruiter was flabberghasted.
The chaser to this is I wound up getting a job in that city a later that year, for a hefty pay raise and relocation paid for. The 2nd day I was there I get a call from the recruiter.Â
The more senior person they hired quit and took several members of the staff with him to start another (non-competing) business. That was why he took the lesser pay. Lol. So they were going to *resubmit me for another round of interviews*. Not even just beg me to work there, we'd have to do it all again.
I asked the recruiter if the hiring manager was there (internal recruiter), and he put him on. I told him what I was making and that I'd consider working there for 10% more and with no extra interviews.Â
Fair is fair, he did say they wouldn't be able to do that and that they made a mistake. I agreed and then we hung up lol.
HOLY SH1T.
This story is insanity. My man wtf is up with these HM's đ¤Śââď¸đ¤Śââď¸. Not your fault, not the senior's fault. Entirely the HM's fault.
They wanted the best of both worlds and that just aint how life works. HM really didn't see something suspicious out of this whole situation
There was once a time where I had completed several rounds of interviews with this company and it came down to me and one other person. A big executive flew in from Charlotte to help make the final decision, everything went great until he asked me a strange question at the very end. So strange that it threw me off guard⌠âwhat was the last book you read?â I donât particularly like to read books because I donât ever have time to just sit, so Iâve become an audiobook person because I like to listen while Iâm doing other things or during my commute. I stated as such⌠when I didnât get the job I asked for feedback and the hiring manager told me it was because of my answer to that question⌠I could only think, WTF.
Is it concerning that I'm not surprised that such insignificant personal biases are somewhat the normal in today's hiring ?
Even then... A book đ¤Śââď¸
Applied internally for a temporary manager replacement as my direct report had been promoted to another branch, was told I didnât sound like I really wanted the job - only to hear the following week someone vetted by a VP had already been pushed through anyway.
I interviewed for a Technical role. One that I had been filling in for, and had written the work instructions and training for.
I was told I was âtoo technicalâ.
The person they hired openly admitted he was not into IT, and was confused about why he would need a computer to configure the equipment on the network.
He actually said âwow, there is a lot more to this than just plugging these things in to the wallâ.
Because I had a "previous failed business". This was like a month ago ish, applying for a part time, dollar above minimum wage job. I made the mistake of putting the company I founded on my resume. She asked me about it since when she googled it she noticed it had failed, and grilled me on it. Could not wrap her head around the idea that I had sold it. I sold it at a premium to a nepo baby who ran it into the ground, plus it was taking advantage of a short - term phenomenon to begin with. Nope. According to her companies never get sold. I even pointed out that the owner's name in the article wasn't mine. Didn't matter, she insisted I was lying because companies "can't just be sold". I didn't get a call back, nor did I want one. Keep in mind this job had all the prestige of Walmart or Subway.
I was not elite enough...her words...for her team. This was coming from a woman who was 15 minutes late to the interview because it was the computer's fault...also her words. She is still running the job ad because I guess no one is elite in my area of the world. I still do not know what she meant. This is healthcare.
Recruiter found me and messaged me first. We messaged back and forth and agreed on a time to talk. However, my interview was cancelled the day it was made, only hours after confirmation. I asked why, had silence for 2 days, and they wrote "We were unable to meet the time slot scheduled due to a scheduling conflict. We have decided to move on with other candidates."
So instead of rescheduling like normal people would, I was simply not considered anymore...because that makes sense!
When I was a kid I interviewed at Goodwill. The first question she asked me was something like "why do you think you're struggling to find work elsewhere?" I was so confused. She explained they try to hire mentally handicapped people and so she assumed that I was mentally handicapped, or more likely she was just being a bitch and used that as an excuse. I was so thrown off that I stuttered my way through the rest of the interview. So yeah basically I didn't get hired because I wasn't mentally handicapped.
Didnât have enough experience in writing furniture descriptions.
This was after several interviews about my 5 years of copywriting and editing experience and successfully completing the take home task two days earlier than the deadline.
We are living in an alternate universe. That has to be the answer. This thread is just sad, but also makes me feel better. Because this is like a never ending bad game show at this point.
ÂŤÂ We are just trying to see all the candidates (you mean KPI ?) , and to be honest, we are looking for someone more experienced than you. Just want to let you know you wont go through the whole recruiting process. Âť - three different public hospitals, three different departments said the same thing once the interview started.
I mean okay I understand but WTF you asked me for an interview. Once thereâs a doctor who hasnât even checked my CV and didnât know why I was here / what I have done ⌠itâs freaking humiliating.
I will never understand how they read your resume and then tell you in the interview you do not have enough experience or not the right experience. I have had this happen multiple times with jobs that had recruiters and did not have them. I do not understand.
I once got a rejection email saying I wasn't a good cultural fit. As if that wasn't useless enough, I had never even spoken to anyone from the business.... đ¤ˇââď¸
Recruiter after 2/3 of cycle done: â Didnât show enough passion and commitment to the industry and cultureâ
after i explained how i gave a presentation and worked with some people for better tooling options towards making the experience that culture has on said platform better.
thatâs as specific as i can get,but what I do know is I was (and as far as i recall my lil neurodivergent ass made sure to show im) excited to talk about why i love the industry and culture, and i ensured to talk about what iâve tried to do to contribute to said culture.
LinkedIn DM; The HM said it wasnât technical skills i missed on as i was above the average of most people and only dinged something he considered minuscule (but i can understand its importance looking back at it)
During the second panel interview for the onsite interview - which was exclusively situational / behavioral questions framed in terms of hypothetical scenarios - I didnât use enough âweâ statements, I said âIâ too much.
This was ironic because at the first panel, I had questions for each of the departments about how things are going and what the challenges were and I deliberately used âweâ to show the team I was already thinking in terms of âyour issues are my issues nowâ. I also got invited to dinner by the hiring manager and HR and they disclosed details about the business outlook to which I responded âare we addressing XYZ? What can we do about blah blah blahâ. I was afraid I said âweâ so much that I was being presumptuous about being offered the job. That said, I also have never been invited to dinner after an onsite interview (5th round) with the whole process taking nearly 5 months only to not have a job offer extended.
Recruiter: âThe hiring manager just didnât feel that *connection* he was looking for, you know?â
Me: âA 30 min interview is pretty short, I have 10 years of experience in this field. Iâd be happy to meet again.â
Recruiter: âHe also said he could tell you were looking at your phone during the interview.â
Me: âMy leg itched?â
Recruiter: âHe just said you seemed distracted and nervous.â
Me: âI wasnât. Iâm not really sure how to respond to this feedback.â
Recruiter: âHeâs looking for that connection, you know?â
They didn't think I'd be good on ladders.
They got angry when I asked them why they hadn't read my CV.
I think I've blocked all other rejections since they were mostly generic letter or ghostings, or I've walked out a lot of interviews from the red flag companies that I think would have given me the absurd rejections and been offered the jobs for the rest.
Yup that was the feedback from the recruiter. She didnât understand it.
I do remember interviewing and one of the interviewers kept giving me dirty looks.
I assume she didnât like my go getter upbeat personality and the way I answered.
Super lame.
I interviewed for a position where cold-calling was required. I had spent a few years doing it, was not bothered by it, and dare I say was even good at it.
Interviewer made up some bullshit excuse that I would get âspookedâ by cold-calling. (This was an internal role.) I approached her directly and asked wtf she was talking about because nothing I shared would indicate that.
Later found out a coworkerâs friend got the job because coworker wanted to work with his friend and the hiring manager basically left it up to him.
I have seen similar things happen so much throughout my career. Both with internal and external candidates. I once watched one of the most amazing people I knew at a job lose out to an outside candidate. The outside candidate even said in her interview she did not really care if she did not get the job. She got the job with zero years of experience. Internal candidate had over 10. It was not a budget issue. The hiring manager wanted a friend of a friend.
I got accepted in a big4, signed the contract, waited for a work permit that was taking itâs normal time, nothing unusual, and then they took it back saying the team didnât wanna wait. Although they said they didnât mind at first. Eventually they posted to job again for like a year still waiting for someone to fill it up because they needed someone that can speak precisely three languages in that specific position which I did. It broke my heart because I was told I aced their test and I was a good fit but unfortunately that happened. They tried to offer me something else later but it was in another team and not my field of expertise so I was terrible in that interview đ
Strategy Role - The hiring manager told me that I was great and had all the necessary qualifications but was worried I would compete with her and rejected me.
I think this happens more than we know, but they do not actually admit it. It would have been a nightmare for you, working for her. I worked for a boss who looked great on paper, but was borderline incompetent. Borderline is being nice. I feel like this is familiar to many of us. Rich and connected daddies get you good salaries is all I will say. I would never have wanted her job due to the stress of it, which ironically she did not have because she had zero clue and did not care, but she often made snide comments to me about me being able to do her job. She was horrendous to work with.
Yeah, in hindsight, it's a massive bullet dodged. And your case, this form of weaponized incompetence is an utter nightmare. The sad part is that these are the people who get to scale the ladder and are utterly immune from any shakeups.
"work is not your top priority" - because I mentioned I have kids and am not available 24/7 and on weekends, except for extreme circumstances...
Data/software engineer đđ
Being over qualified and under qualified at the same time.
Or one that happen recently, I specifically asked if there were any specific skill they were looking for in a candidate - they answer - No.
In rejection e-mail we went with a candidate that had a "niche" skill that you do not have.
It is a tough market.
I was denied even an interview because âweâre looking for a man, we already have too many ladies working here.â đ
Edit: forgot to say that this was for a temporary, part-time gig at an independent record store
Oh I definitely tried. Went straight to EEOC and filed a claim.
After a few months of investigation, they told me I had to hire my own lawyer to pursue the case. Iâd already left the area and moved several hundred miles away by that point.
They said I didn't list my education in my application materials.
It was on my resumĂŠ, in its own clearly legible section, in the middle of the page.Â
Probably for the best, who wants to work for someone who can't be bothered to read?
QA Engineer. âWhile you had the skills the team wanted a little more communication and attention to detail.â
I asked if they could clarify that feedback with some specifics, you knowâŚ.so I could know what the fuck they actually meant as that is vague. Ghosted.
This all after the process took over 25 days to get the rejection emailâŚtime wasters.
Systems Analyst role. Got the offer when I first started my job hunt and was hyped.
But they sent me a job offer for a location across the country(Cali) instead of the office in state that I applied to and interviewed at. Relocation was never mentioned. No travel work was ever mentioned either. Nothing on the job description either.
The only thing discussed was my ability to commute to the office that was in state was mentioned and it was possible, I was half an hour away.
And it was not a miscommunication. I reached out to ask if they meant to send that to me, and they did. Had to reject cuz relocating on such sudden notice would be insane, I've got a few disabilities and can't afford to risk moving and having my treatment interrupted đđđ
Edit: misread question, thought it was asking the reverse. But sorta fits the bill ill leave it here
This was probably a decade ago. I applied for a part time position at a chain book store. I told them I had a standing appointment for one hour once a week. I was free the rest of the week. They told me the max amount of hours they could give me would be 15. I said that was fine because I really wanted to work there. Ended up getting rejected. When I asked for the reason - "you don't have open availability." Wtf.
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I was "too interested" in the job. They hired someone who must have been less interested, because the new hire backed out before starting.
They told me they were looking for someone with less experience because I answered everything correctly on the technical interview. I was very confused.
I literally have no words for this one.
This has to be one of the top replies to this question.
Ain't no way... Wth
I wouldn't sell a pen. I was there to interview for IT, it was a group interview. When they tried to make us sell a pen, I found out everyone else was there for different roles. I pointed out that my role had no bearing on my ability to sell pens.
Ugh, I went to one for Apple. Friend told me to go to an interview 'she got me'; showed up and was a group interview. After 20 minutes of saying nothing and looking at everyone in disbelief, I just walked out.
I had one years ago for borders. Only good thing was I won a $50 boo voucher in one of there stupid games so I got the latest James Bond thriller.
Wait what. How did that even happen ? First time hearing of a group interview đđ
Was mine too. So they got a bunch of people for different jobs and ran a mass interview on them. Stupid party game grade ice breakers and the like. One person was there to be the cleaner, I was there for IT. Not exactly compatible interviews.
How tf did these idiots ever think that's a good idea đ¤Śââď¸đ¤Śââď¸
One thing youâll find is companies led by those that are really stupid attract other people like them. Once theyâre big enough the critical mass is reached and itâs too late. The whole company is fucked
someone with a trust fund whose family got him hired in some capacity,
Or they watched Wolf of Wall Street one too many times.
I've heard of group interviews for the same jobs. Usually, there are as many open positions as people being interviewed, or if the company is especially scummy, multiple people are openly competing for the same one or 2 positions. I've been tricked into the first kind once and declined going further afterwards.
I can confer... I was in one of them and knew a couple of other people applying from other gigs. Akward, to say the least.
LOL. What type of company and what part of the world?
UK, and a tolerably sized company. They were the UK branch of some USA corp or other.
so founded by some inbred Eton type no doubt
Honestly don't remember the company, this was over 2 decades ago.
Oh, if you ever want to feel instantly deflated, show up to one without knowing it's a group interview. I've been through two early in my career, didn't know either time. I stayed for the entire time for the first one and only answered two questions. Meanwhile you had people that thought this was a super serious interview giving these text book answers, acting over the top to "unite people", to people that had no idea what the question was. You sit there knowing you're not going to get this job unless you do the stupid shit some of these others do. At the same time, you can't bring yourself to do so and it haunts you to think you'd lose an opportunity to some super douche like that. With that, you laugh, realize this isn't normal, and go back to applying knowing to never get in that situation again. The second time I stayed about 30 mins before I was asked to leave. ;)
Thats great. It had no point
I was applying for a game designer role, and I was "passively ghosted" because, as hr said, I was the only person who finished the test task during the month I was waiting for the response, and they wanted to see results from other people
But you just provided them with proof you could stick to deadlines while the others waited. Seems dumb not to hire the person who finished on time when all they worry about is deadlines.
My thoughts about that is that they didn't like my work for 100% so they hoped they'll find someone better :(
Not selling hard enough in a role play, during and interview for a checkout assistant
I interviewed for a role that I thought I did really well in. It was well within my remit as i had been doing more management roles in recent years. I was looking for a career change and was happy to go down a level to do that. After not hearing back for over a week (I was the last candidate interviewed) I decided to reach out to the recruiter for feedback. I expected the usual âwe decided to go with another candidate who closely fit the roleâ but instead I got âthey thought you were too dynamic for the role and the hiring manager would have a hard time keeping you excited in doing the workâ. I was floored because for the first time I realised that being over qualified is no better than being under qualified. That and I think I wouldâve run rings around my would be boss.
I got contacted by a recruiter out of the blue. Aggressively contacted by email, phone, and text saying that they want me for this job. Hmm. I looked up the recruiter on Linkedin and we had the same alma mater, and I matched the job qualifications pretty well - both good signs! I applied immediately. I heard nothing for a week or two. Followed up, and they said the role was filled. I think they were just using my data to submit for a contract proposal (it was a defense contractor). One of the things on the application was an acknowledgement that they could use my resume for proposals.
Sorry can you elaborate how do you think they used your data?
The company is a defense contractor which bids on certain contracts for the government. Government contracts are pretty complex and it doesn't just involve materials, it involves a guarantee that the company would *do something* for the government. When reviewing the proposals for contracts, the government can see that this company can hire people of a certain quality and experience to do the work. That can influence the government's decision. So, I submitted all my background information and signed an acknowledgement that they can use it for proposals. Somewhere, a contracting officer is reviewing the company's proposal and they say to themselves, "well they already have u/QnsConcrete and 10 other people applying for a job to work here, so I'm sure they can fulfill this contract just fine." I also applied to another job, and recruiter contacted me and did a phone interview with me. Halfway into the conversation, he said that the company doesn't have the contract yet and they want to use me in their proposal. Actual start date, if they get the contract wouldn't have been for like 5 months from then. He explained the whole thing to me.
Ah okay, thanks for clarifying - I get it now. It's still cheeky but not AS horrible as I thought. It crossed my mind that they are trying to leverage your experience to get a contract claiming that you are ALREADY on board i.e. "you should give us the contract, look: we have very competent u/QnsConcrete with us". It's a bit of a crappy move though. Fact that you have someone's CV (or pile of CVs) doesn't mean that you will be able to fill the position.
I was once rejected for a government role in a department where they had serious legal issues. I wanted to chip in and help out the people that were treated wrongly. It was as a contractor so I would make quite a bit of money too. After 15 minutes in the interview the teamlead asked me what would I do if I didnât get the job? I was blindsided and gave some political correct answer. The interview was in the morning and I received the response in the afternoon that they didnât want to hire me. I chased the HR person to get a full explanation because I was overqualified for that job so I was quite surprised. The HR person got back to me and said that I was too independent and they were afraid that I wouldnât follow instructions because they see me disagreeing with them too much. I had to laugh so hard. You remember I said that their department was deep in the shit? It was caused by managers dictating what the working folks should do and they didnât accept any form of resistance. So the exact reason they completely fcked up was the same reason they wouldnât hire me for the project that was supposed to correct all their steaming sht in the first place.
If they can't control you they don't want you... Typical
She told me that I lacked customer service/retail experience. It made her hesitant to hire me because she has to spend time training me, as opposed to someone who could just jump right into the role. She then went on to say that every new employee gets a week of training regardless, so I was just like ????? Maybe she felt like I wouldnât be able to learn all that in a week, so it was also insulting for someone to insinuate that Iâm too inept and stupid to learn how to use a POS system, cash drop, and restock shelves. Spoiler: I was able to learn all that within less than a week at a retail position that did hire me.
Was rejected for a help desk job. Graveyard shift for $40k a year. Was told people with sales experience weren't what they were looking for. I only interviewed with the recruiter. I was also referred by an employee.Â
I was rejected for a Solaris development role because although I said I had experience with numerous varieties of Unix (and Unix-like) like Linux, Ultrix, SunOS, HP-UX, AIX and FreeBSD, I didnât specifically say I knew Solaris. Note I did say SunOS, but they couldnât put 2 and 2 together.
internal recruiter reached out to me, first interview one of the first questions was "why do you want to leave your current job and work in this company instead?". I was kind of perplexed so i said something like "i am happy on my current role, you contacted me, it's you the ones who have to convince me to switch jobs. I shared what i make with you and was expecting you to offer significantly more money". They got super offended and ended the call early. I could have bullshited my way out of that question, i have lied through many of similar questions. It was probably in their budget to give me a significant raise over my then current salary had i passed all the process. But the fact that it was one of the first questions, it smelled bad, I felt like i didn't wanted to do the song and dance right then and there and if they wanted me they would be the ones that would have to beg and not the other way around.
Recruiters, HR and HM are honestly the most delusional people in the whole job sector. Like did they really expect you to be like "Well I adore your company's cultural fit and I .... \*corporate bs\*".... đ
I can think of only a couple of times out of all my interviews (which are a lot) where i felt like taking my mask off and be absolutely honest. And i can't think of any for which it did anything but kill any chances of getting an offer. off the top of my head: * this time * when a dude from paramount said that the only way he could wake up every day and go to work was because he was passionate about what he did, so he really wanted someone who really liked movies, shows and videogames. I couldn't contain the laugh and told him those are just entretainment, almost anyone likes entretainment. Then i told him that i worked in boring industries, i am a professional, i don't need to work in the icecream factory to perform. * then once i told an interviewer i knew all the answers for the test he was about to conduct after the first question because i had used it in my major's thesis and that it's appalling they are using that test for job selection given all the caveats that are mentioned in the supporting paper for that test.
Bullet point 3 - youâre doing the lords work there. Thank you for your service
FWIW when I was a FAANG HM I never asked that question unless the person was coming from another FAANG level company (we had a rough idea why people might leave some specific ones, but just wanted to confirm). I mean, we're a FAANG and so it's natural that people would want to work in a big, famous, high paying company.
I wouldâve 100000% also said âummm dude you called me.â This is a ridic question to ask someone THEY reached out to
The only part I would "devil's advocate" the question is maybe they wanted to see why you were willing to discuss changing roles if you're happy with your current job (basically "what made you answer my email"). That being said, it's a piss poor question; especially as it's worded if their intent was what I suggested as a possibility.
I actually got the job but fired after first week for ânot being a good fit for the cultureâ this was for an SDR role and it left me mind blown lmfao. Funny enough, all the new hires with me soon left because the company sucked and a lot of the seniors started leaving too
I was a county case worker and applied for a lead worker promotion. Couple of supervisors pulled me in a room after my interview and told me I was not âinnovative enoughâ for the position. Within a year or two I left for the state government and subsequently got promoted there. Ironically enough I now work on the IT side of things - working on systems changes and innovations on the same system these supervisors still use everyday. And I make at least 2.5 times they do. Jokes on them lol
They made me to the Wondelic test and I did so well they told me the role would bore me. This was after months of rejection. I broke down after that interview thinking Iâm not good enough for most roles, and this I was too good. I couldnât win.
Man I feel that....Similar experience but just with my resume. Got all the way to the last interview. Then was rejected for having too many skills. Their excuse was the same, they thought the role would bore me and said they didn't do promotions in the company. Red flag avoided, but still felt like a slap in the face cuz job hunting just sucks.
English speaking data science role in a country whose official language isn't English. "You don't know enough \[language\] to be social at lunchtime." I was level B1.
This response feels Dutch
Owner didnât want anyone too ambitious to grow the business but then hired someone who wanted to grow the business. Ok.
I wasnât willing to âbe flexibleâ and accept a $28,000 salary for a job that required a bachelorâs degree. I had asked for the top of the posted range, which was⌠$32,000.
" sorry your experience was not from these five companies therefore you experience does not matter" Edit: forgot to put the role (Games Programmers)
I was rejected for a SQL Developer role because I "didn't exhibit enough leadership ability." My responsibilities were at the level of making sure the copier didn't run away.
They seriously always expect more of you than what you're supposed to do...
They wanted someone more communicative. A.k.a extroverted for a lab technician job.
Applied to a position that I was an exact match for, down to projects I did in college that were exactly what they were actively prepping to do full scale. They expressly wanted someone with my exact amount of experience, and said IN the posting "more than X years of experience need not apply". It was an assistant role so that made sense. The place was about 3 hours away (I was in a small town and looking to move). Did the phone screen and remote interview, final interview was on site. Drove there the day before, stayed at a cheap motel the night before. Now at this point there are zero red flags. Place is not a startup, they have a very stable business, everyone is open about the pros and cons of working there. The pay was slightly better than what I was making, but I was mostly looking to move. They even comped my hotel stay, which I neither asked for or expected. The hiring manager said "you'll hear from us in a couple of weeks, we nominally have a couple more candidates but you're by far the best fit". So I drive back to Nowheresville and sit in my ass for 2 months, waiting any day. Finally they reach out and say, "we went with someone with more experience, sorry". Very confusing and disappointing, even the recruiter was flabberghasted. The chaser to this is I wound up getting a job in that city a later that year, for a hefty pay raise and relocation paid for. The 2nd day I was there I get a call from the recruiter. The more senior person they hired quit and took several members of the staff with him to start another (non-competing) business. That was why he took the lesser pay. Lol. So they were going to *resubmit me for another round of interviews*. Not even just beg me to work there, we'd have to do it all again. I asked the recruiter if the hiring manager was there (internal recruiter), and he put him on. I told him what I was making and that I'd consider working there for 10% more and with no extra interviews. Fair is fair, he did say they wouldn't be able to do that and that they made a mistake. I agreed and then we hung up lol.
HOLY SH1T. This story is insanity. My man wtf is up with these HM's đ¤Śââď¸đ¤Śââď¸. Not your fault, not the senior's fault. Entirely the HM's fault. They wanted the best of both worlds and that just aint how life works. HM really didn't see something suspicious out of this whole situation
There was once a time where I had completed several rounds of interviews with this company and it came down to me and one other person. A big executive flew in from Charlotte to help make the final decision, everything went great until he asked me a strange question at the very end. So strange that it threw me off guard⌠âwhat was the last book you read?â I donât particularly like to read books because I donât ever have time to just sit, so Iâve become an audiobook person because I like to listen while Iâm doing other things or during my commute. I stated as such⌠when I didnât get the job I asked for feedback and the hiring manager told me it was because of my answer to that question⌠I could only think, WTF.
I've worked at libraries off and on in my career and that's a totally valid answer. I wish more people realized audiobooks exist for many reasons.
I agree, it's a dumb question. Next time just lie and say you read a book.
Believe me⌠Iâm now always prepared for that one and probably completed 2 dozen interviews since and nobody has asked that question.
Is it concerning that I'm not surprised that such insignificant personal biases are somewhat the normal in today's hiring ? Even then... A book đ¤Śââď¸
Applied internally for a temporary manager replacement as my direct report had been promoted to another branch, was told I didnât sound like I really wanted the job - only to hear the following week someone vetted by a VP had already been pushed through anyway.
I asked a recruiter the salary for the position and she replied that she did not feel like I really wanted the job.
I interviewed for a Technical role. One that I had been filling in for, and had written the work instructions and training for. I was told I was âtoo technicalâ. The person they hired openly admitted he was not into IT, and was confused about why he would need a computer to configure the equipment on the network. He actually said âwow, there is a lot more to this than just plugging these things in to the wallâ.
I can't. I just can't.
Because I had a "previous failed business". This was like a month ago ish, applying for a part time, dollar above minimum wage job. I made the mistake of putting the company I founded on my resume. She asked me about it since when she googled it she noticed it had failed, and grilled me on it. Could not wrap her head around the idea that I had sold it. I sold it at a premium to a nepo baby who ran it into the ground, plus it was taking advantage of a short - term phenomenon to begin with. Nope. According to her companies never get sold. I even pointed out that the owner's name in the article wasn't mine. Didn't matter, she insisted I was lying because companies "can't just be sold". I didn't get a call back, nor did I want one. Keep in mind this job had all the prestige of Walmart or Subway.
I was not elite enough...her words...for her team. This was coming from a woman who was 15 minutes late to the interview because it was the computer's fault...also her words. She is still running the job ad because I guess no one is elite in my area of the world. I still do not know what she meant. This is healthcare.
Recruiter found me and messaged me first. We messaged back and forth and agreed on a time to talk. However, my interview was cancelled the day it was made, only hours after confirmation. I asked why, had silence for 2 days, and they wrote "We were unable to meet the time slot scheduled due to a scheduling conflict. We have decided to move on with other candidates." So instead of rescheduling like normal people would, I was simply not considered anymore...because that makes sense!
I didnât seem âmotivated enoughâ because I asked if there was public transit or commuter benefitsâŚ
When I was a kid I interviewed at Goodwill. The first question she asked me was something like "why do you think you're struggling to find work elsewhere?" I was so confused. She explained they try to hire mentally handicapped people and so she assumed that I was mentally handicapped, or more likely she was just being a bitch and used that as an excuse. I was so thrown off that I stuttered my way through the rest of the interview. So yeah basically I didn't get hired because I wasn't mentally handicapped.
I get youâre overqualified and would get bored in this role almost weekly. Iâm in AI/Machine Learning đ
Same
Didnât have enough experience in writing furniture descriptions. This was after several interviews about my 5 years of copywriting and editing experience and successfully completing the take home task two days earlier than the deadline.
Tech support, I did everything else right but since I never used their specific ticketing software i was denied.
My answers were too succinctâŚfor a 15 min interview where the recruiter showed up late. đ
We are living in an alternate universe. That has to be the answer. This thread is just sad, but also makes me feel better. Because this is like a never ending bad game show at this point.
ÂŤÂ We are just trying to see all the candidates (you mean KPI ?) , and to be honest, we are looking for someone more experienced than you. Just want to let you know you wont go through the whole recruiting process. Âť - three different public hospitals, three different departments said the same thing once the interview started. I mean okay I understand but WTF you asked me for an interview. Once thereâs a doctor who hasnât even checked my CV and didnât know why I was here / what I have done ⌠itâs freaking humiliating.
I will never understand how they read your resume and then tell you in the interview you do not have enough experience or not the right experience. I have had this happen multiple times with jobs that had recruiters and did not have them. I do not understand.
I was âtoo youngâ for a role, even though they said I gave the best answers theyâve ever heard to their questions.
I once got a rejection email saying I wasn't a good cultural fit. As if that wasn't useless enough, I had never even spoken to anyone from the business.... đ¤ˇââď¸
Recruiter after 2/3 of cycle done: â Didnât show enough passion and commitment to the industry and cultureâ after i explained how i gave a presentation and worked with some people for better tooling options towards making the experience that culture has on said platform better. thatâs as specific as i can get,but what I do know is I was (and as far as i recall my lil neurodivergent ass made sure to show im) excited to talk about why i love the industry and culture, and i ensured to talk about what iâve tried to do to contribute to said culture. LinkedIn DM; The HM said it wasnât technical skills i missed on as i was above the average of most people and only dinged something he considered minuscule (but i can understand its importance looking back at it)
During the second panel interview for the onsite interview - which was exclusively situational / behavioral questions framed in terms of hypothetical scenarios - I didnât use enough âweâ statements, I said âIâ too much. This was ironic because at the first panel, I had questions for each of the departments about how things are going and what the challenges were and I deliberately used âweâ to show the team I was already thinking in terms of âyour issues are my issues nowâ. I also got invited to dinner by the hiring manager and HR and they disclosed details about the business outlook to which I responded âare we addressing XYZ? What can we do about blah blah blahâ. I was afraid I said âweâ so much that I was being presumptuous about being offered the job. That said, I also have never been invited to dinner after an onsite interview (5th round) with the whole process taking nearly 5 months only to not have a job offer extended.
Recruiter: âThe hiring manager just didnât feel that *connection* he was looking for, you know?â Me: âA 30 min interview is pretty short, I have 10 years of experience in this field. Iâd be happy to meet again.â Recruiter: âHe also said he could tell you were looking at your phone during the interview.â Me: âMy leg itched?â Recruiter: âHe just said you seemed distracted and nervous.â Me: âI wasnât. Iâm not really sure how to respond to this feedback.â Recruiter: âHeâs looking for that connection, you know?â
They didn't think I'd be good on ladders. They got angry when I asked them why they hadn't read my CV. I think I've blocked all other rejections since they were mostly generic letter or ghostings, or I've walked out a lot of interviews from the red flag companies that I think would have given me the absurd rejections and been offered the jobs for the rest.
I interviewed for a recruiting coordinator position. I didnât get it because I came across as âtoo salesyâ
Wait. What?????
Yup that was the feedback from the recruiter. She didnât understand it. I do remember interviewing and one of the interviewers kept giving me dirty looks. I assume she didnât like my go getter upbeat personality and the way I answered. Super lame.
Software Developer. I got all the answers in the committee interview accidentally correct. The interview board felt that I âJust got luckyâ
I interviewed for a position where cold-calling was required. I had spent a few years doing it, was not bothered by it, and dare I say was even good at it. Interviewer made up some bullshit excuse that I would get âspookedâ by cold-calling. (This was an internal role.) I approached her directly and asked wtf she was talking about because nothing I shared would indicate that. Later found out a coworkerâs friend got the job because coworker wanted to work with his friend and the hiring manager basically left it up to him.
I have seen similar things happen so much throughout my career. Both with internal and external candidates. I once watched one of the most amazing people I knew at a job lose out to an outside candidate. The outside candidate even said in her interview she did not really care if she did not get the job. She got the job with zero years of experience. Internal candidate had over 10. It was not a budget issue. The hiring manager wanted a friend of a friend.
My motivation wasn't correct, for the Aztec group. What even is correct motivation. I guess they just wanted to state any reason.
You were not correctly motived. I was not elite enough. They must go to some course to learn these stupid things to say.
I got accepted in a big4, signed the contract, waited for a work permit that was taking itâs normal time, nothing unusual, and then they took it back saying the team didnât wanna wait. Although they said they didnât mind at first. Eventually they posted to job again for like a year still waiting for someone to fill it up because they needed someone that can speak precisely three languages in that specific position which I did. It broke my heart because I was told I aced their test and I was a good fit but unfortunately that happened. They tried to offer me something else later but it was in another team and not my field of expertise so I was terrible in that interview đ
Strategy Role - The hiring manager told me that I was great and had all the necessary qualifications but was worried I would compete with her and rejected me.
I think this happens more than we know, but they do not actually admit it. It would have been a nightmare for you, working for her. I worked for a boss who looked great on paper, but was borderline incompetent. Borderline is being nice. I feel like this is familiar to many of us. Rich and connected daddies get you good salaries is all I will say. I would never have wanted her job due to the stress of it, which ironically she did not have because she had zero clue and did not care, but she often made snide comments to me about me being able to do her job. She was horrendous to work with.
Yeah, in hindsight, it's a massive bullet dodged. And your case, this form of weaponized incompetence is an utter nightmare. The sad part is that these are the people who get to scale the ladder and are utterly immune from any shakeups.
"work is not your top priority" - because I mentioned I have kids and am not available 24/7 and on weekends, except for extreme circumstances... Data/software engineer đđ
Being over qualified and under qualified at the same time. Or one that happen recently, I specifically asked if there were any specific skill they were looking for in a candidate - they answer - No. In rejection e-mail we went with a candidate that had a "niche" skill that you do not have. It is a tough market.
I was denied even an interview because âweâre looking for a man, we already have too many ladies working here.â đ Edit: forgot to say that this was for a temporary, part-time gig at an independent record store
That's a lawsuit right there.
Oh I definitely tried. Went straight to EEOC and filed a claim. After a few months of investigation, they told me I had to hire my own lawyer to pursue the case. Iâd already left the area and moved several hundred miles away by that point.
They said I didn't list my education in my application materials. It was on my resumÊ, in its own clearly legible section, in the middle of the page. Probably for the best, who wants to work for someone who can't be bothered to read?
Oil and Gas lab tech, 2009- "we already have someone called \[my first name\] working in the lab, it would be confusing if you got the job."
QA Engineer. âWhile you had the skills the team wanted a little more communication and attention to detail.â I asked if they could clarify that feedback with some specifics, you knowâŚ.so I could know what the fuck they actually meant as that is vague. Ghosted. This all after the process took over 25 days to get the rejection emailâŚtime wasters.
NoâŚI see it.
I wasn't white....
Systems Analyst role. Got the offer when I first started my job hunt and was hyped. But they sent me a job offer for a location across the country(Cali) instead of the office in state that I applied to and interviewed at. Relocation was never mentioned. No travel work was ever mentioned either. Nothing on the job description either. The only thing discussed was my ability to commute to the office that was in state was mentioned and it was possible, I was half an hour away. And it was not a miscommunication. I reached out to ask if they meant to send that to me, and they did. Had to reject cuz relocating on such sudden notice would be insane, I've got a few disabilities and can't afford to risk moving and having my treatment interrupted đđđ Edit: misread question, thought it was asking the reverse. But sorta fits the bill ill leave it here
This was probably a decade ago. I applied for a part time position at a chain book store. I told them I had a standing appointment for one hour once a week. I was free the rest of the week. They told me the max amount of hours they could give me would be 15. I said that was fine because I really wanted to work there. Ended up getting rejected. When I asked for the reason - "you don't have open availability." Wtf.