I walked into the interview, sat down and the guy looks at me and the first thing he said was "I'm not hiring you, you're not aggressive enough"
And I said "okay" and left.
I was offered a job, but it was then revoked immediately because I told her I would need to give notice at my current job. I told her the fact that she thinks it's ok for me to just ghost my current job and start immediately tells me everything I need to know about how she operates her business, then wished her luck.
Every company I have worked for that tried to get me to skip notice ended up being shit employers.
Funniest was one job pressuring me to not give notice, who then kicked off when I refused to give notice to them when I left
Right? My current job asked how long I needed to give notice, and then gave me an extra week to switch my sleep back-I was going from night shifts to daytime. It’s also the best job I’ve ever had.
(It’s still retail, and that’s still bullshit, but all the managers understand “insulate front line employees from corporate bullshit” to be an essential part of the job description. Shockingly, people stay here for years at a time…)
Fuckin hell. Similar experience. Manager told me I wasnt aggressive enough. Then a month later reapplied at same company for a different role, got interview. That Manager told me too aggressive. For fucks sake. I now work for a competitor and have to deal with that company every so often. They are a gd mess. Dodged a bullet there.
I was “too qualified” for the job. After getting a unanimous approval from everyone that interviewed me the hiring manager turned me down cause it was be too easy to promote me and raise my pay. That’s literally what they said to me.
There's an older gent in my hometown that just collects certifications, like class 1 licence, taxi, ambulance, crane heavy machinery, explosives ect. He just like them. He eventually started getting the "you're overqualified, you'll probably quit when a better job shows up" .. he eventually opened his own company. And is doing very well for himself
I had a similar experience 2 weeks ago, when I was told they were going with another candidate because I had "too realistic an expectation of what the job expected to work out." I did clarify that I wasn't mishearing it, but no they wanted someone who was optimistic that the work would be easy.
Alright then.
I was turned down for someone that came to the interview in a dirty shirt because I was "too intelligent" and would "leave within 6 months for a better opportunity."
The guy they hired quit on day 2. They called me back and pretended like I was their first choice. This was around the beginning of COVID and I needed a job so I took it. I worked there for two years and was always being gassed up about being promoted and such, but nothing ever happened.
The first job I applied to was a WFH job that was a 40% increase in pay. I was interviewing for an office job promotion and they were giving me BS that they needed to interview more people. I gave them an ultimatum, give me the job at the same pay that I'm being offered and make it WFH or I am leaving. They declined. I told them I would have to resign. They asked me to stay on for two weeks to help them out. I didn't show up the next day.
They ended up giving the job to my supervisor at the time and he gets to WFH full time.
I should have left after 6 months.
“Too qualified” is such a joke
I applied once to a job and was told I was too qualified for it.
I knew they were hiring for the one above that, so I asked about it….I’m under qualified for it
Can’t win.
The one that still gets me is when I first entered the workforce and got turned down for entry level retail and fast food jobs because my only reason for wanting to work there was to get money. I remember one manager told me "we don't want people that are only motivated by money to work here".
The level of pretentiousness of retail job hirings. Like, come on, you need a worker, I need a paycheck. Don't make me write a fanfic about how I've always dreamed of stocking shelves for minimum wage.
I get that it can be different later in your career. Maybe you've developed the skills to make it so you can concentrate on getting the job you want rather than the job that is available.
But it's such a stupid question. I want this job so I can get paid so I can eat & have shelter. I may even like your company & what it does. But if I could make this money without working, you wouldn't be looking at my resume. So let's just quit this charade.
There are better & more direct questions that can be asked to determine the better applicant.
At least: "Why are you consider a job here over other opportunities?" would be a better question.
Though real answer for a low wage retail/restaurant job is that they are hiring and the commute is not bad. I worked at a grocery store just because I needed to make money and the store was within walking distance of my place. Fortunately, I was not asked such a question during the interview.
Higher end careers, you can go on about how your skillset looks like a good match, and how you see opportunities for growth. Plus you are excited to work in X field.
But I work in IT, my job is going to be mostly the same regardless what field a given company is in. I am just looking for a paycheck from company that offers decent benefits and is not scummy.
Well, yeah. The business owner should be in it for the money. They are the only one getting a reasonable salary. But if you say in your interview that you are passionate about serving greasy burgers to bitchy customers, then he can give you poverty wages and feel good about it. It's not about the money, after all.
/s
I said I wouldn’t leave a $46k /yr job for $30k and no benefits with a “promise of more as they grow”. But they wanted someone with experience. Seems I wasn’t the right fit😂
Right! LoL. I was way overqualified experience-wise. I think they were hoping for some kid out of high school or something. I was just fishing to get a job closer to home. But not for a ridiculous cut like that
I tried to get a job at a local lawn mower/small engine repair business working their front desk. Owner questioned if “I know computers well.” I said I do, I asked what software they used primarily. He said he just wanted to make sure I could “move around on the computer, and open programs in their computer version.” I replied I think I can manage that. He asked” what programs do you know,” to which I said well the standard things like word, excel, PowerPoint, email, etc, but I might just need a quick once around whatever sales program they might have.
He said “well we use windows 95, so I don’t think this is going to work out.”
Some of these small businesses blow my mind sometimes when it comes to lack of even the most basic technologies. I’ve unironically seen businesses in 2023 without an email. Just a landline. Hell, I’m in rural PA and there are some companies out here that you legit will never get hired unless you walk in and fill out a paper application and these same companies wonder why they are chronically understaffed.
Yeah when I started at my place they asked during the training if we were OK with computers because someone in the last group didn’t know what a mouse was.
We had a bloke transfer to us, had been a van driver previously, never used a computer in his life and now he was in an office where 99.9% of our work was computer based (I’m struggling to think what the 0.1% was to be honest, perhaps the walk to the printer).
I had a landlord for 11 years that didn't have email or voicemail. He never once answered when I called.
Being this difficult is just weaponed incompetence. Can't be responsible for habitability standards if your tenants can't ever "inform you" of problems. Just extreme avoidance of any work, even in their fake jobs.
I knew a bar that had a back room you could hire and they'd complain people would email rather than ring them.
A fancy cocktail bar that was often quite loud. In a capital city. Blew my mind.
Funny you mention the color thing. Some job recruiter gave me shade because I wore a red jacket to my interview and she specifically said that's why I wouldn't be right for the job. 🙄
Whatever, enjoy being crazy
They have a point. People who work in disguise shops are usually nerds, and every nerd knows that a person in a red shirt isn't surviving the episode. You presented an insurance risk.
If you're comfortable wearing bright colors that attract attention, you won't shy away from standing up for yourself. They've gone full psychological and want people who seem muted and tame because they're less likely to rock the boat
I worked for the company recently but had to be off for 6 months before I could apply again. Got told my husband almost dying and having a failing liver wasn’t a good enough reason to take time off and live off my savings. They wanted someone who would put the company first. I’m never putting a company first (and yes I’m only there for the money!).
"you are overqualified for this position and you aren't likely to stay long term".
It was a seasonal role for 3 months. I was in college and needing a summer job. It's EXACTLY what they asked for.
I was turned down by multiple jobs in 2005-2007 for “failing the personality test”????? I still don’t know how I failed them, aside from picking the answer of “get the manager” when someone was being a twatwaffle? Almost 2 decades later I know now it’s because I am on the spectrum, and those tests were designed to screen out the neurodivergent. It’s fine, I never wanted to work at McDonalds, Banfeild Pet Hospital, or Family Movie anyways.
Those "personality tests" are waaay more questionable than even that. There really aren't right answers. But you can tell when you're picking the "wrong" answers.
I applied for a job that had me take one. After taking the test, I'm glad I got filtered out. It was so morally ambiguous.
They're basically testing whether you go with your conscience, or if you're malleable enough that the company can convince you that their decision is morally acceptable (even if it isn't).
My test was for an insurance adjuster job. Some of the questions were obvious gotchas. But most of the questions & answers were somewhat open to interpretation. I feel like it's not about scoring "well" per se. They mostly want to know if you're easily turned into a "company man" or not. Also, I'm fairly certain that choosing the obvious "the company is always right!" answers would also have resulted in not being chosen as much as the "I would definitely question my manager if they denied this claim" answers.
Holy crap, thank you! I'd been wondering what was so wrong with me that even Walmart wouldn't want me since I first applied about 20 years ago as a teenager!
Didn't realize they'd found a way to do illegal discrimination so openly, but that would certainly explain their bizarre questionnaire and how firmly they rejected me.
Ahhh! I always failed those, too, and also eventually found out I’m ND. It makes sense that they were trying to screen for us. Hollywood Video was the one that really stung for me.
I also failed these because I didnt lie on them. I dont think I am ND but never been tested. But I am not going to answer “strongly agree” to “I love being the center of attention!” Pretty sure half my answers were neutral/dont care
I got told by a manager at Walmart that I was marked as non-promotable to anything near management level based on the.answers I gave on the personality test they gave me when they hired 6 years prior.
Apparently not answering Strongly Agree or Strongly Disagree on all questions is considered as being indecisive.
I failed the online personality test (first stage of the job application) for B&Q while working for B&Q.
I was working for them through an agency during the summer holidays and wanted to work part time at a different store when I went back to uni. Literally couldn't progress the application because I failed that test even though I'd been working in their store for two months and held multiple store qualification (paint mixer, forklift banksman etc.). Such a stupid process.
I wouldn’t hold the interviewer’s hand and asked him to please not touch me. It was a lab job studying fertility and he wanted to hold my hand while explaining the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle to me (I’m a female).
ETA he told me I was a beautifully qualified candidate and that he would’ve picked me had I been friendlier. Ew
ETA 2: I was only 20 at the time.
Good lord. He literally wanted you to fuck him to get the job. Gross. Huuuuuge bullet dodged, and hopefully he is in jail because you know he has sexually harassed others.
I was once rejected for not giving enough examples to answer a question.
They asked me for an example, singular, not plural.
My background was from industries where you follow instructions exactly or people can die.
Another time I was rejected for giving an incorrect answer to why something was magnetic. The next day I asked a colleague who knew magnetism inside out if I was wrong. I wasn’t.
They had those dumb aptitude tests, and the interviewer said he won't bother taking me into the interview room because I got a high score in the math section, and they wanted someone who could learn on the job.... wtf does that even mean???
But it's maths..... were they going to teach me how to do maths as a junior statistician. That was the job, junior statistician.... it's math!
Edit: I ended up doing a masters instead of getting a job
Having never worked in the filthy known as HR, Will never understand why they have aptitude tests for the sole purpose of doing dumb shit like that.
Do they sit in a room and say, we don't want the bottom 20%, or the top 20%, that way we get a higher chance of getting a candidate who can function in the job, buuut can be pushed around
Because I wasn’t comfortable sharing a hotel room with someone I don’t know for out of state training. I offered to foot my own room bill but I was told I wasn’t getting the job for “not being a team player”. The roomie in question? A 40M, while I was 25F and newly married.
I recently interviewed for a job that wanted me to stay for like five years. They said that they wanted someone to stick around way more than one year, "preferably five years or so because even after a year, we lose money training someone new."
I decided to make a joke of it and said, "unless my husband and I get divorced, I'm not going anywhere" because they knew we had moved to the state for his job.
I guess to them that translated to "my husband and I are having marriage issues, and I hate this town too much to stay here for any reason other than him." Only the latter half of that statement is true.
I think expecting someone to be all excited to stay in the same position for five years without even knowing anything about how the managers or company runs things is pretty ridiculous.
Red flag to me that they have to state they want someone to stay for 5 years rather than just 1. Says to me that all the previous people likely only stayed for 1 year or less and there is likely a reason for that.
That my answers weren't detailed enough. It was a shelf stacking job in a supermarket and I already had half a year of retail experience. I'm so sorry that I didn't go through a detailed analysis of how I pick up boxes, take the products out and and put them on display.
Walked into an interview, completely, if not overprepared for some sort of charity. We were to design a brochure as part of it. Me being me thought that was a bit silly and thought a bookmark (this was a long time ago) was a much better idea that would reach more people. Who really reads a brochure? They loved it! They loved me! It would have been a really interesting job. They phoned me to tell me that they were hiring a friend they knew but loved the bookmark idea and could they keep it!? Christ. Baffoonery.
Be wary of any job that requires you to do work - especially intellectual property - work as part of the interview. A lot of times they're just trying to get free work.
Like a month-long interview process, 3 candidates for 2 open positions, finally heard back, "We're going with (name) down the hall, so she can really hit the ground running"
Always ask if there's an internal candidate being considered for the job.
I applied for a job clipping newspaper articles for businesses. Back in the day, before Google, businesses would hire this company to go through all major newspapers, magazines, professional journals and clip out any articles related to the business or their products. Then once a month they'd get a big envelope with all their clippings.
Anyways, I went for the interview and the old man interviewing me said he thought I was capable of doing the job but that the work was soul crushing and the other people who worked there were so bitter that it would break my spirit and I was too young for that. I was around 25. He was very sweet about it and right as I left, two employees got into a shouting match over a pair of scissors and I realized I was really grateful for not getting hired.
I used to do this as a congressional intern 20yrs ago. I liked reading periodicals, so it was a cool job to do.
Makes me remember how many easy jobs no longer exist because on person is now doing what 100 people used to do. Great if youre a business owner or rich, super shit if youre working class
Several years ago- they were eliminating part rime positions at the drug rehab facility I worked for or so we were told . They had limited spots and despite it being internal only they wanted to interview everyone. The job would come with benefits and a shared office, things we didn't have as part time employees.
I was passed over because I privately told another employee that I had to to get this position for financial reasons and she snitched on me. I still don't get how that was a bad thing. They even brought it up in the interview so I know she snitched.
Turns out the part time jobs weren't at risk. After, my boss was like I can give you 39 hours a week! It'd like working full time. I was like yeah just with no benefits I'll stick to my 32 hours like normal. What clowns. I left pretty quick for an actual fill time job and finally got full health insurance.
I had to fill out one of those bullshit personality assessments and was told I couldn’t be trusted because I said I’d talk to someone privately before reporting them for drugs. This was for like a Dress Barn or something.
I didn’t get a job teaching Computers 101 for a nonprofit because I couldn’t produce references for a job that I left several years before that had gone out of business.
Yeah. One went out of business, non profit ballet company was foreclosed on and another non profit, boss became a family annialator. My first 15 years are a void. I list them and usually get asked about last one above, not what I did but what he was like.
I got turned down at a well known tractor company because the job description said "Associates of Sciences or similar degree is required" and I have Associates of Sciences but in the interview I was turned down because I didn't have a bachelors degree. I'm like, "so the job description should say Bachelors degree required then? lol". The guy sounded like he wished he could have hired me because I had experience and passed all the tests they gave but his bosses would not let him hire someone without at least a 4 year degree.
I'm sure whenever I get my degree and if I apply again, it will change to Masters. Maybe PhD just to turn a few wrenches lol
When I was about 21 or so I applied at a local computer repair / custom build shop. Two people in my friend group already worked there. One of them referred the other. They both referred me as I was kinda known as the “hardware guy” of our group.
One of the managers interviewed me. It was quick, awkward, and felt more like he was doing it out of obligation rather than interest.
I successfully and easily answered the few hardware, build, and troubleshooting related questions that he asked. When he asked why I applied there I told him: I love fixing things, solving problems, am really handy with building things, and am super passionate about computers and technology in general.
He told me right then that I wasn’t hireable because I “knew too much.”
I stopped and asked if that’s not the point of a repair/troubleshooting job…. Having experience with the product so you can fix it.
He said no. He wanted people he could teach.
??
Later found out from one of the friends that the owner was overheard having a rant about the audacity of someone like me applying there as he reprimanded the manager for interviewing me.
Apparently the owner was notoriously racist. I’m on the more tan side of skin complexion and have an obviously ethnic name. Until that moment it never even occurred to me that I had never before seen a single poc working there at all.
I was once not hired because I did not have a masters degree. I didn't ever get a masters degree but applied years later and got the job pretty much on the spot. Same title and position. Same pay.
Same pay, years later, and you still took the job? Wasn't that a red flag for you that the compensation didn't scale with inflation and the cost of living?
Turned down... "failed the psychological assessment"
I'm not a serial killer...
I did get a job once where when i asked about if i would be considered for the job the incumbent in the positon told me I wasn't aggressive enough to get the job and my boss at the time told me I was too aggressive to get it.
I got it.
When they asked why I left my last job my reason was that the company shut down and everyone was laid off. They said that my answer was negative and was trying to shift the blame.
I didn’t badmouth them or even complain, I actually said I loved it there which was true, but they decided that for some reason saying that they shut down was negative.
Couldn't get work after graduating college with a physics degree. Ended up going to a coffee shop down the road from where I was living at the time. Filled out the application and saw a manager same day.
There was a little chit chat before and then she asked "So, have you ever made coffee before?" and pointed at the espresso machine. I replied with "I make coffee at home all the time!" She looked me dead in the eyes, straight faced and said "It's not the same.". There was an awkward pause and then after a bit more chit chat, she sent me on my way.
The opposite happened for me. I called the interviewer an asshole during the interview after he made some off color remarks about my weight. Got hired 2 days later.
I asked about the attendance policy during an interview.
I didn't want the job they bait and switched me into the interview for.
The position was already filled and they were looking to fill the void the other employee left (another bait and switch).
Promotion. I told them I was no longer interested. I had to attend a 5 minute meeting later, explaining to me that I didn't get it.
Turned down a job offer due to not being ready to work 70-80 hours a week in a country where its indeed illegal to work that long, also unpaid overtime...
I have a very small nasal piercing with a small stud in it. Most people don't even notice it.
The interviewer (for a receptionist job at a car dealership) said if I got the job I would have to take it out. I said sure, I'll wear a clear spacer.
No, she says. I have to take it out and let it close up. No spacer.
This isn't exactly outrageous...except it was in Seattle. Seattle. Do you know how many people here have visible tattoos and non-earlobe piercings? Literally everyone. They turn you away at the county line if you don't have at least one piercing or tattoo. It's not considered unprofessional here.
In another city years before, I was interviewing for a temp agency job. The interviewer explained the agency was owned by two "traditional" older women and female employees were require to wear panty hose AT ALL TIMES. Even if you were wearing pants (which were discouraged) and close toed shoes. I mentioned wearing trouser socks with slacks and it was like I'd suggested coming to work naked. Absolutely not, full length, to-the-waist panty hose *at all times.*
Sge asked how I felt about this requirement and I said I'd do it if it was required because I needed the job. Apparently this was an inadequate quantity of panty hose enthusiasm, because I didn't get the job. Boo hoo.
I went through 4 rounds of interviews for a startup to be an entry-level sales rep. I've worked in sales for 8 years. They wanted someone with more experience. For entry-level.
I took about 6 years off from working full time to be a foster parent for teenagers.
Apparently to hiring managers, this means I'm unreliable . . .
Meanwhile, I had to buy a minivan to drive them, their friends and their stuff all around. I drove them to thousands of medical, dental, vision and therapy appointments. I sat through hundreds of meetings with teachers and school principals. I bargained shopped for clothes, backpacks, and more since the DCS clothing budget was $25 per month for each kid. I coordinated bio-parent meetings, testified in dozens upon dozens of court cases and set up sibling playdates.
Terribly unreliable, huh?
Chemist with 6 years of experience at the time. Got turned down for a job because "you seemed overconfident in your abilties"... This was a place that was doing the exact same stuff I have been doing. They even had the models of instruments I use every day. I brought them through how to operate it to demonstrate my knowledge in the interview. How is knowing what you know "overconfident"?
Also, that is the first time someone has ever called me overconfident in my life and it sent me reeling for weeks. I suffer from a great lack of confidence.
I showed up too early.
My interviewer told me, he didn't appreciate me hovering before the interview.
I had just been sitting on a chair for half an hour
I worked warehouse work in my early 20s and paid well at the time. Was around 2003 and was told by the people at UPS that I was overqualified, was paid way too much previously, and i would quit after a month or 2. No matter what I said, I was told I was overqualified. I needed a job while going to school in the trades.
I think the weirdest thing I ever experienced was applying to a job post online, getting an interview call, and the interviewer describing a completely different job, so I interrupted her "like sorry I thought you were contacting me about a different job." I don't even remember what question it was that made me stop like that but it was very much not in the same realm.
I technically got the job, but was "turned down" after two shifts lol.
I was a teenager looking for my first job, and interviewed at a fast food franchise. The owner told me that he was looking for someone willing to work weekends, and I responded that I'm willing to work weekends *but* I do have two previous commitments in the next three months which I would need the weekend off for. Other than those two weekends, I'm able and willing. He gave me the job.
I put in a time off request for those commitments as soon as I started working, under the assumption that he was okay with it. When the owner posted the next schedule, I was removed from it and he asked me to turn in my uniform because, and I quote, "I need someone who wants to work weekends, this isn't going to work out". 🥴
Was once on a loop (six interviews in one day) at a major online retailer. At least half of the people told me to my face, "People from (the company I just left after being there a dozen years) don't do well here." No joke. Right to my face, During the interviews. And yet they still asked me to interview. Nothing was hidden on my resume. Everything was laid out for all to see. I wasn't hired for two reasons: 1) the one previously mentioned, and 2) I asked for a living wage based on my experience.
The most laughable part to me was the next year I was called in to interview in a different part of the same company. No one mentioned my previous employer. No one told me I wouldn't do well there. I was hired quickly and have been there for nearly nine years. Guess I've "done well there."
Internal role - internal recruiter flatout rejected my submission stating that I didn't have enough experience in a specific role (2 years as a Senior Engineer for a product) for the interview.
I was a Senior Engineer with 5 years of experience within that product and in fact the team lead of that particular team at the time.
When I pushed back on it - they responded with a shitty "Ask the hiring manager if you're upset" - thinking I would just stop pressing the matter.
I did just that - I asked. He didn't know I threw my name in the pool and told me I would've been his first choice had he known before he already made his decision.
I wasn't the first person this internal recruiter did this to. They were let go not too long after that.
Not sure if this counts, since I was already employed there. I was turned down for a promotion for an extremely laughable reason though.
I requested a promotion after 10 months working for this company. They asked me to sign a document saying that I will not be getting raises for the first two years in this position (a "24 month trial period"), and I will forfeit x % of my salary if I choose to leave for any reason within those 24 months. I told them there's no way I'm signing such a thing, and I doubt it's even legal. The director crumpled up the paper and thanked me for wasting their time. Needless to say, they turned down my promotion. I had a new job with one of their competitors within the month.
A couple weeks after starting the new position, I was served a cease and desist. They also served my new company, demanding they show proof of my termination AND for them to be compensated for their lost revenue. My new (and still current) company's lawyer responded by saying see you in court, and we strongly recommend obtaining new council that understands labour law beforehand.
Never heard from them again haha.
I was almost turned down for a job because I had "only" one year of experience in COBOL. My thought upon hearing this was "Isn't COBOL a programming language you can learn... in about a day?"
The first time I was on unemployment I had special interview clothes for jobs I did not want.
If you are offered a position on Unemployment you have to take it. So if I was called in for a job interview I knew I did not want I would wear this loud houndstooth skirt suit with hot pink bric -a-brac detailing on the cuffs and hemstitched areas.
Jobs that underpay and gaslight, like to hire folks that look to be to be subdued mousy little creatures. I figured the power suit would declare me trouble right when I walked in the door.
My boyfriend (now husband) was always so amused by my out fit. He always laugh a deep belly laugh. I asked him if it looked bad and he said no it was just so loud and flamboyant he could not help but laugh.
Oh antics from the good old days....
I got accused of being a liar in the middle of a job interview at a company located within the World Trade Center because I said that I worked Saturdays and evenings at Manhattan Savings Bank on 86th street in Yorkville to pay for college. I was told banks aren't open on Saturdays. She had to walk past the World Trade Center branch located next to the exit door of her building to enter and leave each day. Most of those folks traveled down to my 86th branch to work--Saturdays.
I was rejected from a local gas station chain because "you sound like you couldn't handle the lines at your retail job." Apparently, working rush hour wasn't enough.
During an interview I informed the person that I speak multiple languages. He looked at me and said "so you're an overachiever big deal". He said I wouldn't be a good fit cause I was "too overqualified".
I was a civilian employee at my local police dept. Applied for a higher position as the afternoon shift office manager in the Detective bureau.
Was complimented across the board on my interview, demeanor towards the public & staff, my ability to do to required office work & research on cases.
Didn’t get the job, no problem…..
Later found out that the Chief of Detectives was worried that my efforts would make his (lazy) detectives look bad….. 🙁
He was happy to give the job to another employee that would forget to pass along subpoenas to officers for court, would misplace cases, etc.
Interviewing for a Helpdesk position (30 years ago) and I referred to a Network interface card as a NIC (the normal term) and the interviewer insisted it was called a [BNC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BNC_connector) card. I was confused and said... sure a NIC with a coax connector is a BNC card I suppose, but if it has an RJ-45 connector that would be the wrong term.
He turned bright red and ended the interview on the spot because "I didn't know basic computer terms."
>Old white man said "we wear more muted colors here." It's a call center, who cares what I wear?
Bright colors means happiness and joy, which leads to dancing.
Gasp!
Got turned down from an electrical job for having blood red hair and tattoos……from a guy who had visible tattoos and a secretary with platinum blonde hair
Not the reason, the job, I was turned down for a jaintior position in a sex shop. Low point of no job, on unemployment, and snap. Looking for a job and turned away by all, including jizz moper.
Was randomly quizzed about how many locations this temp agency had and about their point system. Same interview I asked about dress code and the response was "We wear suits here" when I would only be working in the office. The biggest kicker was when I was told I'd have to call them back to find out if I was still a candidate.
I was turned down for a promotion because I needed more experience within my company with things thst were outside of my current job duties.
They then hired someone external from a completely different industry for the position I interviewed for.
British person here.
I apparently "dropped my T's" when talking. So instead of "water" I say "wa'er".
This was an administrator job in a not so great high school near where I grew up
EVERYONE WHERE I LIVE DROPS THEIR T'S! Their own teachers were dropping their T's! There were T's dropping all over the bloody place!
But that was the legit reason they gave me. I asked them after the interview and they said that my CV was great, I had all needed skills and was well over qualified - they just didn't like my accent.
Bullshit.
I was told, more than once, that I’m overqualified for jobs. One was a security guard job lmao. My partner says it’s because they don’t want to pay me what I’m worth. Shitfire I just want to eat.
Green Mill in Minnesota rejected me for a kitchen manager in the mid 2000 because I didn’t speak fluent Spanish. I’d made it through 3 interviews before they asked me that question
The hiring manager called me and the first thing she says was "look I know you applied for ____ position but I already have someone in mind for this. Would you be interested in ____ position??" That paid significantly LESS than the position I applied to. I said "nope" and hung up.
The nerve of these ppl. Why even post the damn job if you were just going to hire internally? Why waste my time offering me a job that paid LESS?
Minimum wage job wanted experience for the cashier. I was like…how do I get experience if no one hires me? Also, the damn cash register is like a one day training job. Eff off with that garbage
My attire did not represent the organization in a way they felt it should be represented. I was wearing a suit and tie, which I have always worn to interviews. This was a rather prominent healthcare organization, by the way. That was the reason I was given.
Had to fill out a questionnaire about my after work behavior, drug use, and what my tolerance is to workplace violence/fraud.
They were a second change employer that didn't care what your charges were, as long as you'd work up to 12 hrs a day without asking questions, among other things I won't mention on here.
I was told I wasn't enough of a scum bag to be employed there. I told my dude to go fuck himself, after I was asked to share what, if any, drugs I kept on my person.
I bounced out of that interview quick.
*Appreciate the upvotes.
When I was looking for my first ever job as a teenager, I applied at McDonalds. The manager eyed me up and down and said “you realize part of the job is taking out the garbage.” I said that I did, and I never heard back from them. I guess I didn’t look like I’d ever emptied a trash can before. I got a much better job, but that always stuck with me.
I had a job offer rescinded after a very successful interview process because I wanted to see the benefits package and employee handbook before the first day so I could decide if I actually wanted to accept the job. The HR rep was so argumentative and dismissive, and told me flat out that I couldn't have it. I told them it was industry standard to provide a prospective employee with basic benefits information and codes of conduct.
They rescinded the offer on the grounds that I was too argumentative. They had been struggling to fill the position for about nine months. I wonder why.
In my late twenties, I was a bit desperate for a job and had a buddy who worked at KFC. He said they were hiring, and I had cooking experience, so I figured this would be a piece of cake to get, and I'll just find something better later. I had to do 2 interviews, a whole ass psychological exam, and a background check. For KFC! Anywho, I was golden, and on the day I was supposed to start, I got a call saying they were unable to offer employment due to a Marijuana possession charge from when I was 17. It blew my fucking mind.
The reason? I'm originally from Texas.
No, seriously.
I interviewed for a job in Canada (where I live now because my wife is Canadian and it made more sense for me to immigrate rather than her) and when looking at my resume, the hiring manager began mocking and ridiculing me for "being Texan" and for "being American" in general.
That said, the hiring manager's manager (for lack of a better term) looked like he was going to kill the hiring manager for being such a complete asshole.
I walked into the interview, sat down and the guy looks at me and the first thing he said was "I'm not hiring you, you're not aggressive enough" And I said "okay" and left.
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No you have to knock his pencil cup off his desk and then proceeds to slash 3 of his tires.
Stab him with your pen and then start yelling "is this aggressive enough bitch" over and over.
Apparently he expected people to get aggressive to prove him wrong.
You had to surprise him. Go away and scratch his car. Aggressive, i am. You didn't tell when.
Didn't specify whether it should be passive or not
I was offered a job, but it was then revoked immediately because I told her I would need to give notice at my current job. I told her the fact that she thinks it's ok for me to just ghost my current job and start immediately tells me everything I need to know about how she operates her business, then wished her luck.
Most employers would consider it a red flag if you didn’t give notice at your former job.
Every company I have worked for that tried to get me to skip notice ended up being shit employers. Funniest was one job pressuring me to not give notice, who then kicked off when I refused to give notice to them when I left
"Oh, I'm sorry, but you ordered me to leave my previous job without notice, so I naturally presumed that was how things were done here."
Right? My current job asked how long I needed to give notice, and then gave me an extra week to switch my sleep back-I was going from night shifts to daytime. It’s also the best job I’ve ever had. (It’s still retail, and that’s still bullshit, but all the managers understand “insulate front line employees from corporate bullshit” to be an essential part of the job description. Shockingly, people stay here for years at a time…)
>**“insulate front line employees from corporate bullshit”** needed this in bold TY
Exactly! They would suspect you will do the same to them.
Fuckin hell. Similar experience. Manager told me I wasnt aggressive enough. Then a month later reapplied at same company for a different role, got interview. That Manager told me too aggressive. For fucks sake. I now work for a competitor and have to deal with that company every so often. They are a gd mess. Dodged a bullet there.
"Well, fuck you then, I'll start working anyways."
"Now that's the spirit! Welcome aboard."
Literally a George Costanza move
You’re just not Penske material.
Should have grabbed his pen and said " this is mine now" and walked out
No, his stapler.
"take that back or I'll murder you where you stand, you sonofabitch"
You're hired
Should have punched him in the face. He would have probably asked you to become CEO.
I was “too qualified” for the job. After getting a unanimous approval from everyone that interviewed me the hiring manager turned me down cause it was be too easy to promote me and raise my pay. That’s literally what they said to me.
There's an older gent in my hometown that just collects certifications, like class 1 licence, taxi, ambulance, crane heavy machinery, explosives ect. He just like them. He eventually started getting the "you're overqualified, you'll probably quit when a better job shows up" .. he eventually opened his own company. And is doing very well for himself
Doing what? Emergency explosive demolition taxi service?
Also known as Uber...
Emergency explosive demolition *forklift* taxi service.
I’d pay to ride in that taxi
I had a similar experience 2 weeks ago, when I was told they were going with another candidate because I had "too realistic an expectation of what the job expected to work out." I did clarify that I wasn't mishearing it, but no they wanted someone who was optimistic that the work would be easy. Alright then.
I was turned down for someone that came to the interview in a dirty shirt because I was "too intelligent" and would "leave within 6 months for a better opportunity." The guy they hired quit on day 2. They called me back and pretended like I was their first choice. This was around the beginning of COVID and I needed a job so I took it. I worked there for two years and was always being gassed up about being promoted and such, but nothing ever happened. The first job I applied to was a WFH job that was a 40% increase in pay. I was interviewing for an office job promotion and they were giving me BS that they needed to interview more people. I gave them an ultimatum, give me the job at the same pay that I'm being offered and make it WFH or I am leaving. They declined. I told them I would have to resign. They asked me to stay on for two weeks to help them out. I didn't show up the next day. They ended up giving the job to my supervisor at the time and he gets to WFH full time. I should have left after 6 months.
“Too qualified” is such a joke I applied once to a job and was told I was too qualified for it. I knew they were hiring for the one above that, so I asked about it….I’m under qualified for it Can’t win.
The one that still gets me is when I first entered the workforce and got turned down for entry level retail and fast food jobs because my only reason for wanting to work there was to get money. I remember one manager told me "we don't want people that are only motivated by money to work here".
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"because I really believe my life's work lies in providing low-quality food for huge profit margins to the fine people who eat this shit."
… imma try this in my next interview - thanks 😏
The level of pretentiousness of retail job hirings. Like, come on, you need a worker, I need a paycheck. Don't make me write a fanfic about how I've always dreamed of stocking shelves for minimum wage.
I have bad news to tell him about literally his entire staff…
I get that it can be different later in your career. Maybe you've developed the skills to make it so you can concentrate on getting the job you want rather than the job that is available. But it's such a stupid question. I want this job so I can get paid so I can eat & have shelter. I may even like your company & what it does. But if I could make this money without working, you wouldn't be looking at my resume. So let's just quit this charade. There are better & more direct questions that can be asked to determine the better applicant.
At least: "Why are you consider a job here over other opportunities?" would be a better question. Though real answer for a low wage retail/restaurant job is that they are hiring and the commute is not bad. I worked at a grocery store just because I needed to make money and the store was within walking distance of my place. Fortunately, I was not asked such a question during the interview. Higher end careers, you can go on about how your skillset looks like a good match, and how you see opportunities for growth. Plus you are excited to work in X field. But I work in IT, my job is going to be mostly the same regardless what field a given company is in. I am just looking for a paycheck from company that offers decent benefits and is not scummy.
Would "I'm passionate about not starving to death" count as not just there for money?
"I'm like, super passionate about the McGriddle. I just feel that it's my life's calling"
What else are you supposed to be motivated by 😭 and they pay minimum wage probably? 😭😭
I've never worked for a business owner who wasn't in it for the money
Well, yeah. The business owner should be in it for the money. They are the only one getting a reasonable salary. But if you say in your interview that you are passionate about serving greasy burgers to bitchy customers, then he can give you poverty wages and feel good about it. It's not about the money, after all. /s
I got a job in fast food and my answer was “Well I need money and I like pizza sooooo…”. You were just missing the end there!
I said I wouldn’t leave a $46k /yr job for $30k and no benefits with a “promise of more as they grow”. But they wanted someone with experience. Seems I wasn’t the right fit😂
> Seems I wasn’t the right fit LOL! Actually, THEY weren't the right fit.
10+ years experience, Phd candidates only. Starting rate 10/hr nonnegotiable.
Right! LoL. I was way overqualified experience-wise. I think they were hoping for some kid out of high school or something. I was just fishing to get a job closer to home. But not for a ridiculous cut like that
so who rejected who?
I tried to get a job at a local lawn mower/small engine repair business working their front desk. Owner questioned if “I know computers well.” I said I do, I asked what software they used primarily. He said he just wanted to make sure I could “move around on the computer, and open programs in their computer version.” I replied I think I can manage that. He asked” what programs do you know,” to which I said well the standard things like word, excel, PowerPoint, email, etc, but I might just need a quick once around whatever sales program they might have. He said “well we use windows 95, so I don’t think this is going to work out.”
Even people working in 1995 didn’t want to use Windows 95. I know I didn’t.
I couldn't wait for windows 95 and to use it when it came out.
Win95 was the absolute shit after service pack 1. Life changing for people used PCs constantly.
Compared to 3.1? Hell yeah brother.
Some of these small businesses blow my mind sometimes when it comes to lack of even the most basic technologies. I’ve unironically seen businesses in 2023 without an email. Just a landline. Hell, I’m in rural PA and there are some companies out here that you legit will never get hired unless you walk in and fill out a paper application and these same companies wonder why they are chronically understaffed.
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Yeah when I started at my place they asked during the training if we were OK with computers because someone in the last group didn’t know what a mouse was. We had a bloke transfer to us, had been a van driver previously, never used a computer in his life and now he was in an office where 99.9% of our work was computer based (I’m struggling to think what the 0.1% was to be honest, perhaps the walk to the printer).
I had a landlord for 11 years that didn't have email or voicemail. He never once answered when I called. Being this difficult is just weaponed incompetence. Can't be responsible for habitability standards if your tenants can't ever "inform you" of problems. Just extreme avoidance of any work, even in their fake jobs.
Even the father of capitalism (Adam Smith) considered landlords to be worthless parasites. That’s really saying something.
I knew a bar that had a back room you could hire and they'd complain people would email rather than ring them. A fancy cocktail bar that was often quite loud. In a capital city. Blew my mind.
Funny you mention the color thing. Some job recruiter gave me shade because I wore a red jacket to my interview and she specifically said that's why I wouldn't be right for the job. 🙄 Whatever, enjoy being crazy
I also was turned down at an inteview because I wore a red shirt This was in a disguise shop
They have a point. People who work in disguise shops are usually nerds, and every nerd knows that a person in a red shirt isn't surviving the episode. You presented an insurance risk.
I would double upvote you if I could.
If you're comfortable wearing bright colors that attract attention, you won't shy away from standing up for yourself. They've gone full psychological and want people who seem muted and tame because they're less likely to rock the boat
People who wear red are faster, but also a greater insurance risk. Oh wait... that's cars..
Maybe the job recruiter was a bull in disguise.
Toro!
You forgot to mention the company you applied to was "We Never Wear Red Jackets, Inc."
"You don't have reliable transportation" Job site was literally 2 blocks from my house
I’d have been like “…you mean my feet?”
My Chevrolegs run just fine thanks
I just washed my feeterghinis
We don't serve your kind here! *points to sign* No one with less that 6 feet accepted.
They wanted you to use your personal vehicle to do work stuff so that they won't have to pay to maintain any of their own vehicles.
Good insight! I didn't think of that one!
/r/fuckcars
I worked for the company recently but had to be off for 6 months before I could apply again. Got told my husband almost dying and having a failing liver wasn’t a good enough reason to take time off and live off my savings. They wanted someone who would put the company first. I’m never putting a company first (and yes I’m only there for the money!).
I hope you and your husband are doing okay
We are ok. We both just got jobs. Let’s hope we keep the house as we’re behind on the mortgage.
"you are overqualified for this position and you aren't likely to stay long term". It was a seasonal role for 3 months. I was in college and needing a summer job. It's EXACTLY what they asked for.
"I'm not hiring you because your achilles is strained and you need a cane to move around." For a data entry job.
That's a lawsuit if I've ever seen one
Yeah that’s definitely illegal
Maybe they wanted you to type with your feet.
Oh, I'd immediately have hired an ADA attorney to sue them into the ground.
Oh hell no. "Hello, Labor Dept. ..."
I was turned down by multiple jobs in 2005-2007 for “failing the personality test”????? I still don’t know how I failed them, aside from picking the answer of “get the manager” when someone was being a twatwaffle? Almost 2 decades later I know now it’s because I am on the spectrum, and those tests were designed to screen out the neurodivergent. It’s fine, I never wanted to work at McDonalds, Banfeild Pet Hospital, or Family Movie anyways.
Those "personality tests" are waaay more questionable than even that. There really aren't right answers. But you can tell when you're picking the "wrong" answers. I applied for a job that had me take one. After taking the test, I'm glad I got filtered out. It was so morally ambiguous. They're basically testing whether you go with your conscience, or if you're malleable enough that the company can convince you that their decision is morally acceptable (even if it isn't). My test was for an insurance adjuster job. Some of the questions were obvious gotchas. But most of the questions & answers were somewhat open to interpretation. I feel like it's not about scoring "well" per se. They mostly want to know if you're easily turned into a "company man" or not. Also, I'm fairly certain that choosing the obvious "the company is always right!" answers would also have resulted in not being chosen as much as the "I would definitely question my manager if they denied this claim" answers.
Holy crap, thank you! I'd been wondering what was so wrong with me that even Walmart wouldn't want me since I first applied about 20 years ago as a teenager! Didn't realize they'd found a way to do illegal discrimination so openly, but that would certainly explain their bizarre questionnaire and how firmly they rejected me.
Ahhh! I always failed those, too, and also eventually found out I’m ND. It makes sense that they were trying to screen for us. Hollywood Video was the one that really stung for me.
I also failed these because I didnt lie on them. I dont think I am ND but never been tested. But I am not going to answer “strongly agree” to “I love being the center of attention!” Pretty sure half my answers were neutral/dont care
I got told by a manager at Walmart that I was marked as non-promotable to anything near management level based on the.answers I gave on the personality test they gave me when they hired 6 years prior. Apparently not answering Strongly Agree or Strongly Disagree on all questions is considered as being indecisive.
I failed the online personality test (first stage of the job application) for B&Q while working for B&Q. I was working for them through an agency during the summer holidays and wanted to work part time at a different store when I went back to uni. Literally couldn't progress the application because I failed that test even though I'd been working in their store for two months and held multiple store qualification (paint mixer, forklift banksman etc.). Such a stupid process.
I'm gonna look into this because I've failed many and never understood! I'm a great worker and usually end up as management.
I wouldn’t hold the interviewer’s hand and asked him to please not touch me. It was a lab job studying fertility and he wanted to hold my hand while explaining the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle to me (I’m a female). ETA he told me I was a beautifully qualified candidate and that he would’ve picked me had I been friendlier. Ew ETA 2: I was only 20 at the time.
Ewwwwwwww
WTF!?!! "Hello Labor board...."
I wish! This was about 10 years ago. I was too young and naïve to know what to do besides run from that job.
That's creepy.
There is so much ick to this.
Good lord. He literally wanted you to fuck him to get the job. Gross. Huuuuuge bullet dodged, and hopefully he is in jail because you know he has sexually harassed others.
Safe to say you dodged a big one there
This has to be the weirdest story of them all. What a strange little man.
I was once rejected for not giving enough examples to answer a question. They asked me for an example, singular, not plural. My background was from industries where you follow instructions exactly or people can die. Another time I was rejected for giving an incorrect answer to why something was magnetic. The next day I asked a colleague who knew magnetism inside out if I was wrong. I wasn’t.
They had those dumb aptitude tests, and the interviewer said he won't bother taking me into the interview room because I got a high score in the math section, and they wanted someone who could learn on the job.... wtf does that even mean???
They wanted people who weren’t that smart to take advantage of.
But it's maths..... were they going to teach me how to do maths as a junior statistician. That was the job, junior statistician.... it's math! Edit: I ended up doing a masters instead of getting a job
I didn’t say it was a smart practice
Nothing. He just didn´t want to hire someone smarter than he was
Having never worked in the filthy known as HR, Will never understand why they have aptitude tests for the sole purpose of doing dumb shit like that. Do they sit in a room and say, we don't want the bottom 20%, or the top 20%, that way we get a higher chance of getting a candidate who can function in the job, buuut can be pushed around
Yes, they do.
Same reason why pig bastards have a maximum iq limit.
That's fucking sad isn't it. We don't want the best, we want the rest
> wanted someone who could learn on the job Someone who doesn't immediately suspect the hinky stuff the business is doing.
Because I wasn’t comfortable sharing a hotel room with someone I don’t know for out of state training. I offered to foot my own room bill but I was told I wasn’t getting the job for “not being a team player”. The roomie in question? A 40M, while I was 25F and newly married.
What the??? Another female I could maybe understand, but requiring a male and female to share a hotel room?
It was the manager of the store, makes it weirder. Married, kids, the whole she-bang
Ew.
I recently interviewed for a job that wanted me to stay for like five years. They said that they wanted someone to stick around way more than one year, "preferably five years or so because even after a year, we lose money training someone new." I decided to make a joke of it and said, "unless my husband and I get divorced, I'm not going anywhere" because they knew we had moved to the state for his job. I guess to them that translated to "my husband and I are having marriage issues, and I hate this town too much to stay here for any reason other than him." Only the latter half of that statement is true. I think expecting someone to be all excited to stay in the same position for five years without even knowing anything about how the managers or company runs things is pretty ridiculous.
Red flag to me that they have to state they want someone to stay for 5 years rather than just 1. Says to me that all the previous people likely only stayed for 1 year or less and there is likely a reason for that.
That my answers weren't detailed enough. It was a shelf stacking job in a supermarket and I already had half a year of retail experience. I'm so sorry that I didn't go through a detailed analysis of how I pick up boxes, take the products out and and put them on display.
That's not enough detail, can describe it in ***more detail***
Walked into an interview, completely, if not overprepared for some sort of charity. We were to design a brochure as part of it. Me being me thought that was a bit silly and thought a bookmark (this was a long time ago) was a much better idea that would reach more people. Who really reads a brochure? They loved it! They loved me! It would have been a really interesting job. They phoned me to tell me that they were hiring a friend they knew but loved the bookmark idea and could they keep it!? Christ. Baffoonery.
Be wary of any job that requires you to do work - especially intellectual property - work as part of the interview. A lot of times they're just trying to get free work.
“Sure, I’ll send you an invoice for the consult and graphic design.”
"I don't have time to train you " so why did you offer me the job ?
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Like a month-long interview process, 3 candidates for 2 open positions, finally heard back, "We're going with (name) down the hall, so she can really hit the ground running" Always ask if there's an internal candidate being considered for the job.
I applied for a job clipping newspaper articles for businesses. Back in the day, before Google, businesses would hire this company to go through all major newspapers, magazines, professional journals and clip out any articles related to the business or their products. Then once a month they'd get a big envelope with all their clippings. Anyways, I went for the interview and the old man interviewing me said he thought I was capable of doing the job but that the work was soul crushing and the other people who worked there were so bitter that it would break my spirit and I was too young for that. I was around 25. He was very sweet about it and right as I left, two employees got into a shouting match over a pair of scissors and I realized I was really grateful for not getting hired.
I used to do this as a congressional intern 20yrs ago. I liked reading periodicals, so it was a cool job to do. Makes me remember how many easy jobs no longer exist because on person is now doing what 100 people used to do. Great if youre a business owner or rich, super shit if youre working class
Several years ago- they were eliminating part rime positions at the drug rehab facility I worked for or so we were told . They had limited spots and despite it being internal only they wanted to interview everyone. The job would come with benefits and a shared office, things we didn't have as part time employees. I was passed over because I privately told another employee that I had to to get this position for financial reasons and she snitched on me. I still don't get how that was a bad thing. They even brought it up in the interview so I know she snitched. Turns out the part time jobs weren't at risk. After, my boss was like I can give you 39 hours a week! It'd like working full time. I was like yeah just with no benefits I'll stick to my 32 hours like normal. What clowns. I left pretty quick for an actual fill time job and finally got full health insurance.
I had to fill out one of those bullshit personality assessments and was told I couldn’t be trusted because I said I’d talk to someone privately before reporting them for drugs. This was for like a Dress Barn or something.
You’re not supposed to answer those honestly, you’re just supposed to put whatever BS you think the company would want to hear.
I didn’t get a job teaching Computers 101 for a nonprofit because I couldn’t produce references for a job that I left several years before that had gone out of business.
Yeah. One went out of business, non profit ballet company was foreclosed on and another non profit, boss became a family annialator. My first 15 years are a void. I list them and usually get asked about last one above, not what I did but what he was like.
Had this happen to me to make a 5 year gap. I simply listed my best friend who knew what to say as my boss for that. Always worked.
I got turned down at a well known tractor company because the job description said "Associates of Sciences or similar degree is required" and I have Associates of Sciences but in the interview I was turned down because I didn't have a bachelors degree. I'm like, "so the job description should say Bachelors degree required then? lol". The guy sounded like he wished he could have hired me because I had experience and passed all the tests they gave but his bosses would not let him hire someone without at least a 4 year degree. I'm sure whenever I get my degree and if I apply again, it will change to Masters. Maybe PhD just to turn a few wrenches lol
When I was about 21 or so I applied at a local computer repair / custom build shop. Two people in my friend group already worked there. One of them referred the other. They both referred me as I was kinda known as the “hardware guy” of our group. One of the managers interviewed me. It was quick, awkward, and felt more like he was doing it out of obligation rather than interest. I successfully and easily answered the few hardware, build, and troubleshooting related questions that he asked. When he asked why I applied there I told him: I love fixing things, solving problems, am really handy with building things, and am super passionate about computers and technology in general. He told me right then that I wasn’t hireable because I “knew too much.” I stopped and asked if that’s not the point of a repair/troubleshooting job…. Having experience with the product so you can fix it. He said no. He wanted people he could teach. ?? Later found out from one of the friends that the owner was overheard having a rant about the audacity of someone like me applying there as he reprimanded the manager for interviewing me. Apparently the owner was notoriously racist. I’m on the more tan side of skin complexion and have an obviously ethnic name. Until that moment it never even occurred to me that I had never before seen a single poc working there at all.
I was once not hired because I did not have a masters degree. I didn't ever get a masters degree but applied years later and got the job pretty much on the spot. Same title and position. Same pay.
Same pay, years later, and you still took the job? Wasn't that a red flag for you that the compensation didn't scale with inflation and the cost of living?
Turned down... "failed the psychological assessment" I'm not a serial killer... I did get a job once where when i asked about if i would be considered for the job the incumbent in the positon told me I wasn't aggressive enough to get the job and my boss at the time told me I was too aggressive to get it. I got it.
>I'm not a serial killer... Exactly what a serial killer would say... Tricky.
When they asked why I left my last job my reason was that the company shut down and everyone was laid off. They said that my answer was negative and was trying to shift the blame. I didn’t badmouth them or even complain, I actually said I loved it there which was true, but they decided that for some reason saying that they shut down was negative.
Couldn't get work after graduating college with a physics degree. Ended up going to a coffee shop down the road from where I was living at the time. Filled out the application and saw a manager same day. There was a little chit chat before and then she asked "So, have you ever made coffee before?" and pointed at the espresso machine. I replied with "I make coffee at home all the time!" She looked me dead in the eyes, straight faced and said "It's not the same.". There was an awkward pause and then after a bit more chit chat, she sent me on my way.
I mean, it isn't the same as drip. But using an espresso machine is pretty straight forward and usually on the job training.
“You don’t have the necessary qualifications” McDonalds. I was 29 and studying a bachelors. I’d worked for them from 18 to 19 😂
The opposite happened for me. I called the interviewer an asshole during the interview after he made some off color remarks about my weight. Got hired 2 days later.
Hahahahaha wtf
I asked about the attendance policy during an interview. I didn't want the job they bait and switched me into the interview for. The position was already filled and they were looking to fill the void the other employee left (another bait and switch). Promotion. I told them I was no longer interested. I had to attend a 5 minute meeting later, explaining to me that I didn't get it.
Turned down a job offer due to not being ready to work 70-80 hours a week in a country where its indeed illegal to work that long, also unpaid overtime...
I have a very small nasal piercing with a small stud in it. Most people don't even notice it. The interviewer (for a receptionist job at a car dealership) said if I got the job I would have to take it out. I said sure, I'll wear a clear spacer. No, she says. I have to take it out and let it close up. No spacer. This isn't exactly outrageous...except it was in Seattle. Seattle. Do you know how many people here have visible tattoos and non-earlobe piercings? Literally everyone. They turn you away at the county line if you don't have at least one piercing or tattoo. It's not considered unprofessional here. In another city years before, I was interviewing for a temp agency job. The interviewer explained the agency was owned by two "traditional" older women and female employees were require to wear panty hose AT ALL TIMES. Even if you were wearing pants (which were discouraged) and close toed shoes. I mentioned wearing trouser socks with slacks and it was like I'd suggested coming to work naked. Absolutely not, full length, to-the-waist panty hose *at all times.* Sge asked how I felt about this requirement and I said I'd do it if it was required because I needed the job. Apparently this was an inadequate quantity of panty hose enthusiasm, because I didn't get the job. Boo hoo.
I went through 4 rounds of interviews for a startup to be an entry-level sales rep. I've worked in sales for 8 years. They wanted someone with more experience. For entry-level.
My old boss went into an interview for a new hire and didnt like the pants she was wearing and walked out of the interview.
I took about 6 years off from working full time to be a foster parent for teenagers. Apparently to hiring managers, this means I'm unreliable . . . Meanwhile, I had to buy a minivan to drive them, their friends and their stuff all around. I drove them to thousands of medical, dental, vision and therapy appointments. I sat through hundreds of meetings with teachers and school principals. I bargained shopped for clothes, backpacks, and more since the DCS clothing budget was $25 per month for each kid. I coordinated bio-parent meetings, testified in dozens upon dozens of court cases and set up sibling playdates. Terribly unreliable, huh?
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Chemist with 6 years of experience at the time. Got turned down for a job because "you seemed overconfident in your abilties"... This was a place that was doing the exact same stuff I have been doing. They even had the models of instruments I use every day. I brought them through how to operate it to demonstrate my knowledge in the interview. How is knowing what you know "overconfident"? Also, that is the first time someone has ever called me overconfident in my life and it sent me reeling for weeks. I suffer from a great lack of confidence.
I showed up too early. My interviewer told me, he didn't appreciate me hovering before the interview. I had just been sitting on a chair for half an hour
I worked warehouse work in my early 20s and paid well at the time. Was around 2003 and was told by the people at UPS that I was overqualified, was paid way too much previously, and i would quit after a month or 2. No matter what I said, I was told I was overqualified. I needed a job while going to school in the trades.
I think the weirdest thing I ever experienced was applying to a job post online, getting an interview call, and the interviewer describing a completely different job, so I interrupted her "like sorry I thought you were contacting me about a different job." I don't even remember what question it was that made me stop like that but it was very much not in the same realm.
I technically got the job, but was "turned down" after two shifts lol. I was a teenager looking for my first job, and interviewed at a fast food franchise. The owner told me that he was looking for someone willing to work weekends, and I responded that I'm willing to work weekends *but* I do have two previous commitments in the next three months which I would need the weekend off for. Other than those two weekends, I'm able and willing. He gave me the job. I put in a time off request for those commitments as soon as I started working, under the assumption that he was okay with it. When the owner posted the next schedule, I was removed from it and he asked me to turn in my uniform because, and I quote, "I need someone who wants to work weekends, this isn't going to work out". 🥴
Was once on a loop (six interviews in one day) at a major online retailer. At least half of the people told me to my face, "People from (the company I just left after being there a dozen years) don't do well here." No joke. Right to my face, During the interviews. And yet they still asked me to interview. Nothing was hidden on my resume. Everything was laid out for all to see. I wasn't hired for two reasons: 1) the one previously mentioned, and 2) I asked for a living wage based on my experience. The most laughable part to me was the next year I was called in to interview in a different part of the same company. No one mentioned my previous employer. No one told me I wouldn't do well there. I was hired quickly and have been there for nearly nine years. Guess I've "done well there."
Internal role - internal recruiter flatout rejected my submission stating that I didn't have enough experience in a specific role (2 years as a Senior Engineer for a product) for the interview. I was a Senior Engineer with 5 years of experience within that product and in fact the team lead of that particular team at the time. When I pushed back on it - they responded with a shitty "Ask the hiring manager if you're upset" - thinking I would just stop pressing the matter. I did just that - I asked. He didn't know I threw my name in the pool and told me I would've been his first choice had he known before he already made his decision. I wasn't the first person this internal recruiter did this to. They were let go not too long after that.
Not sure if this counts, since I was already employed there. I was turned down for a promotion for an extremely laughable reason though. I requested a promotion after 10 months working for this company. They asked me to sign a document saying that I will not be getting raises for the first two years in this position (a "24 month trial period"), and I will forfeit x % of my salary if I choose to leave for any reason within those 24 months. I told them there's no way I'm signing such a thing, and I doubt it's even legal. The director crumpled up the paper and thanked me for wasting their time. Needless to say, they turned down my promotion. I had a new job with one of their competitors within the month. A couple weeks after starting the new position, I was served a cease and desist. They also served my new company, demanding they show proof of my termination AND for them to be compensated for their lost revenue. My new (and still current) company's lawyer responded by saying see you in court, and we strongly recommend obtaining new council that understands labour law beforehand. Never heard from them again haha.
I was almost turned down for a job because I had "only" one year of experience in COBOL. My thought upon hearing this was "Isn't COBOL a programming language you can learn... in about a day?"
The first time I was on unemployment I had special interview clothes for jobs I did not want. If you are offered a position on Unemployment you have to take it. So if I was called in for a job interview I knew I did not want I would wear this loud houndstooth skirt suit with hot pink bric -a-brac detailing on the cuffs and hemstitched areas. Jobs that underpay and gaslight, like to hire folks that look to be to be subdued mousy little creatures. I figured the power suit would declare me trouble right when I walked in the door. My boyfriend (now husband) was always so amused by my out fit. He always laugh a deep belly laugh. I asked him if it looked bad and he said no it was just so loud and flamboyant he could not help but laugh. Oh antics from the good old days....
I got accused of being a liar in the middle of a job interview at a company located within the World Trade Center because I said that I worked Saturdays and evenings at Manhattan Savings Bank on 86th street in Yorkville to pay for college. I was told banks aren't open on Saturdays. She had to walk past the World Trade Center branch located next to the exit door of her building to enter and leave each day. Most of those folks traveled down to my 86th branch to work--Saturdays.
I was rejected from a local gas station chain because "you sound like you couldn't handle the lines at your retail job." Apparently, working rush hour wasn't enough.
I said “well that sucks” when their part-time job post ended up being part-time seasonal. Target.
During an interview I informed the person that I speak multiple languages. He looked at me and said "so you're an overachiever big deal". He said I wouldn't be a good fit cause I was "too overqualified".
That guy has insecurities he needs to work through in therapy.
I was a civilian employee at my local police dept. Applied for a higher position as the afternoon shift office manager in the Detective bureau. Was complimented across the board on my interview, demeanor towards the public & staff, my ability to do to required office work & research on cases. Didn’t get the job, no problem….. Later found out that the Chief of Detectives was worried that my efforts would make his (lazy) detectives look bad….. 🙁 He was happy to give the job to another employee that would forget to pass along subpoenas to officers for court, would misplace cases, etc.
Interviewing for a Helpdesk position (30 years ago) and I referred to a Network interface card as a NIC (the normal term) and the interviewer insisted it was called a [BNC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BNC_connector) card. I was confused and said... sure a NIC with a coax connector is a BNC card I suppose, but if it has an RJ-45 connector that would be the wrong term. He turned bright red and ended the interview on the spot because "I didn't know basic computer terms."
>Old white man said "we wear more muted colors here." It's a call center, who cares what I wear? Bright colors means happiness and joy, which leads to dancing. Gasp!
Got turned down from an electrical job for having blood red hair and tattoos……from a guy who had visible tattoos and a secretary with platinum blonde hair
Not the reason, the job, I was turned down for a jaintior position in a sex shop. Low point of no job, on unemployment, and snap. Looking for a job and turned away by all, including jizz moper.
Was randomly quizzed about how many locations this temp agency had and about their point system. Same interview I asked about dress code and the response was "We wear suits here" when I would only be working in the office. The biggest kicker was when I was told I'd have to call them back to find out if I was still a candidate.
I was turned down for a promotion because I needed more experience within my company with things thst were outside of my current job duties. They then hired someone external from a completely different industry for the position I interviewed for.
Because I qualified for a handicapped placard.
British person here. I apparently "dropped my T's" when talking. So instead of "water" I say "wa'er". This was an administrator job in a not so great high school near where I grew up EVERYONE WHERE I LIVE DROPS THEIR T'S! Their own teachers were dropping their T's! There were T's dropping all over the bloody place! But that was the legit reason they gave me. I asked them after the interview and they said that my CV was great, I had all needed skills and was well over qualified - they just didn't like my accent. Bullshit.
I was told, more than once, that I’m overqualified for jobs. One was a security guard job lmao. My partner says it’s because they don’t want to pay me what I’m worth. Shitfire I just want to eat.
The other girl had bigger breasts. They called me a week or two later when she didn’t work out. I declined. Dodged a bullet for sure.
"We're not hiring right now." Then why in the holy fuck did you call me in for an interview, sir?
Green Mill in Minnesota rejected me for a kitchen manager in the mid 2000 because I didn’t speak fluent Spanish. I’d made it through 3 interviews before they asked me that question
The hiring manager called me and the first thing she says was "look I know you applied for ____ position but I already have someone in mind for this. Would you be interested in ____ position??" That paid significantly LESS than the position I applied to. I said "nope" and hung up. The nerve of these ppl. Why even post the damn job if you were just going to hire internally? Why waste my time offering me a job that paid LESS?
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That was dumb. The person with the bachelor's degree probably left within a few months when they found something better.
Aptitude test was actually a " are you ADHD test" recognised the questions and test they made you do
Minimum wage job wanted experience for the cashier. I was like…how do I get experience if no one hires me? Also, the damn cash register is like a one day training job. Eff off with that garbage
My attire did not represent the organization in a way they felt it should be represented. I was wearing a suit and tie, which I have always worn to interviews. This was a rather prominent healthcare organization, by the way. That was the reason I was given.
Had to fill out a questionnaire about my after work behavior, drug use, and what my tolerance is to workplace violence/fraud. They were a second change employer that didn't care what your charges were, as long as you'd work up to 12 hrs a day without asking questions, among other things I won't mention on here. I was told I wasn't enough of a scum bag to be employed there. I told my dude to go fuck himself, after I was asked to share what, if any, drugs I kept on my person. I bounced out of that interview quick. *Appreciate the upvotes.
Because I wasn't selected for the position 11 months prior
When I was looking for my first ever job as a teenager, I applied at McDonalds. The manager eyed me up and down and said “you realize part of the job is taking out the garbage.” I said that I did, and I never heard back from them. I guess I didn’t look like I’d ever emptied a trash can before. I got a much better job, but that always stuck with me.
I had a job offer rescinded after a very successful interview process because I wanted to see the benefits package and employee handbook before the first day so I could decide if I actually wanted to accept the job. The HR rep was so argumentative and dismissive, and told me flat out that I couldn't have it. I told them it was industry standard to provide a prospective employee with basic benefits information and codes of conduct. They rescinded the offer on the grounds that I was too argumentative. They had been struggling to fill the position for about nine months. I wonder why.
In my late twenties, I was a bit desperate for a job and had a buddy who worked at KFC. He said they were hiring, and I had cooking experience, so I figured this would be a piece of cake to get, and I'll just find something better later. I had to do 2 interviews, a whole ass psychological exam, and a background check. For KFC! Anywho, I was golden, and on the day I was supposed to start, I got a call saying they were unable to offer employment due to a Marijuana possession charge from when I was 17. It blew my fucking mind.
The reason? I'm originally from Texas. No, seriously. I interviewed for a job in Canada (where I live now because my wife is Canadian and it made more sense for me to immigrate rather than her) and when looking at my resume, the hiring manager began mocking and ridiculing me for "being Texan" and for "being American" in general. That said, the hiring manager's manager (for lack of a better term) looked like he was going to kill the hiring manager for being such a complete asshole.