Terrible interview leaves candidate questioning the entire process

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Oct 13, 2023 12:00 PM EDT

There are a lot of things that could happen during the interview process that might make you lose faith in it. You'll find yourself completing endless applications that you'll never hear back from, getting ghosted after first-round interviews, even completing three rounds of interviews during which the interviewer insists you tell the owner of your current company that you intend to leave, only to ghost you for a month before confirming that they went another candidate; you might even successfully interview for a role only to have a lower salary offered to you than the one that was originally discussed.

There's a lot to be disillusioned about in this slog of an uphill battle; that's what drove this community discussion surrounding the interview process, which was instigated by a thread started by a community member following a disastrous interview. They shared their experience with readers who shared experiences of their own, along with their thoughts and advice. See the best parts of this discussion below, along with the original poster's original account of events.

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  • 01
    Font - Posted by u/trudycampbellshats Horrible interview yesterday that makes me realize companies are mislabeling jobs & leaving out massive requirements so they can wildly underpay, not to mention refuse to train. Job searching I interviewed for a "coordinator" role in a company in a major city yesterday that was very generic about data stewardship. I've done this in a similar company before I'll admit, it's mostly data entry, electronic record keeping, research, administrative work within exi
    via u/trudycampbellshats
  • 02
    Font - ...Every interview, including this one, has become a horrible game of trick questions where the interviewer conceals the actual skill level required. Nothing about training. Extraordinary discrepancies between job description and specific requirements, like expert level Excel. Sometimes they overshoot what is actually required. They go out of their way not only to give the impression there will be no training within the job to do the job, use the software, do the tasks they need a qualifi
    via u/trudycampbellshats
  • 03
    Font - He started asking me what I know about VBA, querying large data sets in Excel (if you guys have notes, I would be grateful - I've never done Power Query before, only basic functions, up to something like offset/match, tables.) It's very hard to get that training, it seems, unless your fresh out of college - after internships. I only have a little as a contractor, and I was on my own, mostly, using what I've picked up in Excel workshops.
    via u/trudycampbellshats
  • 04
    Font - When I pointed out it seems they're look for a sales analyst, the interviewer argued with me and said it was a different job. This is the second time this has happened, the second job, where I apply to my former job title...and find I have to talk about writing fg Excel macros. Have to desperately, flabbergastedly talk about tutorials I've taken on querying large data sets with SQL. This is for a job in a major American city that requires at least 3 days onsite and starts at $43k. It's no
    via u/trudycampbellshats
  • 05
    Font - No reporters are talking about this trend (not just my job search-shouldn't have to clarify that), but I don't think it's just me....it seems like there's a requirements/pay mismatch across more than a few white collar industries that got worse sometime in 2023, and I don't think I would believe this if I weren't going through it. NYT did a couple of articles on the Great Resignation....this seems comparable or like a reversal. It's been a year of searching in a market that's gotten worse
    via u/trudycampbellshats
  • 06
    Font - And that doesn't cover the jobs in tech where my interviews are 25 year old managers with theater/fashion degrees somehow working as financial managers who just...don't want to work with someone older than they are. Every five years the job market gets worse and worse, and the skills requirements skyrocket. That's a frightening prospect if you are in your 20s and coming into the job market for the first time, but if you are lifelong underemployed, like me, and have st resume (a few years
    via u/trudycampbellshats
  • 07
    Font - contract projects, or in dead end office jobs in horrible companies)...I'm at my wit's end. The stigma never really goes away barring something extraordinary, like a Master's degree...and even then, it's hopeless unless someone just...gives you a chance. Note, the only reason I applied to this job was because the job description actually seemed to match my background, or general enough I could have hope. Hiring for my previous job title and its actual duties has disappeared.
    via u/trudycampbellshats
  • 08
    Font - I'm seeing jobs for sales analysts that want Salesforce certifications, 3 years of managing a companies' "business processes", Masters' etc. that start at $60k and tap out at $75k. Its really fong bad out there, and not only am I afraid seeing salaries shrink while skill requirements for "entry level" jobs explode...I've never actually been trained in a single job I've ever done. Not really. Not to stay in a job, only as a contractor, and of course, that's short-lived and can't truly be p
    via u/trudycampbellshats
  • 09
    Font - I've never enjoyed the normal experience of being taken on, trained, kept, and promoted because I didn't intern and came into the job market after I wasted a lot of time in grad school. It wasn't for lack of desire or work in those jobs. ...And thus, even if I can work towards certifications, take Coursera courses, take tutorials by myself...none of really matters. It's all done alone, and it's not "demonstrable experience". It's unpaid labor with precious little direction to get to the f
    via u/trudycampbellshats
  • 10
    Font - jujumber Yes, I just quit a job today after a month of training realized that it's basically 3 different jobs rolled into one. Reply Share 455 cheap_dates It was actually just one job before the last downsize. We use to say "What's worse, being laid off on a Friday or having to come in on Monday and pick up the slack?" Reply Share 205
    via u/trudycampbellshats
  • 11
    Font - Technical Sir_9588 Yep. I went on an interview for a position that tranformed into 3 positions in one at the interview. Classic bait and switch. One of the interviewers even asked me if I were willing to skirt ethics and potential legalities to get things done in time for financial reasons (because the organization was bleeding money). I politely declined the offer. Reply Share 203 Inner_Trash_1111 and hopefully reported them for essentially publicly admitting they'd like to break the law
    via u/trudycampbellshats
  • 12
    Font - HAPPY HOL HolyIsTheLord At my current job, I applied to their ad for "Financial Accountant". Was given my job description of being a "Financial Accountant". Got hired. First day on the job, I saw my email signature had the title of "Accounting Manager". The CEO and CFO refer to me as their "Director of Finance". I rolled with it because the pay actually IS more aligned with a higher level role than a more junior staff accountant, but imagine my surprise. Imao Reply Share 190
    via u/trudycampbellshats
  • 13
    Font - cheap_dates One question that I always ask during an interview is "How much training can I expect?" If that is met with blank stares and an uncomfortable silence, I hope they never call me again". 119 Reply Share BootyWhite Man "We're looking for a rockstar who can hit the ground running!" ↑ 114 ↓ Reply Share
    via u/trudycampbellshats
  • 14
    Font - ZealousidealCrow811 Yeah. My current job I am labeled as a "manager trainee" which essentially means I am the managers ba. My pay is no where near reasonable and it is simply a label to get me to do 4-5 jobs at once. Granted, I knew signing on that I wouldn't instantly be a manager, thats just being unrealistic. What I did expect is to be properly TRAINED to become a manager within the next few years. However, I am stuck doing tons of work that an extra 2-3 other employees should be doing
    via u/trudycampbellshats

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