'This is not a real interview': Job candidate deliberately misled, forced to commute for a pre-screening, withdraws application

Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor

Oct 24, 2023 8:00 AM EDT

There are countless ways to disrespect a prospective job candidate. Not that this is behavior that we are trying to condone here at FAIL Blog, but we have seen the full range of what HR representatives, recruiters, and hiring managers are capable of during the job screening and interview processes. First, there are all the fake euphemisms like "matching the face to the resume," a phrase that was used by this hiring manager and countless others. Really, this "phase" of the process is ethically questionable given whatever their angle is.

Here, we have a hiring manager who forced a job candidate to take the time to drive to the office for a first-round interview, only to have to fill out a standard questionnaire, wait another half-hour, and then review said questionnaire with the hiring manager for a total of three to five minutes maximum. No opportunity for questions from the candidate, no specific tasks or overviews of the actual position, nothing. Thankfully, the Redditor had the sense to withdraw his application right then and there, though not every job candidate would have the confidence to do so.

Keep scrolling below for the full story and for similar anecdotes from folks in the comments section. When you're finished, feel free to check out this post about a ruthless HR department following an employee's medical scare.