‘We aren’t moving forward with you’: Job applicant rejected after four rounds of interviews and unpaid free labor

Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor

May 28, 2024 8:00 AM EDT

The amount of work required of job applicants these days is starting to get out of hand.

First, there's the expectation that your resume needs to be adjusted and tailored specifically to the job for which you are applying. Why do applicants need to do this? No, it's not to stand out and to prove that you're the right person for the job. It's to include specific phrases from the online job description in your personal resume in order to pass automated job screenings. Of course, this requires more work from the applicant and far less work from the recruiter or hiring manager.

Then, there is the number of years of experience you're supposed to have in literally any field, which makes it impossible to make any lateral moves should you wish to pursue something else professionally.

Finally, there is the number of interviews you have to endure and the unnecessary amount of assignments you have to complete. There are other ways to prove that someone is a suitable candidate that does not involve a ton of free labor to complete in a short amount of time. Most of these applicants already have other jobs to juggle on top of their applications anyway!

This prospective candidate was forced to make an entire presentation in far too little time after already completing four rounds of interviews. How sure do these folks need to be before making a decision? At the end of the day, the candidate did not even get the job and instead received harsh feedback from the hiring manager. What a waste of time!

Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the best reactions from folks in the comments section. For more stories like this, here is one about a new boss's unnecessary policy.