'Who do you think you're hiring?': Candidate shares over-the-top application for bartending job in rural area

Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor

Feb 27, 2025 2:00 PM EST

People always make it seem like the most entitled folks during the job application process are demanding candidates. However, the reverse seems to be just as common if not more so. Employers these days are offering little to no transparency in their job posting while expecting candidates to go above and beyond in their applications. This includes everything from answering multiple lengthy essay questions to reiterating what is likely already clear based on the classic resume/cover letter package.

Of course, while we wish we could live in a universe where candidates and hiring managers behaved on an equal level playing field, we understand that there will inevitably be a slight power imbalance. Still, hiring managers should stop and ask themselves if they would realistically be willing to jump through the same hoops they are requiring their applicants to jump through in order to simply be considered. They might claim to have paid their dues, but in reality, they are far more likely interested in flexing their muscles than running a fair application process.

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This job applicant shared the absolutely ridiculous application he came across for a simple bartending gig he hoped to pick up to make some pocket change while starting his own business. The application included hypothetical scenarios, pattern-based mathematics prompts, and more. In other words, most of these questions had nothing to do with what it takes to be a decent bartender. For context, this was in a remote, rural area.
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"Application questions for bartending"

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via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

_{The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.}
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'Who do you think you're hiring?': Candidate shares over-the-top application for bartending job in rural area

"Application questions for bartending"

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