'We both know you're not going to do that, so you don't need to blow smoke': Company rejects candidate after interviewing him for 6 months, asks to put his picture on their website

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Sep 12, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

Looking for a job can be an incredibly disheartening experience. You have to put yourself out there day after day, use all sorts of jargon that you wouldn't anywhere else in your life, all to face constant rejection or, more likely, hear nothing. You wouldn't be looking for a job if you didn't need one or want one, so your emotions get all wrapped up in the process. It's a confusing and scary process that leaves you looking for a way out. 

And then you get an interview. By Jove, a real chance and a real step forward! Maybe it will work out this time! You put on your best business casual and trot to the office, ready to knock their socks off. You did it, and you feel like it went well. Then you don't hear anything for a while. Then boom, round two! Great news! How many rounds could there be? Infinite, actually. You could be caught in a never-ending hiring spiral for months at a time, especially if you're dealing with a recruiter. You just wish you could scream. 

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  • A disappointed-looking young man carries his items out of an office building.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • This man actually did. He took out his frustration directly at the source and let the HR manager have a piece of his mind. After months and months of trying to work something out, he had had enough and let his frustration fly. Read on to see what happened in this wild hiring story. 

  • My friend just had the most insane job rejection call and I think he's my new hero.

    My friend just got off a call for a job rejection and he completely snapped. I'm still in shock for him, honestly.
    via u/Late_Reaction_1469
  • To set the scene, this hiring process has been dragging on for nearly half a year. It got so bad that a few months ago, he tried to pull out. He told the recruiter his current boss was getting really suspicious because he had to keep making up "dentist appointments" that took up a couple of hours of
    via u/Late_Reaction_1469
  • his day, every single week. He figured with hundreds of applicants, his odds were slim anyway. But the recruiter convinced him to stay, basically telling him he was a shoo-in and that they were just finalizing the details.
    via u/Late_Reaction_1469
  • So after another three months of hoops and interviews, they called him today with the rejection. And he told me that for the first time in his adult life, he just let loose on the HR person when she said a few things that set him off.
    via u/Late_Reaction_1469
  • First, she hit him with the classic, "We'd love to keep your resume on file for future opportunities." He just flat out told her, "We both know you're not going to do that, so you don't need to blow smoke." Then she offered to give him "constructive feedback" from the interviews that he could use for his "professional development." He just asked her, "For what? So I can add a quote to my resume saying 'A company that rejected me thought I did a good job'?"
    via u/Late_Reaction_1469
  • Then, get this, she suggested he should write a thank-you note to the hiring manager for the "opportunity." I'm not even kidding. He lost it and said, "A thank you note for what? For wasting my time? 'Dear team, thanks so much for turning me down, all the best'?"
    via u/Late_Reaction_1469
  • But the wildest part? They still wanted to use a headshot he provided for their "candidate success stories" blog to promote how great their hiring process is. He told her absolutely not, that he doesn't give them permission and it could jeopardize his current job. Her response was that the "other finalists" were flattered to be asked and had already agreed. Unbelievable.
    via u/Late_Reaction_1469
  • And here's the kicker: this whole conversation was with a third- party recruiter. She doesn't even work for the company he applied to. Just a contractor paid to handle this mess. What a world.
    via u/Late_Reaction_1469

  • Commenters chimed in with their thoughts on this story.

    Fractals88 · 3h ago Well the 3rd party recruiter gets paid to place him so it's in her best interest to get him a job
    via u/Fractals88
  • A despondent-looking young man lets his papers fly around him outside an office.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Idkm... 3h ago Edited 3h ago . . The "candidate success stories" is absurd to me. I'm mixed on the rest. I mean, good for him for expressing his feelings, but I would have 100% wanted to hear their feedback and know why they went with someone else over
    via u/Idkmyname2079048
  • me. I mean, he had to be one of the top choices if they were interviewing for 6 months, and they simply can't pick everyone. Everyone else who was still in the running surely felt just as entitled to the job as your friend, but if that company truly did like
    via u/Idkmyname2079048
  • him and has another position open up, well, I think he removed that chance for himself. I have actually had a company call me back to offer a different role that opened up because I wasn't quite suited for what I interviewed for but they liked me.
    via u/Idkmyname2079048
  • I'm all for calling companies out in hiring practices, but blowing up because they chose someone else who went through the exact same process seems weird to me. That company is just going to be glad that they dodged a bullet.
    via u/Idkmyname2079048
  • No-Target-2470 • 2h ago This sounds almost like a scam where they pretend they place people but they don't, just so they can get permission to use their picture so as free fake advertising.
    via u/No-Target-2470
  • Realistic-Drag-8793 2h ago • I haven't ever been through something that bad but a tip for people looking for a job and using a head hunter (recruiter). Ask these questions
    via u/Realistic-Drag-8793
  • • Are you submitting any other candidates or am I the only one from your company and or parent/sibling companies? • Are there any qualified internal candidates interviewing?
    via u/Realistic-Drag-8793
  • If yes to either of those questions, understand you chance of getting this job is very very slim and nobody will care. You are a token interview. This doesn't mean you have no chance at the job, but you have a near zero chance of getting it.
    via u/Realistic-Drag-8793
  • Also always know that there is a very real risk that someone at that company knows someone in your company and will call them. It isn't suppose to happen but it does all the time.
    via u/Realistic-Drag-8793
  • Automatic_Catch_... 14m ago He had weekly interviews for six months? Why would you work for a company like that?
    via u/Automatic_Catch_7467
  • Intelligent_Panic564 2h ago . This is one of the most satisfying stories I've read on this subreddit in a long time. Your friend isn't just your hero; he's a hero to every single person who has been dragged through the mud by a completely broken, disrespectful hiring process. Please buy him a beer (or several) from all of us.
    via u/Intelligent_Panic564
  • It's the sheer, unmitigated audacity of the recruiter that's mind-boggling. Let's break down this masterclass in corporate nonsense: "We'd love to keep your resume on file..." - Your friend's response was perfect. This is the ultimate
    via u/Intelligent_Panic564
  • corporate platitude. It's a verbal pat on the head meant to soften the blow, but everyone knows it's a lie. It's the business equivalent of "Let's hang out sometime!" with zero intention of ever doing so. Calling it out directly is just chef's kiss. "Constructive feedback for your professional
    via u/Intelligent_Panic564
  • development." - After a SIX- MONTH process where they were the ones constantly delaying and being unprofessional? The nerve. Feedback is valuable when it's genuine, but in this context, it feels less like help and more like a final, condescending power play. "Let me tell you what you did wrong so you can understand why we wasted half a year of your life." Your friend's comeback was brilliant.
    via u/Intelligent_Panic564
  • "Write a thank-you note..." - This is where my jaw hit the floor. A thank-you note? For what, exactly? For the "opportunity" to be strung along, to lie to his current boss, to invest countless hours of emotional and mental energy, only to be
    via u/Intelligent_Panic564
  • rejected? That's like a mugger asking for a thank- you note for the experience of being robbed. It shows a complete and utter detachment from the human reality of job searching. "Candidate success stories blog..." This is the grand - finale of insanity. They
    via u/Intelligent_Panic564
  • wanted to use his face to promote the very process that abused his time and energy. They saw him not as a person, but as a prop. "Look how great our candidate experience is! We have so many happy finalists!" while conveniently leaving out the part where they're not actually hired. The fact that other finalists agreed is just a sad testament to how beaten down some people are by the system.
    via u/Intelligent_Panic564
  • Your friend didn't just "snap." He held up a mirror to a dehumanizing system and forced that recruiter to look at the ridiculous, empty corporate-speak she was spewing. The fact that she was a third-party contractor just adds another layer of dystopia to it all. She has no investment in the company or the candidates; she's just a paid messenger for a broken process.
    via u/Intelligent_Panic564
  • Your friend dodged a massive bullet. A company with a hiring process this chaotic and disrespectful is almost certainly a nightmare to work for. He stood up for his own dignity, and in doing so, he gave a voice to the frustrations of thousands of us. A true legend.
    via u/Intelligent_Panic564
  • FlexDerity 48m ago . this whole time, they probably just wanted free models for their promotional materials
    via u/FlexDerity
  • Iwant2beebetter · 3h ago Your friend sounds so well balanced and mature - I'm shocked they didn't offer them the job I'm sure the recruiter will think of them for the next opportunity
    via u/Iwant2beebetter
  • ChigurhShack 2h ago The fact that they actually called him with a rejection is a blessing. Usually they'll leave you twisting in the wind for the rest of your life.
    via u/ChigurhShack
  • Sigma610 34m ago • Yeah never burn bridges with a recruiter. Many are not great for sure but I've worked with ones where we flame out on several roles and then they landed me a great one at some point. Keep it cordial and worst case scenario is you never hear from them again.
    via u/Sigma610

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