Experienced employee revokes their job candidacy after 6 months of interviewing with the same company, calling out their flawed system before accepting a higher paying job: 'So much time had been wasted'

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Sep 28, 2025 7:00 PM EDT

Companies can never get it together with their hiring. 

As if AI isn't already doing half the work of poorly sorting through carefully curated resumes, hiring managers, who are most likely an unqualified buddy of the CEO, barely bother to take a second look at any application information. These days, it's not uncommon for the hiring process to take several months, which, when you're looking for a job, is a long time to go without a paycheck. 

Oftentimes, prospective employees will keep their previous jobs while looking for a new one, but after the overqualified employee in this next viral story spent 6 months interviewing, he knew the system was completely broken. There's no reason why a prospective employee should be going through 8 rounds of interviews, unless, of course, the hiring manager has no idea what they're doing. 

Every now and then, the interviewee becomes the interviewer, and after this employee got offered a higher-paying job, they took the opportunity and decided to teach those time wasters at the first company a lesson. 

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  • Cheezburger Image 10558277888
    via sturti

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Let the hiring manager know I no longer wanted the job because of their ridiculous interview expectations
    via fenix1230
  • Decided to share my experience. I was in the market for a new role, and a position that sounded interested popped up.
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  • I applied, and even had a personal referral reach out to the hiring manager who knew him. Had a call with HR, said I was perfect. Met
    via fenix1230
  • with the hiring manager, said he loved my background even though it wasn't 100% exact, he knew I knew I could do the role with no supervision needed.
    via fenix1230
  • I then meet the SVP, who says I'm what they're looking for. Fast forward, over 6 monthsc 4 rounds, and 8 interviews, with other VPs,
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  • Presidents, etc, and twice telling me an offer is coming, I get told that they want me to meet another business unit President.
    via fenix1230
  • During this time, I started an interview with another company 3 months after my first interview with them, and got an offer in 2 months
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  • after the first HR call. I had finalized all background checks by the time the first company asked for my "final" interview.
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  • I send an email to the hiring manager and HR that said "I sincerely appreciate the time and effort you've put into my interviews, but after 4
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  • rounds and 8 individual interviews over 6 months, and being told I'd get an offer twice before being asked to interview more people, I respectfully withdraw my candidacy at this time.
    via fenix1230
  • The hiring manager emailed me ten minutes later saying it's just one more interview, and I emailed back that I'd only be willing to interview if
    via fenix1230
  • they beat my current offer. And I was open, let them know the title, higher than the hiring manager who would have been my boss,
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  • compensation, for sure higher than who would have been my boss, and the sign on bonus.
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  • The hiring manager said "sounds like you got a great deal, sorry it didn't work out."
    via fenix1230
  • The kicker, I just found out he got laid off. Seriously, some companies just can't help themselves.
    via fenix1230
  • Significant-Dig-80... That's ridiculous. I once did 5 interviews and they didn't hire me. I felt like so much time had been wasted. 8 is next level. What fools.
    via Significant-Dig-80
  • Parking-Pie7453. 6 months is absolutely asinine. I understand the need to meet several executives & c-levels but most places I've worked had 2 or 3 rounds. Thankfully, you didn't give them free work in a 'presentation'.
    via Parking-Pie7453
  • DeadMetalRazr I remember the days you'd submit your resume, get an interview, and get hired. All in a few days. This culture is ridiculous.
    via DeadMetalRazr
  • oogerPicker2020 ⚫ This. More folks should be proactive in these similar situations. It pains me to hear folks are going thru multiple rounds of interviews. If
    via oogerPicker2020
  • companies can't come up with a better streamlined way to hire candidates, people ought to stop applying to them.
    via oogerPicker2020

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