HR sends biting email to applicant who declined their interview request, claim they lack 'professionalism': 'I’ve already accepted a job and joined'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jan 23, 2026 10:00 PM EST

If you're declining a job interview, do you still have to try to impress them?

Looking for a job is not fun. It requires a lot from you, and you aren't always able to give. It requires a lot of pitching yourself at every turn, and that can take a lot out of you. If you want a new job, you probably have some level of dissatisfaction in your life. You probably don't take it lightly. But you also have to ask for what you want when you want it. Or else people might take advantage of you. Because the job market is so tough, you really have to look out for yourself, because no one else will. 

There are so many annoying double standards in the world of job hunting. Jobs are allowed to ghost you without warning, and they do it all the time. How many times have you sent in a job application just to hear absolutely nothing forever and ever? It's kind of the expected mode. But the minute you hear from them, you're supposed to be trigger-ready to send anything they need, and be anywhere they ask at the drop of a hat. But what about your needs and wants? What about your life, which is more often than not takes priority? Recruiters and HR managers don't always make it easy to be on their side. They want what they want when they want it, and nobody else gets a lot of wiggle room. That's what happened in this story.

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • A man with glasses looks stressed at his desk
    via Vitaly Gariev

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

  • This job seeker got exactly what they wanted out of the situation… a job. But that didn't stop pesky HR managers from hounding him down nonetheless. After handling a situation in the way that he thought he should, he thought he was in the clear. Until he got a nasty email from someone who wasn't even interested in employing them. They weren't sure what they had done to deserve that, if anything at all. Scroll to read all the details of this story and decide what you would have done in their shoes. And read the full email, ‘cause it’s not pretty.

  • HR got mad after I rejected the interview call.

    me E ↑ An I'm extremely disappointed with how you handled our interview request. Failing to take or respond properly to a scheduled interview call reflects a lack of professionalism and responsibility. When candidates apply for roles, we expect a basic level of respect for other people's time. Your behavior shows otherwise. If you were no longer interested, the least you could have done was communicate that clearly instead of ignoring the process. This kind of attitude raises serious concerns ab
    via u/Agile-Wind-4427
  • Quick context so this makes sense. I've already accepted a job and joined. I've mentioned this in my earlier posts too.
    via u/Agile-Wind-4427
  • This week, I got an email follow- up about an interview request from weeks ago. I had already declined it earlier and clearly told them I'd accepted another offer. No ghosting, no drama. Today, HR emailed back sounding angry and basically called me irresponsible for not taking the interview call.
    via u/Agile-Wind-4427
  • That's what annoyed me. Companies reject or ignore candidates all the time and that's somehow normal. But when a candidate says no after moving on, suddenly it's a problem? I didn't reply. I'm already working and honestly don't see the point. Just found it wild how entitled some recruiters act when they don't get what they want.
    via u/Agile-Wind-4427
  • A man looks stressed writing at his desk
    via Vitaly Gariev

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

  • Commenters gave their takes on the story.

    Relevant Research579 Lol. Teacher vibes. Thanks for the feedback. I learned from it and will never apply again at your company.
    via u/Relevant_Research579
  • Agile-Wind-4427 Original Poster's Reply Lmao
    via u/Agile-Wind-4427
  • IronNobody4332 Oh this is definitely the HR person over-promising to leadership and getting screwed over and they're taking it out on you now. Lol
    via u/IronNobody4332
  • Agile-Wind-4427 Original Poster's Reply That's the part that gets me too. HR suddenly acting all professional and offended, like they haven't been ghosting candidates for years without a second thought. The double standard is crazy. One small thing on the candidate side and it's "unprofessional," but when they disappear or treat people like numbers, that's just normal business I guess.
    via u/Agile-Wind-4427
  • flushbunking Look at HR up on the high horse, isnt that the same HR that ghosted the wrold the past 6 years??!! Also, you already who what happens if you need to use one day of sick leave.
    via u/flushbunking
  • Agile-Wind-4427 Original Poster's Reply Yeah that actually makes a lot of sense. It felt way too personal for it to be just about an interview slot. Probably someone trying to save face internally and I just happened to be the easiest target. Still wild to take it out on a candidate though.
    via u/Agile-Wind-4427
  • antiwork-ModTeam Screenshots of text such as SMS communication, WhatsApp, social media, news articles, and procedurally generated content such as ChatGPT are prohibited. Low-effort content such as memes are prohibited.
    via u/antiwork-ModTeam
  • Threedawg Teacher vibes?
    via u/Threedawg
  • ElTupacabraXXX Only they are allowed to ghost you! Because that's professional!
    via u/ElTupacabraXXX
  • SC_19XX Looks like a certain HR rep needs a little HR training because why are you sending this email to someone that isnt even employed by your company? Good on you for ignoring it, my petty ass would have typed up a nice little smart ass response to this email so fast lol
    via u/SC_19XX
  • Proof_Independent400 Respond. You ignored my previous communication that I was no longer interested. This shows a basic lack of professional conduct and respect. How you expect to demand such while having none is exactly the kind of behaviour I would expect from less mature and experienced employees and I hope you conduct yourself to a higher standard in future if you wish to maintain your company's otherwise good reputation. You must think of the company first and not your own sensitive feeling
    via u/Proof_Independent400
  • Fuggins4U Fuck HR.
    via u/Fuggins4U
  • Mr_Horsejr HR is useless. They do no actual work that is meaningful and is usually just a means of screwing people over
    via u/Mr_Horsejr

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

antiwork hr professional job interviews human resources job search job interview
Scroll Down For The Next Article