'I laughed for a solid minute. It caught me off guard': 15+ Hiring managers who read hilarious resumes

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jan 28, 2026 5:00 PM EST

The job market is intimidating, so reading about these hilariously bad resumes might raise your spirits. 

It's an odd time to be searching for a job, no matter your age or experience level. You send out job applications and they just… disappear into the void, never to be seen again. Imagine the feeling of throwing a paper plane into the Grand Canyon, never knowing where it lands, and you'll get the gist. 

These days, it actually makes you smile when you just get a receipt email from a company assuring you're being considered for a job. Thank goodness someone is seeing your application! It would appear that a lot — in fact, most — resumes are getting swiped away from the hiring manager's desk by hiring software. You never stand a chance of getting hired, and they're missing out on great candidates just because they're using software that isn't very effective. 

These hiring managers have a whole different set of problems, though. For example — what to do if a candidate hands you a handwritten resume on a piece of paper? Do you accept it and consider them, or are they automatically out for the count? Honestly, these days, that might be such a bad idea that it's almost a good idea, because at least it would result in everyone in the office having a surprised laugh, passing the resume around, and getting at least a few pairs of eyeballs on it. Much to consider! 

Other people noticed some rather indecorous grammatical errors that should never grace the page of ones resume. For example, one person claimed to be a "graphic desinger." They literally wrote "desinger," instead of "designer," throughout their entire resume. How much do you want to bet that they claim they always give attention to detail? 

It's hard to say how much little details like this matter to hiring managers, though it seems to very much depend on the job. The higher the salary, and the more prestige the position holds, the higher the standards are going to be. So read these stories below, have a good laugh, and then check your resume and cover letter like 3 times each before the next time you send it out into the void! 

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  • 01

    'Managers - what is the weirdest or most disappointing thing you have read on an application or resume?'

    Woman in blue shirt laughs and holds forehead while holding iPad in other hand, behind her a group of business professionals meet in office
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • 02

    'I'll go first'

    Yesterday while reviewing a applications for employment, an employee from a major retail chain listed under EXPERIENCE: Throwing trash from top to bottom. Lining up boxes so they are straight so the manager can do their job. I know you all want to hire this person but I can not give personal information out! Tell me about your best applicants!
    via u/crystaljae
  • 03

    Confidence was on display!

    livinglitch Our applications list "why should we hire you?" and the girl put for number one "Im awesome." She got the interview and the job but she went straight to management (previous experience) and didnt learn how we run things.
    via u/livinglitch
  • 04
    [deleted] I had a guy who had no experience being a luthier apply to be my assistant. On his résumé he actually put "People say I look good holding things." I laughed for a solid minute. It caught me off guard.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 05

    This is when you attended college and partied the entire time

    meggaphone Under 'education' the application read that she had received a bachelorette degree.
    via u/meggaphone
  • 06

    "Tipe"...

    cookyflukemegg While attempting to hire my replacement, as I was transferring to another site, I saw this on an application: Skills: Can speak good, knows how to tipe. Not even kidding.
    via u/cookyflukemegg
  • 07
    N... You know that part of the application where they ask you if you've been convicted of a felony? I've had someone turn in an app where they checked "yes", wrote the details of the conviction on the proper line, but then decided to use a good dose of White-out and change it to "no".
    via u/Night-Ocelot
  • 08
    And then there was the guy that turned in an app with his name and what he wanted to do... But nothing else. No phone number, no address, nothing.
    via u/Night-Ocelot
  • 09
    2 men and 2 women meet in office setting with laptops and notebooks on table in front of them
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • 10
    1991_VG It's been over 20 years since I saw the resume and I still remember it like yesterday. The company I worked for had put an ad in the paper for a junior market analyst. We got a copload of really, really bad resumes, but one... one stood out.
    via u/1991_VG
  • 11
    Everything on the resume was hyperbole at just... insane levels. He claimed he was qualified for any job in existence, because he knew everything, with PhD-level knowledge in physics, chemistry, engineering, his list went on and on. He did not claim to have won a Nobel prize, but did claim that he had been nominated, commenting further that being nominated for the
    via u/1991_VG
  • 12
    prize was functionally equivalent of having won one. Finally, he gets to his job history. Immediately prior to the history he states that due to his immense knowledge that he routinely solves every problem at a business in two weeks. The next three pages of the resume was the actual job history, single lines, double-
    via u/1991_VG
  • 13
    spaced, with no job lasting longer than two weeks. Several of us in management got together to decide if we wanted to invite him to an interview for entertainment purposes, but we wisely decided not to. An admin called several of the businesses listed on the history, and either got denials he'd worked there,
    via u/1991_VG
  • 14
    denials he'd worked there, or laughter in response to the inquiry.
    via u/1991_VG
  • 15
    ActuallyAtWorkN... I sincerely wish I had this application. The guy who turned it into the sandwich shop my brother worked at was... a special guy. He couldn't spell, and he couldn't read too well. His name was listed as "Jums Lee Charles", and under previous work history, he worked at Applebee's as a
    via u/ActuallyAtWorkNow
  • 16
    "dish watcher" for "7:00" an hour. His references included "Tony Teetee", and under relationship to applicant, he wrote "nice". My brother was the manager that accepted the application, and he told me he totally would have hired the guy, except the phone number he listed was six digits long.
    via u/ActuallyAtWorkNow
  • 17
    weisblattsnut Reason for leaving previous job? "Manager was a di.!"
    via u/weisblattsnut
  • 18
    wzmb so many too choose from: Misspelled their own high school name. Sent glamour shots with the email application. "I be needin a job"
    via u/wzmb
  • 19
    Lab_Ratting Some college premed who essentially said "im a premed so im too good for this job, but feel free to hire me."
    via u/Lab_Ratting
  • 20
    candace_lily We once had a guy fill out a job application where every single S was a dollar sign, even in his name. Which he spelled wrong at one point. I wish I still had a copy of it because I don't remember the rest of the application that had me laughing so hard I was crying.
    via u/candace_lily
  • 21
    driven_ I had a friend who applied at Jimmy Johns. For some reason under "Position desired:" he wrote "sandwich". I guess he forgot "maker"
    via u/driven_
  • 22
    peanut40 Had someone describe themselves as a "graphic desinger" in their resume AND cover letter. It was spelled that way throughout so we gave them points for being consistent but never did call them in to interview.
    via u/peanut40
  • 23
    whyamisosoftint... I wasn't a manager, but as an engineer at a very small firm I was part of the hiring process. We got a resume that was hand-written on yellow legal paper. Everyone else scoffed, but I pointed out that it showed exactly the qualifications we were seeking and hadn't found in anyone else. We hired the guy and he was a
    via u/whyamisosoftinthemid
  • 24
    goddamned programming machine. That man just put his head down and ground out the work, better than the rest of us. I remember he said he had graduated from the University of Chicago, and the whole situation seemed dodgy enough that I actually called them and verified it.
    via u/whyamisosoftinthemid
  • 25

    We know you're proud of the kiddos, but you can't even ask someone if they have kids in a job interview

    fifteen_two Not weird, but disappointing in that so many people do it. Household engineer or mother of # children listed under experience. Oh that's cu... NO! Just stop. Nobody cares.
    via u/fifteen_two

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