Recruiters laugh at prospective employee while interviewing them: 'So what do you think this position actually does all day? Do you understand it?'

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Feb 28, 2026 10:00 AM EST

What would you do if an interviewer laughed in your face?

Nobody wants to be dismissed. We all owe each other respect, no matter who we are and what we're looking for. There is a baseline level of respect that we all need to treat each other with, no matter the circumstances. But we don't always get that, and we have to find a way to thrive regardless. You can have all the self-confidence in the world and still have your nerves shaken by someone looking at you the wrong way. We all have our vulnerabilities. We all have people who can upset us with a glance. You just hope you don't run into these types of people in a job interview. 

Gearing up for a job interview can be nerve-wracking. You want to do your best to present yourself in a positive light and be ready to answer all of their questions. You have to think about what to say when they ask, "Tell us about yourself," and be able to pitch your life story in a way that gels with their company vision. You pick out what you're going to wear, practice your firm handshake, and imagine your life at a new company. It's putting yourself out there to the highest degree. You hope that, even if you don't get the job, you are treated like a human. You hope that they give you decency and dignity during the interview, but that doesn't always happen. 

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  • A job interviewer smiles at her interviewee
    via Resume Genius

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

  • People forget that job interviews are a two-way street. Sure, you're being evaluated for your skills and personality, and you want to show the best, most professional version of yourself. But as the candidate, you're also getting to know them. It's your chance to gather information about the role, the company, and what it might look like to work there. But the interviewers in this story didn't act like they were on trial, too, and it showed. The prospective employee walked away with a lot to say. Read on for all the details here and imagine what you would have done in their shoes. 

  • Interviewers laughed at me...

    I'm writing this because I'm genuinely so exhausted trying to find work in this economy. I've applied to hundreds of jobs in the last few months and even got a few interviews as well, but this one in particular really tore me down. Recently I had an interview for an office job with two middle aged women who couldn't stop laughing at me.
    via u/knight-owl19
  • The interview started off normal with introductions and stuff like that but the moment they asked me questions I noticed they couldn't stop smiling and holding back laughter. And for a few of the questions they actually did laugh; I didn't say anything funny either. They were also kind of ride like the "I peaked in high
    via u/knight-owl19
  • school" energy kind of way? And then towards the end they asked me "So what do you think this position actually does all day? Do you understand it?" Like idk the way they asked that seemed condescending to me. And then when I answered as accurately as possible they still corrected me and then laughed at me again. The way they treated me caused me to stumble a few times on my words during the interview as well.
    via u/knight-owl19
  • I felt so disrespected and humiliated by the end of the interview that I went in my car and cried. I'm usually very comfortable with interviews and I even have more than half a decade of experience in the field I was applying for so it's not like I don't know what I'm talking about.
    via u/knight-owl19
  • Has this ever happened to anyone else? I'm just in shock that someone could be that unprofessional and r de tbh. It makes me frustrated for even trying to find a job at all.
    via u/knight-owl19

  • Commenters agreed that they dodged a bullet.

    badhouseplantbad You know that you can stop an interview at anytime and walk out, I've done it a few times.
    via u/badhouseplantbad
  • knight-owl19 Original Poster's Reply I considered doing that but I'm typically a pretty shy person so I got kind of scared. I also really need the money to support me and my family so I stayed partially for that reason as well. In hindsight though yeah I probably should've left. I feel bad about it.
    via u/knight-owl19
  • A woman shakes hands with another woman at a job interview
    via Resume Genius

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

  • nize426 Yeah I mean, the interview sounds pretty bad, but you know what would have been worse? If they hired you and you had to work there.
    via u/nize426
  • knight-owl19 Original Poster's Reply Fair point. You're probably right I mean I'd hate to clock into a hostile work environment every day.
    via u/knight-owl19
  • JJDubba Sounds like you're better off, don't let it get you down. Nobody wants to work for people like that.
    via u/JJDubba
  • knight-owl19 Original Poster's Reply Thanks for the kind words
    via u/knight-owl19
  • exeterdragon This reminds me of an interview where the interviewer basically stopped asking me questions a few minutes in and essentially left the interviewing to me. I was so frustrated because | 100% could have done the job and she just completely failed to ask me any relevant questions. I was embarrassed that she had so little to ask so I started asking questions about the role where I could also talk about my qualifications. It was such a sh show. I'm sorry you went through it, there will be
    via u/exeterdragon
  • knight-owl19 Original Poster's Reply Thanks for sharing your story I appreciate it.
    via u/knight-owl19
  • Emm_withoutha_L-88 I suggest looking on LinkedIn and see if you can find an executive at the company and tell them what happened. If it's a small company try the CEO or owner, if it's a big company then just the hiring manager. Don't message HR, they will just ignore it. Tell them how these two were extremely ride and condescending during the interview process. And note that you're not telling them because you want the job, but that you're doing it because they made the company look extremely un
    via u/Emm_withoutha_L-88
  • knight-owl19 Original Poster's Reply You're probably right and I've considered contacting the company directly but I'm unsure of who to call/email. It's for a very large corporation as well.
    via u/knight-owl19
  • Atabik-sohaib321 I've had interviews where the panel's little side glances and half smiles totally rattled me even though I was prepared. Stuff like that tells you a lot about their vibe more than your performance. Still feels awful in the moment though, I remember just sitting in my car afterward trying to decompress before heading home.
    via u/Atabik-sohaib321
  • knight-owl19 Original Poster's Reply Thank you for sharing your experience that helped. I appreciate you.
    via u/knight-owl19
  • DrewNumberTwo > so what do you think this position actually does all day? do you understand it? The whole point of the interview is to explain what the job is and explore how the candidate might be able to do that job. Those interviewers sound like they don't know how to interview, and are instead focusing on the little bit of power they have to show how important they think they are. They did you a great favor by showing you who they were in your first meeting. Working with people like that can
    via u/DrewNumberTwo
  • knight-owl19 Original Poster's Reply You're right. I mean if they treated me this bad in just the interview alone I can only imagine how it would go if I were actually hired. Thank you.
    via u/knight-owl19
  • Nyctocincy Why not put their name and the name of the company here? No reason to protect them
    via u/Nyctocincy
  • knight-owl19 Original Poster's Reply I would but I'm afraid of getting sued or something idk.
    via u/knight-owl19
  • XCVolcom I've had one of these interviews. To them it was a tactic to underpay the position because they pretend like you're unqualified the whole time but they're doing "you" a favor by hiring you. Not saying this is your exact case but when it happened to me I blew them up on the reviews and moved on.
    via u/XCVolcom
  • knight-owl19 Original Poster's Reply I didn't even really consider that strategy as an option but you may be onto something here
    via u/knight-owl19
  • Tweedlol They do not matter. Their opinions do not matter. You are better off not working with them anyway.☺ Don't let them live rent free in your head, they're unprofessional a holes. It's also always possible their professionalism during interview had nothing to do with you. And they're just giggling idiots. Don't give up looking for work, you will find the position that suits you with the people who will respect you.
    via u/Tweedlol
  • knight-owl19 Original Poster's Reply Thank you for the kind and encouraging words
    via u/knight-owl19

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