Job candidate withdraws his application after HR emails him by the wrong name, then gets upset when he corrects them: ‘My name is Zach, not Ryan’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Apr 9, 2026 12:00 PM EDT

We all get called by the wrong name sometimes, and we all find ourselves correcting the mistake to avoid any confusion.

When you correct someone after they call you by the wrong name, you usually expect their reaction to be somewhere along the lines of, "Oops, sorry about that, [insert the correct name here]," and then you both move on with the rest of your day.

For the job candidate in the story below, Zach, things went a little bit differently.

His hiring process started out like any other. He sent in his resume, then conducted a phone screen with one of the people in charge of hiring. After that, he waited to hear back from the company about the rest of the process. Then, he got an email from the company, but right at the top of it, Zach saw that the email was addressed to someone else, named Ryan. The email stated that the company would like to schedule an interview with him, but Zach didn't know whether the email was intended for him and they simply got the name wrong, or if the email was intended for Ryan and they sent it to him instead.

So, Zach did the sensible thing and emailed the company back, asking for clarification. They expected the HR manager to apologize for the confusion and clear the whole thing up, but instead, he got an extremely defensive response. The manager accused Zach of calling the company disorganized and refused to admit that they had made a mistake. Then, they simply assumed that Zach would not be interested in pursuing the position and left it at that.

The job candidate was quite shocked by this response, but it was safe to say that he was not interested in continuing the hiring process after the HR manager couldn't even admit that they called him by the wrong name.

Below, Zach shared the actual email exchange and even updated later about his response to the bizarre email. Keep scrolling to read it all.

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  • Man in a suit looking at a laptop with concern.
    via SHOTPRIME

    Man in a suit looking at a laptop with concern.

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

  • Dodged a bullet in the hiring process

    Hi Ryan Thank you for submitting your resume for our Marketing Administrator position-we appreciate your interest in joining our team. We would like to move forward and schedule an interview with you. What does your availability look like this tomorrw or Monday? Please send over what day and times that work best for you, and we'll coordinate accordingly. We're looking to schedule interviews fairly quickly, so we look forward to hearing from you soon. Best Regards,
    via ZachGamezzzz
  • Hello, I am wondering if this email was intended for me, Zach. I conducted a phone screen with Kaci this past Monday. I know you guys probably have tons of applications so it's hard to keep them straight haha. If it was intended for me to continue with the hiring process, I can absolutely relay my availability. Thank you!
    via ZachGamezzzz
  • I am sorry to hear that you would assume that a company of our size and impact in the home improvement industry would be disorganized and confused when handling potential applicants. You had a phone screening with a member of our recruiting team which is the initial process when submitting an application at • They frown upon our management team taking me away from their day to day responsibilities to sort through unqualified or less desirable candidates for the position in which someone applies
    via ZachGamezzzz
  • Hey everyone, Found this pretty funny and figured I would share it. Did a phone screen for this company and got this follow up email.
    via ZachGamezzzz
  • My name is Zach. Not Ryan. My email even has my name in it. I followed up asking for clarification while making a light hearted comment as the situation was already awkward and not knowing if this email was even intended for me.
    via ZachGamezzzz
  • Then ended up getting the last reply. Very safe to say I will not be "perusing" a career with them.
    via ZachGamezzzz
  • ummmm__yeah The company is clearly Lowe's...
    via ummmm__yeah
  • ZachGamezzzz Original Poster's Reply It is not, it's a smallish-medium sized fence/concrete construction company based in the Midwest. If you guess it from there kudos to you lol
    via ZachGamezzzz
  • DRuth84 "Clearly Ryan, it is you who got your name wrong. A company of our size and wealth don't make mistakes. We're just weeding out the unqualified and undesirables. So make sure you get your name right next time!"
    via DRuth84
  • HR Manager Checking CVs with Laptop
    via DragonImages

    HR Manager Checking CVs with Laptop.

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

  • AmericaFirst1848 Just reply back asking them what they mean by perusing a position with them
    via AmericaFirst1848
  • dashruss36 Well, they clearly can't keep their applicants straight if they got your name wrong Imao. It's like they got called out and were embarrassed so they doubled down.
    via dashruss36
  • fireseeker4him I would reply bluntly. "The email was addressed to a Ryan. My name is Zach. Either you meant to send this to Ryan and put in my email address or you meant to send it to me and got my name wrong. In both scenarios, you were wrong. Maybe you are not disorganized, but you certainly are incapable of admitting when you make a mistake."
    via fireseeker4him
  • vashthestampede121 This is straight up bizarre. It's like the HR person took that as a personal attack, which is like...... why? And they clearly did send you the wrong email because their explanation makes no sense and is just word salad. I'm sure you probably don't care that much but for sh s and giggles it would be funny to forward that response to the head HR person and/or hiring manager. Should be a fun meeting in this person's future.
    via vashthestampede121
  • mnum17 I do not think they realized they called you the wrong name and that's why you're following up. They think your email is asking why you have to have a second interview when you already had an interview with Kaci...still a bananas response but you don't actually note the problem with their original email and they clearly didn't understand what the problem is.
    via mnum17
  • stonecoldslayman Given that the company recruiters can't simply acknowledge making typographical errors like rational adults and instead default to disrespectful and condescending conduct with potential applicants; I can only imagine how unpleasant my prospective managers would be. I'd rather eat glass than work there. F em.
    via stonecoldslayman
  • ZachGamezzzz Original Poster's Reply Didn't expect this to gain this much transaction, lol. For anyone wondering, I am currently employed and do already have several other job offers. This was one of a few. I sent a follow up email of "Hello Teal, It was intended as a light hearted comment in a potentially awkward situation as the wrong name was used in the email. It was not intended to come across as me assuming your company is disorganized or confused, and I apologize if it came off that way.
    via ZachGamezzzz

  • Would you have continued to interview for a company like that, or do you think Zach made the right move?

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