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According to data collected by Zipia, a platform that matches job seekers with businesses, it takes the average person 24 weeks of active searching to land a position. During that time, they get a fair share of rejections. In fact, a job seeker has a 36.89% chance of receiving an offer after having one interview. So they're more likely to get a "no" than a "yes."
What's even more frustrating, sometimes it seems that this number is so low because recruiters simply don't know any better. Recently, Reddit user PeepsAndTreats made a post on the platform, asking everyone, "What's the most laughable reason you've been turned down for a job?" And as many of the answers reveal, there are plenty.
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#1
Because I wasn’t comfortable sharing a hotel room with someone I don’t know for out of state training. I offered to foot my own room bill but I was told I wasn’t getting the job for “not being a team player”. The roomie in question? A 40M, while I was 25F and newly married.
Jared Robinson 1 year ago
That has so many red flags on it I'd be surprised if that company is still in business. That's all the lawsuits waiting to happen
We managed to get in touch with PeepsAndTreats and they were kind enough to have a little chat with us about their post.
"I think I was job browsing and looking at the Anti Work subreddit [when I came up with the idea for it]," they told Bored Panda.
"I thought about throwing the question out there to let people vent."
RELATED:
#2
I worked for the company recently but had to be off for 6 months before I could apply again. Got told my husband almost dying and having a failing liver wasn’t a good enough reason to take time off and live off my savings. They wanted someone who would put the company first. I’m never putting a company first (and yes I’m only there for the money!).
#3
I applied for a job clipping newspaper articles for businesses. Back in the day, before Google, businesses would hire this company to go through all major newspapers, magazines, professional journals and clip out any articles related to the business or their products. Then once a month they'd get a big envelope with all their clippings.
Anyways, I went for the interview and the old man interviewing me said he thought I was capable of doing the job but that the work was soul crushing and the other people who worked there were so bitter that it would break my spirit and I was too young for that. I was around 25. He was very sweet about it and right as I left, two employees got into a shouting match over a pair of scissors and I realized I was really grateful for not getting hired.
Indeed, there’s no need to pretend everything is sunny all the time, said Liane Davey, a Toronto-based industrial-organizational psychologist.
According to her, it's not a good idea to vent to your boss, or to colleagues below you in the org. chart — this will just spark fighting between teams. Instead, try to pick someone you trust, who isn't already entangled in the situation that triggered you.
Focus the most revealing parts of your rant around yourself and how you are feeling. Keep your comments about co-workers and bosses objective. For instance, instead of saying, "Bob was rude," highlight that Bob interrupted you, and that made you feel like he doesn't have any confidence in your work. Davey believes expressing yourself that way ensures you come off as mature and not just flinging blame.
#4
I wouldn’t hold the interviewer’s hand and asked him to please not touch me. It was a lab job studying fertility and he wanted to hold my hand while explaining the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle to me (I’m a female).
ETA he told me I was a beautifully qualified candidate and that he would’ve picked me had I been friendlier. Ew
ETA 2: I was only 20 at the time.
#5
After being turned down for a job I was highly qualified for, one of the employees reached out to me 'off the record' just to tell me why I was turned down. It turns out they wanted to give the job to the director's friend, and the job posting was because they were required to do that legally, to 'show' that nepotism or favoritism does not exist. Then he proceeded to tell me to keep applying and not get discouraged. I cried so hard that day after thanking him for being honest. I applied to their sister company and got the SAME job, making more than double the pay. I guess things work out the way they are supposed to for a reason.
Did I say that out loud? (he/him)cis/het 1 year ago
This is common practice in councils in the UK. A vacancy will arise, and if they already have someone in mind internally, they go through the motions of advertising the position externally. A complete waste of everyone's time and money.
After going through the discussion they have started, PeepsAndTreats said some of the most common topics revolved around people being offered a job and then it being jerked away from them, as well as disorganized companies.
"It's sad and scary," they noted, adding that quite a few also sympathized with managers who are swimming in an overwhelming body of applications.
#6
"you are overqualified for this position and you aren't likely to stay long term".
It was a seasonal role for 3 months. I was in college and needing a summer job. It's EXACTLY what they asked for.
Glenn Schroeder 1 year ago
That was just an excuse. There was another (possibly illegal) reason they weren't telling you.
#7
"I'm not hiring you because your achilles is strained and you need a cane to move around."
For a data entry job.
The Redditor believes applicants and recruiters have such a complicated relationship largely because, again, of the disorganization on the employer's end as well as their lengthy hiring process, including excessive interview rounds.
"For people looking for work, you're (likely) going somewhere you've never been to meet someone you've never met before and try to impress them enough that they think you're good enough to work for them... That's pretty stressful and difficult," they said.
"You're often left in the dark. You also never know if you've sent your application into a black hole or if you'll actually hear from someone. Some of the job postings can be ridiculous in what they want. Getting hired by some companies is a marathon, phone or video interviews, plus in-person interviews, plus drug tests, plus whatever else they feel like."
#8
When I was about 21 or so I applied at a local computer repair / custom build shop. Two people in my friend group already worked there. One of them referred the other. They both referred me as I was kinda known as the “hardware guy” of our group.
One of the managers interviewed me. It was quick, awkward, and felt more like he was doing it out of obligation rather than interest.
I successfully and easily answered the few hardware, build, and troubleshooting related questions that he asked. When he asked why I applied there I told him: I love fixing things, solving problems, am really handy with building things, and am super passionate about computers and technology in general.
He told me right then that I wasn’t hireable because I “knew too much.”
I stopped and asked if that’s not the point of a repair/troubleshooting job…. Having experience with the product so you can fix it.
He said no. He wanted people he could teach.
??
Later found out from one of the friends that the owner was overheard having a rant about the audacity of someone like me applying there as he reprimanded the manager for interviewing me.
Apparently the owner was notoriously racist. I’m on the more tan side of skin complexion and have an obviously ethnic name. Until that moment it never even occurred to me that I had never before seen a single poc working there at all.
#9
"You don't have reliable transportation"
Job site was literally 2 blocks from my house
Many would agree with them. A global survey of over 1,200 HR professionals and 3,700 job seekers by Sterling found that a third of those who dropped out said the hiring process was too complicated, with 22 percent expressing an issue with the background screening process.
However, only 9 percent of the surveyed HR professionals thought that candidates would find their hiring process complicated.
#10
I said I wouldn’t leave a $46k /yr job for $30k and no benefits with a “promise of more as they grow”. But they wanted someone with experience. Seems I wasn’t the right fit😂
#11
The one that still gets me is when I first entered the workforce and got turned down for entry level retail and fast food jobs because my only reason for wanting to work there was to get money. I remember one manager told me "we don't want people that are only motivated by money to work here".
#12
I took about 6 years off from working full time to be a foster parent for teenagers.
Apparently to hiring managers, this means I'm unreliable . . .
Meanwhile, I had to buy a minivan to drive them, their friends and their stuff all around. I drove them to thousands of medical, dental, vision and therapy appointments. I sat through hundreds of meetings with teachers and school principals. I bargained shopped for clothes, backpacks, and more since the DCS clothing budget was $25 per month for each kid. I coordinated bio-parent meetings, testified in dozens upon dozens of court cases and set up sibling playdates.
Terribly unreliable, huh?
#13
Some job recruiter gave me shade because I wore a red jacket to my interview and she specifically said that's why I wouldn't be right for the job. 🙄 Whatever, enjoy being crazy
#14
I was offered a job, but it was then revoked immediately because I told her I would need to give notice at my current job. I told her the fact that she thinks it's ok for me to just ghost my current job and start immediately tells me everything I need to know about how she operates her business, then wished her luck.
Glenn Schroeder 1 year ago
You dodged a bullet. They wouldn't hesitate to treat you the same way they wanted you to treat your current employer.
#15
They had those dumb aptitude tests, and the interviewer said he won't bother taking me into the interview room because I got a high score in the math section, and they wanted someone who could learn on the job.... wtf does that even mean???
#16
I was once rejected for not giving enough examples to answer a question.
They asked me for an example, singular, not plural.
My background was from industries where you follow instructions exactly or people can die.
Another time I was rejected for giving an incorrect answer to why something was magnetic. The next day I asked a colleague who knew magnetism inside out if I was wrong. I wasn’t.
#17
I showed up too early.
My interviewer told me, he didn't appreciate me hovering before the interview.
I had just been sitting on a chair for half an hour
DarkViolet 1 year ago
If you have to depend on public transportation, either you get to your destination 45 minutes early, or 10 minutes late. Honestly, do these interviewers have a LIFE?
#18
That my answers weren't detailed enough. It was a shelf stacking job in a supermarket and I already had half a year of retail experience. I'm so sorry that I didn't go through a detailed analysis of how I pick up boxes, take the products out and and put them on display.
Colleen Glim 1 year ago
Take stuff out of box, put stuff on shelf. Repeat until you run out of boxes or shelves. How much more detailed does it need to be?
#19
I once went to an interview for a sales job at a car dealership. I was told to sit and wait for the manager, and even though I arrived at the specified time, 45 minutes went by. Eventually, I get asked to go ascend the staircase to the manager's office. Inside, he tells me that I failed the interview, which was a shock because it hadn't felt like it had started yet. And he was like, 'I've been observing you since you got here,' to which I replied, 'I've been waiting since I got here.' He goes, 'That's the problem.
Tucker Cahooter 1 year ago
So what did the manager expect the applicant to do? Sidle up to prospective buyers while waiting?
#20
I walked into the interview, sat down and the guy looks at me and the first thing he said was "I'm not hiring you, you're not aggressive enough"
And I said "okay" and left.
#21
I was turned down by multiple jobs in 2005-2007 for “failing the personality test”????? I still don’t know how I failed them, aside from picking the answer of “get the manager” when someone was being a twatwaffle? Almost 2 decades later I know now it’s because I am on the spectrum, and those tests were designed to screen out the neurodivergent. It’s fine, I never wanted to work at McDonalds, Banfeild Pet Hospital, or Family Movie anyways.
Colleen Glim 1 year ago
I HATE those stupid personality tests with the burning heat of a thousand suns! They’re a pointless waste of time and effort!
#22
I was “too qualified” for the job. After getting a unanimous approval from everyone that interviewed me the hiring manager turned me down cause it was be too easy to promote me and raise my pay. That’s literally what they said to me.
#23
I applied to work at a gunshop when I was 22, they told me I didn’t meet the criteria and they were looking for more experience in sales. Fast forward 10 years and one of the guys who told me that is applying for the company that I work at where I am the lead salesman. He didn’t meet the criteria I was looking for.
#24
I went through 4 rounds of interviews for a startup to be an entry-level sales rep. I've worked in sales for 8 years. They wanted someone with more experience. For entry-level.
#25
When they asked why I left my last job my reason was that the company shut down and everyone was laid off. They said that my answer was negative and was trying to shift the blame.
I didn’t badmouth them or even complain, I actually said I loved it there which was true, but they decided that for some reason saying that they shut down was negative.
#26
Turned down a job offer due to not being ready to work 70-80 hours a week in a country where its indeed illegal to work that long, also unpaid overtime...
#27
"I don't have time to train you " so why did you offer me the job ?
#28
Chemist with 6 years of experience at the time. Got turned down for a job because "you seemed overconfident in your abilties"... This was a place that was doing the exact same stuff I have been doing. They even had the models of instruments I use every day. I brought them through how to operate it to demonstrate my knowledge in the interview. How is knowing what you know "overconfident"?
Also, that is the first time someone has ever called me overconfident in my life and it sent me reeling for weeks. I suffer from a great lack of confidence.
#29
I have a very small nasal piercing with a small stud in it. Most people don't even notice it.
The interviewer (for a receptionist job at a car dealership) said if I got the job I would have to take it out. I said sure, I'll wear a clear spacer.
No, she says. I have to take it out and let it close up. No spacer.
This isn't exactly outrageous...except it was in Seattle. Seattle. Do you know how many people here have visible tattoos and non-earlobe piercings? Literally everyone. They turn you away at the county line if you don't have at least one piercing or tattoo. It's not considered unprofessional here.
In another city years before, I was interviewing for a temp agency job. The interviewer explained the agency was owned by two "traditional" older women and female employees were require to wear panty hose AT ALL TIMES. Even if you were wearing pants (which were discouraged) and close toed shoes. I mentioned wearing trouser socks with slacks and it was like I'd suggested coming to work naked. Absolutely not, full length, to-the-waist panty hose *at all times.*
Sge asked how I felt about this requirement and I said I'd do it if it was required because I needed the job. Apparently this was an inadequate quantity of panty hose enthusiasm, because I didn't get the job. Boo hoo.
#30
I was turned down for someone who came to the interview in a dirty shirt because I was 'too intelligent' and would 'leave within six months for a better opportunity.' The guy they hired quit on day two. They called me back and pretended like I was their first choice. This was around the beginning of COVID, and I needed a job, so I took it. I worked there for two years and was always gassed up about being promoted and such, but nothing ever happened. The first job I applied to was a work from home job with a 40% increase in pay. I was interviewing for an office job promotion, and they were telling me that they needed to interview more people. I gave them an ultimatum: Give me the job at the same pay that I'm being offered and make it work from home, or I am leaving. They declined. I told them I would have to resign. They asked me to stay on for two weeks to help them out. I didn't show up the next day. They ended up giving the job to my supervisor at the time, and he gets to work from home full time. I should have left after six months.
#31
I didn’t get a job teaching Computers 101 for a nonprofit because I couldn’t produce references for a job that I left several years before that had gone out of business.
Jeremy James 1 year ago
Almost every place I've worked has gone out of business a few months after I left. I'm sure it's a coincidence, but do you really want to take that chance?
#32
I tried to get a job at a local lawn mower/small engine repair business working their front desk. Owner questioned if “I know computers well.” I said I do, I asked what software they used primarily. He said he just wanted to make sure I could “move around on the computer, and open programs in their computer version.” I replied I think I can manage that. He asked” what programs do you know,” to which I said well the standard things like word, excel, PowerPoint, email, etc, but I might just need a quick once around whatever sales program they might have.
He said “well we use windows 95, so I don’t think this is going to work out.”
#33
Several years ago- they were eliminating part rime positions at the drug rehab facility I worked for or so we were told . They had limited spots and despite it being internal only they wanted to interview everyone. The job would come with benefits and a shared office, things we didn't have as part time employees.
I was passed over because I privately told another employee that I had to to get this position for financial reasons and she snitched on me. I still don't get how that was a bad thing. They even brought it up in the interview so I know she snitched.
Turns out the part time jobs weren't at risk. After, my boss was like I can give you 39 hours a week! It'd like working full time. I was like yeah just with no benefits I'll stick to my 32 hours like normal. What clowns. I left pretty quick for an actual fill time job and finally got full health insurance.
René Sauer 1 year ago
It´s appalling that health care and unemployment benefits can be tied your place of work. Like, if a employee leaves the company for whatever reason, be it on his own or from being fired, the now former employer should have exactly ZERO power over if he gets unemployment benefits or not.
#34
I had to fill out one of those b******t personality assessments and was told I couldn’t be trusted because I said I’d talk to someone privately before reporting them for drugs. This was for like a Dress Barn or something.
liam newton-harding 1 year ago
I was bored, at IKEA, and applied for a job using one of there interactive computer stands. The computer told me I was, “psychologically unfit” for any position at IKEA. Called my wife over, and we both laughed. On subsequent trips would always apply…always got, “psychologically unfit” :)
#35
Like a month-long interview process, 3 candidates for 2 open positions, finally heard back, "We're going with (name) down the hall, so she can really hit the ground running"
Always ask if there's an internal candidate being considered for the job.
Blaze Fitzwater 1 year ago
I'm employed but a few months ago I interviewed for a 100% remote job, dream benefits package and a substantial raise. After completing the required presentation, I made it to the third round. A few days later the recruiter called and said, "We've decided to go with someone internal but the hiring manager loved you." 🙄
#36
Walked into an interview, completely, if not overprepared for some sort of charity. We were to design a brochure as part of it. Me being me thought that was a bit silly and thought a bookmark (this was a long time ago) was a much better idea that would reach more people. Who really reads a brochure? They loved it! They loved me! It would have been a really interesting job. They phoned me to tell me that they were hiring a friend they knew but loved the bookmark idea and could they keep it!? Christ. Baffoonery.
#37
I got turned down at a well known tractor company because the job description said "Associates of Sciences or similar degree is required" and I have Associates of Sciences but in the interview I was turned down because I didn't have a bachelors degree. I'm like, "so the job description should say Bachelors degree required then? lol". The guy sounded like he wished he could have hired me because I had experience and passed all the tests they gave but his bosses would not let him hire someone without at least a 4 year degree.
I'm sure whenever I get my degree and if I apply again, it will change to Masters. Maybe PhD just to turn a few wrenches lol
Dread Pirate Roberts 1 year ago
Sadly, bachelors degree has become the new high school diploma.
#38
I was once not hired because I did not have a masters degree. I didn't ever get a masters degree but applied years later and got the job pretty much on the spot. Same title and position. Same pay.
Alyssa Phillips 1 year ago
Some jobs factor in experience... at my old one, 2 years equaled an associate's, 4 a bachelor's, 7 a master's, etc.
#39
Turned down... "failed the psychological assessment" I did get a job once where when i asked about if i would be considered for the job the incumbent in the positon told me I wasn't aggressive enough to get the job and my boss at the time told me I was too aggressive to get it. I got it.
#40
I recently interviewed for a job that wanted me to stay for like five years. They said that they wanted someone to stick around way more than one year, "preferably five years or so because even after a year, we lose money training someone new."
I decided to make a joke of it and said, "unless my husband and I get divorced, I'm not going anywhere" because they knew we had moved to the state for his job.
I guess to them that translated to "my husband and I are having marriage issues, and I hate this town too much to stay here for any reason other than him." Only the latter half of that statement is true.
I think expecting someone to be all excited to stay in the same position for five years without even knowing anything about how the managers or company runs things is pretty ridiculous.
What do you think ?
Alexandra 1 year ago
And that is why employers now whine that "no one wants to work anymore". People still want to work, but not unpaid long hours and while being treated like a necessary evil. I'm from the boomer generation myself, but all this vilifying of the Gen-Z and millenial generation is just an older generation being in denial.
ChickyChicky 1 year ago
The funny thing is the generations before vilified the boomers for not wanting to work anymore.
Load More Replies...
Temporary Dork 1 year ago
I remember interviewing for a web editing position in the late nineties and being turned down by two women who didn't know HTML from FTP and claimed my nuanced answers (I had several years of experience by that time) didn't show enough enthusiasm for "the internet" %-)
Alexandra 1 year ago
And that is why employers now whine that "no one wants to work anymore". People still want to work, but not unpaid long hours and while being treated like a necessary evil. I'm from the boomer generation myself, but all this vilifying of the Gen-Z and millenial generation is just an older generation being in denial.
ChickyChicky 1 year ago
The funny thing is the generations before vilified the boomers for not wanting to work anymore.
Load More Replies... Temporary Dork 1 year ago
I remember interviewing for a web editing position in the late nineties and being turned down by two women who didn't know HTML from FTP and claimed my nuanced answers (I had several years of experience by that time) didn't show enough enthusiasm for "the internet" %-)
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