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Job hunting today can be pretty ridiculous, and many job seekers will attest to that. Even compared to last year, Americans need to send out more applications to find a job. In 2023, the average number of applications job seekers had to send in the U.S. was 254. In 2024, it's now 294 applications on average.
Unreasonable screening requirements, recruiters who "ghost" applicants, and laughable salary offers: looking for a job today is really like going through Dante's nine circles of hell. And the Recruiting Hell subreddit documents them all. So, for your exasperation, here are the most bonkers situations its members had to deal with.
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#1
No Idea If This Will Work, But Hey - Worth The Try
#2
"This Is Your Only Means Of Interview" - So I Simply Refused
#3
"Minority Drawers" Should Be A Crime
The unemployment rate in October was 4.1%, but that doesn't mean that those who are looking for jobs have it easy. In fact, the worrying trend of "ghost jobs" still persists after a year since major publications first started reporting about it. According to The Guardian, 40% of job listings aren't actually real.
In a previous interview for Bored Panda, leadership coach Robyn L Garrett explained that some companies "test the waters" with their job listings. "They aren't obligated to hire (or even interview) any applicants," she said. "They might just be collecting information about things like salary requirements or job titles."
#4
I Am So Sick Of These Ridiculous Screening Questions
Tucker Cahooter 1 day ago
Correct answers (so far as the employers are concerned) are "Fox News", "the Democrats", "a desk I can sleep under overnight", "being able to work for minimum wage". Submissions lacking those phrases are automatically rejected
#5
I Would Watch That
#6
Goddamn This Felt Good
The saddest part is that it can be very hard to determine which job ads are real and which are not. "You're never going to know for sure," Garrett told us last year. "If you find yourself in an 'interview' that seems predatory or misleading, don't feel obligated to stay. You can politely say, 'I don't think this is the right fit' at any time."
Garrrett also pointed out that sending out as much resumes as you can is part of the process. "Job searching is a numbers game. You never know where the business is in the hiring process, so you have to cast a wide net. Sometimes your resume just needs to be in the right place at the right time, so keep applying," she encouraged.
#7
Reminder: You Are Good Enough
Mad McQueen 1 day ago
I applied to an add for a blast technician with training. Went back and forth w emails as the owner emailed saying they weren't looking for a secretary. I'm a woman. I explained it said trainee in the ad. I went in explained my knowledge. The owner asked if I thought I was on jeopardy. Sorry I read up on the type of work it was and products used. Was given a tour of the warehouse and then asked to lift a 50lb bag of media. Basically heavy grit sand. I did. Put it on my shoulder and asked what else? After a month the called me to come work. But apparently never asked any men to lift the bags or give them the grief. All ex-cons working via a 50/50 paid program from the state. But I got paid by the company. Horrible insurance too. But I wound up running my dept with basically only me on 5 machines through out the day. But my eye and hand skill made me quick. I quit when an injury wasn't taken seriously. Don't judge people. Some of us like working dirty hands on jobs.
#8
I Had To Take A Walk After This
Tucker Cahooter 1 day ago
Out of curiosity I googled "Sun Asian Kitchen" and the website it linked to popped up a message saying "Due to the shortage of staff ..." so maybe their rudeness ticked off too many potential applicants
#9
A Linkedin Laugh
Recruiting hell starts from the very beginning of the process: spotting ridiculous ads listing unrealistic requirements. Job seekers often think to themselves: how do recruiters keep getting away with asking for 4+ years of experience for an entry-level position and inquiring about unemployment gaps for when the applicant was 14 or 15 years old? The reasons might be that either the managers are out of touch with reality or they believe in an old-fashioned work ethic.
#10
At 58, A Recruiter Says ‘Too Old To Code’—heartbreaking 😭
Tabitha 1 day ago (edited)
I lost a job to the pandemic, at age 59, and applied to countless jobs with no luck. I realized my age was the reason, because ageism is rampant, even though I look and act much younger than I am. Hell, I got along great with classmates who were thirty years younger than me when I went back to college at 51. I even considered lying about my age with a “typo” on my application. Luckily, since I had gone back to college as an adult (bachelors and masters), I could’ve gotten away with it, at least until the face to face interview, based on my graduation years. Of course, if they asked my high school graduation year, for some reason, my cover would be blown. Then my husband and I started a business, and I no longer had a need to lie. Our business has turned out to be very successful and profitable—-very much into the black after the first year—-meaning any company that hired me would’ve gotten a diligent worker who would contribute to their profitability, so it’s their stupid and ageist loss, and my gain. However, having worked for a******s and been humiliated in interviews ourselves in the past, my husband and I run our company fairly, equitably, and ethically. We pay a generous wage, offer good benefits, give good bonuses at the end of the year, don’t overwork our employees, are very approachable, do not fly off the handle, and do our best to be good bosses whose company people want to work for, and help become more successful, until they retire. Why that way of doing business—-which is absolutely not hard or unprofitable to do—-isn’t taught in business schools everywhere, I don’t know.
#11
Interviewer Cancelled An Hour Before The Meeting. I Know My Worth
Janissary35680 2 days ago
Change the last sentence to "I am withdrawing my application." Nothing "unfortunate" about this at all. Quite the contrary.
#12
The Only Acceptable Application. 2 Seconds If You're Slow
"Some employers are completely out of touch with reality," Robyn L Garrett told Bored Panda in another interview. "They can't understand why people won't be breaking down doors to work their low-paying, do-everything job. To them, whatever meager salary they're offering is a lot. They're not researching enough to realize that it's not."
#13
The Companies vs. Me
#14
I See Why Recruiters Ask Stupid Questions Now. I Apologize
veryvenasaur 1 day ago (edited)
That actually kind of makes sense. I worked retail for a bit and I had to answer some dumb questions. My favorite was "Where is the vegan goat cheese?" It was not unreasonable I showed them except then they said, "No the one that comes from goats." Me: ????? "That's not vegan?" them: "Where is the cheese that comes from vegan goats?" I did not have a response to that one. EDIT: if anyone has a good response please tell me.
#15
Well!
Back in April, manager trainer Ashley Herd, the founder of Manager Method, told us something similar. She explained that many recruiters don't know how expensive life has gotten. "And those that do think that means they can take advantage of people who need income," she added.
#16
I Cant Do This Anymore
Did I say that out loud? (he/him)cis/het 2 days ago
This should read. "We went through the motions for legal compliance reasons, and you were never going to get the job. Sorry, not sorry for wasting your time. "
#17
Naming And Shaming Done Right
Tobias Reaper 2 days ago
I applied for a job in an office and i went along for a trial day so i could see how they worked i was supposed to be replacing someone who was leaving. While i was there they convinced the person who was leaving to stay. The next day i got a call from the agency and they informed me that they liked me but didnt have a job for me. Wasted an entire day spent money i didnt have on bus fare to go half way across the city where i live to an area i didnt know only to be told that.
#18
Gap In My Employment History, In 2017 I Was Fourteen
Another reason for making absurd requirements for potential hires is that some companies and managers still have an old-fashioned attitude towards younger people in the workforce. "Many employers believe 'paying your dues' is necessary," Ashley Herd said. "Including doing long, hard work for minimal pay."
#19
Just Going To Leave This Here
#20
The State Of The 2024 Job Market
#21
I'm Flipping The Script On Employers
Schmebulock 1 day ago
Don't think I would like to work at an office where everyone is eating chili and drinking Pibb all the time. Sounds like it would smell of farts as soon as you walk ing the door.
Making sure you know as much about the company as possible can help you avoid getting into such situations as listed here from r/RecruitingHell. LinkedIn, for example, can be a hellscape of job advertisement scams. "Anyone can set up a company and job posting on LinkedIn," Garrett told us back then. She recommends doing some research online. "If they have very few employees or you can't find a proper corporate website, be wary."
#22
Um…no?!?
#23
Recruiter: No One Wants To Work!!!
Christos Arvanitis 1 day ago
I've hear this a lot and what it really means is "No one wants to work for the crappy pay and conditions that I'm offering"
Although, as we've discussed earlier, casting a wide net is beneficial, sorting out through "the weeds" may be a better option. A thorough job search involves many hours looking through job ads. "'Green flag' signs of employers include putting pay ranges even where not legally required, giving an overview of the interview process and what you can expect in a role," Herd explained to us back in April.
#25
After 6 Months Of Unemployment And Hundreds Of Rejections, This Is How I Started Seeing Other People. I'm Not Ok
*raspberry sound 1 day ago
I've been there, when I was homeless, I started to get really bitter and saw everyone as "having a home"
#26
Got Hired To The Local Taco Bell, Did All The On-Boarding Paperwork Then Got This Message From Them A Few Days Later
#27
Girl- What?
Christos Arvanitis 1 day ago
I was in my fifties interviewing for a sales position. Years of experience in sales.The twenty something HR screener asked me in person what my favorite animal was. Really? You can ask that with a straight face? They are usually looking for something like a tiger or a bear or a shark or something. I answered it truthfully as I do have a favorite animal. It's the magnificent platypus. Incredibly capable little survivor, a little bit of this, a little bit of that, hard to pigeon-hole and if you really p**s one off, it will sting you. The HR person looked stunned and had no idea how to react. Also, I didn't get the job but I did get to educate somebody on the virtues of the platypus :-D
Herd also suggested a different approach to job searching. Instead of the good ol' sorting through advertisements, try reaching out to friends. Either directly, or via social media. Posting something along the lines "If you like your job or boss, where do you work and what do you like about it?" may bring in some surprising answers. It even "may lead to referrals for open positions," Herd said.
#28
Sick Of People Who Think Like This. Do You Live Under A Rock?
Tabitha 1 day ago (edited)
Have fun trying to get in the door without an appointment, unless you enjoy being escorted out by security. Times change, people. I’m old enough to remember driving from place to place to ask for an application to fill out while I’m there, or to drop off my resume—-hell, I remember using the yellow pages to call places to see if they’re hiring (and sometimes I called right before they were going to put the want ad in the paper), and that was only around 2004 or 2005—-but those times are long gone. Everything’s remote now, until they actually decide they want to see you in person.
#29
Your Linkedin Job Application - The Real Numbers
Remi (He/Him) 1 day ago
Finnish unemployment services require you to apply to a certain number of places every month or they'll punish you by taking away some of your benefits. This means people are applying even to jobs they're not qualified to
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What do you think ?
Justin Tyme 1 day ago
I was at a job interview where the interviewer asked me "If you could be any kind of cow, would you be a chocolate cow, a vanilla cow, or a strawberry cow?" I simply responded, "I'm not going to play this" and left.
Howl's sleeping castle 1 day ago
My last company made me go through 4 rounds of interview. When they called me for the fifth one, I refused. Told them I can't keep doing it. Either they hire me or reject me. They promised it's the last round with the client and I got hired after that interview
Khall Khall 14 hours ago
Gonna downvote every article from now on until they stop cutting it off with this BP premium nonsense.
UpupaEpops 1 day ago
Oh, I have one of these. I've been offered an 8-month assignment in Australia for 600 USD/ per month. In return, I will be paying my flight, visa, insurance and all personal costs including travelling between sites and have to be available at all times. Believe it or not, this was a legit “opportunity” with a well-known employer in my country who has his head so far up in his own a*s, that an oral surgeon would be needed to dislodge it for him. I humoured the interview just out of curiosity to see how unhinged they will be getting. I didn't get the offer because I showed lack of commitment when I said I would be using my legally mandated days off (European employer) for networking. Apparently, I was expected to volunteer my days off for unpaid work.
Justin Tyme 1 day ago
I was at a job interview where the interviewer asked me "If you could be any kind of cow, would you be a chocolate cow, a vanilla cow, or a strawberry cow?" I simply responded, "I'm not going to play this" and left.
Howl's sleeping castle 1 day ago
My last company made me go through 4 rounds of interview. When they called me for the fifth one, I refused. Told them I can't keep doing it. Either they hire me or reject me. They promised it's the last round with the client and I got hired after that interview
Khall Khall 14 hours ago
Gonna downvote every article from now on until they stop cutting it off with this BP premium nonsense.
UpupaEpops 1 day ago
Oh, I have one of these. I've been offered an 8-month assignment in Australia for 600 USD/ per month. In return, I will be paying my flight, visa, insurance and all personal costs including travelling between sites and have to be available at all times. Believe it or not, this was a legit “opportunity” with a well-known employer in my country who has his head so far up in his own a*s, that an oral surgeon would be needed to dislodge it for him. I humoured the interview just out of curiosity to see how unhinged they will be getting. I didn't get the offer because I showed lack of commitment when I said I would be using my legally mandated days off (European employer) for networking. Apparently, I was expected to volunteer my days off for unpaid work.
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