Job search is not an easy task in general especially when you’re straight out of college, as employers expect years of experience or else they send you straight down the road of internships. And finding the most suitable job may as well be a form of art. But who the hell is it out there looking for potential employees and trying out how far the limits be pushed? It’s mind blowing how some companies have outrageous expectations from the future hires while setting up some ridiculous conditions. And really, these ads are out there to remind us that if everything fails at least your sense of humour will still be there out when it will come to facing the most horrendous employers. For its 139k subscribers this Reddit thread, Recruiting Hell, brings the hottest job offers out there - now, whether you’re ready to take up those jobs or not is your choice.
Bored Panda picked a few best worst recruitment fails out there from the popular Reddit community. These 28 emails, ads and job applications show that the hiring process will strip you off your dignity, pay you in experience and make fun of you. Recruiters are there to give you life advice and tell you in general what to do and not, even when it comes to using the bathroom. They’re there to question your experience, sanity and make you doubt their common sense. And although there are lots of profesional people in the industry, but this time brace yourselves for not the kindest ones. This is a list that anyone who has ever looked for a job or offered one can relate to, so you can share with us your recruitment hell stories below!
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When Employer Was Not Supposed To Attach A Message
Oh no. You should NEVER call people anything in a work e-mail and never put anything disrespectful in writing.
I'd have replied "Thank you, I appreciate you giving me a heads-up!" with the full thread . And let him figure out that you knew. Idk maybe you are a nerd but he's definitely an ASS!
Take it as a compliment! Nerds might not run the world, but they make the world run.
Load More Replies...HEY! Being a nerd is something that I am very proud of and you should be too.
Well, time to get a different application for a different job, on the other side of town...
Your Science Degree Will Be Perfect To Work At Our Restaurant
What's Moe been grilling exactly that this is who they're looking for? o.O
Looking For 'Cold And Robotic' Person
Maybe I should apply as their grammar with "would of" should be "would have"
Load More Replies..."You pick up on little details others would of missed." Is this deliberate? Because I definitely picked up on that little detail. It should be would've.
Are you a robot? You are a robot, aren't you? C'mon, admit you're a robot. Wot me pushy?
Load More Replies...I'm wondering if the typo/grammatical error in the fourth bullet point was intentional -- people who didn't catch it wouldn't be welcome. I'm also wondering if the fifth bullet point is a shout out to some people on the (autism) spectrum, suggesting that this might be a job where they could shine.
I'm in the spectrum (Asperger's) and TBH I really wish there were more jobs like this one.
Load More Replies...This actually sounds good, especially the part about "being by yourself with little communication over the day". Spent last three years in unbelievably toxic and overall hellish open-plan office and NEVER AGAIN. So place by computer where I would be just by myself sounds like a heaven to me. I would not even mind to have an artificial intelligence as boss, that is something new! (the position really sounds like robot wrote it)
I agree. It sounds like an ideal work description for me, I would really enjoy to have such job.
Load More Replies...No Jeffreys Allowed
Just a guess: when you are making a search engine, as for a database, there needs to be a code word which the computer will know means 'zero' or 'nothing there'. It is usually 'null', but some companies have a person with the surname Null, so it has been changed in this case to jeffrey
That is just not a thing. Unless your database is designed by a clown consulting with a ferret, which is certainly entertaining and innovative, but not a good idea. Any case, the kind of company that will lose your records and fail to pay you.
Load More Replies...What in God's earth does that mean. The only people that I would not hire are racist idiets.
IF I WANTED THE JOB I'd write back "I'm happy to go by 'Susan' if you can deal with that".
This is clearly a bullshit reason. No database written by a sane person would prohibit adding record "Jeffrey"
Load More Replies...When Our Company Doesn't Believe In Experience, But Actually, You Should Have It
Probably a creative team submitted text to an HR team and the HR team didn't pay attention and simply slapped their HRy terms underneath the creative department's text. That or they truly are full of it
Load More Replies...Maybe the usual experience requirement is much higher at such position. I often see position descriptions where there is 10 and more years requirement.
isn't that experience already? Do these people really think that they mean like 17 years of experience or something. I could literally say that I have experience on drawing car models for buissnesses because I have had 11 months of experience.
My son had the same trouble. Graduated last year with an industrial engineering degree. He said there were no jobs out there. Being that I would eventually like him out of our house (but hopefully living close enough to come over for dinner a few times a week...) I checked employment sites with him. Holy crap. EVERY job asked for experience "7 years of plastic manufacturing" or a bunch of specific certifications to a particular job. The few that didn't need experience said that over 150 people had applied... Thankfully, he got a job in Civil engineering, but still not in his major. Hey, at least he's employed in a troubling time when many are not.
"We...values the individual's potential"? We don't write so good.
Perhaps they were meaning only 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 didn't need the experience, but you have to have it :3
My favorite are the listings that say no experience necessary but requires a minimum of a 2-year degree. No specific degree field. You just have to have one. Why do I need a college degree to drive an ice cream truck? True story.
2 years are like you have only basic knowledge. I don't know how this is a failure? Do you expect to apply for a developer and still don't know how to code?
We Cannot Provide You With Feedback, But We Would Be Keen To Hear Your Feedback
"Bunch of clowns" is the most constructive feedback they should expect.
My Feedback: Why should I give you feedback if your feedback will never come because you said you couldn't give individual feedback...oh shoot, this is feedback. Please respond with some feedback if you have read my feedback. Thank you! (sorry for such a long feedback)
A big company named after a rainforest did this crap. Makes you sit through 8 hours of interviews and won’t give you any feedback. Then requests feedback on their process.
You Should Be Loyal Just To One Job Opportunity
It's really nice of him to put all the giant red flags out in the open for everyone to see.
It's always good when a company state their culture policy during the recruitment process.
This whole message is unprofessional, who would want to work for him? 🤢
Why censor this when it's something he proudly published to get attention? Give him the attention he deserves, not the one he wanted.
This guy is just screaming "TREAT MY LIKE I AM MORE SPECIAL THAN ANYONE ELSE!!!!!"
We Found Our Match And It's You With Your...
I'm guessing this is an automatic reply based on information given to an obvious bot.
How did you get your PhD in bullshit? How much do you know about sacred geometry?
You misunderstand. She's got her PhD in bullshit. The thesis was "The effect of bovine defecation and flatulence on CO2/CO-exchange-rates in rural areas in contrast to CO2/CO-exchange-rates in urban cities without bovine livestock". You know. Bullshit.
Load More Replies...I'm sure the second-biggest cloud-based CRM implementator in Mauritius is worried now! [Although, it's a tiny island in the Indian Ocean, there's always another cloud there.]
Sara and I graduated together. She's an artist at bullshit and other stuff.
Ph.D in bullsh*t is what they are looking for? well, I happen to be a master at talking bullsh*t!
So it looks like autocorrect mishaps happen in LinkedIn, too.
I thought maybe the person who was writing the email used 'bullshit' as a stand-in word, while writing a first draft of his letter, because he couldn't remember what her PhD was actually in. And that he meant to look it up later, and correct it before he sent out the final copy, but he accidentally forgot. It's another possible explaination, anyway. 🤷
Load More Replies...Good Looks Are A Requirement
A friend of mine failed her interview to become a flight attendant because she had pimples. The pimples weren't even bad, just a couple of bumps on her face.
They wrote it, but it does not mean others don't do it. As a very unattractive person, I know discrimination based on looks is universal and nobody stands against it because everybody hates ugly people.
Person #1: Other reason to hire, good looking. Person #2: Oh then hes hired.
But My Name Is Matt...
As a former technical writer I saw many instances where people overlook errors in the big things (like article titles), presumably because they assume the big things must be correct.
Load More Replies...Proof that the employees are just replaceable, faceless, interchangeable, cogs in a machine.
The way this is going when they finally get the name right it’s probably going to be a different Matt
Yeah, not great standards there, mate. I would politely cancel the interview
When The Company Makes You Post Good Reviews
12 hour shifts with no breaks but only a 30 minute lunch is illegal. You’re actually entitled to two 30-minute breaks if your shift is that long, iirc.
AMAZON. Never an employee -purely speculation - not confirmed.. Don't take my word for it...
In regards to reviews- Learn to spot the fake ones but also weed out the ones that were made by disgruntled and poorly educated people.
I think the first review was posted by the HR director, under huge pressure to keep the fresh meat coming due to hugd turnover!
When You Withdrew Your Job Application But HR Wants To Make Sure It Rejected You
But was out of the office for a week, and hadn’t read your email yet, before deciding to tell you. But I thought of doing it first.
Load More Replies...I once got 7 rejection letters from the same hospital. They really did need me. I wrote to the head of the department and mentioned the number of rejections letters I had received (all the same letter) and informed him that he really needed to hire me to organize his department. Never heard back, but I really enjoyed composing and sending the letter. They didn't need a degreed person for an admin position, they needed someone with a brain
Thank them for showing you their level of maturity so you can feel good that you didn't take that job! #GRATITUDE
The best I've got, was sorry we didn't pick you. The joke, I read it in nightsift of said job I had been doing for a few weeks.
When The Boss Is Rude, But Perhaps You Are Still Interested In The Job
In other words, "I was even ruder to the other candidates so you're the only one who hasn't explicitly vowed never to work here".
"I'm told my impatience comes off as rude". Translate: I am a rude person but due to a lack of personal responsibility and lack of respect for you, I am going pretend I am just impatient because that is easier to forgive and I can use it against you in the future i.e. "...but you KNOW I am impatient, you should have been faster"
Personally I appreciate his/her frankness, not many managers would admit their faults or mistakes so quickly. I also appreciate the level of communication internally, that himself/ herself and Lisa had a conversation about how he/she came across due to their behaviour. This is indicative of a healthy working relationship/ environment. Also, we don't have the whole story, maybe they were triggered.
Nothing is wrong with someone apologizing and acknowledging their shortcomings. He/She is willing to extend an olive branch and invite them to make the decision on whether they’re comfortable with pursuing a job. I think this person is very decent to do this.
Translated: Sorry I was a d**k to you. Lisa tore me a new one and said I had better apologize and offer you the job as the other candidates heard us and walked out. Other applicants have boycotted us and Lisa is threatening to quit. Please come work for us
Sometimes gotta know when you've been an a**hole. Most ppl can't do this. Simple apology goes a long way.
When You Put In Your Time And Get 100%, But You Still Get Rejected
Wants someone who gets a perfect score... Makes a mistake in the first sentence
For a candidate who impressed during the recruitment, at least take the time to give them a call. It only takes a minute and it's much more appropriate.
I had something less impressive happen to me on a job opportunity. Went in for a job interview and talked about what I'd be doing and how I would handle things and signed papers. Looked over a bunch of stuff and as I stand to leave, she thanks me and says.. "The position is currently filled but we will give you a call if it opens up. You know how jobs are". So I wasted my time with calls. Rescheduled an interview because the power was out when I showed up the first time and it was canceled on site. Came back and was told the position wasn't even able to begin with...
Ah man, I applied to a store once, had to take a test that involved a lot of math and reading comprehension (for a CASHIER POSITION). I scored higher than the other candidate they were considering, but they went with him and not me.
When You Must Have A Job In Order To Apply
... I pity the poor soul who takes up the offer...
Load More Replies...So they're hiring on the spot BUT still ok with waiting weeks for you to start so you can put notice in to the job you NEED to have before they'll consider you?!
Poor communication skills ! I can use this as an example to my team on how not to post a job opening 😋
DON'T USE CAPITALS look how annoying it looks! If they want people to be in jobs when applying (which won't get them better applications), their employees must be doing the same, looking for other jobs, because that's normal. And have they heard of notice periods? An unemployed person can start straight away usually. Just editing this to add that in my last job, my notice was contractually 4 weeks.
The Rejection Of Your Application Was An Error And Still Is
Sorry we rejected you by mistake. Now we do it properly. It's an advanced version of the sibling game, 'stop hitting yourself'
Sorry we rejected you on accident, now we'll reject you again but properly because we dont have time to actually care.
Sounds like someones lawyers informed them they are not allowed to discriminate by location.
Omg so sorry, that rejection wasn't made for you, it was a glitch in the system. Please accept our apologies. Now down to business.... now that we got THAT embarrassment out of the way. We are rejecting you. NOT because of the glitch, no. Just because we don't like you. Ok great, have a wonderful day.
So we told you that you were rejected due to location, which is probably something out of your control and therefore a decision relatively easy to accept. Now we’d like to tell you it wasn’t that at all, and was due to another factor which we won’t share, to allow you to beat yourself up about. Grim.
This sounds like an attempt to avoid discrimination charges/prosecution
Junior Senior Software Developer Wanted
Senior developer: "Candidates must have at least 2 previous lifetimes experience of..."
Senior developers must have a High School diploma, nothing else.
Load More Replies...No, but still roughly half the jobs I applied for after school looked much like this
Load More Replies...The best is still the one that required 10 years of java experience when java had only been out for 5 years.
I work at this company. It is the worst. The turnover rate is ridiculous.
But You're Applying For A Digital Marketing Role
I remember being asked a silly question like this at an interview once. It was "If you could be a box of cereal, which brand and why?". My answer was fruit loops because I would be one if I continued the interview. She was dumbfounded when I got up and left.
"Golden like a stream of warm bat p*ss..." --- Monty Python, Oscar Wilde + GB Shaw + James Joyce sketch.
I got a similar question at a job interview. "How would you describe a child to an alien?" I was flabbergasted and could not think of any logical answers. Jow do you describe a child to an alien? Well, most probably screaming and running and trying to find the first good hiding spot, eff it.
"A tiny version of me, running around and trying to kill itself and you have to prevent it."
Load More Replies...Ugh. I used to hate it when one of the managers I worked with came up with stuff like this in interviews, to "see more of their personality", thinking she could "sense" the right candidate straight away. No. She was not a psychologist. Just use the objective selection criteria we used for everyone else, thank you.
" I used to hate it when one of the managers I worked with came up with stuff like this in interviews, to "see more of their personality", thinking she could "sense" the right candidate straight away" It means they have been reading the latest self help book promoted on a website or Sunday magazine without actually understanding the nuances of it.
Load More Replies...These questions...the one I used to keep seeing was "if you were an animal, wat would you be and why?". Asked about that one at a job I had, apparently it's in a lot of interview books and the answer they want is a dog due to loyalty, hard work, and a willingness to work hard for little reward.
Ah, dammit... i'd have said a cat. But that would probably have been a baaad choice. "Feels superior but sleeps the hole day" 😁
Load More Replies...I was once asked "What animal would you be?" I said I want to be a lizard, because who wants to slave away in an office all day when instead you could laze out in the sun, eating the occasional bug. The lady gave a very unsure "OK" in reply and two days later, I got the job :D
For 15+ years my current employer has used the question "if you were a fruit or vegetable what would it be and why?". I even got asked it when I was interviewed for an internal vacancy.
If I were a fruit, I'd be a coconut. Two tough layers, some chewy white stuff and slightly flavoured liquid inside and the ability to float for years
Load More Replies...yellow is the color you feel on your arms on a warm sunny summer day
Well, to me, it is a train horn (I have synesthesia)
Load More Replies...I was applying for a high school science teaching position. I was asked in 15 minutes to write how I could solve Global Warming through my teaching. Holy sh*t.
Then hopefully you got up, left and took a job as a climatologist.
Load More Replies...When One Job Requires A Lot Of Your Time
i just want to point out the IQ requirement. it is pretty rare for someone to have an IQ of over 135. obviously the person who made this want everyone else to be smarter that him.
They would have to be almost as smart as Albert Einstein to qualify for this job.
Load More Replies...Anyone with an IQ over 150 would be smart enough not to work there.
I can score 150 on an IQ test! As long as it's one of those rubbish online ones which inflate everyone's results to be more popular. But I can do it!
If you want I could bring my whole life into this office, sir. My cat, my bed, my kitchen, my shower, and it's ok I do not need bathroom I will just extend my shower into your bathroom and shower there. Thanks for hiring me for your job!
The IQ _number_ is meaningless without knowing the *test* - that's why Mensa goes by what percentile a person scores in.
Hopefully anyone with 150+ IQ would be too smart to commit to 70 hrs per week for an employer.
Lorem Ipsum Lorem Ipsum Lorem Ipsum
It sounds like the HR person that wrote it was possesed by demon.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry...
When You Get Rejected After 3 Years Of Waiting
Definitely careful considerations! I'd have let it slide by mid-2020 but not them!
I had an employer call me after 6 months to offer me a job that was available the day I interviewed. Told them I have a job, I have bills to pay that I can't sit around waiting for them to call. SO basically they went through a bunch of people that weren't up to the task and then decided I really was worth it.
so they're keeping your data, but they don't want you to contact them?
I worked childcare admin jobs and because turn over is high, the job posts are the same. I always catch someone's errors like old pay, dates, past Director names on it, etc. The volume of job ads that werent updated was up there. Or is this saying it took 2.5 years to respond?
You Eat What?
If I only eat what I kill, then I should be allowed to bring a gun, paring knife, and fire starting kit into the office. In case I forget my lunch and BRENDA won’t shut up about her stupid kids again.
Just a joke, I’m not seriously suggesting anyone kill and eat a coworker.
Load More Replies...The key to successful sales is a qualified pipeline of opportunities, which we will not provide as we throw you to the wolves. You only eat what you kill.
Lemmeguess, the office has a pest problem and you're their part-solution? Are we speaking mice, rats, spiders? Bedbugs?
I worked at a place where a staff member had visited family abroad and brought home bedbugs, which she then brought to the office. NIGHTMARE!! The company brought in bedbug-sniffing dogs, which did not find any in the office, and they paid to have her home fumigated. Bedbugs are such a nightmare!
Load More Replies...Is anyone else strangely intrigued by this role? There would almost certainly be a story to tell after the interview,
Sounds like the company culture is very "cut-throat', which is the opposite of what's needed for a grinding job like cold-calling. They should motivating and supportive.
Looking For Females Under 30 Years
A red flag, waving, with a red light on the top flashing, with a message written on it saying don't apply,
Load More Replies...Wow am I glad I live in a civilized country with laws against shi t like that
If You Get Distracted, If You Need More Than Two Short Breaks, If You Call In Sick, This Job Is Not For You
Disagree here.The title claims "if you call in sick", what is written is "if you always call in sick around the weekend" --- pretty different. They mostly give you very good pointers how to ace the job interview (read people's intentions from their statements, that's half the test) / attitude you want. What's written here is far less than what most companies actually demand.
most of it wasn't that bad. like the polite thing, that was cool.
Who the hell wants to work at a company that spews negativity with every breath they take. There's not a single positive vibe in the whole ad. Run for the hills. And don't look back.
Exactly. I don't know how some people here found it agreeable.
Load More Replies..."Please don't apply for the job. Skip that offer" would have been a shorter way to express their distrust and contempt of humanity.
Can we add "looking for a team player" to that red flags thread that's trending right now? XD
When You're Totally Meeting All Of The Requirements
Your knees tremble when someone foists extra tasks on you. You swoon when asked to do unpaid overtime. You have a secret fetish for boring meetings.
Calm down Ruth, you might just get offered a job in HR with that attitude ;D
Load More Replies...They forgot you love to fake your enthusiasm for your job every single day and will only be allowed to use words like excited, thrill and desire in relation to your work.
Am I the only one troubled by them putting "excited" and "tackle" (+ "bed") in one sentence?
Wow how does "tackle" get through BP's over-excited profanity filter!?
Load More Replies...You love You wake up You are exited You are a self-starter You understand You get a thrill You are competitive You desire
The same thing, but much shorter : "Looking for the imaginary "winner" which personal development coaches describe in their scam books".
We Reject You, But Why Don't You Give Us A Follow?
This standard company ad sounds offensive in context. "Real people and real opportunities here. That's not you."
"And look how happy they all are now that they have a job and you don't"
Load More Replies...Paragraphs 2 and 3 are boikerplate, probably automatically added to the bottom of every email like a signature and company logo
Nope, won't hire you, but look at our job opportunities...that you probably already saw!
It's pretty insulting to tack on a "discover what it's like to work here" blurb after rejecting someone.
Now, we can be understand'n why Chipotle has cleanliness and other problems. It's top management.
We Are Looking Forward To When We Can Hire You, But Not Now
This note is worded badly but the message isn't unusual: i've heard it myself and said it, too, i.e. "this current role isn't for you, but I may soon have another that will suit you fine; stay tuned because if I can secure the necessary budget then you're the one I am calling first." And then when the time and role are right we make the call.
Excuse me, but since when is "gonna" acceptable written professional language?
I'm guessing "going to" died the same painful death as "whom" and "who" (replaced by "that"). English is my third language so I could be wrong.
Load More Replies...My best friend actually had the perfect offer 6 months after such an email. They just needed the ressources and a slot in another departmend.
Well, in the past, I have not gotten the position on the first interview but a while later, I was offered a better position. This has happened to Me more than once.
imagine seeing this in your notifications and thinking you got the job.
Dan McGaw is a known pedophile in Orlando, so this dude probably dodged a bullet on not working there.
When Your Schedule Is Pretty Tight
M-Th 8:45am to 4:45pm. Fri 8;45am to 3pm. Sounds ok. Did I miss something?
I'm pretty sure it's about the typo. "Shits" instead of "Shifts" But it took me a bit, too
Load More Replies...I once saw a job advert for a _cleaner_ at a local burger joint in Lahti (southern Finland, where I lived at the time). The advert stated that the person must have "excellent written and spoken Finnish AND English". I mean, it's an absolute must that you can be able to discuss the socioeconomic ramification of gully erosion on mountain pastures in Outer Mongolia with the customers as you de-clog the toilet...
I said this in a comment already, but the best one is still the company that required 10 years of java or something, when the program had only existed for 5 years. There was literally no possible way someone could meet the job requirements.
Why did @afoben's reply get voted down so hard? You can tell from the URL that it's relevant to Lexi's post, as it's about the exact same situation -- an IBM ad requiring 12 years of experience in Kubernetes when Kubernetes itself was only 6 years old.
Load More Replies...Friend got an invitation to interview with requirements: 25-30 y.o, office dress code: jacket and SKIRT, during interview first question on abilities: "do you know how to make a coffee? because our director rather likes when office girls serve him coffee" Position: Sales Manager ...we are still sometimes laughing from this gem :D
Ridiculous requirements, and not to mention the insane interviews! I have unfortunately witnessed discriminatory selection processes when even deciding who gets an interview. People were rejected due to age, having children, complicated foreign name, unstylish social media profile picture... (I objected if course!) And then in the interview itself you need to pretend to be so enthusiastic and have a five year plan for everything. Really we needed someone to copy paste numbers. That's it.
I once saw a job advert for a _cleaner_ at a local burger joint in Lahti (southern Finland, where I lived at the time). The advert stated that the person must have "excellent written and spoken Finnish AND English". I mean, it's an absolute must that you can be able to discuss the socioeconomic ramification of gully erosion on mountain pastures in Outer Mongolia with the customers as you de-clog the toilet...
I said this in a comment already, but the best one is still the company that required 10 years of java or something, when the program had only existed for 5 years. There was literally no possible way someone could meet the job requirements.
Why did @afoben's reply get voted down so hard? You can tell from the URL that it's relevant to Lexi's post, as it's about the exact same situation -- an IBM ad requiring 12 years of experience in Kubernetes when Kubernetes itself was only 6 years old.
Load More Replies...Friend got an invitation to interview with requirements: 25-30 y.o, office dress code: jacket and SKIRT, during interview first question on abilities: "do you know how to make a coffee? because our director rather likes when office girls serve him coffee" Position: Sales Manager ...we are still sometimes laughing from this gem :D
Ridiculous requirements, and not to mention the insane interviews! I have unfortunately witnessed discriminatory selection processes when even deciding who gets an interview. People were rejected due to age, having children, complicated foreign name, unstylish social media profile picture... (I objected if course!) And then in the interview itself you need to pretend to be so enthusiastic and have a five year plan for everything. Really we needed someone to copy paste numbers. That's it.
