Applicant has a sassy response after HR acts sly and plays 'reaction' game to assess their worth

The job market is getting more challenging for applicants. However, that shouldn’t give companies the leverage and make them toxic. u/Xodarkcloud shared a post on Reddit explaining how they came across an interview that tested their nerves. The applicant mentioned that the HR was just “playing games” after understanding the potential of the job and having a conversation. Although the HR tried to outsmart the applicant, they wouldn’t budge and had a straightforward reaction and response. The post mentioned that the candidate had been working with a major bank in the past and left during the pandemic for various reasons. 

The post further explained that the person applied for an admin back office job and landed an interview. “We were going over my resume and whatever I had written wasn't right, ‘Oh you went to this university, we prefer our employees to be from this other university’, ‘You have 5 years experience, we are looking for someone with 10 years’ sort of situation. At one point the HR recruiter said, ‘You have this certification and license but we would rather you have a CFA.’” the post read. On enquiring about the reason for the said certification, HR wasn’t able to provide a justifiable answer. “They just said the manager for this job likes seeing CFA,” the applicant explained. Exercising professionalism, the candidate went on with the interview and began discussing salary. 

“We discussed salary and I provided a range and they said my range was too high and they were looking for about 70-80% of my range, I replied that the salary range I provided was the same as Indeed. The HR interviewer replied it was to attract talent but the real range was lower,” the post read. The applicant immediately understood the tricks being played and mentioned that they’d be cutting the interview short. On enquiring, they informed HR that they weren’t on the same page in any aspect. "You're looking for someone with a CFA with 10 years experience that you're looking to pay 70% of my salary range,” the applicant explained to the interviewer.

However, the interviewer had more to add. They tried convincing the candidate that there would be salary increases and negotiations but the applicant had enough by then. “I told him I had the impression they were playing games. I wished them the best of luck finding this ideal candidate, wished them a good day and hung up the team's interview,” the post read. The candidate also shared a reminder saying, “I am a professional, you want to have a professional work for you and you want a professional conversation about tasks and responsibilities. Don’t waste my time trying to judge reactions and trying to cut me down.” 

People were on board with the candidate and called out the company’s lack of professionalism. A user said, “That’s sleazy car dealership tactics. Why work for someone when their first interaction with you is to lie to trick you into doing something? Not worthy of your time.” u/Frustatable_Zero remarked,  “You know it wouldn’t fly if the roles were reversed. ‘Me saying I had enough experience to attract offers of employment, while the real experience is lower.’”