Recruiter makes job applicant play mobile games in a 45-minute assessment only to reject him for low 'cognitive intelligence'
The assignment wasn't designed to test personality; rather, it was a dehumanizing game-based screening that ignored real-world experience
Hiring a candidate is by no means a one-sided interaction. It is always a two-sided relationship, in which both the recruiter and the candidate should respect each other. A 35-year-old senior engineer (u/weyland_v8), however, recently encountered a bizarre situation where, instead of a professional interview, they were asked to complete a "mandatory behavioral assessment." Surprisingly, the assignment wasn't designed to test personality; rather, it was a dehumanizing game-based screening that ignored real-world experience. Their post, shared on July 10, 2026, has received 6,900 views on Reddit.
I am a 35-year-old Senior Engineer and I just lost a job because I didn't pop enough digital balloons.
by u/Weyland_V8 in jobsearchhacks
Hiring gone weird
The candidate had been looking for a new role for the past two months. When they finally discovered a company that seemed “cool,” they immediately sent their resume. The company responded via a cartoon-avatar email along with a "mandatory behavioral assessment," supposedly to test their emotional intelligence. The assignment, however, was unusually bizarre, given that the candidate with 15 years of experience was applying to work on the company’s cloud infrastructure.
Instead of some psychology-based questionnaire or reasoning riddles, the outlandish assessment consisted of a series of mobile games that the candidate was supposed to play. They spent a thumping 45 minutes clicking balloons to see how soon they popped, tapping emoji faces, and memorizing sequences of flashing lights. When the candidate submitted the assignment, the company responded with a rejection note saying that their “cognitive profile” didn’t align well with the vacant position. The candidate felt slandered and insulted, being treated like a toddler after so many years of experience.
Hiring or hoax?
According to a survey cited by The Guardian, 40% of companies post fake job listings with no intention to hire. In fact, 85% of the companies also reported taking fake interviews. No one knows why companies do this, but one reason is probably one of the reasons. Even in jobs that might not be fake, 60% of the job candidates never hear back from the employer, which makes them think that they’ve been punked for their precious time, per the Human Capital Institute.
Plus, 60% of the job seekers reported quitting in the middle of the hiring process because the application process was too complex, irrelevant, or tedious, just like this candidate who was asked to perform an entirely unrelated task: play games.
'Dodged a bullet'
The candidate’s experience struck a chord of disbelief with most Reddit readers, who advised them to shrug it off, move on, and find a new job. u/True_Manufacturer909 commented, “Help your fellow job searchers and put this experience on their Glassdoor site. I did this same thing for a software QA assessment where it felt like they gave me brain teasers for 80-year-olds.” u/Icy_desk_5031 said, “I laughed until I cried reading this because it’s the most absurd assessment I’ve ever heard.”
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