Job seeker gets rejection email mid-interview with 'awkward' silences and angry recruiters

Getting a job is becoming more challenging, especially in today’s environment of cut-throat competition. Businesses want to spend the best of their resources on the right candidate, yet, at times, we see qualifications go unnoticed during the hiring process. Similarly, a competent aspirant’s caliber was disregarded by his potential employer, followed by high-pitched, mid-interview drama. The employee–who goes by u/DatJavaClass on Reddit–shared how he was rejected by the company during an ongoing interview with the top management. The incident has sparked mixed reactions on the internet, with the “hilarious” sequence of events unfolding later on.

The employee started his post by mentioning having been selected for a second Zoom interview with a panel that consisted of an SPM, a Senior Developer, and the Chief of Staff. He further elaborated, “The first [interview] had been half an hour, and the third was only going to be 15 minutes with the CTO.” “One hour and fifteen minutes in? The whole thing is going great. We’re laughing, the technical questions are behind us, and we even spun off into some interesting ‘what-ifs,’” the employee, about to make it to the third and final round of interviews, wrote. The potential employee conveyed that he was all set to make it to the final chat with the Chief Technical Officer (CTO).

As the second interview was winding down, the officials started discussing methodologies, various processes, and the company itself with the potential employee. In between, the Chief of Staff interrupted and brought up the third interview, saying, “Let’s get it scheduled before we forget.” The aspirant responded, “I’m available at the CTO’s convenience.” As the management was adjusting the dates, the man received an email stating his candidacy had been rejected.

He described it as “the ‘Dear John’ kind we’ve all gotten used to.” Meanwhile, the Chief of Staff, unaware of the shocker, turned to the aspirant and asked if Friday afternoon would work for him to appear for the final round. “All I can do is smile and reply, ‘Works great for me, but I’m not sure it’s going to work for the rest of the hiring team. Someone just rejected me sight unseen,’” he informed the interviewers.

All three turned into “deer caught in headlights” for a straight minute until the Senior Developer regained awareness and uttered, “What?” While explaining the situation, the candidate said, “I just got an email from your Workday instance. I’ve been rejected from this role, so you can pursue other candidates that more closely align.” The top officials were taken aback, not knowing what was happening. “What other candidates are left? I thought he was the last?” the Senior Developer asked his colleagues. All three of them turned red and embarrassed. But the man was happy knowing he had made it that far.

“The SPM was silent and typing furiously. The Chief of Staff was also typing a million words per minute, but he hushed the Developer,” the post elaborated further. Following a few minutes of “awkward” silence, the Chief of Staff stared into his webcam and admitted he was unsure what was going on. “I’ll get back to you by the end of the week. Thanks,” the senior employee said while “kicking” the candidate out of the Zoom call. The man claimed he kept thinking that either “someone’s friend just got hired, and no one told the Chief of Staff, or the role got closed due to budget, and again, no one told the Chief of Staff.” “Either way, it’s hilariously unfortunate,” he concluded.

The story has drawn quite an attention, with many people sharing their views. u/GRimeReAper1906 remarked, “Interviewers who don’t cover up bul***** are great. It feels like you’re being interviewed by an actual, decent human.” u/jo_ccc wrote, “Why would anyone want to work at a place where they ended the Zoom conference like that? You put countless hours and resources into your time and dedication to a company only to be told, ‘I don’t know what the problem is. Kick rocks until next week.’” “My husband once interviewed with Amazon for a corporate development role, and on the way to his car in their parking lot, his phone buzzed with their rejection! Like, damn, that was lickety-split,” u/ancientastraunaut2 added.