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10th Aug 2023

Man rejected for job interview before he’d even made it past reception

Jack Peat

Man immediately rejected for job interview after failing receptionist test

‘Thank you for your time but the interview is over’

A man failed to make it past the front desk during a recent interview after the hiring manager posed as a receptionist to test his moral standing.

The unlucky job hunter was shown the door no sooner than he’d walked through it after giving off the wrong signals upon entry.

A tale shared on the Reddit ‘Life Pro Tips’ forum highlights how one firm tries to weed out any unfriendly applicants.

It reads as follows: “Today, a candidate blew his interview in the first 5 minutes after he entered the building.”

You see, the hiring manager at this particular company had disguised themselves as the receptionist, to see how interviewees would treat their potential future colleagues.

Explaining how it all went down, an employee said:

“He was dismissive to the receptionist. She greeted him and he barely made eye contact. She tried to engage him in conversation. Again, no eye contact, no interest in speaking with her.

“What the candidate did not realise was that the ‘receptionist’ was actually the hiring manager.

“She called him back to the conference room and explained how every single person on our team is valuable and worthy of respect.

“Due to his interaction with the ‘receptionist’, the hiring manager did not feel he was a good fit. Thank you for your time but the interview is over.

“Be nice to everyone in the building.”

Reacting to the post, one person said it wouldn’t matter if the hiring manager was in disguise, the man would still be likely to get found out.

It read: “I’ll add as someone who’s been on every step of the hiring ladder, even if the receptionist wasn’t the hiring manager, that receptionist will still get her two cents in at the water cooler while decisions are being made.

“In a few fields I’ve worked in, it wasn’t just the people in the conference room that were consulted before making an offer.

“Be on point at all times, every employee is a potential team mate and they’re all assessing you.”

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