Job interviews are a thoroughly nerve-wracking experience at first. Heck, your entire future can hinge on a single conversation! So, no pressure, Pandas. However, while we’re busy rehearsing our biggest strengths and weaknesses in front of the mirror and triple-checking if our outfits really fit the term ‘smart casual,’ we can forget one important truth: it’s not just the interviewer checking if you’re the right fit for the company.
After all, any job interview is the perfect opportunity for you to check out the company and see if its values align with yours. It’s a moment that you can take a peek behind the curtain and see if there are any obvious red flags that make your gut say, “Nope, no thank you, not this one, we’re not that desperate.”
In some cases, those red flags are practically glowing crimson with alarm bells ringing, practically screaming, “Stay away! Don’t fall for it!” Redditor JimmySaulGene invited internet users to share their actual experiences walking out of job interviews. They happily obliged, sharing exactly what happened to make them stand up and get out without so much as a backward glance.
You’ll find their stories below, dear Pandas. Have a read, upvote the tales that intrigued you, and share your own experiences in the comments about seeing major red flags during interviews.
Bored Panda spoke about how to build confidence for interviews and the top qualities that resonate well with recruiters with Kierra, a cloud engineer and Data Analytics consultant, who helps people pivot into tech, especially data-related roles. She has a helpful newsletter that you might consider checking out if you're thinking to change your career or in the middle of a transition. Scroll down for Kierra's insights about doing well during job interviews, Pandas.
#22
Applied for a software developer position for an online retailer. First round of interviews was a traditional technical skills and whiteboard coding session, second round was a cultural fit interview with HR.
I assumed it would be an one on one interview with HR, it was a room with 20 something people applying for anything from legal to finance.
They asked us to stand up, then crawl into a ball and pretend we were flowers opening.
At this point I honestly thought it was some kind of prank, then I saw everybody around me doing it.
I just said thanks for the opportunity and left.
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#23
He asked what my degree was and I said education. He asked why I took such a useless major. (My mother was a teacher and I have two sisters who are teachers) I asked if he realized how much of manufacturing supervision involved training. Safety. Quality. Machine operation. Policies and procedures. Work instructions. Adult education. Etc... He asked what an education degree had to do with that and I shook my head, stood up, thanked him for his time and walked out.
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#24
I was in the waiting room of a big office suite and a man came out and introduced himself to a few of us sitting there. He asked us our names and talked about the position right there. Then he asked us each questions about ourselves, what leadership means to each of us. Then the guy at the cellphone repair shop at the other end of the waiting room called my name, letting me know that my phone was ready and I grabbed it and left because I wasn’t applying for this job, there just wasn’t a good time to mention that.
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#25
I once went to a job interview for a large welding shop, in the middle of a rain storm. After talking to the interviewer for 30 or so minutes, he walked me out to the shop floor to take a welding test. The machine we went to was in decent condition, but was literally sitting in a puddle of water. The welding table's legs were rusty and not grounded well, and also in said puddle. Over half the shop was flooded. I turned around and said "No thank you." Then proceeded to walk out the door. My life is worth more than $20 an hour.
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#26
The interviewer said God comes first, then family, then the job. Then he started asking me a bunch of questions about my religious beliefs. (I’m an atheist)
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#27
I applied for a register position at Pizza Hut. I specifically told them during my 2 interviews that I cannot be a delivery driver due to my car being unreliable, they even acknowledged that and told me okay. Got the job, came in for training on the first day, the very first thing they do is sit me down in a chair and started up a training video on delivery driving. I asked them if I could skip it since I’m only working the register/in the kitchen, and the manager tells me that every position is a delivery driver. Walked out right then and there and got paid for 1 hour of training.
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