A story of how an applicant was turned away from their job interview after failing a "test" has emerged on social media.

The anecdote in question was shared earlier this year on the Reddit subforum r/LifeProTips - a page where users discuss "Tips that improve your life in one way or another."

In a thread entitled: "LPT: Interview Starts Immediately" a Redditor with the handle u/sawta2112 reminded us all that a job interview starts from the moment you enter the office.

They wrote: "Today, a candidate blew his interview in the first 5 minutes after he entered the building. 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 realize 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."

The Redditor continued: "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."

Suffice it to say that this illustration of the importance of politeness and respect clearly resonated with a lot of people, accruing over 45,000 upvotes and a further 2,400 comments as of the time of writing.

For example, one person wrote: "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."

A second person then wrote: "And add to that. A good receptionist holds some weight and usually is in good standing with many employees. Everywhere I worked, you didn't do well if you treated the receptionist or secretaries badly."

Meanwhile, another person agreed, stating: "Yep. Used to work as a receptionist.

"My boss would specifically pull me in after every interview and ask how the potential employee acted toward me/conducted themselves in the waiting area."

Finally, someone else chimed in: "Goes both ways. I once turned down a job because of the way the HR guy spoke to the receptionist."

The original poster then returned to their own thread to post a follow-up, writing: "We definitely include the whole team in some capacity of the interview process.

"Small team so it's pretty easy to do that. More importantly, because it is a small team, we all need to get along."

So there you have it. If you've got a job interview of your own coming up in the near future, then please don't forget that manners cost nothing and that rudeness can cost you a higher salary.

Featured image credit: Sora Shimazaki / Pexels

A woman has opened up about the reason she got rejected from a job interview after asking the recruiter what the decision was based on.

Jobhunting can be a bit of a minefield, from finding the perfect opening to making sure you stand out among the often hundreds of other applicants.

So you'd hope by the time you got to interview, you'd have a pretty good shot of getting the job, right?

Well, one woman has revealed the reason she fell at the final hurdle after recent job interview.

The woman was stunned to be rejected after believing she'd aced the job interview. Credit: rudi_suardi/Getty Images

Her experience, shared by workplace commentator Ben Askins on his TikTok account, has sparked a heated debate on the propriety of salary discussions during job interviews.

Katherine, after a seemingly successful interview, was shocked to learn she didn't get the job. According to the recruiter’s message, the reason was her "financially oriented" questions.

"Yeah, they said they absolutely loved meeting you, but your questions were too financially orientated," the recruiter explained, leaving Katherine bewildered and frustrated.

When she asked "what on earth" that was supposed to mean, the recruiter replied: "Apparently you asked about money a lot?"

She defended her inquiries, emphasizing they were minimal and mostly focused on the benefits package included with the position. However, the feedback was clear: the company felt she seemed more interested in the salary than the role itself.

Askins, known for his critical takes on toxic workplace cultures, lambasted the company's stance.

He argued that it's perfectly reasonable for candidates to inquire about compensation.

"It is a job interview, of course, people are going to be interested in the price and package that comes with it. That is the sole reason the person is in that room,” he stated emphatically.

Askins' sentiment resonated with many online, sparking a flurry of support for Katherine’s straightforward approach.

However, not everyone agrees that discussing finances during an interview is appropriate. Some argue that it’s better to focus on the job’s responsibilities and company culture, suggesting that bringing up compensation too early can be seen as tactless.

"I know this is an unpopular opinion but the interviewer was right – the financial questions shouldn’t be asked in the interview," one commenter noted, echoing a sentiment that has persisted in the job market for decades.

Salary is usually pretty important to most job seekers, but can still be seen as taboo to ask in a job interview. Credit: tattywelshie/Getty Images

Workplace expert Roxanne Calder offered a middle ground, advising news.com.au that salary discussions are necessary but should be approached delicately.

"It is okay to talk about salary. We should, everyone needs to pay the bills," Calder said, recommending a strategic approach to the timing of such questions to avoid seeming overly money-focused.

She suggests a “sandwich” method: start with a question about the role, follow with a query about salary, and conclude with another role-related question.

Moreover, Calder emphasizes the importance of letting the company initiate the conversation about compensation, or at least waiting until the end of the interview to broach the topic gently.

This approach can help candidates navigate the tricky waters of salary discussions without coming off as greedy or disinterested in the job itself.

Featured image credit: rudi_suardi/Getty Images

A candidate blew his chance for the job after failing a simple - but secret - test at reception.

As the saying goes; you should treat the janitor was the same respect as you'd treat the CEO. It's an expression that highlight the importance of good manners -- a thing that, sadly, not everybody was brought up understanding.

Now, we can appreciate that a job interview is one of the most stressful things we all have to go through. You want to make sure you're looking professional, sounding professional, and coming across as the perfect person for the position.

However, one guy sadly lost his chance at a job in just "five minutes", after failing a secret test that was awaiting him when he arrived for his interview.

Detailing the story in a Reddit post, user @sawta2112 wrote about how they noticed that a candidate acted behaved in a standoffish manner to their receptionist before their formal interview - barely making eye contact and not engaging her in polite conversation.

The enlightening post began: "Today, a candidate blew his interview in the first 5 minutes after he entered the building.

"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."

However, what the candidate didn't know was the that receptionist was actually the company's hiring manager, who was not impressed by his attitude.

The post continued: "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."

They added: "It wasn't just lack of eye contact. He was openly rude and treated her like she was beneath him.

"When he thought he was talking to the decision maker, [his] personality totally changed. Suddenly he was friendly, open, relaxed. So I don't think this was a case of social anxiety."

Suffice to say, the post has since picked up more than 45,000 upvotes, and more than 4,200 comments from other Reddit users as of the time of writing.

For instance, one Redditor replied: "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."

Meanwhile, someone else added: "Yep. Used to work as a receptionist. My boss would specifically pull me in after every interview and ask how the potential employee acted toward me/conducted themselves in the waiting area. [sic]"

Another person even revealed that they had experienced the opposite, writing: "Goes both ways. I once turned down a job because of the way the HR guy spoke to the receptionist."

So there you have it. The takeaway from this is; Always be polite to everyone you meet during a job interview. Heck, just be polite to everybody.

Featured image credit: VioletaStoimenova / Getty

When you have a job interview, it's important to be prepared. Plan your outfit the night before (and don't choose a miniskirt and seven-inch heels.) Research the company in advance (and not on your phone while you drive to the office building). And most importantly, make sure you're on time. Unless you have one of those Harry Potter Time Turners, you only have one shot at proving they can depend on you.

However, 21-year-old Scottish student Laura MacLean was a little bit too enthusiastic about her job interview. She scheduled a Skype call with Microsoft's University Recruitment team, which offers students a chance to work for a full year with the company. That's an incredible opportunity for MacLean, who's studying management and marketing at Robert Gordon University in the UK.

On the day of the interview, she woke up early, ate a full breakfast, put on her nicest clothes, had her hair and makeup did, and waited anxiously in front of her computer. However, there was no Skype call at 11am. After ten minutes passed, MacLean began to panic, wondering if there was a problem with her internet connection or if the company had just forgotten about her. So, she emailed the recruiting team, wondering why she didn't receive a call.

The company wrote back that her interview was scheduled for February 18th, and they look forward to speaking with her then.

Confused, MacLean replied that it is February 18th, and she should have received a call.

The company wrote back that today is actually January 18th, making MacLean one month early for her job interview.

On Twitter, MacLean shared photos of the hilarious email exchange. "all dressed up ready n freaking out for my big skype interview with Microsoft and this happens," she wrote. "possibly the biggest noob on this planet hahahahaha if you don’t laugh you’ll cry."

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The tweet went viral, getting over 186,000 likes. In the replies, one person observed that MacLean "showed some intense dedication to punctuality." while another recommended she say that her greatest weakness is "I really hate being late for things." A third joked that she should blame the error on Microsoft's competitor, Apple: "Just reply thatl teach me for trusting a bloody macbook." And one person claimed that he once flew to another city for a job interview on the wrong date.

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Afterward, MacLean owned up to her mistake. She told the recruitment team she thought that it was February, not January, and was "beyond embarrassed."

The company wrote back assuring MacLean that there's no problem: "Don't worry some mistakes just happen :)"

Although this incident was embarrassing, maybe it will help Laura MacLean. She demonstrated that she's passionate about the position, will ask questions when she's confused and is willing to admit when she makes a mistake. Also, since her story went viral, a lot of people learned about Microsoft's Student Recruitment program. That's free marketing! Give her the job, Bill Gates!

Job interviews suck. Everyone knows it, and everyone dreads them. It's something that we'd never admit to the folks facing us in that office, who cooly stare at our resume and ask us probing questions about our last job, but it's true. The ]problem is that the long and drawn-out process of looking for jobs, and making those tedious applications, is so boring, mind-numbing and soul destroying, that we leap at the chance to actually go through an interview, even though it's about as painful as a full body wax.

But I suppose that we can take solace in the fact that job interviews are something that everyone has to go through, and they can also be a source of humour ... once they're over and done with that is. If you don't believe me, then check out these 10 hilarious tweets from people on Twitter who have gone through them, and know exactly how awful they really are.

1. Eye contact is key

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2. They always ask about hobbies

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/kae_millie/status/960959077261217793]]

3. Me at a job interview

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/i/moments/969203599040548865]]

4. This is me

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/dafloydsta/status/961619058486542336]]

5. I'd hire them

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/underthenettle/status/965928118795079681]]

6. I'm alarmed

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/i/moments/969203599040548865]]

7. Relavent Spongbob

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/AyahIfteiha1499/status/960740794075361280]]

8. Lying that much takes effort

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/LillySinghFans/status/968270583585624064]]

9. The Goldblum fan

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/i/moments/969203599040548865]]

10. When the interviewer asks about your relationship status

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/i/moments/969203599040548865]]

But if you want an example of a job interview that's gone disastrously wrong then look no further than the following article, which details a bizarre encounter between a job applicant and an interviewee that's sure to raise a few eyebrows.