A woman has revealed that every time she starts a new job, she ends up having the exact same awkward conversation with HR, all because of the initials created by her name.
While many parents spend months choosing the perfect baby name, few stop to think about how a person's initials might look years later. For Samantha Hart, that small detail turned into an ongoing workplace headache thanks to the way many companies automatically create employee email addresses.
Her story has since gone viral on TikTok, with thousands of people sharing their own unfortunate workplace usernames after discovering they were far from alone.
HR always noticed the problem
TikTok creator Samantha Hart, who posts as @thesam_show, explained that changing jobs was never stressful because of interviews or meeting new coworkers. Instead, she knew one conversation was almost guaranteed.
“I always have to have the tough conversation about how my name fits into a company email structure,” she explained.
Like many businesses, Samantha's employers used a standard email format that combined a person's first initial with their last name. For someone named John Smith, that would become "jsmith."
For Samantha Hart, however, the result was something much more embarrassing.
“My name is Samantha Hart,” she told viewers. “Most companies use the email designation of first initial, last name. Meaning my email would be… ‘shart.'”
Rather than assigning the address automatically, Samantha said two different HR departments contacted her before she started work.
“They told me that my name doesn’t exactly fit the email structure and would I mind if they gave me a different structure for my email.”
Her answer was simple.
“Yeah,” she laughed. “I don’t want an email that says ‘shart.’ Fix it. Give me something else.”
When she accepted another position, the issue surfaced again. In another TikTok video, she joked about whether she should contact HR before they spotted the problem themselves.
“Do I just reach out off the bat and say, ‘Look… you’re not going to want my email to be this?'” she joked. “Or should I let them come to me?”
Thousands of people shared similar stories
Samantha's videos struck a chord with viewers, many of whom filled the comments with examples of their own unfortunate workplace email addresses.
One user, Chris Littmann, wrote: “Clittmann has entered the chat. Have been dealing with this since college.”
Another woman named Samantha Wallo commented: “As Swallo I feel your pain.”
Someone named Sue Hartlove said her work email became "shartlove," while others shared stories involving names such as Patrick Ecker, Tiffany Estes, and Rach Kelley.
One commenter even revealed their employer abandoned its standard email format after realizing another employee's address would accidentally spell an offensive word.
Another person joked: “Mine is literally Hater, so I understand.”
Marriage finally solved the problem
Fortunately for Samantha, the long-running email saga has finally come to an end.
In April 2026, she shared an update on TikTok after getting married and taking her husband's surname. She is now Samantha Showalter, bringing an end to years of awkward conversations with HR.
“My name is no longer shart,” she joked. “Shart is dead.”
She even worked the joke into her wedding celebrations by placing potpourri in the venue's bathrooms with custom labels reading "Shart No More."
Some guests immediately understood the reference, while others only got the joke after it was explained later in the evening.
Samantha's experience has prompted many people to admit they now pay much closer attention to initials and even potential workplace email addresses when choosing names. It is a small detail that may not seem important at first, but as her story shows, it can quickly become the first thing HR notices.
A woman has revealed the embarrassing reasons why her work's HR team won't include her in any of their emails.
Taking to TikTok, a woman named Samantha AKA @thesam_show on the platform revealed how her name has had an impact on her professional career, especially in terms of its actual initials.
In the clip, she started off by revealing that she is moving to another job soon, something that fills her with "dread" because of an issue she's always had in the past.
"I always have to have the tough conversation about how my name fits into a company email structure," she continued, explaining that her full name is "Samantha Hart... and most companies use the email designation of first initial, last name, meaning my email would be 'shart.'"
Samantha Hart opened up about companies emailing her about her email initials. Credit: Alvarez/Getty
For those of you that might not be aware, a "shart" is a term referring to an accident that one has when trying to pass wind - yeah, not a cute picture.
"At every single workplace, I've received an email from HR the week before I start letting me know that my name does not fit the email structure and would I mind if they gave me a different structure for my email," she told her followers. "To which I say, yeah, I don’t want an email that says shart. Fix it. Give me something else."
Samantha was then wondering if she should reach out to her new employers and ask them for the change automatically as, after some research, she found out that her new company also uses the same initial structure.
Have a look at the full video below:
Social media users took to the comments to share their awkward name combinations too, and let's just say, thank God I don't have this problem.
"Clittmann has entered the chat. Have been dealing with this since college," wrote one user while another added: "This happened to my ex husband Paul Enis!"
A third also stated: "Rkelley has entered the chat."
And this user joined in the conversation writing: "Mine is S.Litts and my husband is C.Litts. We’re Clitts and Slitts."
Other stand out names were similar to Samatha's, including "Shartlove", "Shartman" and "Sharting."
I mean, who knew there were so many combinations!
One user, who seemingly works in HR also urged the new employee to reach out to save someone some valuable time.
"As someone in IT - please reach out. When we have to rename a bunch of logins after someone starts it can cause headaches for everyone (inc you!)," they wrote.
Let this be a lesson to you all planning to have kids. Choose wisely!
A TikTok user has gone viral for sharing a tip which has brought her success at every job interview she's used it in.
Job interviews are one of the most nerve-wracking, anxiety inducing experiences a person can endure, so to have a solid gold tip like this is something jobseekers are not taking lightly, watching the video in their millions.
TikTok user Jennifer Reardon - who goes by @notjenneeree on the social media platform, has shared the one question she has used at previous job interviews, with a 100 percent success rate.
And if it worked this well for her, there's no harm in trying it out in your next interview, too.
Credit: Westend61/Getty
The question relates to dispelling any fears or concerns interviewers may have about you after going through the interview process. This is done when you are asked at the end of the interview if you have any questions for your potential new employers.
Urging interviewees to "do your interview, be normal" and not change anything about their usual approach to the process, Jennifer then reveals the question you need to be asking.
"Before you're done, the last question you're going to ask them is something along the lines of, 'Are there any concerns that you have about me that we can address before we end?'
"You guys, they will have concerns, and then that's your time to address them and then once you're done addressing them they'll have no concerns."
The influencer has amassed over 1.6 million followers on her main TikTok account as well as 32.4 million likes (the video in question appears to come from her private account) and calls this tip her "secret trick", adding: "It works. Try it immediately".
However, not everyone has been convinced by Jenna's confident approach to her "secret trick".
Credit: Westend61 / Getty
One user replied, "I've tried this, I just get weird looks, after followed by them saying something like, 'No we already asked you everything' in a sarcastic tone." Oh well. Can't win them all.
Another user was more positive, though, commenting: "I say: what reservations do you have about my abilities to perform this role? HIRED!!"
Now, call us old fashioned, but we believe the best interview technique is to interview in pairs, dressed in tuxedos, just like Brennan Huff and Dale Doback in Stepbrothers.
Now, while you could very well argue that Dale and Brennan did not, in fact, successfully land any of the jobs they interviewed for, their failure during this series of interviews led to them forming Prestige Worldwide and releasing Boats and Hoes which, let's face it, is better than landing any real job any day of the week.
Maybe just ignore the fact that they crashed Dale's dad's boat at the end of the video for that song, though. And even then, everything worked out in the end and they both got Chewbacca masks.
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During college, I started my two-year employment at a local Starbucks coffeehouse. Like any job, there were ups and downs, but overall, I still consider it a pretty decent first job. Would I do it again? Never in a million years. From being treated like dirt to constantly smelling of coffee, I've seen far too much and hung up my apron for good.
However, I learned a few secrets during my time as a barista, and as I've never been good at keeping secrets, I think it's time you found out what Starbucks' employees really get up to behind the counter, what they really think about their customers, and whether or not all those scandalous stories are real...
[post_page_title]Spelling Your Name Wrong[/post_page_title]
There's a huge thing that goes around the internet and social media every few months about Starbucks employees not being able to spell our customers' names correctly. Although they may seem like simple mistakes, when we're having a busy morning, the last thing we care about is the correct spelling of "Kate", or "Cate", or "Cait".
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When you're in a rush, names just become sounds and we'll write them phonetically. For example, "Sophia" will become "sofea". Some managers also encourage misspellings, as we know people are likely to share the mistake - and therefore, the brand - on social media.
[post_page_title]Also, We Know You Hate Giving Your Name[/post_page_title]
We get it; it's awkward and perhaps a little too personal for the guy making your coffee. So just make one up if you're uncomfortable - we won't care. But don't act smug when you think you've come up with a genius fake name because we've heard them all before.
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A particular favorite of mine was the guy who claimed his name was "Voldemort" (it happens more often then you'd think), and all the other baristas know to write on the cup, "He who must not be named".
[post_page_title]The Worst Kind Of Customer[/post_page_title]
You know the people I'm talking about; The guys that order one espresso, sit down with their laptop and stay there for the rest of the day working on their next "screenplay".
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You're not the next Shakespeare buddy, and nobody is impressed by your need for free wifi.
It's very easy for customers at Starbucks to treat the baristas like dirt. I've been called stupid, retarded, and one guy even said I'm the reason with need free choice with abortions.
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The truth is, like many employees, I was studying at college during my time at Starbucks, and for a little while after I graduated. I'm not stupid, I'm human - remember that the next time your barista spills your coffee and you shake your head, rather than ask if they're okay.
[post_page_title]Your Drink Order Will Determine If We Like You Or Not[/post_page_title]
Like any place, we have our regulars that order the same thing day-in-and-day-out. Baristas will love them or hate them based almost entirely on what they order.
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"No-Foam" Dave, such a good guy. But what about "Decaf Soy Latte With An Extra Shot And Cream" Susan? She's a douche.
[post_page_title]Know What You Want[/post_page_title]
Do you understand how many people just come to counter and ask for "a coffee". It's kinda like going into McDonald's and asking for "a burger". And although we're very happy to answer questions, if you're acting like a Starbucks aficionado, they at least know HOW to order your drink. For example: If you don't tell us if you want your drink hot or iced first, we won't write it down on the right cup. We only ask so we can make your drink as quickly as possible.
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Remember the elements in this order: Hot or iced; size of drink; decaf?; number of shots; syrup?-how much?; type of milk; any extras?
[post_page_title]The Sizing Guide[/post_page_title]
At Starbucks they are called Short, Tall, Grande, and Venti - not Small, Medium and Large. Sure, it's annoying, and they don't really make sense, but your barista didn't make them up, so don't lecture them about it.
Employees at Starbucks do get a discount on food and drinks out of shift hours, but when we're on the clock, anything goes.
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It's against the rules, but we will often graze on cakes, cookies and pastries, and then wash it down with five cups of coffee, all of which have a different syrup in. We could go for the protein plates - but where's the fun in that?
[post_page_title]The Store Temperature[/post_page_title]
When you complain to me about the temperature in the store, you may as well leave the store, jump in a cab, go to the nearest phone box, call your mom and complain to her about it, because she's got as much power as I do to change it.
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Starbucks HQ sets upper and lower temperature limits, and store staff don’t have much leeway. Just bring another jumper if you’re too cold.
[post_page_title]Freshly Baked[/post_page_title]
Okay, if you get your coffee from a busy, inner-city Starbucks, then the chances are your croissant was freshly baked that morning.
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But you’re visiting us in a remote location, the chances are that croissant you’ve ordered will have been defrosted that morning.
When you serve hundreds of people a day, there's a good chance you're going to stumble across some orders that make you want to vomit. Seriously, those people have TEN pumps of syrup in their coffee may think they're being unique and trendy, but they're really just idiots.
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On one occasion a customer ordered a venti whole milk caramel frappuccino with extra caramel, but ask for no whipped cream because it’s fattening. Sure... because that cream will kill you.
[post_page_title]Summer At Starbucks[/post_page_title]
Until you've experienced the sheer hell of a Frappuccino rush, then you'll never know true pain. And don't get us started on the asshole who invented double blended drinks.
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Blending takes TIME, mixing up the Frappuccino base takes TIME, and the dealing with customers complaining about TIME takes TIME!!. Oh, and most stores only have two blenders, so please be patient.
The colors of the aprons determine so much more than you might realize. The green apron means you work at Starbucks. The red apron means you work at Starbucks and it’s the holidays.
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The black apron? Well, this means you’ve dedicated years of your life to studying coffee. It means you've attended special seminars and training courses, and are a true Coffee Master. We bow down to the black aprons.
Well... there isn't one, officially.
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Some stores will run secret promotions where customers can get a trial beverage or free drink if they say the right things, but most of the time, those crazy coffee inventions you see on social media just come from bored employees experimenting.
If I had a dime for the number of times I've been asked to put sugar in people's coffee, I could probably buy Starbucks.
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Seriously, the sugar packets are over there, put your own damn sugar in!
[post_page_title]Employee Games[/post_page_title]
To help pass the time and keep us entertained, the staff would often play games or have competitions behind the counter.
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Whether it's seeing who could make the stiffest foam, or seeing how many times you could fit the word "pump" into one order, we'd pretty much do anything to make the shift go quicker.
I saw some horrifying things during my time at Starbucks, including walking into the restrooms to find human sh*t smeared all over the cubicle walls. Still, they tipped us a whole dollar...
[post_page_title]Being The Chalkboard Artist Rules[/post_page_title]
Getting an opportunity to be creative is probably the greatest part of working at Starbucks (apart from the free caffeine).
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When the manager asks who wants to design the chalkboard, the employees all secretly want it to be them. Seriously, what could be better than getting to drawing the Christmas board?
From jewelry to tattoos, there are some pretty die-hard fans of coffee, especially when it comes to Starbucks!
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I've seen the same customer order the same thing three times a day, and I've had a customer curse at me and punch the counter because he couldn't have a pumpkin spiced latte in March.
[post_page_title]What To Do In Case Of A Robbery[/post_page_title]
Robberies happen, and every employee is instructed on how to deal with it. The most important thing is don't be a hero, and don't stall.
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Just hand over the money, get them out of there. Once they've left, then you can call the cops. Starbucks is a billion-dollar company, and whatever's in the tip
[post_page_title]Spitting[/post_page_title]
Whether or not I've spat in a customer's drink is probably the most common question I get asked by friends. I personally have never done it, nor have I seen anybody spit in a customer's drink.
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Although, that doesn't mean it's never happened elsewhere, so don't be rude for the fun of it...
[post_page_title]Just Be Nice[/post_page_title]
Seriously, the customer is not always right and manners will go a long way. If a slow elderly customer comes in, says hello and politely ask us questions, we'll do more for them compared to the impatient rude businessman who can't be bothered to pause his phone conversation to say "please" and "thank you".
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Polite customers can get away with anything! We'll bend over backward to help them, and sometimes give them free shots or snacks.
[post_page_title]Never Get Burnt By Your Coffee Again[/post_page_title]
It's no secret that Starbucks drinks are served piping hot as a rule. However, anyone who has ever grabbed their coffee too quickly for a sip will know how painful burning their tongue can be.
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But there's a trick to avoid this that's well-known among us baristas - ordering at "kids' temperature". This means you'll be served a drink at 140 degrees as opposed to one between 200 and 212 degrees.
[post_page_title]The Black Apron[/post_page_title]
It's a well-known fact that Starbucks employees wear green aprons, however, every so often, you will see a barista in a black one, and this is what it means.
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It means they're a certified "coffee master" - a status which can only be achieved by going to more of Starbucks' seminars and lectures than other employees. In short, they're the person you want to be making your coffee.
[post_page_title]The Starbucks App[/post_page_title]
When you're on a diet, knowing what's in your food is of the utmost importance, and many Starbucks products are crammed full of the bad stuff.
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So, if you want to know exactly what it is before you order, get the Starbucks app and never again make an uninformed coffee decision!
[post_page_title]Decaf Coffee Isn't Always Decaf[/post_page_title]
Whether it's because real coffee makes them a little too jittery or another reason, a lot of people opt for decaf instead. Unfortunately, however, they rarely get it at Starbucks.
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We baristas are very busy people, and because the vast majority of customers order caffeinated drinks, when someone orders decaf, they're often given caffeinated coffee anyway. Sorry! It's just our automatic reaction.
[post_page_title]How To Get The Strongest Coffee[/post_page_title]
Everyone has gone into a coffee shop at least once in search of the strongest thing on the menu, and in Starbucks, it's not a triple expresso. Instead, you should do this to get a stronger coffee.
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If you're more of a mug full type of persona and have a taxing day ahead of you, simply ask for your coffee to be made with the brew used in iced coffees. It's automatically stronger as it's usually diluted by ice.
[post_page_title]Decaf For Rude People[/post_page_title]
When it's early in the morning and you've not had your first coffee of the day, you can be rude to people. We get it. But you should always be nice to your barista or this could happen.
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Since we baristas can't be rude back to customers who're less than pleasant to us, we take revenge in a much subtler way - by giving them decaf coffee instead of the beans they so desperately need.
[post_page_title]The Food Isn't Fresh[/post_page_title]
While we'd all like to think the food we purchase from places like Starbucks is fresh and cooked on-site, the reality is, it's not.
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All of the food in Starbucks is frozen for longevity then defrosted to be sold. So yeah, you might want to go to an actual bakery for your morning croissant.
[post_page_title]Don't Dump Your Coffee In The Trash[/post_page_title]
As much as it can be tempting, for the love of God, don't dump your coffee cup that's still got coffee in it in the trash. Us poor baristas have enough to deal with as it is.
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No one wants to end their day getting soaked by coffee dregs mixed with trash just because you were too lazy to finish your drink, or at least have the decency to empty the cup before putting it in the trash.
A woman has gone viral on social media this week after sending her resumé out to an employer without noticing that she'd made a glaring mistake.
The hilariously-awkward gaffe was made by 21-year-old Marissa Sidwell, who was applying for a student-teacher role shortly after graduating.
Marissa had used a template to create her resumé, and although it looked pretty good, there was one thing she neglected to change before sending out the application. Namely, the stock picture used in the template of a Black man who was decidedly not Marissa, a white woman.
Take a look at Marissa's video of the incident below:
Amused by her own mistake, Marissa shared her toe-curling goof on TikTok, and wrote in the caption: "You think you’re having a bad day? I just sent this resume without changing the template picture. [sic]."
Her video quickly went viral, accruing over 4.2 million views, 481,000 reactions, and a further 8,300 comments from other TikTok users as of the time of writing.
Credit: TikTok
In the comments, one person wrote: "Y'all need to stop putting pictures on your resume and using templates. [sic]"
Credit: TikTok
Another person wrote: "Okay but I was trying to upload my dogs picture on the daycare website and I accidentally uploaded my weight loss progress picture instead. [sic]"
Credit: TikTok
Someone else added: "It's the fact that he is dressed as a doctor and your resume says student teacher that is sending me to MARS. [sic]"
Credit: TikTok
Another commenter chimed in: "Girl you should even put a pic on your resume tho but this is funny [sic]."
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One commenter suggested that Marissa should just lead into her mistake instead, and opined that she should say: "Sorry, that's an old photo of me."
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Another recruiter commented: "I work in Career Services. can I add this tiktok to my presentation on the dangers of using resume templates?? [sic]"
Credit: TikTok
Someone else chimed in: "Just imagine the confusion on the HR employee's face."
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Another recruiter said: "As a recruiter! This is sooooo funny! I would understand if you were honest and quickly send a revised copy."
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Finally, someone else wrote: "If it makes you feel better I work in recruiting and one time a girl sent an entire pdf copy of the book 'the secret' instead of her resume."
The moral of the story is this: please double, triple, and quadruple heck your resumé before sending it out! Otherwise, you might make a similar mistake...
A bride-to-be has had the excitement of planning a wedding dented as she realized what her initials will be if she takes her future husband's last name.
Getting married is - usually - a time of joy as a happy couple plans the celebrations of what is likely to be one of the biggest days of their life.
Often the bride-to-be will take the husband's last name - though this seems to be done less and less as society progresses and moves away from traditionalist norms.
However, if Kathryn, who posts under @keiththebride on TikTok decides to adopt her partner's last name, it will give her initials with an incredibly sinister meaning.
Posting an initially cryptic video, the bride-to-be wrote over a video of herself looking concerned: "When I tell people what my initials after my wedding will be..."
The caption of the video instructed confused viewers to look at her profile to find out what her initials would be, but she also posted a follow-up video explaining.
With Kathryn being her first name, and her future husband having the surname Keith, it was revealed that her middle name is Keller, leaving her initials to be KKK.
For those unsure why this is a problem, the letters KKK are often used for the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group who were responsible for horrific hate crimes, and that exists on a much smaller scale today.
Kathryn revealed to viewers that this is a horrific set of circumstances and that she has considered changing her middle name, but she is struggling to work out what to change it to.
Viewers of the video were equally mortified, with one person saying: "omg... are u gonna change ur middle name / if so, have u decided to what?"
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Some were on hand to offer solutions, with someone suggesting: "If middle name is Keller, what about Ellery or Elle to keep as many letters similar as possible?"
Credit: TikTok
A third person added: "Change it to Eller! Just remove the K and it still kind of sounds the same."
Credit: TikTok
If all else fails, she might just have to ditch the middle initial entirely and go by Katherine Keith instead - or come up with something completely different.
It's certainly an unfortunate position to be in, and hopefully, it'll be resolved by the big day!
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