'Hilariously Unfortunate': Man was in mid of interview when he received mail from company for..., post goes viral

A recent viral story on Reddit has caught attention for its bizarre turn of events during a job interview. The Reddit user recounted a "hilariously unfortunate" incident where he was rejected from a job while still in the middle of a Zoom interview. According to the post, the man was in his second round of interviews for the position, with a panel consisting of senior managers and the Chief of Staff. The interview was progressing well, and the discussion even included some light-hearted exchanges.

As the Chief of Staff mentioned scheduling the third interview, the man received an unexpected rejection email from the same company right in the middle of the ongoing call. The email indicated that his application had been declined, even though he was actively being interviewed. He described the email as the standard rejection message that many job seekers are familiar with.

Rejection email mid-interview, a Workday woe
byu/DatJavaClass inrecruitinghell

Despite the awkward situation, the man kept his composure and responded to the Chief of Staff’s inquiry about his availability for the next interview. He humorously pointed out that he wasn’t sure it would work for the rest of the hiring team since he had just received a rejection email. This left the interviewers shocked, with one senior panel member asking another, “What other candidates are left? I thought he was the last?”

The man explained that after an awkward silence, one of the panel members reassured him that they would get back to him by the end of the week. Shortly afterward, he was removed from the Zoom call, leaving him puzzled about the situation. He speculated that either someone else had already been chosen for the position without informing the Chief of Staff, or the role was eliminated due to budget issues.

His story resonated with many on Reddit, amassing nearly 3,000 upvotes and numerous comments from other users who shared their own job rejection experiences. One commenter recounted how their husband had been rejected for a job at Amazon just moments after an interview, while still walking back to his car. Others expressed sympathy, suggesting that the situation might have been a blessing in disguise, hinting at potential issues with the company’s communication.

The incident highlighted not only the unpredictability of job hunting but also sparked conversations about transparency and communication in the hiring process.