A man lost out on an amazing job opportunity after making a common mistake as soon as he entered the building – and it didn’t have anything to do with how he answered those tough questions
If you’ve landed an interview for your dream job – make sure you don’t fall at the first hurdle.
Job interviews are notoriously nerve-wracking, and many of us show up with sweaty palms and a sudden inability to string a simple sentence together. But relax, take a deep breath and tell yourself you’re going to do great.
However, one man completely blew his chances of getting hired within the first five minutes of stepping into the building. It had nothing to do with how he answered questions in front of the recruitment staff, or his level of experience or skillset. In fact, he messed up his chances before he even sat down.
It turns out the man made a bad impression before he even got the chance to prove his abilities, as he failed to treat the receptionist with kindness when he entered the building. The woman who conducted his interview warned others not to make the same mistake, as she revealed the receptionist was actually the hiring manager who was trying to gauge how respectful her potential employees would be to those around them.
Posting on the Life Pro Tips forum on Reddit back in 2021, she said: “Today, a candidate blew his interview in the first five 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, and 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.”
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Lots of people on Reddit agreed that it was essential to ensure you were polite to everyone – which sounds like a no-brainer. One person wrote: “BINGO! After a candidate leaves one of the first things those involved in the interview will do is speak to the receptionist and ask them how the interviewee treated them. The person could be the best person for the position but if they treated the receptionist like c*** … THEY ARE DONE! If they treated the receptionist like s*** when on their best behaviour imagine how awful they will treat them once they get the job. The same goes for any cleaning staff. They are consulted, too.”
Another shared: “I got hired once because I held the door for the janitor coming in with his cart. The receptionist said, ‘that’s so nice of you’. I said it was just decency, but apparently, she was in the hiring manager’s ear later that day. The choice was between me, and someone more knowledgeable, but he was a p****… so they went with me.”
Others said that even if you struggle with anxiety and find it hard to make conversation, it’s always a good idea to at least try and be polite to those around you. Someone posted: “My only question about this is I have horrible anxiety and struggle to focus on stuff other than the actual process so I’m sure I’ve blanked on responding to a receptionist. Not because I’m a rude person but purely because I just struggle to pay attention to everything because of the other stuff I’m thinking of.
“So this is actually nice and reminds me I need to make sure to interact. Granted had I been not nice, I always make sure to apologise as soon as I am able to if I recognise it. Even if I don’t get the job.”
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