Internet Culture

‘I withdrew when they scheduled the 15th’: TikToker exposes 3 companies that gave him job interviews so ‘terrible’ he’d never go back

‘They reached out to schedule then ghosted for a month.’

Photo of Braden Bjella

Braden Bjella

Man with glasses in greenscreen tiktok video with paycom logo (l) Man with glasses hand up talking (c) Man with glasses in greenscreen tiktok video with glassdoor logo (r)

A TikToker has gone viral after sharing several “terrible” job interview experiences. The video, posted by user Ken Waks, tells the story of three different job interviews, each one horrible in its own way. 

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@ken

My worst interview experiences. What are yours? #badinterview #interview #glassdoor #doordash

♬ Lo-fi hip hop – NAO-K

Waks specifically calls out Paycom, Twilio, and Glassdoor. At the end of the video, he encourages TikTokers to share their application horror stories and similarly calls out the company by name. Many commenters did just that.

“14 interviews with Fidelity for a Director slot,’ alleged one user. “I withdrew when they scheduled the 15th.”

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“Oracle had such high turnover that I interviewed with 3 senior leaders and by the end of the interview process they all had left or got let go,” claimed another.

“Salesforce. Most condescending people I’ve met,” said a commenter. “Not to mention they reached out to schedule then ghosted for a month before actually setting something.”

“Walgreens strung me along for 3 months only to send me an automated email telling me I didn’t get the job,” added another.

Others had less targeted complaints.

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“I said i was bilingual and the CEO responded with ‘now i have someone that can talk to my gardener,’” said one user.

“Law firm – 2 hour excel computer exam. Get job – actual job is restock the office supplies no computer needed,” shared another. “I quit by lunch.”

“Recently did a 2.5hr interview for a CMO slot,” a TikToker wrote. “I’ve been ghosted.”

Some took this TikTok as a sign that the job application process needs dramatic improvement.

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“Can we also talk about recruiters?” asked a user. “I’ve never met a good recruiter at top companies who have the same urgency as they push onto applicants.”

“As someone who used to work in HR/Recruiting/Talent Acquisition,” shared a commenter, “the industry needs an entire overhaul. They are causing most issues.”

For others, this TikTok just showcased the ridiculousness of the job application process.

As one user wrote, “I’m always baffled at the things some humans try to get other humans to do all in the name of getting rent paid.”

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Waks did not immediately respond to Daily Dot’s request for comment via email. We’ve reached out to Paycom, Twilio, and Glassdoor.

Update 12:25pm CT, March 23, 2022: In an email exchange with Daily Dot, Waks, who is now a Technical Manager at Walmart E-commerce, offered his idea of how the job application process could be improved.

“To me, what makes a good interview process is once you ‘clear’ the recruiter screen, that the recruiter becomes your advocate and brings you along in the process and ideally helps you prepare for the future rounds as well as gives you real time feedback and updates,” he explains. “Recruiters are the face of the company to the person interviewing,” he continues. “I think it goes such a long way when they are professional and compassionate. They control the relationship and can make that experience a positive one or a negative one regardless of the outcome of the job interview or application itself.”

He clarified that this was not an exhaustive list. “There are other things, such as making sure the salary expectations are aligned from the beginning, that the applicant knows what they’re getting into, [and more].”

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But for the time being, he’s happy that his video is waking people up to the reality of some job interviewing processes. “It’s cool to see that video get so much traction,” he shares.


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