A user on TikTok is calling out McDonald’s after claiming that he was given a specific time for a job interview, only to be told upon arrival that the interviewer wouldn’t be there for another two hours.
In a video with over 357,000 views, user Tristyn (@tristyn0795) says that he had an interview booked for a job at his local McDonald’s at 11 am. He also received automated text messages and an email in the days leading up to the interview that confirmed this date and time.
When the time came, there was no interviewer to be found.
“I walk up to the front counter at 10:50, and I say, ‘Hello, I am here for an interview,’” Tristyn recalls. “The guy looks at me dead in the face and says, ‘No you don’t… No one’s here to interview you.’”
@tristyn0795 for the record i love @McDonald’s and am a frequent consumer and will continue but its tough when people treat you that way. #greenscreen #mcdonalds #grimaceshake #fypシ #jobsearch ♬ original sound – Tristyn Young
After some conversation and an employee’s insistence that he fill out a paper application, Tristyn spoke to another worker who informed him that the person who was supposed to interview him would not even be in the store for another 2 hours.
This incident, Tristyn says, speaks to an ongoing issue in today’s labor market.
“I’ve been looking for a job for a year and a half, and this is what I’ve faced when I’ve gone into multiple jobs,” he explains. “‘Eh, you’re a number. Who cares?’ [It’s] just tough.”
“for the record i love @McDonald’s and am a frequent consumer and will continue but its tough when people treat you that way,” Tristyn added in the caption.
Tristyn is not alone in reporting these issues. Along with the many current applicants who simply do not receive responses to their job applications, there are also some who, once they get invited to interview, face considerable hurdles before they’re even considered for a position.
Numerous users have told stories of going through three, four, or even five rounds of interviews before they’re considered for a position, and even more have offered experiences similar to Tristyn’s in which they were required to wait for hours before an interviewer arrived.
In the comments section of Tristyn’s video, users shared their own job interview woes.
“Ive waited over an hr for an interview that then was an hour long & exhuastive,” recalled a user. “id invested so much (3-4 part interview process) so i stuck it out.”
“Kroger did this to me. I took off my full time job to go to the interview. And the third party hr didn’t tell them I was coming,” claimed a second.
“This has been happening at my job,” noted a third. “4 people came in one afternoon and our hiring manager wasn’t even there he was on vacation.”
The Daily Dot reached out to McDonald’s via email and Tristyn via TikTok comment.
Update 9:57am CT August 17: In a TikTok DM exchange with the Daily Dot, Tristyn says he hasn’t heard from McDonald’s since posting his videos. He also said he had experience something similar when applying for a job at Amazon.
“To be honest I really seems like a lack of organization,” he said as to why this happens. “When I was wandering around the warehouse looking for someone in charge. It was vacant. And I didn’t want to be waiting for another hour so I left.”
In incidents like these, Tristyn says employers should try to make up for the mistake, even if their resolution is a small gesture.
“I think an apology is warranted,” he stated. “It’s not up to an applicant to know how their system works or doesn’t when a job listing is on their website. I just applied for the job you know? If the system is faulty then I would suggest to remove it.”
