Is it a Mistake?; Candidate Rejected Mid-Interview After Admitting To Other Job Offers
Is it a Mistake?; Candidate Rejected Mid-Interview After Admitting To Other Job Offers
A Zoom call ended abruptly after a candidate said they were interviewing elsewhere.
A job seeker’s account of being rejected during a second-round interview has sparked a sharp debate online. The candidate, who shared the experience on Reddit, said the interview was progressing smoothly until a single moment changed everything.
Toward the end of the Zoom call for a business analyst role, the HR representative asked if they were “actively interviewing elsewhere.” The candidate answered honestly, saying they were in later rounds with two other companies. According to the post, that transparency instantly altered the atmosphere.
“Faces instantly changed,” the Redditor wrote. The HR representative responded by saying the company preferred candidates who were “genuinely interested” in them. She then added, “In that case, we’ll let you pursue those other opportunities,” and ended the call without giving the candidate any chance to clarify.
I told them I was interviewing elsewhere and they ended the call
byu/Worldly-Youth695 ininterviews
The Redditor later wrote, “I guess being transparent is disqualifying now.”
The post drew widespread reactions from users, many criticising the interviewer’s approach. One user commented, “They were hoping to send you a lowball offer and now they know they can’t.” Another said, “This is what I’d call dodging a bullet.”
Some also pointed out how such behaviour reflects poorly on employers: “So they want candidates who aren’t desirable anywhere else. That’s… one way to build a team,” a user remarked.
The experience resonated with many professionals who felt that honesty in interviews should be valued rather than punished. For this candidate, though, the interview ended with a harsh reminder of how unpredictable hiring processes can be.
