Woman says she walked out of a job interview after four people questioned her, then explains why: ‘I felt like a badass walking out of that building’

A woman who has reportedly been struggling to find employment said she walked out of a job interview after four different people questioned her without clearly explaining what the position involved. Although she initially worried that she might have thrown away a potential opportunity, she later said the experience convinced her that walking away was the right decision.

The woman shared her experience in a Reddit post, claiming that she had been invited to interview for an administrative assistant position at a company in Hauppauge, Long Island, New York. She had allegedly already come across several concerning employee reviews about the business, and said her husband had advised her against pursuing the opportunity. However, she decided to attend the interview and form her own opinion.

Things apparently started feeling uncomfortable when she was escorted into a large, practically empty conference room. “I’m talking rows of black leather chairs, bright fluorescent ceiling lights, red carpeting, a projector hanging from the ceiling, a giant conference table, and a TV mounted on the wall,” the post read. She further asserted that “It was DEAD silent. Nobody talking, no background noise, nothing. Just me sitting in this enormous room waiting for someone to come interview me.

The job was apparently not made clear

The interview allegedly initially involved two people, who eventually left after questioning her. Another pair then seemingly entered the room and continued asking questions about her professional experience.

According to the woman, the interviewers asked whether she had handled payroll, recruited employees, and could manage a demanding job. However, nobody apparently provided a clear explanation of her expected day-to-day responsibilities. “Am I doing administrative work? Payroll? Recruiting? HR? All of the above?” she thought to herself.

She said she attempted to ask questions about the training process, working hours, and what her daily duties would look like. Despite the efforts, she allegedly left the conversation without a clear understanding of the role.

Things took another turn when one of the interviewers allegedly announced that he was going to bring in a third person for another round of questioning. By then, four people had already interviewed her, and she was being asked to wait for yet another interviewer.

That was when she decided she had had enough. She claimed that “The SECOND that man walked out of the room to get the next interviewer, I grabbed my belongings, got up, and WALKED RIGHT OUT.” She apparently didn’t say her goodbyes, asserting that “And I’m not even kidding when I say I felt like a badass walking out of that building.”

She later admitted that the decision left her feeling guilty because she had been unemployed, had applied to hundreds of jobs, and knew how difficult finding work could be. Her husband, meanwhile, was apparently supportive of her decision.

She also clarified that she was apparently not opposed to employers conducting thorough interviews but objected to unnecessarily lengthy hiring processes, unclear job expectations, and a lack of respect for applicants’ time. The company reportedly never contacted her after she left.

Multiple interview rounds are not necessarily unusual in the United States. For example, the U.S. General Services Administration describes a hiring process that can involve three to four interview rounds, depending on the position. However, lengthy and poorly structured interviews can discourage applicants from continuing with the hiring process. Carnegie Mellon University’s HR guidance highlights how unnecessarily lengthy recruitment processes can cause employers to lose potential candidates.