Undercover boss nails job interviewee who ignored “receptionist”

Whether you know it or not, your job interview starts the second you walk into an office. A Reddit post recently warned about this scenario with a cautionary tale about a man who didn’t realize he was being tested by the hiring manager. 

Here’s how the situation unraveled: A job interviewee entered the building and was greeted by a friendly receptionist. According to the post, she “tried to engage him in conversation,” but he “barely made eye contact” and was “dismissive” towards her. That’s not all; he was also outwardly rude.

The man, it seems, had no interest in being nice to a woman he assumed was “just” a random receptionist. He was shocked to see the same receptionist when he entered the conference room for the interview. Turns out she wasn’t really the receptionist; she was the hiring manager.

When he realized his mistake, his personality shifted entirely, “he was friendly, open, relaxed.” He acted nothing like the condescending man that entered the office. She told him that “every single person on our team is valuable and worthy of respect.”

Teaching him exactly where he went wrong, she told him that she “did not feel he was a good fit.” Suffice it to say, the interview ended quickly. His ego cost him the job.

Initial reactions to the story

The story was posted on the Reddit feed, r/LPT, standing for Life Pro Tips. The post performed well on the site; it got 2.4K comments and 45.6K net votes, which is the told amount of likes when the dislikes are subtracted. 83% of those votes were positive.

Readers were quick to share their own stories too. 

A user named CitizenHuman wrote, “Took a business seminar about sales, and the speaker said something like ‘a receptionist is the gatekeeper to the decision-makers.’ Outside of just being polite to people, receptionists can hold a lot of sway in a company.”

Another named CCMThrowaway agreed, “Used to work as a receptionist. My boss would specifically pull me in after every interview and ask how the potential employee acted toward me/conducted themselves in the waiting area.”

A few critics emerge

Not everyone felt that the story was realistic. F6pilot voiced dissent writing, “A receptionist trying to engage in small talk? I get the lesson here, but still doubt a hiring manager sits at a desk for 20 minutes (applicant arrives customarily early) so that they can gauge how an applicant interacts with a receptionist? Sorry, I can’t get there.”

User Azozel tried to frame the experience from another perspective: “Walk into a business, anxious, distracted, and stressed cause you’re about to get a job interview. You’re thinking about possible questions and acceptable answers, maybe going over a list you’ve got on your phone. The receptionist wants to chat but you’re desperately trying to get in the right mental state for this interview.”

Whether or not the story is true, the lesson is obviously important. You never know who’s going to have an impact on your career prospects — or just on your life in general. It’s vital to be nice to everyone, not only because it could affect your interview, but because it is the right thing to do. 

Read more interview tips.