Woman’s Lack of Experience Gets Her Rejected From a Job Two Minutes Into the Interview
Published Dec. 5 2023, 12:05 p.m. ET
If the 2016 presidential election taught us anything, a mogul with no previous political background can become the ruler of the United States. But while not having any experience earned you-know-who a presidency, it’s not always the case for job hunters hoping to land a position at an average company.
In many cases, lacking the experience to do a job you applied for wouldn’t result in you getting an interview.
The rule didn’t apply to one woman who shared on TikTok that her inexperience still resulted in her being asked to interview for the position. However, when she arrived at the interview, the recruiter gave her an old-school “It’s a no for me, dawg” and blamed the inexperience the woman thought the recruiter already knew about.
A woman was “fuming” after being rejected from a job for lack of experience.
It’s no surprise why job interviews make most people nervous. Whether the interview is via Zoom or in-person, having a mostly one-sided conversation about why you’re the best candidate for the position isn’t the most relaxing way to spend a morning or afternoon.
Despite some people finding job interviews exhausting, in September 2023, TikTok user Alexa King (@alexakingmusic) said she was fully prepared for her interview with a company she applied for. So when the time came for the phone interview with a recruiter, Alexa wasn’t planning on anything going awry. Boy, was she wrong.
Alexa said in TikTok her recruiter abruptly stopped her from talking two minutes into the interview. After Alexa asked why the recruiter paused her, she said, “You don’t have the experience.”
Alexa is now taken aback because she sent the recruiter her CV and a cover letter before the interview, as most hopeful employees do. She assumed her information was enough for them to see “all the experience that I have.”
The woman on the other line explained to Alexa that, after hearing her talk, she felt Alexa was more than qualified to do the job she applied for. However, due to the lack of experience, the recruiter didn’t feel comfortable taking Alexa’s “sauce” even though Alexa’s skillset proved she had the sauce.
Alexa became more frustrated as she retold the story. She said she explained to the recruiter how the “transferable skills” she listed on her resume would make up for not having any direct experience in the job she wanted. Still, the transferable skills weren’t enough for the recruiter, which sent Alexa over the edge.
“You told me yourself I can do it, so why are you so hell-bent on the fact that I need experience?” Alexa asked on camera. “You can see that it doesn’t matter what my experience is. It’s all about the f------ character.”
Other frustrated TikTokers felt Alexa’s pain and shared as much in her comments.
Before Alexa’s two-minute rant ended, she expressed how annoyed she was by her recruiter’s choice to book the interview even though she presumably knew Alexa didn’t have the experience needed for the job.
Alexa claimed if the woman had already read her resume and cover letter, she would’ve noticed Alexa didn’t have the same experience she was looking for and could’ve acted accordingly, and I’m in complete agreement.
Too often, job recruiters will accept candidates for an interview only to ask them about their lack of experience for the role. This is a complete waste of both the candidates' and the recruiter’s time and the company’s resources. It can also damage a job hopeful’s self-esteem if told to stop talking two minutes into the interview.
Underneath Alexa’s TikTok, she received tons of comments from users who were also frustrated by her story. Several commenters were disgusted by the recruiter’s attitude and how recruiters generally treat job interviews today.
“Jobs used to train people, and now they’d rather hire no one than show someone with a good attitude how to do the work,” one commenter said.
“This is exactly why the phrase ‘Nobody wants to work’ makes my blood boil,” a second user shared.
“I feel these recruiters just book interviews to make their hours justifiable,” said another commenter.
“‘You don’t have the experience.’ THEN GIVE THEM SOME,” a fourth frustrated user wrote.