A candidate blew his chance for the job after failing a simple - but secret - test at reception.
As the saying goes; you should treat the janitor was the same respect as you'd treat the CEO. It's an expression that highlight the importance of good manners -- a thing that, sadly, not everybody was brought up understanding.
Now, we can appreciate that a job interview is one of the most stressful things we all have to go through. You want to make sure you're looking professional, sounding professional, and coming across as the perfect person for the position.
However, one guy sadly lost his chance at a job in just "five minutes", after failing a secret test that was awaiting him when he arrived for his interview.
Detailing the story in a Reddit post, user @sawta2112 wrote about how they noticed that a candidate acted behaved in a standoffish manner to their receptionist before their formal interview - barely making eye contact and not engaging her in polite conversation.
The enlightening post began: "Today, a candidate blew his interview in the first 5 minutes after he entered the building.
"He was dismissive to the receptionist. She greeted him and he barely made eye contact.
"She tried to engage him in conversation. Again, no eye contact, no interest in speaking with her."
However, what the candidate didn't know was the that receptionist was actually the company's hiring manager, who was not impressed by his attitude.
The post continued: "She called him back to the conference room and explained how every single person on our team is valuable and worthy of respect. Due to his interaction with the 'receptionist,' the hiring manager did not feel he was a good fit."
They added: "It wasn't just lack of eye contact. He was openly rude and treated her like she was beneath him.
"When he thought he was talking to the decision maker, [his] personality totally changed. Suddenly he was friendly, open, relaxed. So I don't think this was a case of social anxiety."
Suffice to say, the post has since picked up more than 45,000 upvotes, and more than 4,200 comments from other Reddit users as of the time of writing.
For instance, one Redditor replied: "I'll add as someone who's been on every step of the hiring ladder, even if the receptionist wasn't the hiring manager, that receptionist will still get her two cents in at the water cooler while decisions are being made.
"In a few fields I've worked in, it wasn't just the people in the conference room that were consulted before making an offer. Be on point at all times, every employee is a potential team mate and they're all assessing you."
Meanwhile, someone else added: "Yep. 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. [sic]"
Another person even revealed that they had experienced the opposite, writing: "Goes both ways. I once turned down a job because of the way the HR guy spoke to the receptionist."
So there you have it. The takeaway from this is; Always be polite to everyone you meet during a job interview. Heck, just be polite to everybody.
