Job interviews are often stressful for the candidates applying. We rehearse our answers to questions we expect to receive to avoid any surprises and do our research on the company to ensure we sound well prepared, but one scenario we often don’t anticipate is realizing that we just don't like the company. A job interview is a two-way street, after all, so there’s no point in taking a job if you had an awful experience at the interview.
One woman, Natalya Haddix, recently detailed on TikTok her negative experience during the interview process at a potential job. After being frustrated and confused by many factors, Natalya ended up walking out before she had even completed the interview. After she shared the experience online, however, not all viewers agreed with Natalya’s reasoning.
Below, you will find Natalya’s full explanation of her experience, some of the comments viewers have left and an interview we were lucky enough to receive from her, so you can decide for yourself whether or not the red flags she spotted would have been deal breakers for you too. Let us know what you think in the comments below, and if you have ever walked out of a job interview, we would love to hear why. Then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article featuring times applicants changed their minds during an interview, you can find that right here.
After a job interview left a bad taste in her mouth, Natalya Haddix decided to detail her negative experience online
Image credits: natalyahaddix
Image credits: cottonbro (not the actual photo)
You can hear Natalya tell the full story right here
To gain some more insight into this situation, we reached out to Natalya via Instagram. First, we wanted to know what inspired her to share this video. "Honestly it was so frustrating, and I’m a huge advocate for employee rights in the workplace. I truly believe that the best workplaces are created from leadership that respects their employees and puts their employees first," Natalya told Bored Panda.
"I’ve always wanted to have a discussion around that, so when this experience happened, I took it to TikTok not really thinking that it would blow up, just kind of wanting to share my experience and tell people that this is not normal," she shared. "It shouldn’t be normal for others ... I am very passionate about changing the culture of the workplace in general right now, changing the concept of how Americans work. The whole concept needs a reboot."
We also asked Natalya what bothered her the most about the interview process. "There was just a disregard for who human beings are," she told Bored Panda. "It’s one thing to structure your interview in a way that allows you to interview a lot of people at once."
"It’s another thing to communicate to someone directly who steps into the door, who took time out of their day to apply to your company, to come all the way to your company, to get dressed up– Interviews take a lot of energy, and to tell someone right when they step in the door, ‘You really don’t matter to us. We’re just running through interviews because we need to put some butts in chairs', essentially" Natalya explained. "That was so disrespectful to me. I think specifically the whole set-up [bothered me]. When there was no privacy for the interview, the fact that you put an interview in a room with all these other people."
After a viewer commented that this interview process would have been normal for older generations, Natalya responded with another video defending her opinions
You can see Natalya's follow up video right here
We also asked Natalya how she would have conducted the interviews if she had been in charge. "I'm getting a lot of hate for saying, 'Oh I had to drive 45 minutes, and I had to fill out a paper application.' That's not really the point. That would have been worth it to me had the whole interview been worth my time," she explained.
"But if I would have done it differently, I would not have held it in that location," Natalya said. "Greeted each person like they were a human being with gratitude that they showed up to the interview. The person who greets you at an interview is just as important as the person interviewing you," Natalya explained.
“I would have first done a phone screening," Natalya elaborated. "Second of all, brought people in, greeted them with a smile and gratitude. And finally, given privacy for the overall interview experience.”
We also asked Natalya what she'll be looking for in her next job. She noted that she currently has her own business, but she's looking to do even more. “I do digital marketing and social media for companies," she told Bored Panda. "I have clients through that, and I make a good income through that. It's just, at this point in time, I really want to jump on a team full-time in a leadership position to see what I can do for a larger company. Just to have that experience, so I guess what I'm looking for is good leadership, strong culture, and a mission and values that I'm about. And a willingness to allow employees to grow and to bring ideas to the table.”
In terms of what she considers a dealbreaker, Natalya says she won't accept poor leadership. "If I sense poor leadership, I am out of the door so fast," she told Bored Panda. "I worked for a company that I was so excited about, it was like a dream job for me. But I worked with them for one month, and I left because their leadership was not what I thought it was. But I've also stayed with companies that I didn't really like the job, but the leadership was so amazing that I was willing to put forth the work."
We then asked Natalya how she feels about the various reactions to her video. "I completely understand it, and I respect the differing views," she told Bored Panda. "I always respect a good debate, and I always respect others' opinions."
"Obviously, there are some people in the comments who don't respect me," she noted. "If they've got some growing to do, some internal looking to do at themselves, I don't take that personally whatsoever. In fact, I find it a bit comical sometimes," Natalya explained.
"But I understand the differing viewpoints. My parents were raised in the generation that you put your head down, you get to work, you do hard work for 50 years, and then eventually, you get out," Natalya says. "I think that's all well and good, but I also think if you can find a way to make the system work better, why wouldn't you? I wish more people would support that. I see a lot of people starting to and even changing their mind because of my video, and I think that's amazing."
“At the end of the day, I will stand by my decision to walk out because I’m demanding respect," Natalya told Bored Panda.
She also responded to the comments saying that she must be a diva or a nightmare to work with. “I’m a great employee, and I can give you so many references to prove that. But I don’t have to prove that to anybody, which is why I don’t argue in the comments. But when I find a company that I want to work for that respects me, I am a great employee for them.”
“My parents are Midwest, we've got Midwest work ethic. They taught me to go above and beyond for everything,” Natalya added with a laugh.
We would love to hear your thoughts down below on Natalya’s video. Would you have walked out of this interview process as well, or did it sound perfectly fine to you? Regardless of what you think about her decision, however, it’s important to remember that everyone should feel confident and comfortable where they end up working. If you don't, there's no need to stick around.
Viewers are split about the situation, with some agreeing with Natalya and others noting that there is a generational divide
