Woman Walks Out Of Interview After Being Told She’ll Be Surrounded By ‘Rowdy’ Men Who Don’t Use Politically Correct Terms
She was taken aback at the toxic work culture and decided she didn't want to be a part of it.
Dean Drobot / Shutterstock A woman explained that she walked out of a job interview after hearing about the people she'd have to work with.
In a TikTok video, a content creator named Tyler Elizabeth claimed she was immediately turned off after hearing how the work culture operates during a recent interview.
She walked out of the interview after being told she'd be working with 'rowdy' men who don't use politically correct terms.
Elizabeth admitted that she'd recently walked out of her first interview with a company that she was sure would have hired her. She explained that it started after she was set up to meet with the company's CEO, which she thought was a bit unusual for her third and final interview. Still, she claimed she didn't have a very good feeling about the company because of what she was told in a previous interview.
"I was told that I was gonna be surrounded by a sales team that was mostly made up of rowdy men who did not use politically correct terms and often used locker room talk," Elizabeth recalled. Of course, hearing that wasn't a very good sign, but she was desperate for a job after spending the last several months applying nonstop.
This was the closest she'd gotten during an interview process, and she agreed to a third interview despite being told that she would probably be experiencing misogyny and discrimination in the workplace, which is unfortunately not unheard of for women to experience.
In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, Women are roughly four times as likely as men to say they have been treated as if they were not competent because of their gender (23% of employed women versus 6% of men). They are about three times as likely as men to say they have experienced repeated small slights at work because of their gender (16% versus 5%).
Photo: Creatas Images / Canva Pro
Elizabeth showed up for the third interview with the company's CEO, but when she arrived, the entire sales team was there too. After approaching the hiring manager, she was told that they were actually having a meeting and she would need to wait until it was over, but she was allowed to sit through the meeting with them.
"Then I finally get my time with this CEO guy who's wearing a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts, which I thought was a little different. So I sit down with him, and it's very clear that he has no idea who I am. He doesn't know my name, he's not reviewed my resume."
She was accused of not being enthusiastic about the role due to her reaction to the CEO's attitude.
"I think at this point, my face was kind of giving it away that I was confused and just uncomfortable and uncertain about the situation," Elizabeth continued. The CEO then asked her if she was even looking forward to the position because of the way her face looked.
Politely and professionally, she told the CEO that there seemed to be a lot of miscommunication and lack of coordination within the company since he didn't even know that she'd be here or that he would be interviewing her. At one point, he even asked the hiring manager who Elizabeth was and if she'd been hired.
After Elizabeth explained why this entire situation put her off, the CEO began making excuses, telling her that this was just "how the company operates" and it wasn't for her, then so be it. Without thinking twice, Elizabeth grabbed her purse and walked out.
"I don't know if my standards are just too high or maybe this is normal behavior for CEOs. I sure was uncomfortable, and I just got up and left, and I'm still unemployed."
Photo: Iqbal Nuril Anwar / Canva Pro
Elizabeth was right to trust her intuition and realize that she would not have been happy at a company that is not only extremely disorganized but also allows misogyny and discrimination to happen behind its walls. The CEO's lack of appearance and dismissal of Elizabeth before the interview even started indicated his character and how he would most likely treat her.
It's also safe to assume that the men who work for this company are held to a different standard than the women.
Ultimately, Elizabeth's actions spoke louder than words when confronted with a company that doesn't adhere to basic decency. Even though she's still unemployed, if she'd accepted their job offer and chosen to ignore all of the red flags, would it have been worth it to suffer in a job that would've most likely depleted her mental health? The answer is no.
No job is worth sacrificing your well-being and allowing others to walk all over you just because you need a job.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.