Senior coworker underestimated female colleague’s chances at the job they both interviewed for — his response after she got the role was telling
Competition always exists when two individuals are interviewing for the same role. However, some candidates become so confident in their own abilities that they dismiss everyone else. TikTok user Ruji, who goes by @rujimite, and her colleague, who was 11 years her senior, had applied for the same position at a company. When he realized she was attending the interview, he expressed his relief, stating that she wasn't his "competition." But when she received the offer, his reaction did not shock her. On Monday, July 6, 2026, the woman revealed how his arrogant comment still triggers her to this day.
The then-23-year-old was tired of her job and wanted to apply elsewhere. When she was selected for the interview round, and her senior colleague learned about it, he advised her to do her "homework" by calling the company and asking them to keep her in mind for future opportunities. "He said, 'Well done for applying. Well done for getting to the interview stage.'" His condescending statements pissed her off; however, luck was in her favor. Ruji performed well and received the job offer, while the man received a rejection phone call. He was visibly upset and could not believe he hadn't been selected. When he inquired if Ruji got through, she lied, and his immediate reaction was, "Oh, someone with more experience must have gotten it."
Recalling the incident, the creator noted that she initially believed him when he put her down. However, a year into the new job, when she asked her manager why she had been hired, she was told that Ruji was the right candidate because she answered all the questions correctly while seeming like someone they could teach and help grow. When she asked about her senior colleague, her manager noted that he came across as arrogant and seemed like he knew everything. "I cannot work with someone like that," the manager said.
A 2024 study published by the University of Sussex noted that staying humble gets people better opportunities and triumphs over arrogance. Dr. Elsa Chan, Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at the University, said, "While some leaders climb the corporate ladder by taking a dominance route which could be costly, our research reveals that humble leaders take an alternative route, the status route that increases their influence."
Ruji's video received a lot of support from internet users, who agreed with her sentiments. @Ace Hart commented, "I would have fully told him to go home and to write a message to the company asking them to keep him in mind for future positions." @esraasayed7393 shared, "I don’t know where they keep all that audacity." @Erinn wrote, "Please tell me you eventually told him that you got the job instead of him."
For more such stories, follow @rujimite on TikTok.