Woman thought she'd landed the job until she met a manager with 'weird energy' — his reason for rejecting her left her in tears
Job interviews can leave a lasting impression. Sometimes, one small mishap can make you doubt yourself, even when everything else seems to be going well. TikTok creator Johanna, known as @johannaoriginal, thought she'd done well in her interview and was already discussing her orientation date when she was introduced to another manager. She explained their conversation in a video she posted on October 6, 2026. But that interaction took a weird turn, and the reason she was rejected left her in tears.
Johanna explained that she had filled out an application online, but when she arrived, she was asked to redo her résumé and complete a short test. She said that her interview initially went well. The first manager praised her experience and knowledge. He even discussed an orientation date with her. Johanna thought she had landed the job, especially when the manager offered to introduce her to the new manager. But that second conversation changed everything. She answered his questions confidently, but something about his attitude felt off. The first manager then told Johanna that, despite her experience, she had “no personality” and came across as “a little flat.” He then said, "Yeah, we're going to pass." Johanna was so stunned that she held back her tears until she got to her car.
Johanna said she was especially hurt because the first manager had seemed happy with her answers and even talked about her starting the following week. She hadn't expected the second manager's opinion to change things so quickly. She was caught off guard when the first manager brought up her former general manager, whom she said wasn't particularly approachable and didn't really know her that well. The experience left Johanna questioning how an interview that seemed to be going so well could end with such a personal criticism. She shared how she'd never been roasted like that in an interview before. In the comments, the viewers sympathized with her. One viewer, @overwait_dad, joked, "I guarantee, they are like, 'She's the type to report us to HR.'" Another one, @jaytranada, questioned, "Girl, what kind of company is this?" Meanwhile, @83nopalita felt, "That is so out of line and unprofessional. I’m sorry, but you dodged a bullet."
Job interviews can reveal a lot about a company, not just the person hoping to work there. In one case, a candidate walked out after a CEO spent a brief interview being rude and asking inappropriate questions. The interviewer had kept him waiting for an hour, barely looked at his résumé, and asked inappropriate questions about his former coworkers. The candidate later found negative reviews about the company and took a small step that eventually led to its Wikipedia page being deleted. In Johanna’s case, the experience may have saved her from joining a workplace that didn't seem to value honesty and professionalism.
For more of her content, you can follow @johannaoriginal on TikTok.