35+ Unforgettable Job Interview Walkouts That'll Leave You Speechless

Job interviews can take unexpected turns, but imagine an interview so bizarre that walking out seems like the best move. Some Redditors opened up about similar unexpected experiences.

A woman during an interview | Source: Pexels

From learning about unreal job role expectations to hearing odd questions from the interviewer, people have witnessed all kinds of things while interviewing for a job they thought was the perfect opportunity for their career growth.

Minutes after their interviews began, these job candidates realized the workplace and job description differed from what they had in mind. At that point, these people thought the only way to save themselves from getting into trouble was to stand up and leave. They didn't care about the consequences of walking out of a job interview.

Comments have been edited for clarity and grammar.

1. The Bizzare Request

A shocked young man | Source: Pexels

u/Flashy_Adeptness8597: During an interview, they asked me to remove my shirt to prove I didn't have a gang tattoo. I walked out without saying another word.

2. The Aggressive Interviewer

An angry man | Source: Pexels

u/D-1-S-C-0: I walked out of an interview because the interviewer shouted at me. He explained my day-to-day as colleagues will send me tickets, and I'll do what they want, to the letter, within a set timeframe. No communication.

I politely asked if there was any room for collaboration or giving input, and he slammed his fists on the desk, saying, "THAT'S NOT HOW WE WORK HERE!"

I laughed (I couldn't help it because it was so unexpected) and told him I didn't think this role was for me. He sent me a rejection email a week later.

3. They Blamed Me for Their Mistake

A displeased woman holding folders | Source: Pexels

u/David2022Wallace: I applied for a particular position in a sporting goods store. It was for the hockey/skates section.

It turned out the manager posted the wrong position. It was supposed to be in a department I knew nothing about.

Then, she got mad at me because it was (apparently) my fault that she messed up on the job ad. She was legitimately angry, saying I was wasting her time and stuff.

4. The Obvious Discrimination

A woman sitting at a table | Source: Shutterstock

u/IdgePidge: I had an interview for a teacher training position and was still recovering from a major surgery, so I was still on crutches.

They had asked me to arrive at the campus 20 minutes beforehand so they could photocopy my documents. I arrived 30 minutes early.

They got copies of my certificates and transcripts and then told me that the interview was taking place in a different building on the polar opposite end of the campus.

When I asked if they had any form of help with transport, I got a weird look, and they said, "It takes less than ten minutes to walk there." It took me nearly half an hour.

When I arrived, the two other candidates and the head of the faculty were already there, who welcomed me with "glad you decided to join us finally."

Then, we headed upstairs. Again, no help, so I was the last one up. We had to do presentations, and I was told, "It's only fair, last one in first one up."

I did my presentation, sat through the others, and then went in for my interview with the faculty head and another man. The first question was, "Do you make it a habit to be the last one everywhere?"

At that point, I'd had enough. I asked the interviewers if it was their habit to discriminate against people with disabilities.

They had no idea it was just surgery recovery and iterated that I had no interest in being educated by an establishment that ridiculed people for something they had no control over. Then, I hobbled out.

A week later, they offered me a place on the course. I rejected it, wrote about my grievances, and never heard back.

5. I Felt Humiliated

A sad woman during an interview | Source: Shutterstock

u/feliciates: The interviewer insisted on knowing why I left graduate school. Now, I left graduate school because my advisor died in a car accident.

After that, the whole small department was thrown for a loop, and no one seemed to know or care what would happen to me or my just-started research project.

The interviewer wouldn't even accept "My advisor died suddenly" and dug into the gory details until I was almost in tears (even intimating that I must have had "feelings" for my advisor.)

I couldn't wait to get out of there, and in my haste to leave, I knocked some solutions off a cart (which had no business being in his office, BTW) on my way out. I had never been so humiliated in my life.

6. I'm Glad I Walked Away

A man standing at a reception | Source: Pexels

u/VH5150OU812: I arrived five minutes before the appointed time and checked in with reception to notify my interviewer of my arrival. I was told to have a seat.

After 20 minutes, I confirmed with the receptionist that my interviewer knew I had arrived. After 20 more minutes, I started wondering about the professionalism and whether I wanted to work there.

I knew some days were just a disaster, and managing that must take priority. At the hour mark, I stood up and left.

Even if there had been some sort of crisis, nothing could stop them from telling me they were dealing with something and would not be able to go ahead with the interview that day. So I left.

This was before mobile phones were prevalent, so I got home to find the light on my answering machine blinking.

The message was the interviewer screaming at me for having wasted her time. She promised I would never work in the industry and that she would make it her mission to ruin my career.

Twenty-five years later, the career has seen some ups and downs, none related to her. She has completely disappeared from view.

Besides, the company rather spectacularly imploded, resulting in criminal charges for many senior executives. I'm so glad I walked away.

7. Beards Are Not Allowed

A bearded man | Source: Pexels

u/lookssharp: I sat down with the owner for an interview, and his first sentence was, "I don't hire people with beards." I said okay, got up and walked out.

8. This Wasn't for Me

A man talking on his phone | Source: Pexels

u/willuminati91: I had a telephone interview for an IT technician position for a design company. They mentioned the following stages would be two more interviews and a full-day trial shift. I ended the call and emailed the recruiter, saying it wasn't for me.

9. Why Did You Apply for This Job?

A man interviewing another man | Source: Shutterstock

u/RumBunBun: Years ago, I went to an interview and sat down with the man who had to interview me.

We sat in silence while he read something on his computer for a few minutes, then waited for a minute or so while he looked over my resume (it was a small business, and he was the same person who called me to set up the interview. He had the resume for a few days).

He finally looked up at me and said, "Well, I'm not sure why you applied for this job; you don't have any of the skills or experience I'm looking for."

He was arrogant, and I felt he was trying to make a power move to make a lowball offer. I didn't apply for any job that I wasn't qualified for.

I was angry that he was playing games. I calmly said, "Then I'm not sure why you're wasting my time," before I stood and walked to the door. He said something like, "Oh, no, let's talk," but I told him I wasn't interested in working for him.

10. The Remote Job

A woman attending a phone call | Source: Pexels

u/No-Detective1810: I was on a phone call with an internal recruiter about a remote role. When I asked questions about the role and how many people would support me, he apologized, said he wasn't sure, etc.

Every single question I asked, he said the same: that he couldn't answer and that it would be covered when I came to the interview.

When I said, "I thought you said it's remote-based," he replied, "Oh, no. There's an office, and the role is office-based."

I told him that he should include all the facts the next time he pretends to have a first-stage interview (which he said in his email).

He started to get annoyed and changed his tone. I sarcastically laughed and thanked him for wasting my time. The job is still up with the same info. What a loser!

11. False Claims

A cat at a vet's clinic | Source: Pexels

u/Karbar049: I'm a vet tech. I was interviewed at a primary care, single-doctor practice. The manager was over 25 minutes late for my interview.

While I waited for her, the front desk staff ignored me while they talked badly about the techs, manager, and clients.

The manager said they did not believe in referring to any specialists because "Dr. A is a specialist in everything from grizzly bears to canaries."

To be honest, he was not. He hadn't even done a rotating internship or a residency program. I had already worked in a toxic clinic, but at least the doctors were competent.

When the manager asked if I had any questions, I just asked her if I could have my resume back so I didn't waste the paper.

12. That Was Unexpected!

A woman attending a video call on her laptop | Source: Pexels

u/Moment_37: I once walked out of an interview (virtually as it was over Zoom). The interview was with a tech company in the health sector.

The company wanted to create and produce wearables to help people with weight loss, BMI readings, etc. I was very interested because I was chubby and keen to use it.

I log on to Zoom. The guy is abrupt but nothing out of the ordinary. I attributed it to nerves. Then, he says, "Let me start with some info and history about our company and how it will affect the health sector."

He then pauses for a second, thinking about how to start. He says, "Don't get this the wrong way, but do you know what I see when I look at your chubby face? BMI and early death. Our wearables could help…"

That's where my mind stopped working for a few seconds before interrupting him and going, "I'm sorry, this isn't the role for me. Thanks." I immediately ended the Zoom call without waiting for him to say anything.

13. The Awkward Pause

A man arguing with a woman | Source: Pexels

u/DrunkBeavis: The guy interviewing me interrupted the interview to scream at one of his employees. He was red in the face, screaming and berating the guy. And then he tried just to pick up where we left off like it was nothing. No, thank you.

14. The Marketing Position

Two women talking in an office | Source: Pexels

u/SnooGoats1557: Once, when I worked in marketing, an employer sent me a pre-interview test. It was a "hypothetical" scenario where a new fashion brand wanted to launch in Europe. I need to put together a budget and proposal.

I did, and I budgeted to launch in Europe. I figured this brand needed to spend between £600,000 and £1 million to get the kind of sales they wanted. Fashion is one of the most competitive environments.

In the interview, the employer criticized me for my budget estimates. It turns out this was an actual client they had at the time, and the client only had £10,000 a month to spend on marketing.

I asked, "Hold up. Do they want to launch a European-wide fashion brand on £10,000 a month?" It turns out that this company was promising this brand stupid levels of sales on a tiny budget.

I immediately got up and left. What this company was promising was impossible, and I knew it. I didn't want to work for a deluded company.

15. I Thought It Was a Prank

A group of people in a meeting | Source: Pexels

u/neolabaque: I applied for a software developer position for an online retailer. The first round of interviews was a traditional technical skills test and whiteboard coding session. The second round was a cultural fit interview with HR.

I assumed it would be a one-on-one interview with HR, but it was a room with around 20 people applying for anything from legal to finance.

They asked us to stand up, crawl into a ball, and pretend we were flowers opening. At this point, I thought it was a prank, but then I saw everybody around me doing it. I just said thanks for the opportunity and left.

16. 'I'd Google It'

A woman presenting in front of a group of people | Source: Pexels

u/ACatGod: I was invited to apply for a job. I met the interviewer informally, and during the meeting, I said I didn't have the right skill set for the role.

They emailed me after and strongly encouraged me to apply, and for various reasons, I decided to. I got called for an interview.

They had asked me to prepare a 15-minute presentation (standard in that field), and when I walked in, they announced they had changed their mind and only wanted five slides.

I cracked a small joke: I hope the title slide didn't count. But there was silence. I was using one of their laptops, and the user had left Skype on, so messages were pinging up throughout the presentation, complete with the notification sound.

We got through the presentation, and then they presented me with an output from an experimental methodology I didn't know how to do (which they must have known) and asked me to interpret it.

I knew the basic principles, so I explained what I was looking at but couldn't get into the accurate details. They scoffingly asked how I'd expect to manage the job.

I looked the lead dead in the eye and said, "I'd Google it. With a PhD from Oxbridge and years of research experience, I'm more than capable of looking up a new technique".

One of the other interviewers got very offended, stood up, got right in my face, and said, "Analyze it." I walked out.

The door opened outwards, and I must have pushed it open because it closed quite hard and bumped open again. I've regretted how I handled a few situations in my career, but not this one.

17. 'No, Thank You'

A person welding metal in a workshop | Source: Pexels

u/Alpha_Hellhound: I once went to a job interview for a large welding shop in the middle of a rainstorm.

After talking to the interviewer for about 30 minutes, he walked me to the shop floor to take a welding test.

The machine we went to was in decent condition but was literally sitting in a puddle of water. The welding table's legs were rusty and not grounded well, and also in said puddle. Over half the shop was flooded.

I turned around and said, "No, thank you." Then, I proceeded to walk out the door. My life is worth more than $20 an hour.

18. They Had No Idea about My Work Experience

A woman sitting in front of two interviewers | Source: Pexels

u/guernican: I walked out of an interview with the Department for International Development (I feel the Foreign Office has now absorbed it).

It was so insultingly apparent that none of the three people conducting the interview had read my CV or knew anything about my twenty years of experience in my field that I (politely, I hope) called a halt to a question after twenty minutes or so.

I apologized for leaving early but said that I felt it was clear they hadn't prepared for the meeting. They looked a little taken aback.

I gave them a couple of seconds to say something. None of them did. I left. That's it. It was a mid-senior role in a comms/marketing capacity.

19. They Didn't Keep Their Word

Bikes parked outside fast-food restaurants | Source: Pexels

u/Turnbob73: I applied for a cashier position at Pizza Hut. I specifically told them during my two interviews that I could not be a delivery driver due to my car being unreliable. They even acknowledged that and told me okay.

I got the job and came in for training on the first day. The first thing they do is sit me down in a chair and start a training video on delivery driving.

I asked them if I could skip it since I was only working the register/in the kitchen, and the manager told me every position is a delivery driver. I walked out right then and there and got paid for 1 hour of training.

20. My Salary Expectations

A woman giving a presentation | Source: Pexels

u/njt1986: I gave a multi-stage interview and got to the final stage. Over there, I gave a 20-minute presentation on what I'd do to drive business, etc.

Then, they lowballed me on salary by £8k compared to what I said in the initial telephone interview about six weeks earlier.

They said, "Oh, we would love you to start with us. We were really impressed with your ideas and the approach you mapped out," and then lowballed me.

I asked if they had mixed me up with another candidate, and they said no. Then, I reminded them about saying a figure £8k above that, and they just replied, "We aren't willing to pay that," so I walked out.

21. Time Is Precious

A woman talking on a video call | Source: Pexels

u/cginc1: It was a virtual interview, and I ended it. The interviewer was a complete jerk, had an ego, and would make condescending remarks.

I just told him that it sounded like he's not interested in working together, so we should just end the call in the interest of both our time.

22. I Threatened the Interviewer

Angry women looking at each other | Source: Shutterstock

u/FreeMule901: The position was advertised as fully remote. I rocked up to the interview, and the company said that the role is hybrid (3 days a week in the office), and they only advertised it as remote to get a bigger pool of applicants.

I showed no shade and said I would write reviews on Glassdoor, Google, and Indeed, explaining that this organization does not operate with honesty and integrity and that my experience should warn others interested in so-called 'remote' positions. I then walked out because how dare they waste my time.

23. They Changed My Job Role

A confused woman | Source: Shutterstock

u/EmbalmMeDaddy: I made it to the third interview for a large company. In the first two, they told me my role, base pay, and commission and said they were so excited to have me on board because of my experience.

So, I sat down for the third interview. The interviewers again went over my role, my pay, etc. They say they were prepared to offer me that job right then and had the paperwork ready since morning.

BUT THEN, they said, "But we already hired someone for that. So instead, what we'd like you to do is.." and proceeded to tell me the pay was less than half what they were already offering me prior for a lot more work.

I went from being offered a management job to being asked to train all the new employees they had recently hired. They then wanted me to step down to cashier for $10 per hour. And no guaranteed hours.

I stood up and told them I was worried I was wasting their time before the interview because I hadn't been sold on the job yet. But after today, it's become apparent that you guys were wasting my time instead. I said, "No, thank you," and left.

About an hour later, I got a call asking for a fourth interview. The company called almost every day for two weeks, asking me to return and talk to the owner.

24. Selling Kitchen Knives

A set of kitchen knives | Source: Pexels

u/PapaGeorgieo: It was a commission-based sales job selling kitchen knives. The interviewer pulled out a knife, and it fell apart in his hands. I walked out, and I am also not a salesperson.

25. 'What Is Your Salary Expectation?'

Interviewer shaking hands with a job candidate | Source: Pexels

u/notABadGuy3: I was a fresh computer science graduate looking for my first job out of university. I saw this job for a small company, which had been advertised for a while, and decided to apply.

During the next few days, I got a phone call asking me to come in. When I pulled into the small car park next to a few newly built houses converted to offices, I pulled up next to a gold-plated BMW i8. Clearly, the company was doing well.

We went through the usual interview for about 15 minutes, and then they asked the dreaded question, "What is your salary expectation?" I fumbled around, trying to avoid giving exact figures.

The CEO hated this and very bluntly told me to name a figure. I said £35k. He laughed. I was a little confused as this was the number listed on the advert.

Then, he lectured on how much recruitment agencies inflate the price and warp graduates' brains to expect higher salaries.

He said I didn't know my worth and would be lucky to get a job with that salary. This took me aback, and I didn't know how to react. So, I asked how much he would be willing to pay me.

After insulting my GitHub portfolio and saying I should only have working software there, he said £20k. At this point, I got up, shook his hand, thanked him for the time, and ended the interview.

I still got a formal offer in the form of a text message minutes after I left. I replied that, unfortunately, I already had an offer for over double the salary offered, so I will not be considering them any further. It felt good.

26. No Breaks

A stressed woman at work | Source: Pexels

u/Balrog229: I showed up, and the manager practically bragged about how the job offered no breaks for an almost 10-hour shift.

If there were food breaks, they would be for five minutes maximum at a hip-height table with no chairs. She said that you'd be fired if you sat down even for 30 seconds.

I'm more than capable of doing that. I did that every day at my last job. But when you brag about how your employees are so overworked that they don't get breaks or an option to rest their legs, it tells me all I need to know about how little you value your employees.

This job wasn't paying exceptionally well. The pay was above minimum wage, but it was not at a level that was even enough to live on.

27. I Felt Irritated

A bookstore | Source: Pexels

u/watercolorfxg: The clerk who gave me the application warned me it had a test attached and I'd need to make extra time. I didn't have anywhere to be, so I stuck around.

The packet, in total, took me close to an hour. After I completed the general application questions, I saw literature questions that made me feel unenlightened.

They asked about the regions Eudora Welty wrote about, Button Gwinnett's occupation, and Bible verses. What Alfred Stieglitz did, even though his name was misspelled on the test.

The clerk got the manager after I finished, but I didn't realize she was the manager initially because she came out without greeting me or looking me in the eye.

The first thing she did was to glance at my application and say, "Oh, you're at X school? We don't usually hire students because we have day shifts. What days are you available?"

At this point, I was pretty irritated. Why wouldn't a bookstore hire students from next door? She was clearly more interested in my application than talking to me.

I was smart and said I was available for most of them and that my availability was listed in my application.

The manager looked me in the eye for the first time and said, "Well, I'm asking you." At this point, I politely asked for my bag from behind the counter and said I was leaving.

The manager apologized for being tired (at 3 p.m.). I said it was not her fault, and she said, "I know!" I was thrilled to walk out of that place.

28. The Project Management Job

An annoyed woman sitting in front of a laptop | Source: Pexels

u/Vaiara: I interviewed for a project management position. The interviewer described the job: it was pure research and data entry of potential clients, then cold-calling them and documenting the results.

However, the job ad mentioned precisely none of this. It was an average project management job ad. I wouldn't have applied in the first place if they had revealed the actual job description.

I asked what precisely the project management part was and was told that it could (could, not would) be down the road, maybe 2-5 years in, but only 'maybe.' I thanked them for the interview opportunity, we wrapped things up, and I politely left.

29. I Laughed during the Interview

A tired woman sitting on a couch | Source: Pexels

u/JodieBella: I'm an EMT. I'm job hunting and interviewing out of state because I plan on moving soon.

I made $27/hour as a medical assistant at my last job but decided to return to first responding/transport.

I walked into the interview, and the guy immediately started talking about how they hire absolutely no employees from another EMS company because they hate said EMS company.

Then he told me he just finished firing a new guy on the spot for dinging a mirror. He did not ask me questions about myself or my experiences and spent 30 minutes talking about how much their company makes.

Then, he asked me if I'd be okay with $14/hr. I asked for $16, but he brought it down to $13.75. The job listing stated $17-$23.

I laughed and told him I'd probably be paid far better at McDonald's. Poverty wages are unacceptable. Capitalism has gotten out of hand.

30. They Were Asking the Same Question

A woman shaking hands with a man in an office | Source: Pexels

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u/Chibbly: They spelled my name wrong on their internal documents while emphasizing how important attention to detail was.

On top of that, they kept asking the same question in about 12 different ways, and the answer to it was clearly listed in my work experience on my resume.

This was for a thermal engineering position. They offered a facility tour while my potential manager finished a meeting. I declined and left.

31. They Took Teamwork Too Seriously

A woman arguing with a man in an office | Source: Shutterstock

u/ArmyOfDog: This interview was for a management position running a mail room—something I had done twice before. They asked the standard questions, and I felt it was going well.

Then, the interviewer suddenly said, "I'm hearing a lot of 'I' from you. I'm concerned because we are about the team, not the individual here."

I thought, "It's a job interview, and you're concerned that I am answering questions you have asked specifically about me with answers that address your questions about me. That's utterly nonsensical."

I don't even remember how I responded, but I knew I didn't want to deal with his stupid semantic words and mind games, which I was sure I had only seen the surface of, so I steered us right into concluding the interview, and I left. I also made a subtle show of taking back the copies of my resume that I had brought with me.

32. Where Is Your Passport?

A person putting a passport in a bag | Source: Pexels

u/you_are_marvelous: I went in to apply for an administrative assistant position, and the guy kept asking me questions about liking kids and whether my passports were updated.

I was SO confused. It turns out the man wanted a nanny for his two young kids to travel with him and his wife back to India. I was so angry he wasted my time. I said no and left.

33. They Didn't Agree to My Terms

Close-up of a young woman | Source: Pexels

u/ToooloooT: I interviewed at a retail home improvement store this morning. It was part-time weekends and nights.

I had more experience than the two guys interviewing me, and they are self-admittedly desperate for people. He immediately offered me the job on availability and qualifications alone.

I asked about the pay, and he said $16 an hour. I laughed out loud and told him my minimum, which was entirely reasonable.

He said, "No, I can't do more than $16." I stood up, said good luck finding people to work for that, and walked out.

I decided I wouldn't work any job where some people get rich, some get to abuse people, and most suffer.

This was the third job I have turned down in the last two weeks. They are getting more and more desperate. It will take a long time, but we already have the advantage.

34. 'Honey, Just Leave'

A woman attending a video call | Source: Shutterstock

u/StuffWePlay: My husband and I moved to the Midwest to settle down. The cost of living is way cheaper here, which is good as we're both journalists by trade, with some of our income also coming from my YouTube channel.

I had been looking at remote jobs, most of which had been writing or data entry positions. I randomly heard from a place that wanted me to interview today, initially labeled as a "Data Entry" job online.

So, 30 minutes ago, I logged into a Zoom call for this interview, and...it's Cutco. It was one of those "Multi-Level Marketing" things.

They were like, "So, this position is actually direct sales! But you'll be entering data on your sales, and there's a chance for you to make big money here!"

At that point, I sent a quick text to my husband, who was sitting in the other room, and I was like, "Oh god, how do I get out of this?" to which they said, "Honey, just leave."

So, I said, "Sorry, I'm not interested in a pyramid scheme," and shut off my laptop. Then, I angrily downed a bag of chips because I felt I wasted half an hour of my life.

35. The Security Guard

A man using a walkie-talkie | Source: Pexels

u/FumbleMyEndzone: A jumped-up security guard made me walk away before I even got in the building for an interview.

I followed the instructions sent by the hiring manager, which was to park in the designated guest spaces.

The security guard came charging out of the building, yelling that I couldn't park there when I was barely out of the car. When I raised my voice just to try and get him to listen, he started yelling at me for yelling at him.

Eventually, when I got to tell him I was told to park there, he called the hiring manager and started yelling at them about how I had been yelling at him.

Partway through that phone call, I thought, "Nah, forget it." I got back in the car and drove off. The hiring manager called me to apologize and asked if I'd come back. I politely declined, saying I wanted nothing to do with that security guard again.

36. Worst Interview of My Life

Bad Boss | Shutterstock

u/[deleted]: So, HR texts me, "Hey Emily, I heard the interview went great! We're looking forward to seeing you next week for the second round!!"

Little did they know, it was the WORST interview I've ever had...Me: "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I'M NEVER COMING BACK TO YOU GUYS!!!!" At the start, THE INTERVIEWER ASKED ME TO TAKE OFF MY SHOES because they were supposedly smelling bad!!!! (Complete nonsense!!!)

I refused and tried to leave, but he locked the door and wouldn't let me out until I took off my shoes. I played along and then escaped from the office. Total nightmare!

A man interviewing a woman | Source: Pexels

As we wrap up these incredible job interview stories, it's safe to say that anything can happen while you sit in the conference room, wondering if you will get selected for the job. Each story shared by these brave Redditors showed how some interviewers can make you abandon the hiring process.

Have you ever found yourself walking out of a job interview? Share your own remarkable stories in the comments below. It might just inspire and resonate with someone navigating their career journey.