Woman Says Company Wanted "One-Way Interview". Here's What Happened Next

After being asked to participate in a "one-way interview" by a company, a woman shared her story on Reddit which sparked a discussion on the platform. In the now-viral post, she detailed her encounter with the company and said the experience seemed "a bit dehumanizing" to her.

"I'm currently employed, but I've been casually applying to jobs because I want to keep my options open. This is a new thing I saw after applying to a job last week. They emailed me saying they were interested, but wanted me to do a 'one-way interview' which is where I'd have to record myself on video answering interview questions."

Thoughts on "one-way interviews"?
byu/confidentbut injobs

She added that she did not want to perform the task and ignored their request initially. However, the company emailed her again and enquired if she would be interested in completing the task so that she could be considered for a role. "I ignored their first request, but they emailed me again today randomly (a week later) to clarify something about the salary, and asking if I'd be interested in completing the one-way interview so I could be considered. This screenshot is my response," she added.

She concluded, "Would love to hear what people's thoughts are on this. Maybe my expectations are too high, but this just seems a bit dehumanizing to me. I also wonder if this is going to be (or already is) a common thing. It's been awhile since I've been on the job market."

As per the screengrab, she wrote to the company that she is not comfortable with the same. "After being in the staffing industry for about 4 years; hiring and interviewing candidates on a daily basis, I believe it's vital for all interviews to be 2-way conversations. It's just as important for me to be able to see if a position is a good fit for me, as it is for the potential employer. I hope this makes sense!"

Since being shared, the post has amassed a lot of reactions from users.

"I've only heard of these here on Reddit and I find them super weird. I love your response and I hope it resonates with this firm enough for them to do away with this sort of an 'interview'," said a user.

Another added, "A good few years ago I was looking at an extra part time job. A good 30% of jobs I initially applied for wanted me to complete a one way interview. This would often be mentioned during the online application process. Complete time wasters."

"I've done a couple but will now withdraw myself from the process if they ask for one," said a third.

A user added, "I had to do this in college for a career readiness course. It was the worst experience, you only had one chance to answer, couldn't get a redo, and your response had to be a certain length. I will never do that again."

"It's lazy interviewing. They likely screen the worst candidates this way, but it's lazy, so a red flag," commented a person.

"Big companies are doing this now too... it's a way for employers to use AI to study facial movements and expressions to judge personality, culture fit, emotions etc. Unfortunately for employees, it looks like we are headed in this direction," said another.