Job candidate baffled after boss asks him to perform bizarre task in interview – The Mirror US
A man was left utterly baffled after being asked to belt out a tune during a job interview. He shared his bewildering experience on Reddit, detailing how he applied for a position with a major energy supplier and spent weeks perfecting his resume and cover letter, as well as preparing for the interview.
Despite sailing through the phone interview and making it to an aptitude test in a hotel conference room with about 30 others, where around 20 were sent home, he was not expecting what came next. In the final face-to-face interview, which was oddly being filmed, he was thrown a curveball.
"It was going quite well although at the very end of the interview the guy said 'one last thing, could you sing me a song'." Confused, he thought he had misheard and asked for clarification. "I said what? And he said yeah just anything that comes to mind, just sing something, I just flat out said no, and the guy kept at it, he eventually said it can be anything, sing happy birthday and I just said no, not doing that."
His refusal to perform led to the abrupt end of the interview and he was informed that he hadn't landed the job. He added: "The guy turned off the camera and said 'you did well, and I feel bad for you but you won't get the job', he then told me his boss insisted nobody who refused to sing at the end could be hired no matter how good they did."
While he initially regretted not belting out the tune, he now feels it was a fortunate escape. He recounted: "I found it extremely strange, I was even annoyed at myself for not just singing happy birthday as he suggested, but now when I think back I'm glad I didn't, it was clearly a test to see how easy I would be controlled."
Commenting on his ordeal, one person posted: "I would of probably sang The Smiths 'I was looking for a job and I found a job, heaven knows I'm miserable now! '" Another supporter chimed in: "Hey, glad for you standing up for yourself."
Reflecting candidly, he revealed this peculiar expectation shed light on his own vulnerability: "I'm kind of goofy and social, so I probably would have sang a song. I'd have thought, 'that sounds like fun; here's my favourite song.' After reading the comments, it seems like I have a weakness for manipulation. I need to be extra cautious."
Another user gave their take, stressing the importance of self-agency: "As long as you're doing it because you want to and not manipulation, its fine, they'd be quite surprised when you showed you actually had a spine, just also don't let them take advantage if it either. Like someone may like to wash a boat because they like boats, but don't wash your boss' boats for free."
