A Reddit user’s recent account of a lengthy interview process that ended in a bait-and-switch about remote work has sparked outrage and a sprawling conversation about the costs and ethics of modern hiring.

the mailTitled “After 6 Interviews and a Project, They Surprised Me with ‘Would You Move?’” it received over 5,000 upvotes and 252 comments on the Reddit subreddit r/jobhunting. It detailed a misleading interview scenario that recruiters and job seekers alike say has become Frustratingly familiar.

A shocking revelation by the hiring manager

The original poster, who did not name the company, described being contacted by a recruiter for a “mostly remote” position at a SaaS company. The role requires attendance at an office located four hours away for just two days a month, a requirement the candidate said he was “absolutely OK with”.

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What followed was a grueling six-stage interview process and five-hour project. The label wrote that they were initially reluctant to invest so much time. But they were reassured when the division’s vice president called them to personally confirm the company’s serious interest, claiming the label was the front-runner.

“It was all a lie,” the OP wrote.

In what was expected to be a final call, the hiring manager asked if the candidate could move elsewhere because the company had suddenly decided the job had to be in-house. OP was shocked, responded that the salary wasn’t enough to move their entire family, and reminded the company that she had initiated the call to find out their location.

“All I got in response was: ‘Okay, we’ll look into it,'” the user wrote.

Days later, a recruiter called to say the company had decided it needed someone to work in the office four days a week. “A bunch of clowns,” they wrote. “I wasted a lot of time away from my family for a job I never seriously thought about doing.”

“The labor market has become a joke,” they wrote in conclusion.

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Anger and advice from commentators

The story struck a chord with commenters, with the top responses calling the situation disgusting and accusing companies of “taking advantage of market conditions to get free insight from good, experienced professionals like you,” one commenter wrote. “I was Deceived by this organization.”

Other commentators echoed the sentiment that the candidate was being exploited for freelancing. “Looks like you’ve been manipulated. They got a project done for free,” one user wrote. “Never do a household task without paying for it,” another advised.

Many comments argued that Extensive operation That in itself was a red flag. One response read: “A 5 hour project and a 6th interview would have been one too many red flags. My time costs money…I learned a valuable lesson here.”

Another commenter, who identified himself as having recruiting experience, agreed based on an insider’s perspective. The situation points to “major red flags about the company’s internal communication and respect for candidates,” they wrote. “You probably dodged a bullet here, although it seems pretty depressing now.”

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Is it a reflection of a broader trend?

The discussion has expanded beyond the individual incident, with many users criticizing the broader trend. One commenter wrote: “This program needs to stop. The job is remote but wink wink it’s actually not. They are doing it to generate more candidates… It’s a mystery why people hate corporate America.”

Another commenter shared a similar story from several years ago, which involved multiple interviews and a flight to another city, only to be told the job required a transfer after repeated assurances otherwise.

Many responses pointed to the overarching phenomenon of “Hybrid creep“And Mandates return to office. “Jobs will be back in place now. Move or get something close to where you are,” one commenter wrote. “There is a real risk that any remote job you get will become an ‘office position’ at some point before too long.”

The collective frustration has highlighted a growing feeling among job-seeking professionals: that the power dynamics in hiring I turnedallowing unregulated or fraudulent companies to cost candidates a lot of time and money – with few resources available to the candidates.

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