Woman horrifies Twitter after revealing ‘atrocious’ job application question

An Ohio woman has gone viral after revealing the horrendous question she was asked by a potential employer while describing it as a ‘new level of job application hell.’

Salem Pierce, 30, a graphic designer, stunned Twitter last month when she posted a screenshot of the inappropriate question, as part of her application for a visual design lead position at an unnamed company online. 

The job application asked: ‘How do you feel life has worked out for you so far? Please record a short, roughly 2-5 minute video response and paste the link here.’

‘New level of job application hell just dropped,’ she tweeted along with the photo, which has been viewed more than 2.2 million times. 

Many Twitter users were appalled by the both the intrusive question and the request for a video response, saying it was ‘atrocious’ and a ‘literal nightmare’ 

Many commenters were appalled by the intrusive question, calling it ‘atrocious’ and a ‘literal nightmare.’ 

‘Both the question and the requirement for a video response are causing internal screaming. If I tried to do it, it would probably be 2-5 minutes of external screaming,’ one person wrote.  

‘HUUHHH? Coming from a recruiter. I’d never. What type of job is it?’ another asked. 

‘Unfortunately sometimes the job app process is itself a red flag saying “do not proceed this will not be a good place to work,”‘ someone else pointed out. 

A number of Twitter users were concerned that the video response would be used to discriminate against applicants.  

‘Idk where in the interview process this is from, but do not like this. I could see so many ways this is an innocuous seeming way to weed out people from a protected class under the guise of “fit” or “attitude” or “charisma,”‘ one Twitter user responded. 

‘I don’t trust this. At all. Seems like a way to weed out people who are not neurotypical or white/cishet/thin before they can even get a chance to interview,’ someone else agreed. 

Commenters were concerned the video response would be used to discriminate against applicants, while others shared the outrageous questions they’ve been asked for a job 

Another added, ‘I can’t think of a way where this couldn’t be used to discriminate.’

The job application also inspired people to share the outrageous and unethical things they have been asked during interviews. 

‘I was once asked on a job interview: “most of my team is Jewish, are you Jewish?”‘ one woman commented. 

‘I once applied for a job at Target, one of the questions was what percentage of politicians do I think are honest. I didn’t get the job,’ someone else shared. 

‘Ha! My husband (Land Development) at 48 was asked if he had any reservations about working with younger coworkers “as the entire office consists of young hip individuals,”‘ another recalled. 

Some couldn’t resist sharing how they would respond to the ridiculous question.

‘I would fully turn on the camera and just record me crying for an entire 2 minutes and then say “thank you” and end the recording,’ one Twitter user shared. 

‘I’d just drop my therapist’s email and tell them she will give them the Reader’s Digest version,’ another joked. 

There were also plenty of commenters who insisted they wouldn’t respond at all, with one woman saying she ‘would rather have a coloscopy.’ 

Some couldn’t resist sharing how they would respond to the ridiculous question, but others insisted it was a red flag that was cause them to rescind their application 

However, despite the backlash, there were a few people who saw the question as an opportunity to discuss how their lives have impacted their careers. 

‘This is interesting. Sometimes I wish I had the opportunity to expand on my obstacles in life versus trying to make things make sense on my resume. For me, I think I would use this time to explain why my career trajectory looks how it does. But IDK what their end goal is here,’ one person said. 

‘I like this because it would give me a chance to explain the circumstances that may look less than desirable and contrast them with my general attitudes towards things which may boost my chances of being selected,’ someone else explained. 

After Pierce’s tweet went viral, she opened up about her job hunt in an interview with BuzzFeed, saying she has been unemployed for the past two years after leaving a ‘toxic job.’ 

She has been sharing her search journey on Twitter, including her frustrations with the process. She noted that did not film a video or complete the application because there were several other ‘minor red flags’ she had noticed. 

‘Many people are concerned about the [question’s] possibility of discrimination based on race, gender, or ability. Others, myself included, don’t like how intrusive it feels for people with past trauma or from disadvantaged backgrounds,’ she said of the application question. 

‘Several folks with reported backgrounds in HR said they’ve seen questions like this used to screen for “victim mentality,” which is really gross.