A woman has gone viral after sharing an unpleasant experience she had with a job recruiter.
In a video with over 1.6 million views, TikTok user Mikayla (@mikk022) says she was repeatedly lied to about the job and pressured through the entire interview-to-acceptance process in just three days.
@mikk022 Do we think she was actually going to call him? #jobsearch #recruiter #joboffer #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Mikayla
Mikayla claims that a recruiter initially reached out to her through LinkedIn to inform her about the potential job, which was a hybrid position. Mikayla responded, saying that she was not interested, as she was seeking a position that was fully remote and offered more money than another offer she had on the table.
The recruiter, who was external and not employed by the company in question, answered by insisting the new job would be willing to accommodate fully remote work and even claimed they would make up for the pay difference in salary and benefits.
When Mikayla actually had the interview, she described it as a “very nice conversation,” but noted that it was clear the position was not fully remote. Furthermore, when she actually got the offer, it was $15,000 lower than the amount the recruiter shared.
“I reached out to the recruiter and I was like, ‘I’m a little confused. It’s not fully remote, and the compensation is significantly lower than what you had originally mentioned,’” Mikayla recalls. “She was like, ‘Yeah, the compensation I originally mentioned would be if you had ten years of experience and you don’t have that.’”
“I was like, ‘You’re right. I don’t have that. But you had my resumé, so I feel a little deceived that you told me that number,’” Mikayla continues.
She says she eventually got an offer from the company at 1 PM on Wednesday, with all of the benefits information arriving later than evening. The company asked that she respond the following day.
The next day, the recruiter called Mikayla to see if she had made up her mind. Mikayla said she was still considering and told the recruiter she hoped to have an answer in a few hours.
From there, the recruiter repeatedly called her. Mikayla did not answer as she was busy with her other job.
The recruiter then sent Mikayla a text message saying that she needed a response by 5 PM, also warning that while the company is “really excited about you,” her excitement needed to match or the company would “need to move on.” Mikayla confirmed that she would respond by 5 PM.
Just a little while later, the recruiter again messaged Mikayla to accuse her of “shopping” for other roles and claimed she was advising the company to go with another candidate. In total, it had been less than 24 hours since Mikayla received the full offer.
According to a follow-up, Mikayla rejected the offer.
@mikk022 Replying to @Courtney Shaughnessy the other role is ultimately a better fit for me! #job #jobsearch #recruiter ♬ original sound – Mikayla
In this video, she also defends “shopping” for a position.
“I think it’s a really good idea to compare all of your options, evaluate pros and cons,” she explains. “When you’re making a decision as big as a career move, I think shopping is not a bad thing.”
She also revealed the initial LinkedIn message in a later TikTok.
@mikk022 Replying to @zackbackzack Apparently I missed a few red flags from the start #job #jobsearch #recruiter #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Mikayla
Users on TikTok supported Mikayla and chastised the recruiter for their actions.
“Recruiter here- this recruiter was not good at her job,” one user wrote.
“IM IN RECRUITING AND THIS IS WHY PEOPLE HATE US. DROP THE NAME,” another added.
“‘You’re shopping’ SO ARE YOU,” a third noted.
“Less than 24 hours is a terrible deadline people have lives and jobs,” observed a further TikToker.
The Daily Dot reached out to Mikayla via email.